Venus and Aphrodite

by Bettany Hughes

[Jo]

Despite being a history book rather than a spiritual one, Venus & Aphrodite by Bettany Hughes was one of the books recommended to me as food for thought when I asked for advice regarding learning more about Aphrodite as a deity. While this is a really interesting and fascinating book, I was a little disappointed.

Venus & Aphrodite an academic view of the worship of Aphrodite-Venus through history. While it takes you through her origins, the goddesses she evolved from, and what she has meant and symbolised to those who worshipped her and society at large, how her meaning evolved throughout history, I found it to be quite short. At 241 pages, with quite large, spaced text, with photos and artwork scattered throughout, it's a very quick read. And because of that, I personally felt it didn't into as much detail as I expected, or wanted. I feel this is more of an overview of what she meant ot humanity, than an indepth look. And the emphasis is very much on the human relationship to Aphrodite-Venus, rather than a huge amount about the goddess herself.

I feel Venus & Aphrodite had the potential to be a really fantastic book, but fell short for me. But if you're after a fairly quick introduction, Venus & Aphrodite isn't a bad place to start.