A historical exploration of the phenomenon of the goddess of love in the Western world.

The author sets forth the mythology, worship, devotion, and influence of the goddess we have come to know as Aphrodite in Greek (Venus in Latin). She starts with the birth story of Aphrodite and the emphasis of service in Cyprus; she then goes back in time to witness the fertility goddess of prehistoric Western Europe and the Wanassa of Mycenean Greece, then shifts east to Inanna/Ishtar/Astarte of the ancient Near East and the association of love and war. The various permutations of Aphrodite/Venus in Greek and Roman culture are then explored, and the connections between Aphrodite, sexuality, violence, fertility, etc. in Classical culture. She then explores the "post-history" of Aphrodite in medieval, renaissance, and early modern art and culture, and the continuation of her influence in modern society.

The book is written for the lay reader without much experience in the Classics, and written in that British imperial style which emphasizes the personal travels and experiences of the author. The work provides a good introduction to the nature and influence of the goddess of sexuality in Western culture and society.

This book traces the history of the famous goddess from early origins as a symbol of fertility through Greek, Roman , Christian eras till modern times. Each chapter begins with a quote and describes how the goddess had a variety of roles and functions. It becomes clear how the goddess also was used for different purposes at different times.
While I enjoyed getting to know more about this timeless and ever present goddess the style of the author was not always smooth to read. In addition, the book is at times too academic while at other too simplistic.

Perhaps it's my yearning for the Mediterranean summer speaking, but this was by far the most entertaining, eloquent non-fiction I have ever had the pleasure to read. Ugh, and it's so short! Hughes explores the socio-cultural aspects of Greco-Roman antiquity's love goddesses, looking as far back as the Bronze Age and beyond the shores of Cyprus to examine the predecessor-deities of Venus and Aphrodite and the meaning their symbols hold, to this day. Rarely have I gone through a work of non-fiction as fast as this - one reason certainly being Hughes' colourful and varied narrative voice (thot historians, take notes). And it gave me the worst case of Fernweh! I never thought I'd say this about a history book one day - but I might reread?

This was a light and breezy book about one of Greek/ Roman mythology’s most popular, and often misunderstood goddesses. Hughes shows in her very lovely writing that Aphrodite is a lot more complex than history would have us believe. Her origins, her powers and love life and the way she was worshiped are all touched about here and never once did I feel the writing was bogged down by unnecessary language and details. It’s so easy to read it’s almost like you’re reading a novel rather than a mythology text. I recommend this book especially if you love mythology it’s an absolute must read.

This is almost a Jungian exploration of Aphrodite-Venus as a many-faced diety passed down throughout the ages. Hughes' connections cover a large swath of the globe, and seem to interpret many goddess deities of fertility and war as variations of either Venus or Aphrodite, who in turn are either two sides of the same coin, or sister deities, or variations of one another.

While it is a slim volume, there are many years and cultures explored, many deities such as Ina na and Astarte are referenced and slightly explored. A lot of pagan goddesses of war, fertility, harvest, sex, or motherhood - practically anything - are explored as possible variations of the same deity: Venus/Aphrodite.

Well worth the read for the archaeological pictures of deities, statues, and classical artwork alone - let alone the analyses, however at times it felt overwhelmingly like a history of artifacts rather than a goddess. Would recommend for anyone interested in classical deities, Jungian theory of the Sacred Prostitute, Greco-Roman mythologies, pagan deities.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an e-ARC via Netgalley.

If you love mythology, you have to read this book. Venus and Aphrodite are probably one of the most referenced Goddesses in modern culture. After reading this book, that doesn't come as a surprise. I thought I knew them before, but now Bettany Hughes pulls back the curtain to reveal astonishing profiles of these prolific Goddesses that with both fascinate and bewilder.

Renowned author Bethany Hughes aproach to social history of godess Aphrodite/Venus is fresh and really interesting. Myths about female godess - lover, warrior, peril etc. impacted many civilizations and in a way changed the history. Her appearance transcended by people needs in time.
Aphrodite/Venus is in fact the summary of our drive for good and bad. She was a sex and violence deity to explain the tempestuous and desirous nature of human behaviour.

Very well written and joy to read.

I've always been interested in mythology, yet I knew very little about Aphrodite. I found Venus and Aphrodite to be a fascinating read, and I learned a lot: each page, barring those that hold an image of a painting, a sculpture, a photograph, holds at least one intriguing fact.

Hughes invites the reader to follow Aphrodite's trail from the goddess' birth stemming from the castration of sky god Ouranos, through her worship in Pompeii and Cyprus, through Rome, through the Renaissance, and at last, to the modern day. For those interested in a feminist exploration of myth, this proves itself to be a more than suitable choice: we begin with a fearsome goddess of desire (both for love and for war) and end with, arguably, Aphrodite as we know her, the scantily-clad muse, her gradual stripping charting society's progression towards escalating misogyny.

While I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth here (in particular, a study of the continued Aphrodite worship amongst neo-pagan circles, perhaps?) this was a pleasure to read. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of hymns and poems at the start of each chapter!

This book is a biography of Venus/Aphrodite. The mythological goddess, the eternal symbol of love, and the brand image of aspiration. This is a book that covers the history of Venus from her primordial beginnings to her antique sexualization and to her more modern appropriation. The author presented well researched material and images spanning five millennia of the goddess. We can see how Venus, who was originally a warrior goddess, was hijacked for the projections of desire by many different empires and for different reasons. It becomes clear that the archaeology has uncovered a deep reverence for Venus who unfortunately was exploited for the power of her symbol as a “sex” goddess over the centuries. She became a feared goddess for her power of desire- whether that was for blood or lust. 

I really enjoyed reading this book as I have always been fascinated by Venus. Learning about her darker aspects helped to diminish the prostituted image of her being solely a “love goddess.” I thought the author did a great job at articulating the emblematic qualities of desire that Venus inherently represents. She like many other goddesses and women throughout the years has had a lot of projections placed upon her. It was both hopeful and timely to read a book about an archetype that is still prevailing in our world, but when challenged or looked at differently, can be empowering and hopefully change the historical narrative of women that has perpetuated the very basic image of a venusian woman whose only power is sex.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen in this book was a metaphysical angle. Venus is an important spiritual and astrological symbol that provides an even deeper understanding of her. I believe that new age philosophies have in some ways used her image for their own purposes in regards to the divine feminine, the three- fold goddess, and the needs of the soul. Exploring these aspects would have made the book feel more comprehensive because I was left wanting more content. The book in some ways felt a little too light and fast.