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.