Psappha: A Novel of Sappho

Rating:
Summary: I can think of several adjectives: good is not one of them
Review: Some adjectives that do come to mind: melodramatic, torrid, anachronistic, unbelievable. After the rave reviews below, I expected something a whole lot better than what this turned out to be. Frankly, it was hard to finish. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Sappho as poet "has the power of standing aloof and critically judging her own ecstasies and pains; but her emotions lose nothing of their force by being recollected in comparative tranquillity" -- but don't look for that kind of emotional self-control here. As a lesbian, I'd have been delighted to find a good historical novel about Sappho that didn't try to "straighten her out," but I'm unwilling to opt for one that depicts her as a circa 600 BC lesbian Harlequin romance heroine. The other characters are just as poorly drawn. I'm very disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A life of Sappho
Review: There is not much known about the life of Psappha (apparently a more accurate spelling of Sappho). Bell's book imagines Psappha's life, keeping rather true to the facts that are known. Psappha is exiled from her homeland of Lesbos, and ends up in what's now Sicily. She marries a man, becomes lovers with an African warrior queen (Gyla), and has a daughter. After the death of her beloved husband, Psappha begins teaching and becomes the famous Poetess we now know her to be. She and her entourage travel back to Lesbos to continue the teachings, and Psappha lives her life there with her African queen, and in Gyla's absence, becomes lovers with a fisherman. Bell gives us a heroic, yet tragic end for Psappha and her beloved warrior queen, which feels a bit melodramatic. Bell writes beautifully, and several passages in the novel are rather evocative of life in Psappha's time, and yet this style isn't continuous throughout. Overall, this book is a delightful and heartening story of one woman's journey to happiness.

Rating:
Summary: Both Entertaining and Moving
Review: This book was really hard to put down. I enjoyed the historical references and the style in which it is written, but most of all I enjoyed the plot. There is just enough description of Psappha's environment to let us picture what is happening, but not so much to interfere with the movement of the story. By the first chapter, I cared deeply about the characters, and as the book continued, I was really wrapped up in their lives. Their actions really make sense, without being predictable. I'll be keeping this book for a long time!

Rating:
Summary: Psappha, a Beautiful Book about a Beautiful Woman
Review: This wonderfully descriptive book, about an an influential woman, transports one to the time and place depicted. I felt like I was one of Psappha's best friends, allowed to be included in her life, her hopes, and her dreams. Peggy Ullman Bell brings a legend to life in such a way as to involve the reader in the events, feelings and emotions that played such a huge part in the very beginnings of the Women's movement. A tremendous accomplishment has been achieved; this is a book I'll treasure forever!