Sappho: The Tenth Muse

Rating:
Summary: Sappho, the tenth muse is a difficult book to read.
Review: Freedman's novel reads like non-fiction. 99% of her extensive research appears to have found it's way onto the pages. Within the first 20 pages, Freedman offers a child abuse excuse for The Poetesses later fascination with her own gender. And, in these same 20 pages, Sappho is seen drooling over a collection of muscles and external genitalia with little brains who will eventually exile her from her home. To make matters worse, Freedman ends with the apocraphal story of Sappho and Phaeon (a fiction fabricated by Ovid for the amusement of Rome) For those of us who love The Lesbian, this novel will bring pain, sorrow and little enjoyment. This is not a book I would recommend to lesbians or feminists.

Rating:
Summary: High hopes, low fulfillment
Review: Since I've always been fascinated with Sappho, I was excited when I came across this book. What a disappointment. The writing is sketchy and unfleshed. The plot seems like little more than an excuse to show Sappho lusting after everyone she comes into contact with. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually got tired of lesbian sex scenes. Worst of all, the character of Sappho herself never becomes real or sympathetic. I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't come close to fulfilling them. There are good points (interweaving of poetry into the text, details of ancient Greek culture, some intriguing insights) but they are far outweighed by bad ones.