Overall, I enjoyed the experience of reading this book. It's a very easy-to-read, broad in scope, and interesting investigation into the history of a mysterious goddess from the classical world. The author knows her sources and how to use them well, which I appreciated, but many of the examples were too brief for my tastes and I wish she would've gone into more depth. However, I did appreciate the extensive bibliography, and I'll likely be taking up the author's suggestions for further reading. On the whole, an engaging read for anyone interested in Greek and Roman mythology.

Inanna. Ishtar. Astarte. Isis. Aphrodite. Venus. For thousands of years, she was worshipped across the Middle East and the Mediterranean, through Egypt, and north across the lands conquered by Rome. Over the centuries, her name changed, but her appeal never diminished: she was love incarnate, desire and despair, lust and beguilement and bittersweet longing and dread all mixed together. Only with the rise of Christianity and Islam did she begin to lose ground, but even then, she morphed into yet new forms … most notably as the mother of the God who had replaced her ….
Hughes’ Helen of Troy: The Story Behind the Most Beautiful Woman in the World has been on my reading list for quite some time. When I came across an advance copy of Venus and Aphrodite on netgalley, though, it jumped right to the top of the list. Here at last, it seemed, was a serious history of the worship of an important Goddess, one too often dismissed by academics (and popular culture), but central to the practices of many polytheists today.
For the most part, Venus and Aphrodite did not disappoint. Hughes has penned an engaging, wide-ranging, and well-researched history of the Goddess. She charts devotion to the divinity all the way from Neolithic Cyprus, through ancient Sumer, through the Homeric Age and the spread of Hellenism, through the rise and expansion of Rome, through medieval Europe, the Renaissance, and finally into the modern era and the creation of “beauty culture.”
The insights the Hughes offers into devotion for Aphrodite, into human perceptions of the deity, are fascinating. Such as
We should remember that for these ancient communities the great goddess was not an optional extra, an idea that could be believed or dismissed; she was as real as the sky, as real as the sea. Without her, all was lost.
And also:
It was she who was believed to encourage the carnal, cultural, and emotional mingling of women and men, to inspire relationships across borders and boundaries. She made humans social beings and encouraged civic harmony.
Or here:
Once, she had been a champion of real women, but as the divine gloss of the goddess dulled, she was styled a mere woman [….] Aphrodite-Venus had become an agent not of elevation but of exploitation [….] a thinly veiled excuse for disturbing and degenerate sexism and racism.
Hughes’ discussion of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and of the Venus de Milo are, by themselves, worth the price of the book. Not to mention her scathing critique of Freud, and the parallels she draws between the myth of Aphrodite and Ares, and modern-day slut-shaming and revenge porn.
This is not a dry, weighty tome. Venus and Aphrodite is a popular history written by a serious academic. And make no mistake: I do not mean popular history as an insult. Quite the opposite. Books like this — written in an accessible manner by a scholar who knows what the heck she is talking about — serve an important function: they help bridge the gap between disciplines, and between scholars and laypeople. We can’t all keep abreast of the latest research and theories in physics, chemistry, palaeontology, genetics, et cetera; but we can read popular books that lay out those developments for us, allowing us to figure out their importance and how those impact our lives, our view of the world, and so on.
And so it is with Venus and Aphrodite, which can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in art history, women’s history, the history of sex, gender studies, archaeology, classical history, medieval history, the film industry, religious studies, the history of Christianity, the evolution of modern polytheism, or philosophy, among other fields. Individuals new to polytheism or Goddess Spirituality will find Venus and Aphrodite especially useful, not just because Hughes so carefully lays out the evolution of the Goddess of Love, but because of the extensive bibliography she includes at the end. There are many, many more titles there which will lead people into an even more in-depth study.
I do have a few complaints. First, the book is very short: only about two hundred pages, a good twenty of which are the above-mentioned bibliography, plus endnotes. It can be easily read in a single day. The book also stops abruptly in the late nineteenth century, with a momentary segue into the late twentieth century: Hughes only briefly discusses the impact of the Venusian ideal on modern women, and the appearance of Aphrodite in such films as The Clash of the Titans. I feel like there is a lot more to discuss there, that the analysis could have been carried forward another century. Aside from a single reference to Warhol, there is no discussion of Aphrodite in modern art, and none at all of modern polytheism* (where there is plenty of devotion, desire, and art being created).
Despite those few complaints, I thoroughly enjoyed Venus and Aphrodite. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in the fields mentioned above, as well as fans of Stacy Schiff’s Cleopatra: A Life; The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt; and Kara Cooney’s The Woman Who Would Be King.
*For books which do deal with Aphrodite and modern polytheism, check previous publications by Laurelei Black and the forthcoming Pagan Portals: Aphrodite by Irisianya Moon.

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.