Clemence McLaren

I picked up this book when I felt absolutely uneducated about mythological love stories. Just like with anything that is dated, these love stories were written for a different generation. I did get acquainted with Greek mythology, which is what I wanted but it was a difficult read (since my mind is so accustomed to contemporary writing).
The first, and my personal favorite, is Atalanta's story. She is the daughter of the King of Arcadia and a gifted runner, who realizes that in ancient Greece it doesn't mean much if a woman has talent or not, if she can't get a 'suitable husband'. The story unfolds into a fairytale that a lot of career driven women must have fantasized about in their spare time. The second story is of princess Andromeda who has a boastful mother. One day Queen Cassiopeia offends the gods with her unnecessary arrogance, but Lord Perseus shows up to save the day. The same immortal that was known for slaying monsters; the same God Andromeda dreamt of everyday. The final story is of the beautiful Psyche who was born so beautiful that people believed she may have caused Aphrodite herself to be envious. After failing her first test, she passes a series of tests for the love of God.… (meer)

This was a cute retelling of three good stories. I've always loved the story of Psyche, how even an immortal god can fall in love, and McLaren told it well. I also liked Andromeda's story- it was never quite explained in other books why she came to be chained to a rock. Atlanta's story was the only semi-uninteresting one, but that was perhaps because I'd read a version of her story quite recently. Yet even that one had an interesting twist, and McLaren gave a depth of characterization to all of her characters that can sometimes be sadly left out of Greek myths.… (meer)

This was one book that I came across by accident and I was intrigued by the fact that it offered to give what could have been a female point-of-view for a time of history where women didn't have point-of-views. And when I read it I did fall in love with the story of the book more than the accuracy or the timeframe that it is represents.

The characters were given more personality than we actually meet in the actual Greek mythoi but although Helen started off to being someone that you wanted to know more about it was in the second part of the book, Cassandra's point-of-view, where Helen actually ended up as she did in the tales of the mythoi - almost with no personality, bland and hard to really get a hold of. Instead I am pleased with the way that Cassandra turned out for she was always the one that seemed to have need of her story being told but in the original tales she was the one that just like any other outcast of society gets shoved to the side even as she struggles to make her presence known.

The author also did a good job to go into some of the particulars and customs of the timeframe but since it isn't a historical book I wouldn't use it as a basis of research for the study. Furthermore she gave a general idea of the beliefs while I loved how she wove the stories of what the Ancients thought about their deities into the story without the actual deities entering and taking over the story thus leaving the story human.

All in all this is a beautiful book to read about what may have been for the lesser known gender in an event of time where the world didn't think twice about them and the powerful force that love can lead to. It is also a story of how women have had to gather as friends and allies so that they may survive in a world where a choice wasn't given them but a demand that they conform.… (meer)

Aphrodite’s Blessings is about three different love stories. This book contains three wonderful, stories about love. The first is about Atalanta and how she kept running for love. When she was little she went to an Oracle to hear about her future. The Oracle told her “marriage will end you”. So really she was afraid to get married. But her aunt and father insisted on it. Then, one man come to the king, her father, and asked to race her, for if he wins she marries him and if he loses he would die. Atalanta did not know about the death part of the race, so she agreed to race. She won, only then did she find out about the death sentence. She felt like a murder. More men wanted to win her hand in marriage, so more men came to race, and soon died. She tried her hardest to talk them out of it; she even tried to lose the race. But when the starters hand fell, a beast just took over her. Then one day she was up on the mountain she loved most when a prince found her. She lied to him telling him that she was her cousin, because she was afraid that he would hate her for killing off some of the best athletes in Greece. He said the men that raced were fools and should not give up their lives. He also said he would watch the race tomorrow and try to get a look at Atalanta. The following day they met. That race ended in a tie, so the man got to live and some money, while Atalanta did not have to marry him. Then she was told who the next racer was, the prince she meet on the mountain. That night she when to try to talk him out of it, about he would not listen. He said he found someone worth dying for. She said she would marry him with out having the race, but he would not listen to that either. The following day, he went to pray to Aphrodite an ask for her blessing. At the starting line she told him good luck and he did the same. She tried again to talk him out of it, but he insisted on racing. So they did. On the first lap she took the lead, but he throw a golden apple behind her. She ran to grab it. He did that 2 more times and she race after them every time. He won! She was so happy and married him. He said he got the apples form Aphrodite. THE END!
The next story is about Andromeda and the Golden hero. Andromeda is the only princess in the kingdom. Her parents want her to marry this old Man who has already out lived three of his wives. Her mother loves to brag about their beauty and compare them to gods. One time her mother compare her to Poseidon’s daughter and Poseidon is very fond of his daughter. So he sent a sea monster to eat the kingdom until the king sacrifices this only daughter. Only the daughter was to be married. The monster has killed haft the town when the king to decide send his only girl on her wedding day to be eaten. She tried to protest, but the god has spoken. After she is tied to the farthest rock from shore, the golden hero arrives. He asks why she is tied to the rock all by her self. While her soon to be husband is standing above to watch her die. .The golden hero saves her and she marries him. The end!
The next book is about cupid falling in love with a mortal but his mother does not approve. She is asked to trust the handsome man that has wed her. See can not see any of them, her servants and slaves include. She invited her sisters to see the lovely house see has but her sisters trick her in to believing that she had married a monster and should look at him. She did and notices it was cupid. She felt so bad for distrusting him. She dropped the lamp on him, and he woke up in a hurry, yelling at her and leaving. Zeus order his mother to give her 3 tasks to fill and then she can join him on mountain Olympus. She fulfills her mother-in-laws tasks and reunited with her cupid. THE END!… (meer)