- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: WW Norton; 1 edition (April 29 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0393057615
- ISBN-13: 978-0393057614
- Product Dimensions: 24.3 x 16.3 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 621 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,293,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
If Odysseus had been a woman, this is the journey he might have taken.--Susan Cheever
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
"Sappho's Leap" is a journey back 2,600 years to inhabit the mind of the greatest love poet the world has ever known. At the age of fourteen, Sappho is seduced by the beautiful poet Alcaeus, plots with him to overthrow the dictator of their island, and is caught and married off to a repellent older man in hopes that matrimony will keep her out of trouble. Instead, it starts her off on a series of amorous adventures with both men and women, taking her from Delphi to Egypt, and even to the Land of the Amazons and the shadowy realm of Hades.Erica Jong always our keenest-eyed chronicler of the wonders and vagaries of sex and love has found the perfect subject for a witty and sensuous tale of a passionate woman ahead of her time. A generation of readers who have been moved to laughter and recognition by Jong's heroines will be enchanted anew by her re-creation of the immortal poet.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
WHERE TO BEGIN my story? Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
WHERE TO BEGIN my story? Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gods (and the Goddesses) Must Be Crazy,
By
This review is from: Sapphos Leap (Paperback)
The life of Sappho, a writer of erotic songs, born about 2600 years ago on the Greek island of Lesbos, re-imagined as a beautifully told myth full of gods and goddesses and magical creatures. In the style one might expect from Erica (Fear of Flying) Jong, this myth is racy, insightful and funny - imagine "Clash of the Titans" with blatant sensuality.The story begins with our young heroine gaining the attention of Aphrodite and Zeus as they sit on Mount Olympus, the life of Sappho becomes a wager between the two of them, Zeus saying all her talents will be thrown away as soon as she falls in love. Fated to be favored by the gods, Sappho moves from one adventure to the next and has intense love relationships with both men and women, though Alcaeus the poet and father of her child is the main love of her life. Exiled from Lesbos for the crime of treason, she searches for love and inner fulfillment , her quest taking her to the island of the Amazons, to Egypt as companion to the Pharaoh, to the Oracle of Delphi, even a trip to Hades. Aesop the fable writer is a close companion to Sappho as they encounter centaurs, sirens, and even Pegasus the winged horse. Lots of fun.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sapphos Leap (Paperback)
Erica Jong's story is fantastic. Turning Sappho into a modern feminist heroin, Erica Jong takes readers on an incredible journey through antique Greece, perfectly mixing love, mythology, womanhood, poetry and epic tales. She is a gifted writer and I hightly recommend this book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
what a tale!,
By gwyn "gwyndolin" (New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sapphos Leap (Paperback)
Read this book and you will find romance, myth, legend, poetry, and history all weaved into one incredible tale. Jong follows the story of the poet's life while incorporating all the Greek myths that we have come to know, including Odysseus, Aphrodite and Zeus, Hades, Pegasus, the Amazons, the oracle of Delphi and much more. I was riveted throughout the reading of this novel.
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