Book Review: The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer

[windinthemaples]

Note: You may have seen this same review crop up on Twitter and GoodReads, if you follow me on other social networking sites, but it is worth repeating. You can buy your own copy of Sarah's book on Amazon.com or BN.com. $2.99--it's cheaper than that junk food lunch you were considering! :D



I expected The Dark Wife to be a romantic lesbian Young Adult retelling of the Persephone and Hades myth, a sort of modernized, supernatural love story underground. That turned out to be only the surface layer of an empowering, emotional, spiritually rich journey of one young woman who, with uncommon courage and compassion, overcame the impossible in charting a destiny of her own making to become one of the most powerful and enduring Goddesses of all time.

Persephone reclaims her life from those who sought to control her. She refused to allow men, whether Gods or mortals, to determine her fate or to write her history. She follows her heart to lasting love, yes, but more importantly she found within herself a Goddess to believe in.

This book healed my psyche. My tears soothed the bitter, broken places inside me that have felt victimized and powerless. Persephone's triumph reignited my own belief in my inherent goodness and strength. I was reborn, along with Persephone, in the retelling of her myth. Persephone is a role model, not just for lesbian women and girls, but for females everywhere.

Reclaim your power and live, fearlessly, with heart.

~*~

Is this book on your reading list? Have you read it? What were your thoughts? Did you sob like a baby at the Elysian Fields scene the way I did?

Comments

[rubymulligan.livejournal.com]

Ack! I need to get on the ball. Which version works best for iPad? Any?

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

I downloaded, from the book page on Amazon, the free Kindle for Mac software. (That took about 90 seconds.) Then it was stupid-easy to enter my Amazon log-in information, quick order the e-book, and it automatically downloaded.

Does the iPad already have an e-reading software? I used my laptop.

[rubymulligan.livejournal.com]

iBooks I think. After I get done painting this dining room, I'm all over it! Amazon, here I come. ;)

[cloverdew.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. That icon is awesome.

[willow-cabin.livejournal.com]

<33333333 I love your review so much, agree wholeheartedly with all of it~ This book changed me in deep ways that I can't quite articulate yet. All I want to do is read it over and over again and retain the feeling of it.

I sobbed, too--and I sobbed over just about everything else. Water signs. ;)

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

This book changed me in deep ways that I can't quite articulate yet.

Yes! I felt so worn out, so emotionally still, like I'd had the best therapeutic cry of my life and in that quiet at the end of the book, I had no earthly idea how I'd ever write a review that did any of my feelings justice. I didn't end up writing as much as I thought I would/should, but I was happy with every word I did finally decide on after a night of sleep and some meditation. I'm glad you think its a good representation of the work, its worth, and your wife! :) <3

[suzanna-o.livejournal.com]

I've added it to my list to read!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Oh, wonderful! I hope you enjoy it. :)

[suzanna-o.livejournal.com]

Read over the weekend, and I loved the atmospheric way she used Greek mythology.
The Elysian Fields scene made me think of this:

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you for sharing this! It has made for a very nice atmosphere in my office the last five minutes. :)

[suzanna-o.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! It's from the the film Gladiator (Lisa Gerrard is one of my favorite voices), and I had forgotten that the imagery from the film is in part a conscious reference to something like the Elysian Fields.

[mermaiden.livejournal.com]

<33333333333 I love you so, so, so much. "Thank you" is not enough.

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

No, truly, thank you. <3

[neva-butterfly.livejournal.com]

I cannot wait to get my copy! I don't have a Kindle, so I'm waiting for the signed paper copy, but wah! everyone else is already reading it!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

I didn't have a Kindle, either, but I hated to miss out on the release day excitement. I didn't intend to read it but I found a way to download it to my computer from Amazon and then, test-reading a few pages turned into me reading the whole thing! :)

[cloverdew.livejournal.com]

I cannot wait to read this!!! I will be getting a signed copy, courtesy of my very own real life fairy godmother. :) So excited!

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

That's so, so, so awesome. If that doesn't prove pronoia an appropriate emotion to have, I don't know what would. :D <3

[cloverdew.livejournal.com]

I am in love with the idea of pronoia. Have you read the book? I've read some of it and it just makes so much SENSE. Also, I'm learning a lot about positive psychology and manifesting and the law of attraction lately and it's been incredible. If you haven't checked it out yet, you might like adventuresinmanifesting.org. It's a free e-course and I've been learning and growing so much from being involved in it!

[wanderlustlover]

Omg omg omg Rachel. You cried too? I started crying at work in my lunch area as soon as "It is you."

[sugarmaplelife.livejournal.com]

I was already sort of leaking like a sieve at the idea of those men and boys getting to see old and young, civilians of all kinds, vestiges of their pre-war lives and then with the "It is you" I just completely lost it.

And!

Again, forget it when she's controlling all the vines and growing things towards the end and is in her own power. Another total waterworks moment.

By the last page of the book, I felt worn out and renewed and all-cried-out in the best possible way.

[wanderlustlover]

I was waiting for the last section from the first time she gave out the piece as a hint piece. I did love the end so much more with the story before it. I could feel her walking through the world now, the changed everything, and yet, there she is, still walking down, running, hair as ribbons behind her, to her deepest love.



And at the end? I want more. I am dying for more of Sarah's stories already. But that? Has always, always, always been true.

[sidheblessed.livejournal.com]

I ordered my copy today. *bounces around excitedly*