Psyche in a Dress [Hardcover]

Francesca Lia Block (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2006

But this is what
I could not give up:
I could not give up myself

Psyche has known Love—scented with jasmine and tasting of fresh oranges. Yet he is fleeting and fragile, lost to her too quickly. Punished by self-doubt, Psyche yearns to be transformed, like the beautiful and brutal figures in the myths her lover once spoke of. Attempting to uncover beauty in the darkness, she is challenged, tested, and changed by the gods and demons who tempt her. Her faith must be found again, for if she is to love, she must never look back.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–If the Greek gods lived today, would Psyche be a film star, compelled by her father to act however he directed her? Would Hades have been abused by his parents? Would Aphrodite own a dress shop selling clothing made of petals and butterfly wings? Would Orpheus be a rock musician who hides his talent by working as a bartender until after hours, when he plays for strippers? It is Block's genius to cast the gods with all their beauty and horror, manipulativeness and self-destructiveness, cruelty and tenderness into a modern society that feels a lot like California. This novel in verse, which begins with Psyche's (sometimes graphically described) affair with Eros, spirals down through Hades, and flows up again to Joy, will hook readers with its vivid imagery and the immediacy of its emotions. It may also send them hunting for Bulfinch's Mythology (Random, 1998) to learn more about the sources of the stories. Riveting and brilliant, this is a must for most YA collections.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Far from action-packed adventures of brave heroes on perilous journeys, these contemporary retellings of Greek myths are erotic and intellectual, and they are for older readers (including adults) who can appreciate the meanings of the complex metaphors. These aren't playful fractured fairy tales. True to the original myth, Block takes Eros to Psyche's bed at night; Psyche loves him, though she has been warned never to look at him. Block also brings a contemporary sensibility to stories about other mythic figures, including Echo; Persephone; Narcissus, who loves himself; and Orpheus, who plays guitar in a seedy nightclub, where he has sex with the strippers before he meets Eurydice. Readers who don't get the allusions will be confused, even lost, but the short vignettes of urgent free verse make for a fast read, with delicate moments as well as scenes of monsters close to home. Block raises the edgy question, "Is beauty monstrous?" Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen; 1St Edition edition (September 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060763728
• ISBN-13: 978-0060763725
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,378,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Francesca Lia Block, recipient of the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award. has been publishing novels, short stories, essays, memoirs and poetry since 1989. Her work has been translated into many languages. Ms. Block lives in Los Angeles where she teaches writing workshops that are also available online.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my new favorite book, September 10, 2006

By 

persephone (north carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psyche in a Dress (Hardcover)

I don't know how to begin describing this book other than simply and undeniably beautiful. Greek mythology FLB style. (and since i'm obsessed with both greek mythology and FLB it was extra wonderful for me) She uses the myths of Psyche, Echo, Eurydice and Persephone and intertwines them to create one story about love and the human soul. I flew through it in a coupe of hours and cried when I finished it because I didn't want it to be over. i espessially loved all the classical mythology that it was satuarted with, it was everywhere, all these little allusions interwoven within the more obvious stories (the ones i mentioned before) and since i'm familiar with greek mythology i was able to spot and appreciate these allusions, but even if you don't know a lot about mythology you will still be able to appreciate and moved by this lovely story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lovely, but very short, May 12, 2007

By 

Savannah Brooks "The girl with the most cake" (Wausau) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Psyche in a Dress (Hardcover)

it's got all of her usual beatuiful imagery, and this book does some interesting things with the myths of persephone and psyche. i'm still thinking about the concepts in the book long after i've read it.
all of that's lovely, but...

the book is written in poetry form for some reason, even thought the language is the same as her other books, so there aren't many words on the page, and there aren't many pages. so you'll probably finish this book in a few hours.

the other drawback is the ending, which has a piece that feels a little bit tacked on to me... there's a place where you think that the story is over, but it just keeps going.

all in all this is a lovely little book, but if you want to read something by ms. block and you don't already own say, dangerous angels or ecstasia, i'd get those first. it's more for the real collectors i guess.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, lyrical, and complex novel, January 4, 2007

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psyche in a Dress (Hardcover)

Near the end of Francesca Lia Block's brilliant new novel, PSYCHE IN A DRESS, the title character reflects on her life, thinking, "When your mothers tell you to love and appreciate your body it isn't just to get you to shut up. They know that when you are old you are going to feel exactly the same way inside that you do now. We try on different dresses, different selves, but our souls are always the same --- ongoing, full of light."

In this lyrical, complex novel, trying on different selves, different dresses, different names is exactly what happens to Psyche (Soul). Born to a largely absent mother and a tyrannical, sadistic film director father, Psyche feels at odds with her surroundings. She only feels complete when she unites with her mysterious lover, Eros (Love), who comes to her in darkness, with the smell of "night-blooming flowers" and the scent of the ocean. Eros holds her and tells her stories of the myths. Their relationship seems idyllic until Psyche, goaded by her sisters, betrays Eros's trust by using a candle to see his face.

Eros, crushed by her doubting, flees from Psyche, who is destined to spend the rest of her life trying to recapture the love she once knew. As she does so, she is transformed, in body and name, into various heroines of the Greek myths Eros once told her: Echo, Eurydice (whose Orpheus sounds a lot like Kurt Cobain) and Persephone (whose Hades also bears a passing resemblance to Marilyn Manson). During her odyssey, Psyche travels to hell and back, and through a variety of landscapes, from lush gardens to wealthy boutiques, that firmly place her story in a thoroughly modern California setting.

Finally, when Soul and Love unite, a daughter, Joy, is born, and the true nature of the mythic patterns that have shaped Psyche's life is revealed. Fans of Block's earlier books, including the vastly popular Weetzie Bat series, know that Block often infuses her lyrical writing with mythical and fantastic elements. Here, though, she goes a step further, using the classic myths as the basis for an undeniably modern story. Drug use, rape, abuse and a variety of other evils reveal the true brutality of the myths, while Block's flowing free verse reveals their beauty.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl