Originally I was going to read Metamorphoses by Ovid but I realized that I didn’t have the time. So I decided to listen to the audiobook of How to Get Over a Breakup instead. I hope that Metamorphoses was a better read.
This book was a disappointment. It did however get me to think about how little human nature has changed over time. Unfortunately Ovid provides horrible advice and I hope that it was written in jest and not as serious advice.
Mixed in with his morally bankrupt ideas there were some suggestions that were better. I will give one example of each. As a morally bankrupt idea he suggests before being intimate with your chosen partner to go have sex with someone else first so you will last longer with your partner. One of his better suggestions was to fill your time with activities after you break up so that your mind will not have the time to wander back to thoughts of your former love interest.
Overall this was not a book I would recommend.
“What about Roxane?” Alexander asked.
“Your prisoner bride?”
“Such disrespect is worthy of death!”
“There is no possible way that you could love her or that she could truly love you.”
“What gives you the insight to speak so assertively about matters you know nothing about?”
“Daughter of Oxyarthes, the man who surrendered the Iron Gates to you, makes for a very political marriage.”
“Continue,” said Alexander.
“At a feast celebrating your latest victory a number of young women were brought in for entertainment. You spotted one of them whose beauty far surpassed the others and you decided on the spot to marry her once you learned she was the daughter of Oxyarthes. You needed to cement a strong relationship with the local leaders. What better way to do this than through marriage? You didn’t share a common language and never even spoke to each other beforehand. She never was given a choice. So she is your prisoner bride.”
“You have a vague outline of the past. I suppose it is remarkable that you have as much ...