Cupid: A Tale of Love and Desire

By Julius Lester

This is the story of Cupid--the god responsible for heartache, sleepless nights, and all those silly love songs--finally getting his comeuppance. When the god of love falls in love himself, things are bound to get interesting. And when he crosses his mama, Venus, in the process . . . Well, things could get downright messy.


The much-lauded author of Pharaoh's Daughter and  When Dad Killed Mom brings his renowned storytelling skills to one of the world's most famous tales. In doing so he weaves a romantic, hilarious drama brought to life with a bold new voice that's loaded with sly wisdom. Julius Lester's retelling is sure to draw new readers to classic mythology while satisfying old fans as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Release date: Jan 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9780547607450

Julius Lester

Julius Lester is the author of the Newbery Honor Book To Be a Slave, the Caldecott Honor Book John Henry, the National Book Award finalist The Long Journey Home: Stories from Black History, and the Coretta Scott King Award winner Day of Tears. He is also a National Book Critics Circle nominee and a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. His most recent picture book, Let's Talk About Race, was named to the New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing." In addition to his critically acclaimed writing career, Mr. Lester has distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, musician, photographer, radio talk-show host, and professor. For thirty-two years he taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in western Massachusetts.

Reviews for Cupid

[snat_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This young adult novel tells the love story of Cupid and Psyche from a modern perspective--the story remains the same, but the narrator has a decidedly modern voice. It's cute and, all in all, just okay.

[knielsen83 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A less than original telling of Psyche and Cupid, this had an interesting narrator's voice that, at times, was annoying and at others worth listening to. It really wasn't much more than the basic tale of Cupid and Psyche's love coupled with Venus' wrath how they thwarted her.

[mrshillreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had a student recommend this book to me and I thought I would like it....but I didn't. The narrator irritated me...just get on with the story! I think the whole problem is that I thought the narrator was full of himself and I just didn't like him! I enjoyed the plot, but it wasn't enough to overcome my aversion to the narrator.

[kpickett_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Psyche is the most beautiful girl in the kingdom by the sea. Even more beautiful, some say, than the goddess Venus. When Venus gets wind of these rumors, she sends her son Cupid to destroy the presumptuous girl. But Cupid does just the opposite, and falls in love with the beaufiul princess. After Cupid and Psyche are married, Venus finds out and makes Psyche pass several impossible tasks in a thinly veiled attempt to kill her.The writing style is interesting in this narrorated story, where the storyteller has many comments to add to the story. Does involve sex and some vivid descriptions.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first I wasn't sure what the rambling tone was going to add to this classical story, but I was quickly lulled into the soothing cadences of a practised story teller. And, as he pointed out, sometimes not even a story teller knows what's going to happen in a story until the words come out of his mouth.The charm in this retelling was in how it kept the classical setting but explored the modern motivations that may have pushed the characters. The combination of Cupid as a sulky boy-man, and Psyche as an angsty girl is appealing, and there is a satisfying change as they realise that a relationship involves another person.The reading in the audiobook was very, very well done, I could listen to that man talk forever!

[hezann73 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this tongue in cheek retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth. I laughed out loud during parts of it!

[pocketmermaid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved every second of this book. I have always loved the myth of Cupid & Psyche, and I loved the narrator's flair for story-telling. He had a very understated poetic method of telling the story, that seemed like an old-fashioned trick to keep the listener enthralled. It was very effective and entertaining. I loved the way other myths were blended into Cupid and Psyche's story to explain the other gods. Both well-known myths as well as lesser-known gods were mentioned and given life in this story. Even the sun and moon and all four winds were given parts and personalities.If I were to make one complaint is that the title of the book is CUPID, and not CUPID AND PSYCHE. It's her story as much as his. Minor quibble, but I did feel like an injustice was done (however small it may be!)As the story progressed I noticed some parallels between elements of this story to some well-known (and more recent - compared to this ancient myth) fairy tales, which I thought was interesting. The goddess Venus's jealousy of Psyche's beauty parallels Snow White and the queen. Psyche being taken away and cut off from civilization is similar to Rapunzel's isolation. Psyche's two evil older sisters remind me of Cinderella's step-sisters. Psyche being beautiful and told that Cupid is a hideous monster (and the two of them falling in love anyway) has seeds of Beauty & the Beast. Psyche's sisters persuading her to stab her husband with a knife are reminiscent of The Little Mermaid's sisters convincing her to do the same with the prince she's in love with. Venus demanding that Psyche sort grains before the sun goes down is similar to the princess that was given the impossible task of spinning straw into gold like in Rumplestiltskin.Cupid and Psyche have the quintessential fairy tale, and I love it. Specific to this particular retelling, I loved the narrator's quirky personal anecdotes. Which, in my opinion, gave the story more flair and depth and made this an extremely enjoyable experience.

[raizel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can hear Julius Lester's voice in this retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story. He spends a lot of time talking about how one tells a story and his personal experiences about love; a good thing, in my opinion. Sharing his failures and successes in romance is helpful for teens experiencing their first loves, apparently his target audience. There are jealous sisters who want Psyche to suffer, tasks that Psyche must perform to win back her true love, temptation (to see what Cupid looks like) that Psyche cannot resist. So, references to Pandora's Box and eating the apple in the Garden of Eden, and the sisters of Cinderella and Beauty in "Beauty and the Beast." And, finally, a serious, adult list of sources (books, articles and Internet) after the story.

[millett23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the story telling of this book. The story was a good one. I did feel like the ending was a little abrupt. I did feel like Venus was a little over-the-top, but in a good way. I did feel like sometimes when the story got off track and would describe other things it was a little annoying, but for the most part it was funny.

[elizardkwik · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A retelling of the story of the gods and goddesses of mythology, this book is hindered by the author's use of "the story" as a sideline character. References to the author's own life do not contribute anything of value to the story. Overall, it would have been better if the author had stuck to making this a Southern retelling of the mythology.

[stephxsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The likable storyteller, with his countless side stories and wise commentary, delivers to readers the delightful Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche is the most beautiful mortal girl alive, and people often liken her to Venus, Goddess of Love. Some even claim that the mortal girl is more beautiful than the goddess herself!Vain Venus obviously doesn’t like the attention Psyche is getting. She orders her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with something really stupid, like a boulder, so that she will be humiliated. In the process of attempting to carry out this task, Cupid is so struck by Psyche’s beauty that he wants to share his life with her.Psyche’s father receives the prophecy that Psyche is to marry a powerful monster. Psyche is transported to a gorgeous castle far away on a mountain, where every night her “husband” comes to her, then leaves in the morning. Their love is exquisite, but Psyche would certainly like to know who, exactly, her husband is.It is Psyche’s curiosity, mixed with the jealousy of some women surrounding Psyche and Cupid, that causes her future struggles, as powerful forces attempt to separate the happy couple. At the very end, Psyche must rely on her inner strength and love for her husband in order to be reunited with him forever.CUPID is a masterful retelling of a touching love story. Julius Lester is a wise author who combines wit with wisdom in this tale that is sure to delight readers of all ages.