Fantastic Read
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The first thing to say about this book is that it is a really enjoyable read, it is written in a beautiful flowing style and engaging personal perspective which not only encourages you to keep turning the pages but also makes the topics covered easily accessible to the lay reader of the `science' of attractiveness, by not falling into the trap of over-using academic jargon or assuming existing knowledge.
In fact one of the most striking aspects of the book was the way the author manages to weave together multiple, normally separate scholarly fields, from evolutionary psychology, history of art, biology, literature, philosophy, cultural studies and ancient history, to produce a truly inter-disciplinary work, accessible and no-doubt valuable to both students and non-students alike. Indeed, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in questioning our common assumptions about attractiveness.
Excellent
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A really good read!
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This is a seriously enjoyable book, obviously written by a polymath. It is wonderful to have such scholarship on such an interesting and important topic. Not only is the book beautifully produced, it is also really well-written. I found it both unput-downable and an important reference source.
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Great Book
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For the lay reader (of which I am one), this is a rather unusual book, but one that is all the better for it. Ostensibly, it is about one psychologist's attempt to understand the 'science of attractiveness.' And Viren Swami is particularly adept at this task: he is one of those rare scientists who is able to write about his subject in an engaging and coherent manner. The book is unusual, however, for two reasons. Firstly, it isn't a straightforward book about psychology. Rather, Swami surveys the pursuit of human beauty from many different points of view, spanning anthropology to art and literature, evolutionary theory to philosophy.
Secondly, it is a personal account of Swami's own involvement in the 'science of attractiveness' - something I found particularly refreshing for what is marketed as a book on psychology. The result is an interesting and
comprehensive account of human beauty, one that leaves the reader in no doubt that the secrets of attractiveness are yet to be discovered.
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