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savage_book_review's review against another edition
3.0
From very early on, the phrase that stuck in my head was 'stream of consciousness'. The writing is interesting and thought-provoking, but it makes for breathless reading - it came across to me as if the author simply couldn't type the words out quickly enough to keep up with her thought process. One line of examination flowed seamlessly into another; while in general that's a good thing, it made it very difficult to discern the point she was making.
The language used clearly puts this book well within reach of a general audience, but at the same time this is not a book to pick up if you only have a passing knowledge of the women and the myths studied. I class myself in that category - I could place most of the women in the right 'place' in the myths, but aside from that my awareness is in fact relatively limited. As a result, once again it became very hard to keep track of exactly what the author was trying to say - it was only with the last couple of women studied that a clearer recap of their 'standard' stories was included. Otherwise, it felt very much like being thrown in at the deep end, and therefore perhaps more appropriate for those with more expertise. I though this was a shame, as if matters were drawn out a little more I think it would have made a truly fascinating read.
Because of both these elements, I found it a harder going read than expected; for a fairly short book, it was quite heavy-going. I could only digest it for about 20 minutes at a time before the weight became too much and my attention started to drift. I think this would be an incredibly useful reference book if you were studying a particular myth or work such as the Iliad, as it would counter the male gaze of the main story and allow you to consider an alternative perspective. Likewise, if you were focused on one particular female from the pantheon, you might find her chapter in here a great source of information. But otherwise it's just not got that hook to make it a 'must read'.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Pregnancy
gaysian's review against another edition
4.5
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War
tashtasher's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Slavery, Death of parent, and Alcohol
thelittlebookgoblin's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Incest, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Suicide
a_violentfemme's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
cozy_gh0st's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, and War
withlivjones's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Child death, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Slavery, Xenophobia, Murder, and War
sunday_evening's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, and War
Minor: Incest
aline_b's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Rape and Violence
franksalot's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder