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cass1699's review
3.0
this was an intriguing and thought-provoking read. as someone who never grew out of their middle school greek mythology phase, i appreciated what natalie haynes chose to do with this book. it’s an educational, in-depth look at the women featured in many famous greek myths—and perhaps more importantly, the women who have consistently been dehumanized and overlooked in said myths.
it’s clear that the author is an expert in her field—she really knows her stuff. and i liked the way that she included little quips and moments of levity between paragraphs of analysis. it helped to break up some of the denser parts of the text.
however, i was hoping to get a bit more out of this book. haynes went into great detail about the depiction of various women in ancient plays, stories, paintings and sculptures. and though i see the value in including this information, i do think that it vastly overshadowed the actual analysis of these females characters. i understand referencing the plays and stories in order to establish a foundation of knowledge, but the sections concentrating heavily on artwork could have been shortened. haynes could have instead used this time and effort to prompt a stronger focus on analyzing women through a feminist lens.
with that being said, though, i did find this to be a very interesting read. i particularly enjoyed the chapters covering clytemnestra, medusa, medea, and penelope. it’s fascinating to see how these complex women were reduced to nothing more than one-dimensional archetypes, and it’s even more rewarding to unwind that tape, pull them apart, and restore them to their former—albeit messy—glory.
it’s clear that the author is an expert in her field—she really knows her stuff. and i liked the way that she included little quips and moments of levity between paragraphs of analysis. it helped to break up some of the denser parts of the text.
however, i was hoping to get a bit more out of this book. haynes went into great detail about the depiction of various women in ancient plays, stories, paintings and sculptures. and though i see the value in including this information, i do think that it vastly overshadowed the actual analysis of these females characters. i understand referencing the plays and stories in order to establish a foundation of knowledge, but the sections concentrating heavily on artwork could have been shortened. haynes could have instead used this time and effort to prompt a stronger focus on analyzing women through a feminist lens.
with that being said, though, i did find this to be a very interesting read. i particularly enjoyed the chapters covering clytemnestra, medusa, medea, and penelope. it’s fascinating to see how these complex women were reduced to nothing more than one-dimensional archetypes, and it’s even more rewarding to unwind that tape, pull them apart, and restore them to their former—albeit messy—glory.
librasgroove's review against another edition
informative
reflective
3.5
It gives a good overview of major female characters in Greek myth. This includes both ancient and modern versions. If you are looking to read Greek plays and poetry, this will give you some suggestions for your reading list & insight into each character’s background.
It didn’t go over any written items that I haven’t read before. BUT, it did give me some visual media to look into about Greek myths.
It didn’t go over any written items that I haven’t read before. BUT, it did give me some visual media to look into about Greek myths.
pekey_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I really liked this, it's full of interesting ideas and broad sources and the text is very conversational and takes you along of the adventure of learning about these often overlooked characters. I love Natalie Haynes' work generally and you get a real feel of her energy and passion for classics throughout the book that it's hard not to get swept along with
shadon's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Of all living creatures, women are the most wretched.
This took me forever to read (like 6 months) because I put it down once and could not bring myself to pick it up again but I am genuinely annoyed that I didn't finish it sooner.
Funny, easy to read, and informative without being too winded. This was a great foray into an unknown world of Greek myths and the women they revolve around. Going into this, I knew nothing more than the tiniest slithers of information about anything in this book, but by the last page, I felt thoroughly enriched yet still wanted to learn more.
The myths are broken down so that they're easy to consume and remember, with the author s voice still shining through.
lorna_macarthur's review
5.0
I love Natalie Haynes, she writes with humour (what else would you expect from a stand up?) but also with great depth of knowledge. Pandoras jar is a wonderful overview of the ‘famous’ women of Greek myth, which explores how their stories have changed and altered over time and what they tell us of women’s place in the world of Ancient Greece.
‘People ask why tell the stories that we know best from the Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective… because she’s in the damn story’
‘People ask why tell the stories that we know best from the Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective… because she’s in the damn story’
romyql's review against another edition
2.0
had me fooled in the first few moments that this would be a good book
effloress's review against another edition
5.0
An easily digestible analysis of the iconic women in Greek Myth! Natalie Haynes’ prose once again spirited me away, and I often found myself forgetting that I was reading a work of non-fiction. This was simultaneously very educational and delightful.