Reviews with content warning for Incest - Pandora's Jar

I loved learning new versions of famous women in greek myths and new women from myths I’ve never heard of. It was very interesting to see the changes made to these myths over time good and bad. These stories, especially Medusa’s story is still relevant to how women are in society today.

Content Warnings

annaonthepage's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

This book was an absolute, unmitigated joy. It is so well written, engaging, fun, funny, insightful and gratifying. There are mothers, wives, monsters, clay curses and warriors. Please go and read it so we can talk about it together excitedly over tea and biscuits.

Content Warnings

solliereads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Upon seeing this title in a bookstore, I was largely hesitant to buy it due to it's pricing but I've come to find, after finishing it in full, that the price is so worth it for the incredible skill involved in the undertaking of this project - Haynes takes great care to keep true to the original tones of these stories, shows off the amount of research that underpins her discussion, and adds insightful commentary to make her discussions of them interesting and explorative. Not only are we being given the details of the stories, we are also given comparisons between the many different versions of them told throughout their time and given some good points of criticism so we are never taking any of the stories she shares at face value, and this caused my enjoyment of this book to skyrocket. Her research and writing style manages to give complexity and depth to those many female figures in Greek Mythology that allows them to flourish, rather than remain perceived as stagnant and bland characters only existing in relation to the men in their lives.

My only "criticism", if even that (since requiring rudimentary knowledge of a topic to read a piece of work doesn't negate its value, IMO) is that I wouldn't present this as a piece of literature those with no knowledge of mythology would instantly understand, and I look forward to re-reading it after doing my research and reading the original texts that are referenced within.

I would strongly recommend this book to those who are interested in Greek Mythology and want a decently-paced and enjoyable read, with references to pop culture spread throughout to encourage our own relatability to these characters as well as encouragement throughout to be critical of the men portrayed in the stories and to give the women a chance to be their beautiful, complicated, and sometimes devious, selves.

Content Warnings

wherethebooksgo's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny informative medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

More...