Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes, Natalie Haynes

33 reviews

erin_curry's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative slow-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

nila's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I've read quite a few of these kinds of books on Greek myths where a selected few heroes/gods/myths are presented, and the author writes about their different depictions in depth. This is the best one I've read so far. This is Haynes' field and you can tell she's brimming with information that she wants to share. The book is so engaging and I highly recommend it

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

purplepenning's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Brilliant! Fascinating and funny. If you have any interest in the Greek myths, the modern novelized retellings (Circle, Ariadne, A Thousand Ships), or the application of feminine perspectives to scholarship of any kind you won't want to miss this. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

caseythereader's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.75

Thanks to Harper Perennial for the free advance copy of this book.

 - PANDORA'S JAR is for everyone who loves Greek mythology but wishes the women weren't protrayed only as objects or monsters.
- Even if you think you know it all in terms of myth, I'll bet Haynes digs out some alternate tellings and translations you haven't seen, giving everyone from Persephone to Clytemnestra new dimensions.
- Plus, this books is funny as heck. Haynes is dryly sarcastic, giving much needed levity to these tales of tragedy and woe. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lara_anne's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

marianneiriss's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elleapple's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

oliverlang's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective slow-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

madelonpaige's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative slow-paced

3.75


Expand filter menu 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.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings