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tourmaline1703's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
This is the second book I've read by Natalie Haynes this year (third ever, with another one on my tbr ๐) and I absolutely adore the way she writes. She makes mythology incredibly accessible if it's new to you but, if you're fairly well-versed, she offers refreshingly new takes on the stories you're familiar with. Having read some of Euripides' plays last year, it gave me that extra background information that helped me really understand Haynes' analyses of Phaedra and Medea.
Recentering mythology on women is incredibly important in my opinion especially due to the crucial and necessary roles they play in these stories. As Haynes points out, there would be no Iliad without Helen. Her writing is perceptive yet also humourous and light-hearted, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I have always been fascinated by mythology and the ancient world, as you may know if you look at all the non-fiction I have been reading this year๐I love reading modern analyses like this because they highlight the importance of revisiting Classics and putting them under the microscope again to further figure out their significance. In this case, the vital understanding of the role of women and their erasure in translations over the centuries. I found it very interesting that a lot of ancient writers did acknowledge the role of women and discuss them, whereas they have been omitted repeatedly in translations or modern retellings.
I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in ancient myths, the ancient world or gender studies and feminism because the discussion of recognising the importance of women through history is constant, and absolutely necessary.
Recentering mythology on women is incredibly important in my opinion especially due to the crucial and necessary roles they play in these stories. As Haynes points out, there would be no Iliad without Helen. Her writing is perceptive yet also humourous and light-hearted, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I have always been fascinated by mythology and the ancient world, as you may know if you look at all the non-fiction I have been reading this year๐I love reading modern analyses like this because they highlight the importance of revisiting Classics and putting them under the microscope again to further figure out their significance. In this case, the vital understanding of the role of women and their erasure in translations over the centuries. I found it very interesting that a lot of ancient writers did acknowledge the role of women and discuss them, whereas they have been omitted repeatedly in translations or modern retellings.
I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in ancient myths, the ancient world or gender studies and feminism because the discussion of recognising the importance of women through history is constant, and absolutely necessary.
headrickjeanne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
cesto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
aseel_reads's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
For some reason, I have never thought that the greek myths we know best, are in fact just one retelling and there are many others that could be more accurate, or at least portray a different view (that view obviously being from the women). This was such a good introduction to classical history, in a bite sized manner, and on characters that someone like me (semi decent ancient greek mythology knowledge) is familiar with. I really enjoyed seeing all the art and modern media retellings of famous myths, as well as the snarky comments from the author
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Incest, Rape, War, Misogyny, Slavery, Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Animal death, Sexism, Murder, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child death, Infidelity, and Grief
thequeenofunderworld's review against another edition
4.0
This book was excellent. Instead of a boring narration, it was sincere and entertaining. It showed me how ugly and misogynistic those myths I read as a child actually were. Of course, comparing that era to the present wouldn't be objective, but we can see that unfortunately, some things haven't changed. The women in these myths, depicted in this book, belong to multiple authors and reflect their perspectives. While some authors write characters that are multidimensional and intelligent, others portray them in a one-dimensional and misogynistic manner. This book allows us to observe these changes effectively. Thanks to this book, I also want to read some of the plays mentioned in it. In short, if you want to see the women in myths from their real identities, then this book is for you.