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katerina_l's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Blood, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Rape
tamarant4's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
[Erysichthon, cursed by Demeter] eats the racehorses, a warhorse and an ailouros – the animal they keep for catching vermin. This word was usually translated as ‘cat’ when I was a student, but some archaeozoologists now think domestic cats were quite late arrivals in Greece, so an ailouros might actually be a weasel or a pine marten. Whatever it is, Erysichthon eats it. [loc. 2795]
Haynes offers a witty, feminist account of six Olympian goddesses -- Aphrodite, Athene, Artemis, Demeter, Hera and Hestia -- bracketed by chapters on the Muses and the Furies. Her text is peppered with pop culture references (Katniss and Kate 'Hawkeye' Bishop, Lizzo and Cardi B, Lady Gaga and Arnold Schwarznegger, Jessica Jones and Barbie) as well as references to the myths in their various forms, and to artworks based on those myths. (I'd have liked more illustrations of the latter, but then again Kindle is not a great medium through which to view images, and the internet was at hand...)
Haynes reclaims Hera, who's typically depicted as foul-tempered, rageful and unreasonable, as the champion of married women -- and, implicitly, of a type of civilised order to which the 'petty, aggressive and routinely obnoxious' male gods are oblivious. She shows us the power of Demeter's rage and grief when Persephone is abducted by Hades; the destructive, sacrifice-demanding side of Artemis, and the great antiquity of her myth; the underappreciated Hestia, 'a goddess who doesn’t often do, but always is... our warm homecoming, our baked bread, our light in the dark' [2983]. She writes about how the Sirens were turned into magpies by the Muses (a myth I hadn't encountered before) and about the ways in which the Greeks identified and understood psychological states -- such as PTSD -- by thinking of them as curses dealt by particular deities.
Haynes is often slyly hilarious, for instance her remark that 'I too have been perplexed by Zeus’ habit of converting himself into a bird for the purposes of impressing or beguiling women'. I appreciate her humour a great deal and think it will appeal to the demographic that's perhaps her target audience: young women without much experience of Greek mythology. Her style is informal, her breadth of knowledge impressive and her observations highly relevant to the modern world. I've read and admired Haynes' novel Stone Blind, which retells the story of Medusa and her sisters: I think her non-fiction writing is equally accomplished.
of all the goddesses in this book, the Furies – not in their role of vengeance-goddesses but in the sense of collective, societal shame that they also personify, shame at breaking your word or behaving cruelly and dishonestly – might be the ones I would most like to see restored to a modern pantheon. [loc. 4040]
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, War, Violence, Rape, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
unlikelyplaces's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Divine Might - Natalie Haynes (ARC review)
⭐️-5
I read Pandora’s Jar and Children of Jocasta earlier this year and with Divine Might I think that Natalie Haynes has firmly cemented herself as one of my favourite authors.
This book had me from the introduction. Haynes combines her incredible knowledge of mythology with fascinating insights into modern day culture and her ever-present wit and humour to create something that is so digestible but thoughtful and informative.
Having studied a tiny bit of classics, there were some things in here that I already knew but so much that was new to me and seeing Haynes’ interpretations of the myths was so fresh and enjoyable. I think that Demeter has now become my favourite of the goddesses because of this book.
If I had any criticism it would probably be that I wished we’d spent a bit more time looking at the actual mythology and depictions of the goddesses themselves and a little less time looking at modern media that has been influenced by them but there was still a healthy dose of both things and I am a history nerd so I don’t imagine everyone will have that critique.
If you have any interest in mythology or feminism or media I highly recommend picking this one up.
📚Release: 28 September 2023
❗️Content warnings: as to be expected when dealing with Greek/Roman mythology there is a lot of discussion of s3xual assault, if that is a trigger for you please do be cautious of this one. Also mentions of domestic abuse, violence (human sacrifice), animal cruelty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Animal cruelty
Minor: Violence
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