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elysareadsitall's review against another edition
5.0
"Pandora's Jar" is an excellent analysis of some of the most famous mortal women of ancient Greek myths. Haynes's research is impeccable. She pulls the most well-known stories and obscure mentions to explore how the women were treated in the ancient world, and she explores modern interpretations to show how that treatment has changed or not. She makes clear the misogyny inherent in the ancient and modern interpretations and how it has evolved over time. Her feminist readings are fascinating and provide insight about how women are treated today, whether fictional or real. This book has made me want to reread the ancient works and inspired me to expand my TBR.
joceyreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really interesting book. Essentially, Haynes asks us to think more critically about the female characters of myth and legend. They change over time, with each telling and the values of the current age. They are much more complex than we may have originally thought. Fascinating book! Best non fiction I’ve read in a long time.
ssinc119's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
fluttershyisgod's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
chaotic17's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
annineamundsen's review against another edition
3.0
This is analytical and discusses different interpretations and variations of certain myths - and the women in them. Some of the chapters were a bit long and repetitive, and I would have liked more different women and with shorter chapters instead.
Just have to include these two golden quotes:
"... Because she has committed the ultimate sin against art: she is an older woman"
"Unfortunately, the film follows the unspoken rule of so many Hollywood movies and can only expand its focus to include one woman at any given time"
Just have to include these two golden quotes:
"... Because she has committed the ultimate sin against art: she is an older woman"
"Unfortunately, the film follows the unspoken rule of so many Hollywood movies and can only expand its focus to include one woman at any given time"
jaderbugz's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
this book is a really fascinating look at women throughout the different retellings of greek myths. i loved learning so much about the different variations of these characters through different lenses, and how they were portrayed not only in text but also in other works of art such as pottery, paintings, and statues. it took me 6 months to read because sometimes it’s hard for me to read nonfiction, and i would slow down reading when it dived more into the author’s interpretation. but it was a really good read! annotated a lot of it because it was very informative!
thebookwormsfeast's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
A fascinating read, looking into the myths and stories of 10 women - how they've evolved, and some of the earliest iterations we know of - told in an engaging way, often with humour, and very easy to follow.
I was pretty surprised at how much time these characters were given in stories told in Ancient Greece, whereas they are stripped back of their roles in modern depictions. When I hear that a new book is coming out, retelling a myth or story from the women's perspective - I'd always assumed it'd be completely made up by the author at this point, and not a whole lot would have been known, other than in passing, from the previous stories told. This really isn't the case. These are actually a recentering/focusing on the women of these stories, who have been removed or diminished throughout the centuries.
I'm left wanting to discover more of these stories, now armed with a better idea of who these women are. Medea is one I haven't actually come across somehow - and although her story ends in one of the worst possible ways, I most certainly need a story of her time assisting Jason. Haynes also mentions that Margaret Atwood published a story on Penelope that I will also be looking to pick up - if only due to the chapter headings, it sounds great.
The only thing I wish I hadn't done, and probably the difference in my gut giving this a full five stars, is that I'd read Stone Blind (also by Haynes) just the week before. I adored it, but now found reading a nonfiction with the same subject matter, and author, a little more difficult to get through after the thrill.
A fascinating read, looking into the myths and stories of 10 women - how they've evolved, and some of the earliest iterations we know of - told in an engaging way, often with humour, and very easy to follow.
I was pretty surprised at how much time these characters were given in stories told in Ancient Greece, whereas they are stripped back of their roles in modern depictions. When I hear that a new book is coming out, retelling a myth or story from the women's perspective - I'd always assumed it'd be completely made up by the author at this point, and not a whole lot would have been known, other than in passing, from the previous stories told. This really isn't the case. These are actually a recentering/focusing on the women of these stories, who have been removed or diminished throughout the centuries.
I'm left wanting to discover more of these stories, now armed with a better idea of who these women are. Medea is one I haven't actually come across somehow - and although her story ends in one of the worst possible ways
Spoiler
(killing her own children)The only thing I wish I hadn't done, and probably the difference in my gut giving this a full five stars, is that I'd read Stone Blind (also by Haynes) just the week before. I adored it, but now found reading a nonfiction with the same subject matter, and author, a little more difficult to get through after the thrill.
joannchilada's review against another edition
4.0
I took this book slowly, mostly so I could process all the names of people and places without mixing them up, the combinations of vowels and consonants in Ancient Greek somewhat challenging for my English speaking brain. However, for folks like me, Natalie Haynes is very helpful at providing connections and reminders to previous chapters, and flagging you to remember something that will come up later. I learned a great deal about the stories of female characters often missing from the most popular retellings of ancient myths (and many of the contemporary tellings of the time), and Haynes presented this information in creative and often humorous ways. I also appreciated the art depicted at the beginning of each section, and Haynes is great at describing art not depicted. There’s information at the end about each piece of art, but perhaps a future edition could include images of the art itself.