clarehiyama's review against another edition
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
The perfect book for feminists who were into Greek mythology as children and have since become disturbed by how violently misogynistic the stories they enjoyed were.
perkabethlawyer's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
michaela_mak's review against another edition
4.0
Really great read that was so informative! We rarely get the woman's point of view in Greek Mythology, unless they're a goddess and even then it can be odd, so this was a really interesting read. The chapter on Penelope is my favourite!
mbends's review against another edition
informative
4.0
Haynes spins classic myths anew by centering the voices of ten female figures, including Medusa, Helen, and Medea. While myths are inherently folk tales popularized by multiple storytellers, modern translations often focus on a narrative that removes women's autonomy or sanity and centers the heroic male. Haynes experly analyzes lost versions/interpretations of these texts.
mimosa234's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I loved having the opportunity to properly have these central figures in Greek mythology explored and brought to the forefront of their stories. Natalie Haynes highlights the complexity behind Ancient Greek female characters and how retellings of the legends have embedded further the patriarchal imaginings of these women.
Fundamentally though it saddened me thinking about the misogyny written into these characters. They were written by men for men and even the original text with its many layers and potential interpretations doesn’t hide this. I felt at some points Natalie Haynes takes on too much of a deep dive in trying to emphasise the personality and courage within these female characters and whilst I appreciated this holistic and detailed exploration of the original texts through to the modern cultural references it did at times feel a little tenuous.
Fundamentally though it saddened me thinking about the misogyny written into these characters. They were written by men for men and even the original text with its many layers and potential interpretations doesn’t hide this. I felt at some points Natalie Haynes takes on too much of a deep dive in trying to emphasise the personality and courage within these female characters and whilst I appreciated this holistic and detailed exploration of the original texts through to the modern cultural references it did at times feel a little tenuous.
nynke_elise's review against another edition
4.0
A very informative book, sometimes a little slow to read. I loved Haynes' remarks.
katevaliant's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up because I love learning about women in mythology and I wasn't disappointed. This book tackles famous women of mythology. One of my favorite aspects of how the women were tackled was the fact that some of them have multiples version of the same myth and the author discusses those and how they reflect on the women. It made me think about the women in ways I'd never considered before. The writing style kept me engaged, and I enjoyed the way this book got me to reflect on women like Penelope in a new light.
I recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the women of Greek mythology.
I recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about the women of Greek mythology.