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_abia_'s review
3.5
A quick read, perfect for fans of feminist retellings of Greek mythology who want to understand more about the portrayal of women in the ancient classics and the impact that this has had on Western culture.
This was well written, easy to follow and interesting, albeit a bit more surface level than I'd expected. I'd have loved to read more in depth thoughts from Beard on several of the points made, but she does acknowledge this in the author's note. It has me intrigued to read more around this subject.
This was well written, easy to follow and interesting, albeit a bit more surface level than I'd expected. I'd have loved to read more in depth thoughts from Beard on several of the points made, but she does acknowledge this in the author's note. It has me intrigued to read more around this subject.
lizzdarcy's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
aftaerglows's review
3.0
we have no template for what a powerful woman looks like, except that she looks rather like a man.
mary beard is a professor of classics at the university of cambridge, which is why she has experience with women being silenced: if you're familiar with the very first classics (both greek and latin), you'll know our society isn't much different at its very core than the greek society. homer is the father of greek literature - and of all literature - and in the iliad we get to know telemachus as he establishes his power silencing a woman, his mother. it's clear that the roots of sexism run very deep in our culture; this is perhaps the only interesting thing beard has to say in the first speech.
the book is, in fact, divided into two, and i found the second essay much more compelling; i thought the first one wasn't as polished as it maybe should have been. the second essay, on the other hand, discusses women in power and the things they have to do to get there - so basically, walk, talk, dress and act like a man. what it doesn't do is provide you with answers; but it is well-structured and interesting.
overall, though, it's not saying anything i hadn't heard before.
mary beard is a professor of classics at the university of cambridge, which is why she has experience with women being silenced: if you're familiar with the very first classics (both greek and latin), you'll know our society isn't much different at its very core than the greek society. homer is the father of greek literature - and of all literature - and in the iliad we get to know telemachus as he establishes his power silencing a woman, his mother. it's clear that the roots of sexism run very deep in our culture; this is perhaps the only interesting thing beard has to say in the first speech.
the book is, in fact, divided into two, and i found the second essay much more compelling; i thought the first one wasn't as polished as it maybe should have been. the second essay, on the other hand, discusses women in power and the things they have to do to get there - so basically, walk, talk, dress and act like a man. what it doesn't do is provide you with answers; but it is well-structured and interesting.
overall, though, it's not saying anything i hadn't heard before.
havanahanson's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting read, but I was expecting more. Most of the book was about how women are spoken over. I was hoping there would be more about the influential women who held positions of power, and how they are changing the narrative. I wanted to feel inspired when I read this, but mostly just got a history lesson.
micagalvn's review against another edition
4.0
Una lectura bastante interesante, me impresiona que gran parte del comportamiento misógino y violento con respecto a la perspectiva de género provenga de los griegos y de los romanos, y está bueno para poder tener presente todo lo que pasa en la vida cotidiana de las mujeres si uno no está del todo informado