Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

7 reviews

angelofthetardis's review against another edition

dark informative slow-paced

3.0

As can easily be gleaned from my reading history, I do love me some Greek myth retellings. I've heard Natalie Haynes speak and be interviewed on several history podcasts I listen to, and she's always come across as bright, bubbly, funny and extremely knowledgeable about her specialist subject, so I thought I'd give this book a go, simply to get me a little more up to speed with the women of the Greek myths and to obtain a more female-centric view of them.

From very early on, the phrase that stuck in my head was 'stream of consciousness'. The writing is interesting and thought-provoking, but it makes for breathless reading - it came across to me as if the author simply couldn't type the words out quickly enough to keep up with her thought process. One line of examination flowed seamlessly into another; while in general that's a good thing, it made it very difficult to discern the point she was making.

The language used clearly puts this book well within reach of a general audience, but at the same time this is not a book to pick up if you only have a passing knowledge of the women and the myths studied. I class myself in that category - I could place most of the women in the right 'place' in the myths, but aside from that my awareness is in fact relatively limited. As a result, once again it became very hard to keep track of exactly what the author was trying to say - it was only with the last couple of women studied that a clearer recap of their 'standard' stories was included. Otherwise, it felt very much like being thrown in at the deep end, and therefore perhaps more appropriate for those with more expertise. I though this was a shame, as if matters were drawn out a little more I think it would have made a truly fascinating read.

Because of both these elements, I found it a harder going read than expected; for a fairly short book, it was quite heavy-going. I could only digest it for about 20 minutes at a time before the weight became too much and my attention started to drift. I think this would be an incredibly useful reference book if you were studying a particular myth or work such as the Iliad, as it would counter the male gaze of the main story and allow you to consider an alternative perspective. Likewise, if you were focused on one particular female from the pantheon, you might find her chapter in here a great source of information. But otherwise it's just not got that hook to make it a 'must read'.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Grief, Rape, War, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Child death, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Pregnancy

tashtasher's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Child death, Infidelity, and Pedophilia

Minor: Confinement, Slavery, Death of parent, and Alcohol

sydapel's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

I really appreciated the in depth look at many different women in Greek myths, examining not just their portrayals in plays of the time, but their complex histories and trauma. Even with the most "evil" of them, Hayes gently reminds us of the context of their decisions and challenges our notions of their characters. There's also a reminder of the subtle power plays they employed, which I appreciated in contrast the to abject suffering. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Rape, Infidelity, War, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicide, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

northernlitreading's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Just brilliant. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this - essentially an extended research paper. It was so interesting. I studied Classics a little in school but only some books of the Iliad or the Aeneid. This book was so informative but it was captivating and the authors voice really shone through - occasionally adding witty or even shocking remarks. Fell in love with the author and Greek mythology all over again. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Incest, Pregnancy, War, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexism, Child death, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism

bryelle's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Haynes looks at Greek myths through a feministic lens. She is dissecting why we tell stories of woman and make them the villains/victims/monsters. She goes in depth looking at the different ways these myths are told and even inspirations that have had in modern art. I love this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship

rebeccajost's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, War, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Violence

marianneiriss's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Misogyny, Child death, Death, Murder, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Slavery, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, Cannibalism, Infertility, War, Abandonment, Ableism, and Adult/minor relationship