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

dark informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Absolutely loved this. Haynes is so clever and funny, but you can really tell there was so much research put into this book. Yet, it’s easy to read and accessible, and Haynes often used pop culture references for the audience to relate the stories, which I really appreciated. Honestly, had me looking at Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a new light. 

I genuinely had such a great time reading this all the way through and ended up talking about many of these chapters with so many people. While yes, having a pretty good knowledge of Greek myths certainly helped me, Haynes explained each plot tied to these characters very well before diving into the commentary, the alterations, and the different versions. Even with everything I knew about Greek myths, I still learned so much throughout this and my perspective of some of these women definitely shifted. 

Though the last two weren’t my favorite, when I read the conclusion and realized the important connecting bit in Haynes’ commentary on Eurydice and Penelope, I instantly liked those chapters more, as she made me reconsider what I’d just read all over again. Just so much praise to Haynes for everything she discussed in this book. I loved it.