Reviews tagging 'Death'

Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes

8 reviews

inirac's review against another edition

dark funny informative fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Death, Rape, and Sexual assault

mars_loves_books's review

adventurous funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Animal death, Death, Incest, Kidnapping, War, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Child death, Murder, and Sexism

katerina_l's review against another edition

dark funny informative medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Blood, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child abuse, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Rape

revoli's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative inspiring fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Suicide, Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Death

moonytoast's review

funny informative medium-paced

4.25

 Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with a digital ARC of this book! 

In a time where retellings and reimaginings of Greek mythology are at the height of their cultural relevance—see the current adaptation of Percy Jackson & the Olympians and the continued success of Hadestown on Broadway—Natalie Haynes never fails to breathe some fresh air and new ideas into the public conversation around these myths. This is true of her previous works and of Divine Might, which delves into the goddesses at the heart of many Greek myths... and some who, despite their lack of narrative importance in such stories as the Titanomachy, still held an almost omnipresent space in ancient Greek culture. 

Haynes does not just focus on the past importance of these goddesses to ancient Greeks and Romans, though she does excellently examine their roles throughout various poems and epics and their role in the lives of ancient Greeks. She also looks at the way the modern world and media landscape continues engage with these myths and divine figures, our current ideas and values shaping our own perceptions of these goddesses and their stories. (The chapter about Artemis features a brief but delighted mention about the character of Katniss Everdeen.) 

The standout chapters for me are on Hestia, Demeter, and Athene, with an honorable mention of The Furies, but every chapter is well written and infused with Haynes' pension for dry humor, candor, and nuanced love for these myths. I always come out of Haynes' works with new eyes for the iconic stories from Greek mythology. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Sexual content, Murder, Sexual violence, and War

Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, Death, Grief, and Infidelity

theatomicblonde22's review against another edition

dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

If you are a regular listener of Natalie Haynes' podcast, of if you have already read her book Pandora's Jar, you will find very similar content in this new book of essays

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, War, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Murder, and Infidelity

kirstym25's review against another edition

funny informative medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, and Death

Moderate: Incest and Domestic abuse

withlivjones's review against another edition

funny informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

Once again, Natalie Haynes does not miss with this book examining the major female deities in Greek mythology. Her writing is engaging, witty, and sarcastic, and this is possibly the first non-fiction book I’ve read that I’ve laughed out loud at. She brings in a massive variety of sources from ancient architecture and literature to music videos to Hollywood films in order to discuss the changing perceptions of Greek goddesses, and I love that she treats all of her case studies as equally valuable sources of information, regardless of whether they’re “high culture” or “popular culture”. I wish this book had been around while I was at university, it would’ve been an absolute game changer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, and War

Moderate: Incest