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"Few writers today have reshaped our view of the ancient Greek myths more than revered bestselling author Natalie Haynes. Divine Might is a female-centered look at Olympus and the Furies, focusing on the goddesses whose prowess, passions, jealousies, and desires rival those of their male kin, including: Athene, who sprang fully formed from her father's brow (giving Zeus a killer headache in the process), the goddess of war and provider of wise counsel; Aphrodite, born of the foam (and sperm released from a Titan's castrated testicles), the most beautiful of all the Olympian goddesses, the epitome of love who dispenses desire and inspires longing-yet harbors a fearsome vengeful side, doling out brutal punishments to those who displease her; Hera, Zeus's long-suffering wife, whose jealousy born of his repeated dalliances with mortals, nymphs, and other goddesses, leads her to wreak elaborate and often painful revenge on those she believes have wronged her (Well, wouldn't you?); Demeter, goddess of the harvest and mother of Persephone; Artemis, the hunter and goddess of wild spaces; the Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus: and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory; and Hestia, goddess of domesticity and sacrificial fire"--… (more)
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Having read and loved Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes, I was eager to read the author’s latest work of non-fiction and I
While most existing texts (and much of the inspired art) depict female characters from the Greek myths predominantly from the male perspective which, though interesting, can certainly feel (on occasion) unidimensional, the author allows us to explore each of the goddesses and their myth with a fresh interpretation of their gifts and motivations, vices, and their lasting impact on the modern world. As the author states in her brilliant introduction, ” Women can now make art, and we require no one’s permission. We can create our own stories of all those gods and monsters and –if we choose –make them in our image.”
My favorites were the chapters on The Muses, Hestia, Demeter and The Furies but I did enjoy the remaining chapters on Hera, Athene, Artemis and Aphrodite as well. Referencing several sources, the author delves deep into the characters, their stories from the myths and how their stories have inspired various art forms all around the world ranging from paintings and sculptures and artifacts to movies, music and much more.
Please note that this is not a “retelling” but a series of discussions about the goddesses in Greek Myth drawn from various existing sources with the author’s observations interwoven throughout the chapters.
Many thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the digital review copy of Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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Waterstones exclusive with foiling under the dust jacket and ribbon bookmark.