Divine Might solidified the notion that if Natalie Haynes writes it... I'm going to read it.

I've enjoyed some of her previous novels, the most recent being Stone Blind. Even from a nonfiction and informative perspective, this was written with just the right amount of humor and wit, making it incredibly captivating.

Divine Might focuses on the Olympian goddesses but also has chapters on goddesses outside of the Pantheon. Pop culture is heavily intertwined with Hayne's analysis of several female divinities. It was fun to read the social commentary and parallels between modern replications of Greek mythology and the ancient myths themselves.

Divine Might is such a well-researched and digestible read that is perfect for those who want more background on Greek mythology from a unique perspective! I consider myself knowledgeable about Greek myths, and I definitely walked out of this with more knowledge than I went into it with.

10000000/10

Divine Might" by Natalie Haynes gives such a fresh take on ancient Greece. I learned so much about the powerful female godesses of the Olympus. This book completely immersed me in their world of passion, rivalry, and revenge. I especially loved the blend of history, pop culture and imagination weaved into all the myths. A witty and engaging read giving us insight into the might of divine female power.

Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes is a cool look at history and women in Greek mythology. I loved her novel A Thousand Ships and I especially enjoyed seeing this piece of non-fiction that focuses on women. I found myself particularly hooked on the segments on The Muses, Demeter, and Artemis. I was also pleasantly surprised by how interested I was in the section on Hera which probably does most of the heavy lifting. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC!

My first foray into Natalie Haynes is what I would call a resounding success. I loved Divine Might. I have been interested in her books for many years now (I even own Pandora's Jar) and I am a massive fan of mythologies of all kinds. However, I'll say this: I wasn't expecting to laugh this much, or have this many quotes to share with you. Here's my favourites.

"My point isn’t that men create deficient art, it’s that if we only have art created by men, we might want to bear that in mind when we respond to it."

This is IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY "James Bond shows us who Ian Fleming (and, by extension, at least some of his readers) wanted to be, Pussy Galore just shows us who he wanted to bang."

"I didn’t start this book expecting to compare Arnold Schwarzenegger to the goddess Artemis, but we are where we are."

"There is a children’s book named after this goddess (one of a series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams), and when someone told me about it, I briefly raised my hopes. Then I read the title – Hestia the Invisible – and wondered if they were mocking me." (Holub and Williams are responsible for getting so many young girls into mythology, much the same as Riordan is. Speaking of Riordan;)

"This Hera is rather tetchy when Percy mentions his friend Thalia, 45 one of Zeus’s illicit love children. But she doesn’t smash him to smithereens, nor has she turned Thalia into a cow, or a bear (Thalia does still get turned into a tree, but no one can be a winner every day, and she is restored to a more mobile form thanks to the Golden Fleece)."

"Of all the horror movies I saw as a film reviewer (including one rather bleak week watching torture porn for BBC Radio 3), few have stuck in my mind with the same persistence as It Follows from 2014."

I rarely put quotes in my reviews. So you know this is big for quotes.

In Divine Might, Haynes is not simply retelling the stories of the mythology as many have done before (Notably, Riordan, Gaiman, and Tolkien), but providing a 360° perspective of the art, culture, language, history, subtext, authors, and modern interpretation of the mythology. She creates a stunning, full-bodied look into what each of the goddesses are made of. Hera, known for her wrath, is more than a jealous wife. Athena, known to be calm, cool, collected, and coy, is also batshit competitive and clearly inhuman in her need to win. Artemis is a sociopath (I kid, slightly). Even the Furies are given a highlight here, which is rare, I would say rarer than seeing Hestia as a main character.

I'll give a warning, though. If you are wanting an objective, nonpartisan look at the Greek and Roman mythos, you're out of luck, because no such thing exists. But Haynes does a fantastic job of putting her biases forward for review alongside her opinions and thoughts. There is a wild amount of banter, side-tracking, tangents, history tidbits, and modern language in this work, and that might throw off some who pick it up looking for something more cut and dry. I would compare it more to Stephen Fry's Mythos than I would to Evslin and Hoops.

My only true complaint is that some sections dragged too long because of their tangent material. This could use a firm editor who knows where to slice. But other than that, this is a fantastic foray into mythology.

In “Divine Gods” by Natalie Haynes, the modern take on goddesses and the protagonist roles in Greek history breathes new life into ancient tales. Haynes skillfully weaves contemporary perspectives into the rich tapestry of mythology, offering a fresh and captivating narrative that resonates with both familiarity and innovation. The characters’ evolution across time creates a dynamic exploration of enduring themes, making this a compelling read for both mythology enthusiasts and those new to the genre.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I really loved this book! Excellent deep dive into Greek and Roman myth routing out how ancient peoples might have felt about these goddesses and their roles in daily life. I really loved the chapter on Hestia and the need to hypothesize about a goddess whose importance was incredible but whose written role was minimal. As someone who has taken many classics courses in college this book hit all the right spots for me.

So I think I thought this was going to be more of feminist retelling for the goddesses versus the author giving their thoughts and comparisons on each of the goddesses. There were times where she would go on and on and compare it to modern entertainment and that just wasn't what i was here for or expecting. 3 star because it was interesting but it was okay.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for a free ARC of Divine Might in exchange for my honest review.

Fun fact about me: I love mythology.

It's apparent Natalie Haynes does, too. (She's a pro for a reason.) In Divine Might Haynes explores some of Greek mythology's lovely goddesses in beautiful detail. Being a bit of a mythology buff myself I just thought I knew a lot, but Haynes proved me wrong. Especially with the lesser known Furies, whom I quickly became very intrigued with. I really enjoyed hearing all of the different back stories and artifact tie ins. (I connected with the feminine rage, as well.)

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in mythology (or women, in general). This really was a delightful read.

Divine Might is a nonfiction book about Greek goddesses in myth. I am a big fan of mythology and previously read and enjoyed "Pandora's Jar," also by Natalie Haynes, which is about women in Greek myth.

This book did not disappoint! It was similar to "Pandora's Jar" as it had a chapter dedicated to each mythological woman. Unlike "Pandora's Jar," there aren't as many divine women as there are mortals, half mortals, and other important figures, so the chapters ended up being fairly long. While already being fairly familiar with Greek goddesses, I found the stories and analysis engaging. I definitely learned new things about the goddesses and think about them differently (in a good way) after finishing this book.

Overall, if you're a fan of mythology or intersectionality in myth, this book is for you! It certainly was for me! 4 stars. Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I unfortunately found this book to be a boring read that lacked much enticing commentary on a subject I love to read about. The bombardment of facts and rambling on myths without much explanation outweighed the content’s memorability and there were too many pop culture analogies and references that I was not expecting when I first took interest in this book.

Natalie Haynes is back at it again. When it comes to nonfiction, my favorite classicist never misses. In Divine Might, she offers stellar insights on beloved goddesses like Athena and Artemis and redeems villains like Hera and the Furies. This book is a must read for any Greek mythology fan, along with A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar.

Natalie Haynes is brilliant and funny and so engaging. This book is an automatic 5 star read. Looking at well known and often told stories of Greek and Roman goddesses, Haynes analyzes ancient stories and art through the lens of the female gaze. Truly terrific, I will recommend this book to anyone that will listen.

I didn't realize this was actually a non-fiction novel when I got it. I've read the author in the past and have really liked her books. While it wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I did manage to get through it. It felt like a friend sitting beside you telling you stories and how they can become magical to you with the right person telling the story. I do recommend this to anyone who really likes mythology and are interested in their origins.

I loved reading Natalie Haynes' Pandora's Jar: from the retellings to the references to paintings, sculptures, other artwork and the pop culture references from movies to Broadway shows. This book seemed like it would recreate the magic of Pandora's Jar by simply swapping female characters in Greek myths with female goddesses.

Well, the formula went a little awry in this book. I liked the retelling of ancient poems and references to artwork. I also liked *some* of the pop culture references - but most were a bit of a reach. I understand what she was trying to convey through them, as would anyone who has read any of her previous work. Connecting ancient myths to modern retellings is important, but I'm not sure how much these references really qualify to be included.

Apart from the somewhat off-putting modern references, the book was quite enjoyable. Natalie Haynes references original texts and tellings of Greek myths, adding humorous subtext and calling out hypocritical actions of the goddesses - almost so the book reads as a light conversation between the reader and the author. This book is definitely a good one to read casually, and provides a diverse look at Greek goddesses.

This one is around a 3.5 for me, so 4 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I love Greek mythology and have a few of my favorite goddesses that represent aspects and traits I want to enhance in my own life. I don’t typically read nonfiction books and never ones that offer a different perspective on how each of these deities presented during ancient times, and what they meant to the people of that era. I’ve been reading so many fictional retellings and wanted to look at the goddesses in a more down to earth view instead of the overly dramatic depictions that can be found in current books and movies. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and learned a lot. The author did a wonderful job of sharing the information and I will definitely look for more books from her. Thank you NetGalley for the e-book.

This is exactly 3.5 stars for me, so it's tough to round. There are some essays here that I really enjoyed! My favorites were Hera, Aphrodite, Athene, and the Furies. But the others (Artemis, Demeter, and Hestia) just fell short for me.
In the earlier essays, Haynes makes references to movies to connect the goddesses to pop culture, but with one exception (The Hunger Games), the movies are rather out of date, and it felt like it took longer to explain the context of what she's trying to reference than to make the point she's going for.
In essays about the goddesses where there was less material, it felt like she was trying to fill the word count by discussing stories only tangentially related. In Demeter's essay, for example, it's almost exclusively about the
kidnapping of Persephone, which while absolutely significant to Demeter, does not tell us a whole lot about the goddess herself.
Finally, I thought the male-gaze aspect of this book's purpose was lost a bit. From the introduction, I expected an analysis of how women may have interpreted/perceived these goddesses at the time men were writing the myths. But the only female voice mentioned was Sappho, and only briefly. I understand there's likely a lack of sources on this front, but I think that perhaps means that the mission of the collection should have been adjusted.
On the brighter side, Haynes's writing shines, regardless of the content she covers, and she's clearly very knowledgeable about the topic. I found her tone educated but still relatable. Given that this is an ARC of a book that's already out by now, I can only hope that Haynes was able to include photographs of all the different works of ancient art that she discusses-- I think that would be really beneficial, but that's just a personal preference.
Overall, I've decided to round this down, because while I think this is a very respectable collection of essays, it just didn't hit exactly how I needed it to. But for what it's worth, my Storygraph will have this rated properly at 3.5 stars :)

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

—Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great journey. It had all my favorite goddesses. I wish it had colored drawings of them as well. It wasn’t boring and long, the pacing was great.

“Not only did the ancient Greeks seem to have modelled gods in their mortal image, but they apparently chose their worst selves as the template.”
What an opener, right?

Natalie Haynes has such a fun way of relaying Greek Myths and their origins mixed in with pop culture and personal references. It breathes new life into these tales and makes it exciting to hear about stories you think you already know in addition to legends new to you. In Divine Might, Haynes covers women from the Muses, Athena, Aphrodite, Hera, Artemis, etc. She delves into the characters, their stories from myths and how their stories have inspired various art forms all around the world ranging from paintings and sculptures to artifacts to movies, music, and much more.

Please note, this is not a long-form retelling of a singular myth or character's journey. This is more of an anthology.

I received and eARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I love getting to learn about some of those most amazing women in greek myth because they truly deserve their time to shine. however, I felt the sections in this book were too long and went off on tangents that focused more on other players than the goddess we are supposed to be reading about. I also know that greek gods and goddess all have several names but it is confusing when you keep switching them out during the section. Since this book was solely about the greek myth part of these goddess I think it would have been more impactful to stick with the names used in ancient greece only. It was still very interesting and I overall had a good time.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Natalie Haynes for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’m a big fan of Natalie Haynes and have read almost everything she’s written, so I immediately requested this one. I really enjoyed it and liked the humor in the book as well as the in-depth looks at each of the goddesses. Some of my favorite chapters were the ones on Hera, Aphrodite, and Artemis. I highly recommend this one for anyone interested in learning more about the goddesses! Especially if you also enjoyed Pandora’s Jar.