Book Review: "Divine Might" by Natalie Haynes

"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."

Don't be mad but I have a signed copy of this book.

Natalie Haynes is probably one of the most famous and beloved writers around at the moment. Her book A Thousand Ships was renowned for bringins a great new voice to the tale of Homer's Iliad whilst also retaining a lot of the original story. It was also renowned for moving the perspective and shifting the story so that Haynes could fill in the gaps.

Her book Stone Blind was probably my personal favourite as it dealt with the problem we seem to have with Medusa. When Medusa discovers she is different to her Gorgon sisters, we are taken into the realm of self-discovery which comes slightly at the detriment of Medusa herself. Obviously, we know the tragic tale of Medusa but we have never been told about it like this.

Another great book by Natalie Haynes is Children of Jocasta which explores Jocasta who must marry the King of Thebes and then, as we move along in the story of the mother of Oedipus and how she became a horrifyingly tragic figure. In another book named Pandora's Jar, Natalie Haynes looks at the women who may or may not have been overlooked by myth, their stories tainted by the men around them and therefore, unworthy of the goddesses themselves.

In this book entitled Divine Might, Natalie Haynes we are invited back to the world of Pandora's Jar for a more personal and less formal look at the goddesses, complete with opinion pieces and new and insightful analysis. Natalie Haynes could never really disappoint anyone with her witty, critical and often very insightful writing. Meeting the muses at the beginning, we are invited into the world of the book through a 'museum' idea and I think this is brilliant. It is like Haynes is opening the door on to the muses through their home and we are being invited in.

As we move along in the book, we meet the goddess Hera who is almost always seen as part of her husband, Zeus, as a vengeful and jealous woman but, in reality Haynes makes us see the other sides to her story (which I will not reveal here, but are very helpful for understanding more of Greek Mythology). I always love how Natalie Haynes writing about Athene because in comparison to a lot of people, Haynes tells her story in a very passionate way that evokes so much emotion in the reader. It certainly reminds me of her earlier book Pandora's Jar. And though the earlier book feels more like fiction - this one feels more like nonfiction, complete with not just the story but the story behind the story, the interpretation of the story and an inside look into the writer's mind.

My personal favourite Greek goddess is Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and what Natalie Haynes has to say about her is brilliant. Many of these chapters link the goddesses in with pop culture references, personal anecdotes and histories and interpretations of their stories. I enjoyed reading about Artemis because honestly, I always enjoy reading about Artemis. But Natalie Haynes makes her seem far more important than I have seen Artemis be taken in many other retellings, compillations, anthologies and stories about Ancient Greek Mythology.

I think that the criticism and analysis that Natalie Haynes makes of Artemis really hits the nail on the head and when you read it you will definitely realise that she is telling truths too. All in all though, apart from the section on Artemis, I think that the clever way of invoking the Muses at the beginning of the book and ending with the Furies at the close makes for a very exciting book which is not only based in Greek Mythology but in all of the stuff it has influenced, all of the clamouring opinions from everyone and their pet dog, the interpretations of the author and how these goddesses have come to shape and be shaped by our various cultures, each more feminine than the last. Oh, how far it has all come.