i enjoyed this deep dive on these selected Goddesses. My favorite was the section on Demeter. I love Natalie Hayne's writing and sense of humor.

I really love it, engaging at all times. Very intresting story I didn’t knew. I’m a fan of Greek mythology and this book didn’t disappoint.

I love a good myth retold by a female perspective and with a female centric focus. The goddesses have always been just as amorous, jealous, and dangerous as the gods.

I loved learning about the goddesses in Greek myth from a modern, feminist perspective. I read this in print and listened to parts. I preferred it in audio, as the author has a sense of humor and a lovely British accent. There are a few pictures in the book, but I personally still find the audio superior.

The author paints vivid pictures of women in myths, and questions whether widely held beliefs about those women are true when looked at with a modern lens.

I'm not generally interested in mythology, but I learned something and was entertained, and that's a win.

Thank you NetGalley, LibroFM, and the publisher for the ARC. I shared this with one of our book groups.

Thanks for an arc netgalley!
Natalie Haynes is very, very funny.
This collection of essays on various women figures in Greek mythology that's very accessible for those with little prior knowledge and new perspectives for those with more. Woven in the text is a clear love and deep knowledge of the women in question as well as smart commentary on the state of women today.

The only thing keeping this from being a five is that I wish the essays had been a little more connected. The overarching theme is kind of just... women. And it's really great for what it is, and some are a little tied together, but I would have appreciated connecting the essays just a little more to bring it all together.

Greek mythology was filled with drama and that was perfectly reflected in relations between gods themselves and their attitude towards people. "Divine Might" invites readers to ponder timeless questions about the nature of divinity, humanity, and the human condition. Through the stories of the goddesses, Haynes explores themes of love, jealousy, vengeance, and redemption, offering readers a rich tapestry of mythological wisdom to contemplate.

I was a little bit disappointed by this book - it fell flat for me, though I was excited about the premise.

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.