With wit, humor, and savvy, Haynes revolutionizes our understanding of epic poems, stories, and plays, resurrecting them from a woman’s perspective and tracing the origins of their mythic female characters.

Pandora’s Jar brings nuance and care to the millennia-old myths and legends and asks the question: Why are we so quick to villainize these women in the first place—and so eager to accept the stories we’ve been told?

Really enjoyed this one on audio! It was read by the author and she was a great narrator. I really learned a lot more about Greek mythology and the women in many famous stories. The book dives deeply into the many representations of each woman throughout history. It was fascinating to hear of all of the different renditions of each woman over the course of time, and learn how their characters are interpreted in modern society with references to pop culture. I loved that the book took characters who are more frequently on the fringes of mythology, and provided a perspective of them as main characters in their own stories, with all of their multifaceted characteristics and motivations. The book was engaging, funny at times, and very interesting. Definitely recommend this one if you’re interested in feminist retellings and Greek mythology!