Divine Might

Goddesses in Greek Myth

By: Natalie Haynes

Narrated by: Natalie Haynes

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times bestselling author Natalie Haynes returns to the world of ancient Greek myth in this scintillating follow-up to Pandora’s Jar.

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.

Infused with Haynes’s engaging charm and irrepressible wit, Divine Might is a refreshing take on the legends and stories we thought we knew.

©2024 Natalie Haynes (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Well researched

Great descriptions and commentary. well researched, excellent audio. Another great listen by this author! thanks!

Natalie Haynes makes me feel cool about being a Greek mythology nerd.

As always, Natalie Haynes delivers a well-researched work that I proceed to devour immediately. Could I have done without the entire plot of a Woody Allen film in the Aphrodite section? Yes. Would it keep me from recommending this book and/or listening again myself? That would be a resounding no.

Always a pleasure. I will listen to every word this woman ever writes - especially if she’s the one performing it.

Old but not stodgy

Natalie Haynes is a Divine Hero of the Classics. She is a scholar with a sense of humor and I could easily imagine sitting in a lecture hall, not wanting the lecture to be over. I have always loved Greek Mythology and Haynes delivers many variations of the same stories with contemporary and classical interpretation.

Natalie Haynes does it again!

I can't even express how much I enjoy this author's books, performances, and especially the wit used to convey the stories! She breaks down her subjects into modern language we can all understand while adding her fantastic spin and sense of humor. I have devoured just about every book she's ever written and this was no exception. Highly recommend!

Witty!

Loved Haynes banter and interpretation of these stories. I never connected with Greek mythology in school and am loving rediscovering it as an adult.

A different perspective

Really enjoy this author’s unique sense of humor and total grasp of all the questions I asked as a little girl reading the classics and failing to understand why it all seemed so unfair.

All the rumors are true

Natalie Haynes does it again. Another splendid dive into the women of Greek Mythology. Thoroughly researched and delivered with humor and compassion. I love Natalie’s up to date knowledge of pop culture and how we continue to grapple with and make sense of the Greek pantheon. Natalie is a tremendous voice actor as well and does not disappoint in her narration of this book.

A+ sequel to “Pandora’s Jar”

A stupendous sequel focusing on female Greek gods. Laugh out loud funny at times. Wonderfully told by the author.

Delightful

I listened to the audiobook and the narration, by author Natalie Haynes, is brilliant (an author may be an excellent writer but a mediocre or even lousy narrator; that is *not* the case here). I grew up on the Greek and Roman myths, told to me by my great-aunt, a Latin teacher who lived with us, so I have a soft spot for mythology. Even so, Haynes brings scholarship and visual power, when describing artwork, to her presentation of Greek goddesses. She brings a modern woman's perspectives and reactions (too often missing, imho) without watering down the accurate presentation of what these gods and goddesses were (the phrase, "behaving badly," rings a bell).

An amazing journey through the Goddesses we thought we knew.

Haynes’ research is thorough, her viewpoint strikes the perfect balance between contemporary attitudes and the Bronze Age and then Classical Greek contexts. She reads her work with wit and clear expression. I have recommended this book to all my friends.