Having read and loved A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes I was eagerly looking forward to reading Pandora’s Jar : Women in the Greek My rating: 4.5⭐️
Having read and loved A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes I was eagerly looking forward to reading Pandora’s Jar : Women in the Greek Myths and I was not disappointed!
The author describes Greek myths as “protean” stating that they operate in different timelines- the one in which they are set and the timelines of the subsequent versions and retellings. Each chapter in this book is devoted to a female character from the Greek myths and the author draws from multiple sources to discuss how these characters have been presented, represented and interpreted over the years. Chapters are dedicated to Pandora, Jocasta, Helen, Medusa, The Amazons, Clytemnestra, Eurydice, Phaedra, Medea and Penelope. Popular opinion and numerous translators and interpreters have defined these women and their roles in the myths -whether regarded as famous or infamous, labeled and judged as good (Penelope) or bad (Clytemnestra) and in many cases, held responsible for events that had more powerful forces at play (Medusa, Pandora, Helen) or marginalized and relegated to the background in the role of mother or wife (Jocasta), all the while waxing eloquent about the heroic exploits of their male counterparts. But as Haynes explains it, these women are so much more than a unidimensional presence in those stories, the narrative perspectives of which may differ depending upon the writer, narrator or translator. The author provides a broad overview of how these characters have been depicted in not only literature but art, theatre, music and film and the ensuing discussion of how and why these depictions and interpretations vary makes for an absorbing read.
Haynes references the works of Hesiod, Homer, Ovid, Euripides, Aeschylus, Sophocles and other sources while also eloquently describing some surviving antiquarian artifacts and relatively newer artwork (paintings, sculptures etc) depicting the characters and scenes from the various versions of the Greek myths. The child friendly versions of the myths as presented by Nathaniel Hawthorne or Roger Lancelyn Green are also discussed in the context of how authors choose to whitewash the not-so-heroic exploits of popular heroes in order to emphasize the virtues of said character. I also enjoyed the more contemporary references interspersed in the discussions ranging from cinematic renderings such as Clash of the Titans and the more recent Wonder Woman franchise to how the myths have influenced select works of Dame Agatha Christie as well as characters and episodes from Star Trek or Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even Beyonce.
It should be noted that Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths is not a retelling or reimagining of the myths in the strictest terms but an insightful exploration into the different versions of the characters that have been presented through the ages. Smart, witty, engaging and brilliantly researched, Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes is a joy to read for fans of Greek mythology and especially those with an interest in learning more about the women in the myths. I loved the details of the art and artifacts described in each of the chapters and wished that there could have been more pictures embedded with the text. I found myself looking these up on the internet and that truly enriched my reading experience. Not only does Natalie Haynes explore how and why these women and their stories have been defined the way they have but in doing so also motivates you to question your own observations understanding of the women (and the men) in the Greek myths. While I enjoyed all the chapters in the book, I have to mention that those devoted to Pandora, Medusa and The Amazons were my favorites.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review. ...more
“They didn’t bother naming the girl for a few weeks, but when they did, they named her Wang Di—to hope for a brother.”
In 1942 seventeen year old 4.5/5
“They didn’t bother naming the girl for a few weeks, but when they did, they named her Wang Di—to hope for a brother.”
In 1942 seventeen year old Wang Di , daughter born to a working class family is taken from her home in Japanese occupied Singapore to become a “comfort woman”. Renamed “Fujiko” she is housed with other young girls under the control of Mrs. Sato and spends the next few years trying to survive unimaginable sexual exploitation and abuse in the hands of Japanese soldiers who frequent the “black and white house”. She manages to survive the ordeal and returns home after the occupation ends but home is no longer what she had left behind. Shunned by neighbors and with her own family embarrassed and unable to cope with her reality, she knows that the events of the last few years will haunt her for the rest of her life. She never speaks of her experiences in fear of being judged and ostracized and eventually is married off to an older but kind widower who has lost his family during the war .
Fast forward sixty years , recently widowed Wang Di earns a meagre living recycling cardboard (referred to as ‘cardboard lady’ by her neighbors) . She has become a hoarder, a habit that has its roots in her war time experiences .She strives for a sense of security, filling the empty space in her life and heart with material objects. Before he passed on, her husband tried to help her face her past and encouraged her to tell him her story and share his own with her – an endeavor that could not be completed. “He knew what the unsaid did to people. Ate away at them from the inside.”
We also meet Kevin, a sensitive twelve year old child grieving for his recently deceased grandmother , his Ah Ma ,who on her deathbed revealed a family secret that she had kept buried for decades , the roots of which might shed a light on his own father’s true parentage. Kevin takes in upon himself to dig deeper before he shares anything with his parents fearing that whatever he discovers might cause his father further distress . He had already seen his father sink into depression after losing his job years ago , a state that had lasted almost a year and a half – something that Kevin does not want to witness again.
“That was when I learned that it was possible to disappear and still be there, that it was possible to disappear even further than he had. To be emptier than empty. Blacker than black.”
The narrative switches between Wang Di during the War , Wang-Di ‘s present life and Kevin and his quest for answers. The story continues in the present day when Kevin and Wang Di’s worlds converge and the revelations that are unearthed unravel a connection long thought to be lost which enable Wang Di and Kevin’s family to reconcile with their past and present traumas.
Jing Jing Lee’s How We Disappeared is an absorbing and profoundly moving story of family , strength and human resilience with themes of war, generational trauma, mental health and life changing impact of abuse and neglect . The author’s depiction of the horrific experiences of women like Wang Di and how such experiences impact every aspect of an individual’s life and relationships for years to come is heartbreaking. While most historical fiction set in the WW2 era are narrated from European or American perspectives, Jing Lee’s How We Disappeared sheds a light on the impact of WW2 and the atrocities faced by women in a different corner of the world – a chapter in history that is important and needs to be shared . The author says that she has drawn upon her own family history in crafting this story and it must be said that she has done a fantastic job ....more
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin is a moving novel of love, loss , grief and life. The protagonist Violette is a cemetery keeper who liv4.5⭐️
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin is a moving novel of love, loss , grief and life. The protagonist Violette is a cemetery keeper who lives alone in a house on the premises of the cemetery she looks after. Abandoned by her husband years ago she spends her days taking great care of the cemetery , growing flowers , cleaning headstones , reading epitaphs and meeting people to whom she provides comfort in their times of bereavement and distress.
”My present life is a present from heaven. As I say to myself every morning, when I open my eyes.”
In her, the author paints a portrait of a woman whose past is marked by much loss and personal tragedy but who lives her life with dignity and grace, forging friendships with the people she works with and those who come to grieve .
"For a woman like me, not feeling compassion would be like being an astronaut, a surgeon, a volcanologist, or a geneticist. Not part of my planet, or my skill set.”
The novel does not only tell Violette’s story but also the stories of the different people in her life- not only her personal relationships but those she meets in the course of her work and even those the graves of whom she tends - their loves, their lives and their secrets. The author introduces us to an interesting mix of characters (both alive and deceased) whose stories become a part of Violette’s own.
This is a slow paced novel full of heart and wisdom. This is not a quick read and it does take a little time to get fully invested in the story .But it is a poignant and emotional novel that leaves a lasting impression....more
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann is a gripping true crime narrative of the horrendous crimes commKillers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann is a gripping true crime narrative of the horrendous crimes committed against the Osage American Indian people that took place in the 1920s and 30s.
The Native American Osage are forced to leave their land in Kansas and relocate to Oklahoma where they unexpectedly strike a fortune . With 'headrights' to an oil rich prosperous land that attracts white prospectors and businessmen who lease the properties owned by the Osage families in return for substantial sums of money , they fall prey to the greed ,deep corruption and conspiracy , compromised lawmakers and laws enabling financial manipulation and exploitation. What follows is a series of murders of wealthy Osage men and women and that go unsolved till the newly restructured Bureau of Investigation (present day FBI) joins the takes over the investigation, headed by Agent Tom White.
Extremely well researched, factual and gripping, this book gives us a detailed look into the racism, injustice and downright cruelty meted out to the Native American Osage - crimes that affected not only those targeted but their families for generations to come. The photographs and references make the story come to life.
As the author cites - The historian Burns once wrote, “To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been possible to salvage has been saved and is dearer to our hearts because it survived. What is gone is treasured because it was what we once were. We gather our past and present into the depths of our being and face tomorrow. We are still Osage. We live and we reach old age for our forefathers.”
Informative, heartbreaking and thought provoking, this is not an easy read but given the premise I’m guessing it’s not meant to be. I definitely recommend this excellent book....more
The Book of Form and Emptiness is an astonishingly beautiful novel written by Ruth Ozeki. At the heaWinner of The Women's Prize for Fiction 2022!
4.5⭐️
The Book of Form and Emptiness is an astonishingly beautiful novel written by Ruth Ozeki. At the heart of this novel are Benny Oh and his mother Annabelle who are reeling from the shock of Benny’s father’s untimely death in an accident. A young sensitive 12 year old boy , Benny starts hearing inanimate objects speaking to him with their voices cluttering his mind. His mother deals with her emotions by hoarding material possessions. Benny’s problems cause him to exhibit behavior that gets him into trouble at school and subsequently institutionalized more than once while Annabelle struggles with guilt, grief and loneliness while trying to hold her family together.
What sets this novel apart is the unique narrative shared by Benny and his Book (The Book) which is telling Benny’s story to help him recall details of his life and emerge from the shell he has wrapped himself in. As The Book tells Benny, “We have to be real, even if it hurts, and that’s your doing. That was your philosophical question, remember? What is real? Every book has a question at its heart, and that was yours. Once the question is asked, it’s our job to help you find the answer. So, yes, we’re your book, Benny, but this is your story. We can help you, but in the end, only you can live your life."
Themes of love, family, grief, substance abuse and mental health are touched upon with great compassion by the author. As the narrative progresses, the author paints a compelling portrait of how our interpersonal relationships are impacted by the importance we give to material belongings and the clutter we allow in our lives. Our inability to comprehend the “impermanence of form, and the empty nature of all things” often costs us our human connections.
The profound impact that books can have on our lives is a running theme in this novel and is eloquently expressed throughout the narrative. “Every person is trapped in their own particular bubble of delusion, and it’s every person’s task in life to break free. Books can help. We can make the past into the present, take you back in time and help you remember. We can show you things, shift your realities and widen your world, but the work of waking up is up to you.”
Adding to the depth of this novel are elements of magical realism and an interesting mix of characters such as the Zen Buddhist monk whose book on decluttering finds its way into Annabelle’s proximity, the European 'hobo’ Slavoj who befriends Benny in the library (the only place the voices are quiet and Benny finds some respite) and shares his wisdom and insight with him and a young teenage girl who calls herself The Aleph- ‘a gleaner, a freegan, an artist who worked with garbage’ who Benny meets while institutionalized.
The Book of Form and Emptiness is a complex, layered and lengthy novel that inspires pause and reflection. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and definitely recommend it....more
“Somewhere, out in the world, are the people who touched us, or loved us, or ran from us. In that way we will live on. If you go to the places we have“Somewhere, out in the world, are the people who touched us, or loved us, or ran from us. In that way we will live on. If you go to the places we have been, you might meet someone who passed us once in a corridor but forgot us before we were even gone. We are in the back of hundreds of people’s photographs—moving, talking, blurring into the background of a picture two strangers have framed on their living room mantelpiece. And in that way, we will live on too. But it isn’t enough. It isn’t enough to have been a particle in the great extant of existence. I want, we want, more. We want for people to know us, to know our story, to know who we are and who we will be. And after we’ve gone, to know who we were.”
At the onset we are introduced to seventeen year old Lenni Pettersson, a terminally ill patient in the May Ward of Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. She is smart, spirited and curious inspite of her “life-limiting” illness and takes every opportunity to engage with people around her including the nurses who are in charge of her care, fellow patients and the hospital chaplain Father Arthur who is often rendered speechless in the face of Lenni’s questions on faith and life. Eighty three year old Margot Macrae is a patient with a heart condition in the same hospital recovering from major surgery. She and Lenni become friends in an art class taught by the kind and friendly Pippa organized in the Rose room of the hospital. Realizing that they have lived for one hundred years between themselves they decide to share those one hundred years of life experiences through art and stories. As they share their stories while creating art that would represent those stories, we get know intimate details of Margot’s and Lenni’s lives. Margot has lived an eventful life and her narrative is laced with wit and wisdom and a touch of regret. With her, Lenni gets to experience much more than she could have expected in her seventeen years. Lenni, a straight shooter and not one to mince words, motivates Margot to look beyond whatever is holding her back to enjoy her remaining life to the fullest. Lenni’s mother abandoned her years ago and her father’s palpable grief at Lenni’s prognosis prompted her to limit his painful visits. Her friendship with Margot and interactions with Father Arthur, New Nurse , Pippa, Paul , Sunny and even the not so likeable Nurse Jacky fill her days and give her a sense of ‘family’ in her final days.
While there are moments of extreme sorrow , loss and grief, the beautiful moments of camaraderie and friendship will have you smiling through your tears. With a wonderful cast of characters , thought provoking dialogue and an engaging narrative, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is a moving and emotional story that will stay with me for a long time. The author’s skillful storytelling turns what could have been a morbid tale of imminent death into a heart touching celebration of life with wit, wisdom and humor.
“We can’t know why you are dying in the same way that we can’t know why you are living. Living and dying are both complete mysteries, and you can’t know either until you have done both.”...more
*I read this book for the first time in November 2021 and just finished rereading it (which is something I rarely do!). I was drawn back to it two day*I read this book for the first time in November 2021 and just finished rereading it (which is something I rarely do!). I was drawn back to it two days ago while rearranging my shelves. I loved it as much as I did the first time!
This Tender Land is a beautifully penned, heartwarming novel that transports you to the 1930s Midwest. The story, narrated by the older Odysseus O’Banion to his great grandchildren, starts with Odie ‘not quite thirteen’ and his brother Albert students at the Lincoln Indian Training School in a small town in Minnesota , the only two white boys in a school for Native American children run by the shady Brickmans. The children at the school are provided the bare minimum, punished cruelly for any mischief and are offered to the locals to use as free labor. Mrs. Brickman , referred to by the students as the Black Witch, seems to take particular pleasure in punishing Odie for any reason she deems fit.
A series of unfortunate incidents results in the death of one of the staff of the school and Odie , Albert, their mute Native American friend Mose and little Emmy , daughter of one of their favorite instructors who recently perished in a tornado, are compelled go on the run. Emmy’s “kidnapping” from the home of the Brickmans make local news and the children , the 'Vagabonds' as they refer to themselves are pursued by the police, the Brickmans and and everyone who is keen to collect the reward being offered for Emmy’s return.
The Vagabonds start their journey in a canoe along the Gilead River, intended destination being St. Louis. What follows is a series of adventures and misadventures that takes them through different towns ,meeting people from different walks of life- some kind , some not so much and ultimately for each of these children finding themselves and trying to comprehend what they want their lives to be like in the vast world outside the confines of their school. While they band together with love and loyalty towards each other they also realize that what they want from life, what drives them and what paths their lives might take will be different .They learn, they change and they grow – together and as individuals.
“With every turn of the river since I’d left Lincoln School, the world had become broader, its mysteries more complex, its possibilities infinite.”
It is commendable how the author has touched upon themes of faith and forgiveness without coming across as too preachy. Part coming-of-age, part historical fiction This Tender Land depicts the struggle of people in the Midwest trying to survive in the depression era. The author’s vivid description of the people, the towns and the dwellings of that time period transports you to that era. With engaging narrative, beautiful prose, vivid imagery and a diverse cast of characters, this is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I simply fell in love with the Vagabonds and their story. A magnificent novel , this book really touched my heart and for that I have to thank the author.
“Our eyes perceive so dimly, and our brains are so easily confused. Far better, I believe, to be like children and open ourselves to every beautiful possibility, for there is nothing our hearts can imagine that is not so.”...more
After his father's demise, Emmett Watson is driven home by the Warden after 15 months in a juvenile detention work farm. He decides to leave Nebraska After his father's demise, Emmett Watson is driven home by the Warden after 15 months in a juvenile detention work farm. He decides to leave Nebraska and drive to California with his younger brother Billy for a fresh start. Billy dreams of traveling the transcontinental Lincoln Highway as their mother had when she left them when they were younger. Old postcards sent in the course of her travels give Billy an idea of where she might be and he tries to convince his brother to follow the same route. The appearance of two of Emmett's friends Woolly and Duchess, who stowed away in the trunk of the Warden's car, results in a change of plans.
Emmett and Billy end up having to travel to New York after Duchess 'borrows' Emmett's car leaving them stranded in Lewis, Nebraska after a visit to an orphanage where Duchess's father had left him for some years before coming to collect him again. Sally, a family friend of Emmett and Billy, eventually joins them in New York.
Through multiple POVs Amor Towles takes us on a journey - not just on a road trip in the 1950s but on an exploration of these different characters , Emmett, Billy and, Woolly, Duchess and Sally - their stories and aspirations, their strengths and their flaws. The internal dialogue of each of these characters is extremely well written. The bond between Emmett and Billy is heartwarming. Emmett is a level headed young man who is trying to do his best for himself and his brother. He has learned from his past mistakes and genuinely looks forward to a better future. Billy, a child who seems wiser than his years with his big red book on heroes, is endearing in that he sees the best in everyone around him. He is a smart child, but unassuming and trusting(not quite discerning between an 'acquaintance' and a 'friend') and how his perspectives are broadened over the course of ten days is beautifully laid out for the reader to see. Duchess, at times, is the street smart one who knows how to fend for himself but at times is as vulnerable as can be and whose take on balancing his rights and wrongs may seem foolhardy and cause friction but the author gives so much dimension to his character that even though you might not like him at times you still want him to get a happy ending. Woolly comes from a privileged background but is all heart. He is quiet and introspective but takes joy in sharing stories with Billy. He revels in adventure and novel experiences with his friends. Sally is depicted as a willful young woman and a true friend to Emmett and Billy.
You feel so invested in these characters and the people they meet over the course of the ten days, that till the very last page and beyond you wonder where their adventures will take them. With its memorable characters and brilliant storytelling The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is hard to put down!...more
Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile (recovering from
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