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She Speaks: The Women of Greek Myths in Their Own Words

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Written by “the new Mary Beard,” classicist Honor Cargill-Martin flips the script in this enchanting anthology of eight Greek myths where women take center stage

In She Speaks, passionate classicist Honor Cargill-Martin redresses this imbalance by retelling eight classic Greek myths, this time from an all-female perspective.

Written in first-person, we hear from the astute sorceress Medea and her pivotal role in the quest for the Golden Fleece; discover the contributions of Cretan princess Ariadne in the slaying of the Minotaur; witness the strength and resilience of Atalanta, Circe, Helen of Troy, and many other women who have been previously overshadowed by their male counterparts.

With her meticulous research and insightful storytelling, readers will be mesmerized as Honor resurrects these voices, breathes new life into well-loved stories, and drags the Classics into the modern world.

Stories
PANDORA’S The first woman on Earth who opened a box—and gave the world hope
MEDUSA’S Not a monster, but a “monstered” woman accepting herself
MEDEA’S The astute sorceress’s quest for the Golden Fleece
ATALANTA’S The strongest women in all of Greece who defied the expectations of her time
ARIADNE’S The Cretan princess who slayed the Minotaur
HELEN’S The queen of Sparta who reclaims her beauty—and her throne!
PENTHESILEA’S The Amazonian warrior who never left a woman behind on the battlefield
CIRCE’S The mighty sorceress who turned human beings into animals

This enchanting anthology for children ages 8+
• Eight classic Greek myths, specially retold for young feminists
• Insightful storytelling from ‘the new Mary Beard’, classicist Honor Cargill-Martin
• Striking illustrations by Camelia Pham
• Stunning holographic foil on the cover  

64 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2024

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About the author

Honor Cargill-Martin

12 books118 followers
A twenty-four year old from London, Honor read Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Oxford, where she won a scholarship before graduating with a first-class degree in 2019. She remained at Oxford to study for a masters degree in Greek and Roman History, graduating with a Distinction. Honor completed a second masters in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute in London, where she was awarded a Distinction for work focusing on the art of the Italian - and especially the Venetian - Renaissance. She is currently studying for a doctorate focusing on political sex scandals in Ancient Rome at Christ Church College Oxford.

Honor has published a number of fiction titles for children and teenagers. Her first non-fiction book Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery tells the story of the 1st century AD Roman empress Messalina, and reflects Honor’s passion for bringing to light the untold lives of historical women and for unpicking how gender and sexuality shape how we understand history.

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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Nea Poulain.
Author 7 books558 followers
October 11, 2025
tengo una pregunta y es muy seria y muy importante: ¿por qué los anglosajones actuales tienden a creer a los niños estúpidos? porque yo sé que se saben los mitos, Maddeleine Miller y La canción de Aquiles es prueba y Tanith Lee..., etc. Pero casualmente siempre que hacen cosas para niños o adolescentes (nivel lo que ellos llaman middle grade) sienten la necesidad de dumbificar muchisimo las cosas (este también es un dig a los inicios de Percy Jackson). Como vas a a intentar vender que Medusa amaba sus diferencias cuando sus diferencias (what) eran un castigo que se le impuso por su condición de mujer, cómo vas a hacer a los mitos más misóginos quitándole responsabilidad de sus actos a las mujeres, haciéndolas simples víctimas cuanto tienes que decir que hicieron algo malo y llamar feminista a tu libro SHE SPEAKS. DIOS COMO ODIO ESTOS LIBROS POR QUÉ INSISTO.
Profile Image for Estíbaliz Montero Iniesta.
Author 59 books1,435 followers
June 25, 2025
YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM 

Un buen primer acercamiento a algunos de los mitos griegos más famosos protagonizados por mujeres, con algunas de las ilustraciones más preciosas que he visto en la vida.

Hay que tener en cuenta que el libro está más destinado a un público infantil, por lo que quien sepa mucho de mitología no va a descubrir nada que no sepa, pero sí se va a topar con un nuevo enfoque. Este libro nos presenta ocho mitos clásicos desde la perspectiva de las mujeres involucradas en ellos. Es decir, se centra más en el papel que tuvieron ellas e incluso nos cuenta partes de la historia (del antes, el durante o el después) que normalmente no tienen cabida en las narraciones a las que estamos acostumbrados. Por ejemplo, en la historia de Medusa se nos habla de la relación con sus hermanas, de cómo y cuándo las conoce y de la conexión que se establece entre ellas, algo que yo no recuerdo haber leído en ninguna otra parte.

Además, al final del libro se nos incluye un resumen de lo que fue la vida de estas mujeres después de los acontecimientos que comprende el mito en sí, para ayudar a dar más forma a la idea que tenemos de ellas. Creo que los detalles y la información que se incluyen en el libro están escogidos con mucho cuidado (ya sabemos que existen múltiples versiones de cada mito) para enseñarnos que siempre hay una perspectiva en la que no pensamos tanto e incluso para que podamos aprender algo extra de unos mitos tan conocidos.
Profile Image for bex ✯ mizi’s wife ✯.
76 reviews12 followers
May 12, 2025
”I don't want to be looked at; I want to be loved. The kind of love I'd choose for myself. The kind I'd start a war for."

This book was amazing! I had a concern going in that, with the premise and past experiences with works about feminism, the author would paint all the men in a bad light. Of course, this was not the case: It was simply designed to bring forth the amazing feats these women accomplished, not make men seem like terrible people (although some of them were in these myths)

PANDORA
The lovely and curious first woman on the planet. The art for her was amazing (as it was for the others) and her emotions were portrayed really well throughout the story. I especially loved seeing her relationship with Epimetheus, since he's not talked about enough in my opinion. He really did love Pandora, and was an amazing brother and husband. I think it was pretty cool how Athena was kind of a girl's girl for her when she lived on Mount Olympus - and Hermes being a nice little guy :3
"What's my husband like?" I whisper.
"Kind, I think," Hermes considers, "but not as clever as you."


MEDUSA
First off: Her design in this book was SPLENDID! Her eyeshadow? Let me have your makeup routine now, Medusa, please I will do anything.
Anyways, I really liked how this one portrayed her growing to love herself despite how the world may perceive her. I think it was a good lesson for people in general. She found people who would stick beside her and love her no matter what, and they helped he grow and learn that she was worthy of love, and that she wasn't a monster. I think that's a really good thing I took from this one: loving yourself for who you are. The world may dislike you, but you're not messed up, or a monster, just not the same as they are. And people fear what is different, no matter how amazing it may be.
"Finally, I looked at myself, and then I looked at Sthenno and Euryale. My sisters-with their golden wings and their heads of twisting, dancing snakes-looked so beautiful, and they looked just like me."

MEDEA
Medea, my lovely and beautiful queen. She has always been one of my favorite Greek characters in general, but seeing this portrayal of her - the design, the personality, the confidence - just reinforced my love for her. She was given such a wonderful spotlight here that she definitely deserved, and I would honestly love to see the rest of her story in an artistic format like this one was. No, wait, I would kill to have that. Maybe I just have a soft spot for sorceresses, because I loved Circe and Hecate too, but I would never tell you guys that-
"I've always been the kind of girl who knows what she wants, and I knew I wanted this man to be my husband."

ATALANTA
As an archer, this girl has also been a favorite of mine since I read more on her story earlier this year. Her and the wonderful Odysseus of Ithaca are my archer inspiration 🤭
But I want to take a minute to discuss Hippomenes was portrayed, because wasn't he just silly? Tossing the apples, lying to her, and then just kinda going "Hey... I like you 😜." Like okay?? And?? But I'll admit, this version did it pretty well - I like how she really did enjoy his company. I imagine she loved him and was happy to get married but needed some time to just kinda be upset at the means in which he achieved her hand in marriage.
"He was over the moon, but I wasn't worried; I'd met the greatest heroes in the world, and there wasn't a single one who could run as fast as me."

ARIADNE
My sister absolutely adores the story of Dionysus and Ariadne so I was partially saddened that this wasn't the story where she met him, but it was still phenomenal! I wasn't saddened for very long, honestly. Her design is gorgeous first off, and second off she was such a hype protagonist - like imagine taking thread that is usually viewed as just an item and using it to crack the most complicated maze in the whole entire world. Such a queen.
"I vowed then that when the next boat arrived from Athens in nine years' time I would stop the sacrifices for good."

HELEN
This was the only one that I had a slight complaint on, but it wasn't nearly enough for the book to be any less than five stars. I will start with it though: I didn't like the characterization of Menelaus and Paris. Helen herself I feel was very accurate, but Menelaus and Helen are described to have loved each other very much. And Paris had no attempts at winning Helen's heart or wooing her in any way, he kind of just showed up, lied to Menelaus, and kidnapped her (at least this is all according to the versions I've read). I think the choice of writing Tyndareus as the one who picked Menelaus took away from the idea that Helen is more than an object of men that this story got across, since she did choose Menelaus herself. THEN AGAIN: the author did say in the beginning that things would be changed designed for how the story was to be told, and I really really appreciated her putting that. It helps so much you have no idea how much I hate it when people publish something claiming it's "perfectly accurate" or "completely original".
But even with this, I still absolutely loved this chapter. I will never stop raving about the art in this book, so I'll say it again: her design was jaw-dropping. I also really loved the way her being the daughter of Zeus was brought in, using his ambition and restlessness that is well-known among Greek mythology fans to highlight her personality and similar traits as well (if that makes sense, I don't know if I worded that well).
"After all, if men are going to fight over me, I should at least get to choose which side I'm on."

PENTHESILEA
So... I actually didn't know that this girl existed until about a week ago, after seeing some art for her on Pinterest. I was immediately obsessed with her and did some digging, and then I got this book and BAM there she was. YIPPEE!! I absolute love the Amazons, and I loved the show of power from her. She was a strong woman who was unafraid, even though we, as the audience, had seen her grieve and suffer and go through hell and back. It really put a visual to the thing many of us know as a "healing process". She fell, yes, but she picked herself back up again. She worked her way back to the top, even when it was hard, and you know what? It was worth it. She became a queen and showed her people how to be strong.
”Tomorrow, at dawn, I will lead my comrades into battle against the Greeks. They're fearsome warriors, led by powerful Agamemnon, cunning Odysseus, and invincible Achilles, but I'm not scared of them. I am the daughter of Ares, god of war, and queen of the Amazon tribe of warrior women. I was born to fight."

CIRCE
THIS WHOLE SECTION WILL BE ABOUT MY ONE AND ONLY ODYSSEUS OF ITHAC-
No I'm just kidding 😂. CIRCE MY BELOVED LET"S DISCUSS.
First things first, her braids?! My word, and just when I thought the designs couldn't get any better. She looks so sweet at some points, and then absolutely regal in others and its stunning!
I also love the way she kept repeating to herself that she wasn't a monster, she was just a queen doing her duties. It almost felt as if she partially had to remind herself of that more than others. And I know at this point in her life, she is confident that her actions as queen matter more than how any man would perceive her, but it feels almost like a habit she had. Like if, when she was younger, she told herself that she wasn't a monster all the time because she did feel bad about her actions at some point and she had to keep reminding herself that it was necessary. So now she does it almost out of habit, but it has a much more commanding tone to it. She's sure that she is no monster now.
I don't that's probably just me though. Also, can we talk about Odysseus' design-
"You made your bed when you disrespected me, this island, and these women," I said. "Now you'll have to lie in it."

Anyways, sorry for the long review! This was my first review with all the pretty stuff so I was just trying to do as much as I could! (Can you tell I enjoy organizing Pinterest boards? 😂)

Now playing "Femininomenon" by Chappell Roan ☆*:..。. .。.:*☆
Profile Image for Stella.
14 reviews
April 23, 2025
I HIGHLY recommend amazing book about women.
Profile Image for Katie.
637 reviews36 followers
June 3, 2025
I was checking in new books at work today and the illustrations of this one caught my eye immediately! Then I find out it's about the women of Greek mythology? *chef's kiss*

Like I said, gorgeous illustrations, and the stories of some of the most well-known and maybe some not so well-known (I had never heard of Penthesilea which just proves the point of this book right?) women of ancient Greece were short and sweet without being too simplistic.
Profile Image for Πάνος Τουρλής.
2,749 reviews172 followers
May 1, 2025
Η Πανδώρα, η Μέδουσα, η Μήδεια, η Αταλάντη, η Αριάδνη, η ωραία Ελένη της Σπάρτης, η Αμαζόνα Πενθεσίλεια και η μάγισσα Κίρκη αποκτούν λόγο και πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο και αφηγούνται τις ιστορίες τους από τη δική τους σκοπιά. Πόσο σημαντική ήταν η παρουσία τους σ’ έναν ανδροκρατούμενο κόσμο; Σε τι αντιστάθηκαν, τι κατέρριψαν, πώς επιβίωσαν, τι σκέφτονταν, ποιες ήταν οι προσδοκίες και τα όνειρά τους; Αυτά και άλλα ερωτήματα απαντώνται σε ένα ανατρεπτικό και απολαυστικό βιβλίο που απευθύνεται σε παιδιά από 8 ετών και πάνω αλλά και σε μεγάλους.

Οι ελληνικοί μύθοι είναι από τις σπουδαιότερες ιστορίες που έχουν ειπωθεί ποτέ και διαθέτουν συναρπαστικά συστατικά: μαγεία, μάχες, έρωτες, απάτες! Είναι ιστορίες που περνάνε από γενιά σε γενιά μέσα από την ποίηση, το τραγούδι και την τέχνη, βοήθησαν τους Έλληνες να κατανοήσουν τον κόσμο γύρω τους και δι��σώθηκαν σε πολλές παραλλαγές, με την καθεμιά από αυτές να αντικατοπτρίζει τις πεποιθήσεις εκείνου που την αφηγήθηκε ή την κατέγραψε και τα ενδιαφέροντα της κοινωνίας στην οποία αυτός απευθυνόταν. Οι μύθοι που επέλεξε η Honor Cargill-Martin φέρνουν στο προσκήνιο τις γυναίκες, μιας και επί πολλά χρόνια οι μύθοι διασώζονται από την οπτική γωνία των αντρών, εξ ου και εκείνες έχουν υποστηρικτικό ρόλο στις αφηγήσεις. Ήρθε λοιπόν η στιγμή αυτές οι γυναίκες να αποκτήσουν φωνή και να πει η κάθε μία τη δική της πλευρά των γεγονότων. Η πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση φωτίζει τις πιο σημαντικές στιγμές της ζωής τους ενώ ολόκληρη η ιστορία τους παρατίθεται σε σύντομες παραγράφους στο τέλος του βιβλίου.

Μικρά καλογραμμένα διηγήματα δοσμένα με συναρπαστικό τρόπο, με προσεγμένες λεπτομέρειες και διεισδυτικότητα στους χαρακτήρες ζωντανεύουν ένα σύμπαν γεμάτο εκπλήξεις και ολοζώντανους χαρακτήρες. Η συγγραφέας δεν έδωσε απλώς φωνή σε αυτές τις γυναίκες για να τονίσει τη σημασία και την αξία του φύλου τους στον κόσμο, καταφεύγοντας σε στεγνές κραυγές κατά της ανδροκρατίας αλλά έστησε ένα ολόκληρο, άψογα μελετημένο, συμπάν, γεμάτο συναρπαστικές λεπτομέρειες στις περιγραφές, ολοκληρωμένους χαρακτήρες και κλιμακούμενη πλοκή που αντικατοπτρίζει μέσα από τα γεγονότα τη δεινή θέση της γυναίκας κατά την αρχαιότητα (και δυστυχώς μέχρι σήμερα). Μπορεί να ξέρουμε το τέλος του κάθε μύθου, η οπτική γωνία της εκάστοτε ηρωίδας όμως μας βάζει σταδιακά στην εποχή και στον τόπο, μας συστήνει τις εκάστοτε κοινωνικές και όχι μόνο συνθήκες κι έτσι ζωντανεύουν με παραστατικότητα και ενάργεια όλη η καθημερινή ζωή, η κουλτούρα και ο τρόπος σκέψης της αρχαίας Ελλάδας. Σε αυτό συμβάλλουν οι λιτοί και σύντομοι διάλογοι και οι ενδιαφέρουσες περιγραφές των θεών και των ηρώων, για τους οποίους τόσα έχουμε ήδη διαβάσει αλλά σε αυτό το βιβλίο πάντα βρίσκουμε κάτι ακόμη πιο ενδιαφέρον ή μια διαφορετική λεπτομέρεια. Για παράδειγμα, μου άρεσε ο τρόπος που αποδίδεται η μεταφορά από τον Όλυμπο στον κόσμο των θνητών, το πώς εμφανίστηκε ο Ποσειδώνας στη Μέδουσα, οι περιγραφές των τόπων της κάθε ιστορίας που αποτυπώνουν όλη τη φαντασιακή γεωγραφία της εποχής των μύθων κ. π. ά. Αυτή ακριβώς η προσοχή στη λεπτομέρεια που με μάγεψε, με έκανε να αντιδράσω όταν διάβασα ότι οι Γοργόνες έτρωγαν για πρωινό «κέικ» με μέλι (σε δύο διαφορετικά κεφάλαια μάλιστα) ή όταν χρησιμοποιήθηκε η τουρκική λέξη «τσουβάλι», αυτές οι λεπτομέρειες όμως δε μου χάλασαν την άψογη συνολική εικόνα που έχω για το βιβλίο.

Γυναίκες της ελληνικής μυθολογίας με καλωσόρισαν στον κόσμο τους και μου έδειξαν τη μειονεκτική τους θέση σε αυτόν και πώς προσπάθησαν να τη βελτιώσουν ή να αντιδράσουν, συχνά με άσχημο και επαναστατικό τρόπο, ώστε να κυνηγήσουν τα όνειρα και τις προσωπικές τους φιλοδοξίες. Η Πανδώρα, η πρώτη γυναίκα στον κόσμο, γοητεύεται από το σύμπαν όπου τη δημιούργησαν οι θεοί και φυσικά δεν μπορεί ν’ αντισταθεί στην επίκτητη γυναικεία περιέργεια, εξ ου και ανοίγει το πιθάρι με τα δεινά του κόσμου. Αυτό το γνώρισμα εκμεταλλεύεται και ο Ιππομένης στην ιστορία της Αταλάντης, της δυνατότερης γυναίκας της εποχής της, που αποφάσισε να παντρευτεί μόνο αυτόν που θα την κερδίσει στο τρέξιμο. Η αδέσμευτη και ελεύθερη κυνηγός όχι μόνο ερωτεύτηκε αλλά δέχτηκε με χαρά την ήττα της από το έξυπνο σχέδιο του γοητευτικού άντρα. Ως προς την Πανδώρα, επειδή ακριβώς η γραφή και τα πραγματολογικά στοιχεία ξεδιπλώνουν άψογα τον χαρακτήρα της εκάστοτε ηρωίδας και την εποχή στην οποία έζησε, θα ήθελα να υπάρχει και μια αναφορά στο τι έκανε όταν άνοιξε το πιθάρι και ξαμολήθηκαν τα κακά στον κόσμο. Η ιστορία τελειώνει όταν ανακαλύπτει την ελπίδα κι έτσι δε μαθαίνουμε αν και κατά πόσο την άλλαξε αυτό το λάθος, τι έκανε στη συνέχεια, αν μετάνιωσε, στοιχεία δηλαδή που θα ταίριαζαν με την τρόπο που ξεδιπλώνεται η ζωή των άλλων γυναικών και που απολαμβάνουμε σε επιμύθια άλλων ιστοριών του βιβλίου. Αυτό το απότομο τέλος το συναντάμε και στην ιστορία της Πενθεσίλειας, όπου το κεφάλαιο κλείνει ξαφνικά λίγο πριν μπουν στη μάχη της Τροίας οι Αμαζόνες, μόνο που εδώ έχουμε ένα έξυπνο cliffhanger που ωθεί τον αναγνώστη να αναζητήσει περισσότερα στοιχεία και να μάθει τι συμβαίνει.

Με σασπένς και ρεαλισμό μαθαίνουμε και για τις άλλες γυναίκες, για τη Μέδουσα και πώς μεταμορφώθηκε σε τέρας, για τη Μήδεια και για τις μαγικές τελετές στη θεά Εκάτη και για την Κίρκη, τη μάγισσα-βασίλισσα που μεταμόρφωσε τους άντρες του Οδυσσέα σε γουρούνια. Μου άρεσε πολύ η ιστορία της Αριάδνης, που είναι από την αρχή αυστηρή απέναντι στους γονείς της: «Η οικογένειά μου, αν και βασιλική, έχει μπόλικα μυστικά. Υποθέτω πως όλες οι οικογένειες έχουν αλλά η δική μας είναι μεγαλύτερη και πιο τερατώδης απ’ τις άλλες». Αυτός ο θυμός αιτιολογεί τη βοήθεια προς τον Θησέα, μιας και η Αριάδνη νιώθει ντροπή για τον πατέρα της που ξεγέλασε τον Ποσειδώνα κι εκείνος τους τιμώρησε δικαίως με τον Μινώταυρο κι είναι έξαλλη όταν ανακαλύπτει πως ο Μίνωας ταΐζει αυτό το τέρας με ανθρώπους. Κατ’ εμέ η πιο ολοκληρωμένη προσωπικότητα είναι αυτή της Ελένης, μιας γυναίκας που έχει κουραστεί από τον μύθο της και θέλει να την αγαπήσει κάποιος με μια αγάπη που εκείνη θα διαλέξει, με μια αγάπη για την οποία είναι ικανή ν’ αφήσει να ξεκινήσει και πόλεμος. Είναι ένας χαρακτήρας που εξοργίζεται στην επιθυμία των επίδοξων μνηστήρων που τη θέλουν «σιωπηλή» και την οποία κανείς δε ρώτησε αν θέλει να παντρευτεί και ειδικά τον Μενέλαο που της επέλεξαν. Εδώ έχουμε ένα αποφασιστικό φινάλε: η Ελένη φοβάται πως ο Μενέλαος θα έρθει να την πάρει από την Τροία με στρατό και στόλο «αλλά αυτό είναι κάτι που βρίσκεται πλέον στα χέρια των θεών» και στο κάτω κάτω: «….αν πρόκειται να παλέψουν οι άντρες για μένα, ας μπορώ τουλάχιστον να επιλέξω με ποια πλευρά θα είμαι εγώ»!

«Με τη φωνή» τους παρουσιάζονται οκτώ γυναίκες της ελληνικής μυθολογίας και μας δείχνουν την άλλη πλευρά των μύθων, μέσα από τους οποίους αποτυπώνεται με ενάργεια και σαφήνεια η υποδεέστερη θέση της γυναίκας στην αρχαιοελληνική κοινωνία. Συναρπαστικές μικρές ιστορίες, με ανατροπές και παραστατικότητα, μας συστήνουν γυναίκες επαναστάτριες, ατίθασες, που αγωνίζονται να υπερασπιστούν και να προασπιστούν τη θέση τους σ’ έναν ανδροκρατούμενο κόσμο. Το κείμενο συνοδεύεται από την εικονογράφηση της Camelia Pham, η οποία εμπνεύστηκε από την αρχαία ελληνική τέχνη, μιας και τα κείμενα δε δίνουν πολλές πληροφορίες για την εμφάνιση των ηρώων, και αποτυπώνει με σαφήνεια και ρεαλισμό το πνεύμα που χαρακτηρίζει τις γυναίκες του βιβλίου. Ένα διαφορετικό και απολαυστικό ταξίδι στην αρχαία ελληνική μυθολογία.

Πρώτη δημοσίευση στο site μου: https://www.vivliokritikes.com/%ce%bc...
Profile Image for Mary.
1,584 reviews18 followers
January 1, 2026
I agree with the basic sentiment expressed in the forward- that part of the fun of Greek myths is how there are so many versions, all with their own little differences. Oral histories are special in that way. And I’m good with artistic liberty, especially if it means centering women in previously male- centered works (one of my favorite books is A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes). But that’s so far beyond whatever this was. There is artistic liberty and then there’s changing everything but the names and saying it’s the same. This is a ship of Theseus question, how many aspects of a story and its characters do you have to change before it’s no longer the same story? I’d say this is so far removed there was no point in even calling this “the women of Greek myths”. Honestly it’s impressive that they took characters that were relegated to the side of stories and somehow made them even more 2d.

It’s the 2000s version of feminism where girls are all magical beings that can do no wrong. They’re not living, breathing, complex beings capable of all emotions and thought- no! They’re perfect little beautiful angels and if you say otherwise, then you’re wrong and sexist.

I get that this was written with a child audience in mind but there is absolutely no depth in these characters, and frankly both the kids and these ladies deserve better. Medea falling in love at first sight and immediately changing all her life plans because Jason is cute was particularly insulting and a mind boggling choice to make her that stupid and air-headed. The stories are divorced from any culture and beyond flat. I’m sorry but I can’t think of anyone I’d recommend this book to. It’s marketed for 8 year old up (so third grade-ish) and those kids are capable of way more nuance and thought than this book provides.
Profile Image for Tnt.
69 reviews3 followers
April 3, 2025
I absolutely loved this!! 😍


When I first saw this book, I thought, "Oh!! this looks like an interesting book!" So I read it. And, it did not disappoint!!! 😄

Finally, the Women of Greek myths were able to have their say!!! 🥳

I always thought the women from Greek myths were overshadowed by the men, or even villianised for their differences...


Like Medusa, what did she do to get her head cut off?? Nothing, that's what... They created her and made her what she was...
Only to call her a monster and kill her? 😔


Pandora has always been shown to be at fault, when really, it's Zeus... He was the one who tricked them... And, if you were given a gift at your wedding, wouldn't you want to open it too? 😎


I really enjoyed this book because it let everyone have a say, not just from one point of view. 🙂

I loved how I was able to read about these strong women and what they did in their story's, why they did it... And most importantly, who they were as people!! 😄


All in all, this book is five whole stars!!! 💫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Georgia Catchpole.
24 reviews
September 22, 2024
What a beautiful book. Not only are the illustrations in my opinion perfect for the stories told, to me they represent these women as I imagine them. I loved the way their stories have been shown and told in just a moment of time and I appreciated how at the end of the book it went into more detail of what happened to them afterward.

This book is for anyone looking to read more about Greek mythology and the women who are so often placed at the side of the story or even in some depictions written as a villain of sorts. Myths and legends are retold so differently but this is a lovely collection I only wish there were more.
Profile Image for Kara.
Author 29 books96 followers
October 30, 2025

A collection of Greek myths re-told from the POV of the main female character, keeping strictly to "I" POV, so she often doesn't know the full story, and only telling part of the story, so cutting off before getting killed and/or turned into a constellation, as was the fate of, like, 99% of women in the Greek myths.

While it was good to get their POVs and most get a chance to call out the bs of the patriarchy, the stories are still a little too softened and sanded down. I think Cargill-Martin does a disservice to young readers to treat them with kid gloves. Remember - kids need stories about dragons so they know they can beat their own dragons.
Profile Image for Nathania.
140 reviews3 followers
December 27, 2024
"It's hard to fall in love with someone you've never met, and it's even harder to believe they truly love you."

This is such an interesting read, I kind of expected the whole story for these women from Greek mythology but turns out, this book only contains one story for each woman. For the story, it's okay but maybe a little bit confusing if you're never read any Greek mythology story before. The illustration is lovely, I really love the style and how the illustrator portrays each woman. 
Profile Image for Pam.
10.2k reviews59 followers
May 13, 2026
The women of Greek Mythology speak for themselves and tell readers their sides of the stories that have been told about them for centuries. The artwork is stunning and offers readers a glimpse of what they may have looked like.- remembering these are mythological beings and people.
I enjoyed the way the stories flowed and let these characters speak.
Profile Image for Jessie.
1,156 reviews18 followers
February 9, 2026
I saw this book in a museum and the art is absolutely beautiful. This is a YA book with images to help a younger audience learn about female Greek myths. However, the version of these stories gives the women more agency.
Profile Image for T'aisha Lamarre.
5 reviews
January 15, 2026
It was a quick read. Nothing too in-depth. It was nice hearing the women’s side of the story and I liked that she included what happened to them at the end of the book.
Profile Image for Anitamiarmita.
898 reviews11 followers
March 7, 2025
🏺Buenos días! Este álbum ilustrado llegó a mis manos ayer y me pareció una lectura genial para celebrar el #DíaDeLaMujer #8M Tanto que me ha durado una tarde.
💜#EllasHablan es darle voz a las mujeres que protagonizaron mitos griegos desde su propio punto de vista.
🏺Página a páginas alzan su voz para contar sus propias historias. Historias en las que se les silenció o menospreció haciéndolas las malas del mito. Porque, ¿acaso no fueron sometidas a los deseos escondidos de otros?
💜Pandora, Medea, Ariadna, Pentesilea, Medusa, Atalanta, Helena y Circe. 8 mujeres nos van a narrar lo que ocurrió. 8 mujeres fuertes, buenas y nobles. Nosotras necesitamos un nuevo relato que nos creen referentes sanos. Además, al final hay sorpresita.
🏺Su autora es @HCargillMartin y utiliza un lenguaje sencillo, siendo así una lectura genial a partir de los 9 años. Sus textos van acompañados de las maravillosas ilustraciones de @Camelia.Phan llenas de color, personalidad y vida.
💜La edición es preciosa: en cartoné que parece tejido, letras en un brillo tornasolado, con 76 páginas llenas de color. @astronave se ha salido con este libro: gracias por apostar por estas lecturas.
🏺Una lectura que nos devuelve a las mujeres un relato benévolo, auténtico y sanador. Porque necesitamos quitarnos los prejuicios y tener referentes sanos, sin la carga del mal. Porque nos merecemos limpiar la culpa. Sigamos avanzando hacia una sociedad más feminista.
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