I wish books like this had been around when I was embarking on my own obsessive relationship with the ancient world in the 1990s. I was thrown straight into much more ‘adult’ books about Classics, which was a bit of a shock having only ever read about Greek myths in books that were most definitely for children. This is a book which is perfectly pitched somewhere in the middle and will hopefully help to inspire a generation of young people.

Who is this book for? I would say that it is ideal for mid-teens, especially those who have an interest in female experiences, but it is important to note that this is not a book which seeks to portray every female character as a blameless victim. It is, instead, a celebration of interesting figures from Greek mythology, under the loose heading of ‘bad girls’ – those women who are often hiding in the background of more famous stories about male heroes and kings, such as Heracles or Jason and his Argonauts. The characters are divided into sub-groups such as ‘Wayward Wives’, ‘Brutish Babes’ and ‘Damsels of Distress’. Each character has a short profile of around two pages each, making this an ideal book for dipping in and out of at regular intervals. It would provide great inspiration for school projects as it is easy to skim through to find a character who could then be explored in more detail, using this book as a starting point. One of the things that I liked most about this book is the author’s advice at the back about further reading and ideas for podcasts which students might enjoy. I imagine that this book will be a gateway for many or would be a nice follow-up after reading one of the many mythical retellings which are so popular at present. Having said all of this, I think that adults will enjoy this book too – it is witty and sassy and leaves you wanting to find out more about the characters.

In terms of the feisty females chosen, there is a nice mix of the famous – Aphrodite, Pandora and Medea for example – and the less well known. I especially enjoyed finding out about the escape of Antiope from the torments of Dirce and the ‘mad mother’ Ino, who boiled one of her sons to death. The author does not shy away from some of the more difficult elements of Greek mythology – most notably the pervasive themes of violence and sexual assault, but these are not glorified or used for effect, and will no doubt provoke discussions with students over the conduct of Greek gods and heroes.

Overall, this is probably more of a reference book than one you might read from cover to cover. It would be good to have on hand when reading more narrative stories or as a nice introduction before embarking upon more scholarly research. Highly recommended for any keen young Classicist in your life.