Pandora Review

I received an excerpt of this book from Netgalley, then purchased a finished copy myself:

I was so excited to receive this excerpt of Pandora and was only disappointed that it was only an excerpt. The excerpt ended on a cliffhanger and I had to wait for the book to come out to continue! The writing and characterization are great so far and I have every faith that it will continue to be a great read.

When I finished the excerpt, I placed a preorder for the finished copy of Pandora. I was not disappointed! The vibe of this story is a little like Elizabeth MacNeal’s The Doll Factory and Michel Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White, with a hint of Imogen Gowar’s The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock. This retelling is set in Georgian London in 1799 where Pandora is a young woman and artist assisting in her uncle’s antiquities shop. A large vase comes into stock in suspiciously good condition and Pandora opens it, thus kicking off the meat of the story.

I was immediately excited for this story, as it stays true to the original Pandora myth where she opens a vase or a jar, not a box as what was reported in a mistranslation. This book lived up to my expectations after my initial excitement. This is not a direct myth retelling, but there are certain parallels and tie-ins. As the plot continues, it becomes more obviously connected to the original myth. I do not want to explain more, as it would spoil the plot.

The characters involved in the story have great depth and interesting motivations that feel realistic. Pandora, herself, is a jewelry designer and wants work and recognition for her designs, but struggles to gain it due to the social restrictions on women in the 1700s. She enlists the help of a young man interested in antiquities to advance her career and to get out from under her uncle’s sinister thumb. Pandora’s uncle, Hezekiah, is a fascinating and satisfying antagonist and his story becomes more intriguing as the plot continues. There is a lot of political discussions about class and gender in the book around the main subjects of archaeology and antiquities. My only criticism of this is that I wish there had been more of a discussion on colonialism and how excavations abroad shaped the British Empire and the places that were excavated. For a non-fiction discussion on this, I would recommend The Brutish Museums by Dan Hicks.

Overall, I really enjoyed Pandora and think it fits in well with my myth retellings shelf featuring Jennifer Saint and Madeline Miller.