Review: Pandora by Susan Stoke-Chapman

Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, however I opted to listen to the final production version of the audiobook. This book was published in January 2023, so I'm a bit late with my review. As always all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a bit different that I expected. Many of the retellings I've been reading have been set in ancient times and told from the female perspective. Pandora is told from Dora Blake's perspective but it is set in London just as Napoleon is threatening to invade. I really like what the author did with the Pandora myth here by not setting it in ancient Greece, but using the original myth to inspire a completely new story with new characters in a different time period. The original myth is referred to often in the story so you can easily make

Dora as she is known, has grown up surrounded by antiquities, as her parents ran a shop filled with them and after their death's her uncle took over the shop and her care. When an ancient yet pristine vase show up at the shop, Dora can't help but be curious at the vase's origins and her uncle's strange behavior. She is also hoping that the vase might inspire her to sketch some new and interesting jewelry designs in the hopes of supporting herself and moving out from under her uncle's care. With the help of aspiring antiquarian Edward, Dora begins to uncover more information about the vase and with it information about her past that she was not expecting to find.

This was a fun retelling of the Pandora myth. I like the creativity that was used and the social commentary woven throughout. There was a good discussion regarding those with station (aka money) and those without. There was also good commentary regarding women like Dora and Lottie and their reliance on men to keep them fed and housed as there weren't many options for women's employment at the time. While I am of the mindset that artifacts should be returned to the countries of their origin, the book is accurate that black market trade and shops like the Blake's did exist for the sale of antiquities to be used as decoration for anyone with the means to purchase them. I also liked that Pandora struggled between the so called cursed vase causing all of the bad things happening around them and their being a completely logic explanation for every event.

I think this book would be perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Anatomy: A Love Story. There is a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, some historical fiction, a hint of magic, and it is perfect for readers of all ages.

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