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The Songs of Penelope #1
Ithaca
Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.
Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.
No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne—not yet. But everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, and Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning, wit, and her trusted circle of maids, can she maintain the tenuous peace needed for the kingdom to survive.
This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca’s shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women—and their goddesses— that will change the course of the world.
Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he lived, her position was secure. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door.
No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne—not yet. But everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, and Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. Only through cunning, wit, and her trusted circle of maids, can she maintain the tenuous peace needed for the kingdom to survive.
This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca’s shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women—and their goddesses— that will change the course of the world.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2022
About the author
Claire North
22 books3,812 followersClaire North is actually Catherine Webb, a Carnegie Medal-nominated young-adult novel author whose first book, Mirror Dreams, was written when she was just 14 years old. She went on to write seven more successful YA novels.
Claire North is a pseudonym for adult fantasy books written by Catherine Webb, who also writes under the pseudonym Kate Griffin.
Claire North is a pseudonym for adult fantasy books written by Catherine Webb, who also writes under the pseudonym Kate Griffin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,723 reviews
October 25, 2023
as someone who hates change, it always scares me when an author switches genres. i know CN as a sci-fi writer, so seeing her come out with a greek mythology retelling had me nervous.
but, you know what? this was fine. better than fine, even!
this novel doesnt really offer anything new to the story of penelope - its a faithful reiteration of the traditional tale. if youve read ‘the penelopiad,’ this feels like an extended version of that. and because this sticks to basic facts of the story, without creative liberties, the plot is relatively slow. its very much a character driven novel. but, if youre like me, and love greek myths, thats not a problem. it also helps that the story is narrated by hera, who has a very unique perspective on things. she does a great job at providing support and helping empower the women who often get overlooked in the original myths.
so i think if youve never read anything about penelope, this will be a new and interesting story for you. for those readers who have, you will definitely enjoy heras feminist commentary on the familiar events.
thanks so much, redhook, for the ARC!
↠ 4 stars
but, you know what? this was fine. better than fine, even!
this novel doesnt really offer anything new to the story of penelope - its a faithful reiteration of the traditional tale. if youve read ‘the penelopiad,’ this feels like an extended version of that. and because this sticks to basic facts of the story, without creative liberties, the plot is relatively slow. its very much a character driven novel. but, if youre like me, and love greek myths, thats not a problem. it also helps that the story is narrated by hera, who has a very unique perspective on things. she does a great job at providing support and helping empower the women who often get overlooked in the original myths.
so i think if youve never read anything about penelope, this will be a new and interesting story for you. for those readers who have, you will definitely enjoy heras feminist commentary on the familiar events.
thanks so much, redhook, for the ARC!
↠ 4 stars
May 23, 2022
I've been waiting for a Penelopiad for very long now, dissatisfied as I've been by other books purporting to tell "The Odyssey" from the side of the hero's wife, so I picked this book up with much hope and excitement. And it was surprising from the start, namely for the choice of the goddess Hera as the POV to narrate the story of Penelope as she waits for the return of Odysseus from Troy, an original decision I've never seen before and that, although it would've been my personal preference to have it from the POV of Penelope herself, makes for a few interesting twists.
Having the goddess narrating it all has advantages, like a bird's eye view of the entirety of Ithaca and beyond, and that she can tell the inner doings as well as the behaviour of everyone on the island, noble and slave, which wouldn't be possible with a sole, human POV. Hera sees everything and everyone, Hera knows everything and describes everyone, it's an all-seeing eye that plunges you into the story from an advantageous position of observer that won't miss anything. But, this very style of POV has the disadvantage that for its very nature keeps you at arm's length and detached from the characters.
You don't connect with the characters, there are too many of them that have their time in the sun for one second, some appearing just in a line, a couple of dialogue exchanges, a fleeting run by the place. There are main characters too, of course, who do have more onpage time, but Hera is fickle and arbitrarily decides who gets her attention best, favouring a character that's not Penelope. Really, what does Clytemnestra have that Penelope doesn't? And why does the goddess of women and family favour these women who aren't exactly models of virtue and good behaviour over the woman who is definitely synonymous with loyalty, family, and motherhood? Sometimes, I wonder if the author is biased towards Clytemnestra and Helen for subversion of narratives, to go counter to the usual portrayals of these two, than in doing Penelope justice. By all accounts, she should be Hera's favourite if you kept faithful to the Greek legends.
Besides the above, I think my biggest trouble with this book was the writing. Because of the POV style, not because of the prose; the prose is fine, North has some beautifully crafted passages. But the point of view used to narrate the story is all over the place: it opens in third person universal POV, and it doesn't stay but changes all the time, so one time it becomes first person, then second person tense, then third person limited, then... Always changing. One line you have Hera telling you about someone, and right there appear a slave, a secondary character. These changes of perspective and setting happen abruptly, in a matter of one paragraph to the next. Hera obsessively crams in everything and everyone, even going back and forth in time. It's awfully confusing, not to me personally because I know the Ithacan setting of the Odyssey very well so I know what is going on, but not every reader will, so this writing is likely to be discouraging. If the writing ever killed a story, this came close, and it makes me sad because I really like Penelope and this interpretation of her story didn't work for me solely because of the writing and POV style.
Thank you to Redhook Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Having the goddess narrating it all has advantages, like a bird's eye view of the entirety of Ithaca and beyond, and that she can tell the inner doings as well as the behaviour of everyone on the island, noble and slave, which wouldn't be possible with a sole, human POV. Hera sees everything and everyone, Hera knows everything and describes everyone, it's an all-seeing eye that plunges you into the story from an advantageous position of observer that won't miss anything. But, this very style of POV has the disadvantage that for its very nature keeps you at arm's length and detached from the characters.
You don't connect with the characters, there are too many of them that have their time in the sun for one second, some appearing just in a line, a couple of dialogue exchanges, a fleeting run by the place. There are main characters too, of course, who do have more onpage time, but Hera is fickle and arbitrarily decides who gets her attention best, favouring a character that's not Penelope. Really, what does Clytemnestra have that Penelope doesn't? And why does the goddess of women and family favour these women who aren't exactly models of virtue and good behaviour over the woman who is definitely synonymous with loyalty, family, and motherhood? Sometimes, I wonder if the author is biased towards Clytemnestra and Helen for subversion of narratives, to go counter to the usual portrayals of these two, than in doing Penelope justice. By all accounts, she should be Hera's favourite if you kept faithful to the Greek legends.
Besides the above, I think my biggest trouble with this book was the writing. Because of the POV style, not because of the prose; the prose is fine, North has some beautifully crafted passages. But the point of view used to narrate the story is all over the place: it opens in third person universal POV, and it doesn't stay but changes all the time, so one time it becomes first person, then second person tense, then third person limited, then... Always changing. One line you have Hera telling you about someone, and right there appear a slave, a secondary character. These changes of perspective and setting happen abruptly, in a matter of one paragraph to the next. Hera obsessively crams in everything and everyone, even going back and forth in time. It's awfully confusing, not to me personally because I know the Ithacan setting of the Odyssey very well so I know what is going on, but not every reader will, so this writing is likely to be discouraging. If the writing ever killed a story, this came close, and it makes me sad because I really like Penelope and this interpretation of her story didn't work for me solely because of the writing and POV style.
Thank you to Redhook Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 16, 2022
“Once upon a time, there were three queens in Greece. One was chaste and pure, one a temptress whore, one a murderous hag.”
It has been seventeen years since Odysseus left Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War, leaving his young bride Penelope and infant son Telemachus behind. The war lasted ten years but Odysseus has not returned. Penelope is left to fend for herself and her son and run the kingdom of Ithaca with help of her household of maids and advisors. Odysseus’s prolonged absence has fueled rumors of his death encouraging hordes of suitors to flock to Penelope’s door and unashamedly becoming a fixture in her home. She has to make up excuses to hold them at bay. In addition to tactfully handling the volatile situation with her suitors, she is also troubled by the presence of a queen being hunted by her vengeful children for murdering their father. Penelope's son Telemachus, intent on proving he is a worthy successor to his father, joins the militia movement that is training for fighting the raiders who target their island at regular intervals. In other words, a lot is going on in Ithaca and Penelope has her hands full.
The presence of the Greek goddesses, each wielding their power over their devotees and their subtle manipulations, not to mention their limited interactions with one another makes for an interesting read. The exchanges between Hera and Athena, in particular, are quite amusing. Hera, as a narrator, does not mince her words –be it on her opinions about her husband’s amorous exploits or her true feeling about her stepchildren, her observations on Penelope’s suitors or her biased opinions of the Grecian queens among whom Clytemnestra is her favorite. She also holds nothing back while voicing her own brutally honest opinions about some of the "heroes" and how poets and bards wax eloquent while singing praises of their exploits, often neglecting to mention the contributions of their female counterparts or the lesser known mortals who have played an important role in their success.
“I am the goddess of queens, wives and women; my tasks may be thankless, but I perform them nonetheless.”
While I did enjoy Hera’s narration, I felt that her views and perceptions dominated the story and somehow relegated Penelope’s perspective to the sidelines. Penelope is portrayed as quiet but observant and capable of ruling in her husband’s absence. Having read Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad recently and loving it, I had hoped to hear more about Penelope and her maids and the events in Ithaca during Odysseus’s absence from Penelope’s perspective. I did enjoy the detailed description of the lives of the women on the island. The women in Claire North’s Ithaca - Penelope, her loyal maids and advisors, and the warriors who take it upon themselves to defend their island from threats are brave and intelligent and empower one another when faced with adversity.
With its well-written, fluid and elegant prose, even pacing throughout the novel, and themes of feminism, survival and loyalty Claire North’s Ithaca is an engaging read that I would recommend to fans of Greek Mythology and those fond of feminist retellings. I eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.
Many thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for granting access to a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
It has been seventeen years since Odysseus left Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War, leaving his young bride Penelope and infant son Telemachus behind. The war lasted ten years but Odysseus has not returned. Penelope is left to fend for herself and her son and run the kingdom of Ithaca with help of her household of maids and advisors. Odysseus’s prolonged absence has fueled rumors of his death encouraging hordes of suitors to flock to Penelope’s door and unashamedly becoming a fixture in her home. She has to make up excuses to hold them at bay. In addition to tactfully handling the volatile situation with her suitors, she is also troubled by the presence of a queen being hunted by her vengeful children for murdering their father. Penelope's son Telemachus, intent on proving he is a worthy successor to his father, joins the militia movement that is training for fighting the raiders who target their island at regular intervals. In other words, a lot is going on in Ithaca and Penelope has her hands full.
The presence of the Greek goddesses, each wielding their power over their devotees and their subtle manipulations, not to mention their limited interactions with one another makes for an interesting read. The exchanges between Hera and Athena, in particular, are quite amusing. Hera, as a narrator, does not mince her words –be it on her opinions about her husband’s amorous exploits or her true feeling about her stepchildren, her observations on Penelope’s suitors or her biased opinions of the Grecian queens among whom Clytemnestra is her favorite. She also holds nothing back while voicing her own brutally honest opinions about some of the "heroes" and how poets and bards wax eloquent while singing praises of their exploits, often neglecting to mention the contributions of their female counterparts or the lesser known mortals who have played an important role in their success.
“I am the goddess of queens, wives and women; my tasks may be thankless, but I perform them nonetheless.”
While I did enjoy Hera’s narration, I felt that her views and perceptions dominated the story and somehow relegated Penelope’s perspective to the sidelines. Penelope is portrayed as quiet but observant and capable of ruling in her husband’s absence. Having read Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad recently and loving it, I had hoped to hear more about Penelope and her maids and the events in Ithaca during Odysseus’s absence from Penelope’s perspective. I did enjoy the detailed description of the lives of the women on the island. The women in Claire North’s Ithaca - Penelope, her loyal maids and advisors, and the warriors who take it upon themselves to defend their island from threats are brave and intelligent and empower one another when faced with adversity.
With its well-written, fluid and elegant prose, even pacing throughout the novel, and themes of feminism, survival and loyalty Claire North’s Ithaca is an engaging read that I would recommend to fans of Greek Mythology and those fond of feminist retellings. I eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.
Many thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for granting access to a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
November 27, 2022
A clever, funny, moving retelling of the Odyssey myth—centering not on Odysseus but on Penelope, whose endless clever schemes to keep her kingdom afloat and her suitors at bay are narrated by the goddess Hera, a proud, sniffy, and flat-out hilarious goddess with a soft spot in her spiky immortal heart for scheming queens. Making my year end top 10 list for sure.
August 15, 2022
The women of Ithaca have been left alone for almost seventeen years since the men of their island left to fight with King Odysseus at Troy. None have returned, including the King. Penelope married Odysseus when she was very young and was secure in her position. But now that he has been absent, she faces a difficult choice – remarry to remain in power or likely be assassinated. Penelope’s life and country hang in a tenuous balance, and it is up to her cunning and wit to maintain the peace of the kingdom.
I was excited to read a retelling of “The Odyssey” that centered around Penelope, but this work fell dramatically flat of my hopes. The author chose to tell the story from the goddess Hera’s POV rather than Penelope – I think this was a big mistake, as it made the story feel divorced from Penelope’s emotions and feelings. It did allow the author to include more information that Penelope would have had no way of knowing, but she sacrificed including this information for losing any character depth and development for the protagonist. It was an extremely detached way to tell this story and the work suffered for it.
Unfortunately, it was the case that all of the characters were lacking. There was no real depth or development to them, and they felt like cardboard cutouts rather than real people. The author also introduced many, many characters (in true Classical Greek fashion), which left them all bland and interchangeable. It was impossible to connect to any of the characters, which led to a lack of connection to the book as a whole, majorly detracting from my enjoyment of it.
The writing of the work also left much to be desired. The POV used throughout the book alternates between third person omniscient, third person limited, second person, first person, then also shifts between present tense and sometimes using past tense. The writing constantly bounced between all of these. And the changes happen within a paragraph, which makes for a very frustrating read. There was an abundance of run-on sentences, over-flowery language that added nothing to the story or descriptions, weird smiles and metaphors that were nonsensical, as well as several typos and errors. The author also used modern words and phrases scattered throughout the work which completely broke the little immersion there was with this book.
Overall, I cannot recommend this work. There was nothing I enjoyed about it except that the cover was pretty. It was difficult just to finish this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for allowing me to review this book, which will be published on September 6th, 2022. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I was excited to read a retelling of “The Odyssey” that centered around Penelope, but this work fell dramatically flat of my hopes. The author chose to tell the story from the goddess Hera’s POV rather than Penelope – I think this was a big mistake, as it made the story feel divorced from Penelope’s emotions and feelings. It did allow the author to include more information that Penelope would have had no way of knowing, but she sacrificed including this information for losing any character depth and development for the protagonist. It was an extremely detached way to tell this story and the work suffered for it.
Unfortunately, it was the case that all of the characters were lacking. There was no real depth or development to them, and they felt like cardboard cutouts rather than real people. The author also introduced many, many characters (in true Classical Greek fashion), which left them all bland and interchangeable. It was impossible to connect to any of the characters, which led to a lack of connection to the book as a whole, majorly detracting from my enjoyment of it.
The writing of the work also left much to be desired. The POV used throughout the book alternates between third person omniscient, third person limited, second person, first person, then also shifts between present tense and sometimes using past tense. The writing constantly bounced between all of these. And the changes happen within a paragraph, which makes for a very frustrating read. There was an abundance of run-on sentences, over-flowery language that added nothing to the story or descriptions, weird smiles and metaphors that were nonsensical, as well as several typos and errors. The author also used modern words and phrases scattered throughout the work which completely broke the little immersion there was with this book.
Overall, I cannot recommend this work. There was nothing I enjoyed about it except that the cover was pretty. It was difficult just to finish this book.
My thanks to NetGalley and Redhook Books for allowing me to review this book, which will be published on September 6th, 2022. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
January 20, 2024
Lecture en VO
Une lecture que j’ai effectuée en anglais et qui a été un peu difficile je dois le reconnaître. Pour ceux qui suivent mes reviews vous vous êtes sans doute rendu compte que j’adore la guerre de Troie même si je suis à jamais du côté des Troyens. Ici l’histoire nous est narrée à travers les yeux de la déesse Hera, une déesse que je ne portais pas vraiment dans mon cœur et en lisant ce livre je me suis rendue compte qu’en fait je voyais Hera comme on me l’avait décrite à savoir une femme jalouse vindicative et terrifiante. Et là grâce à la perspective de ce roman je me suis interrogée franchement quelle femme supporterait que son mari la trompe à tour de bras qu’il ait des enfants avec d’autres femmes et au passage Zeus et le consentement c’est un peu un oxymore. Après c’est quand même dommage de ne pas être dans les pensées de Pénélope.
Cependant et pour conclure c’est un récit que j’ai pris plaisir à lire une histoire qui nous permet d’avoir un regard féminin sur des mythes qui sont souvent étudiés par le prisme masculin. Ce livre est une leçon de courage et de sororité.
Ce livre s’adresse à tous ceux qui aiment la mythologie
Une lecture que j’ai effectuée en anglais et qui a été un peu difficile je dois le reconnaître. Pour ceux qui suivent mes reviews vous vous êtes sans doute rendu compte que j’adore la guerre de Troie même si je suis à jamais du côté des Troyens. Ici l’histoire nous est narrée à travers les yeux de la déesse Hera, une déesse que je ne portais pas vraiment dans mon cœur et en lisant ce livre je me suis rendue compte qu’en fait je voyais Hera comme on me l’avait décrite à savoir une femme jalouse vindicative et terrifiante. Et là grâce à la perspective de ce roman je me suis interrogée franchement quelle femme supporterait que son mari la trompe à tour de bras qu’il ait des enfants avec d’autres femmes et au passage Zeus et le consentement c’est un peu un oxymore. Après c’est quand même dommage de ne pas être dans les pensées de Pénélope.
Cependant et pour conclure c’est un récit que j’ai pris plaisir à lire une histoire qui nous permet d’avoir un regard féminin sur des mythes qui sont souvent étudiés par le prisme masculin. Ce livre est une leçon de courage et de sororité.
Ce livre s’adresse à tous ceux qui aiment la mythologie
September 10, 2022
4.0 stars
This was a solid historical fantasy novel that played into classic Greek mythology. I don't often read these retellings but this one really caught my attention. I loved how the narrative was so feminist with some strong female characters at the centre of the narrative. The writing was equally strong with some beautiful prose. I prefer stories with faster narrative, but this slow burning tale was still quite lovely. If you love books like Circe, you will definitely want to check out this one.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was a solid historical fantasy novel that played into classic Greek mythology. I don't often read these retellings but this one really caught my attention. I loved how the narrative was so feminist with some strong female characters at the centre of the narrative. The writing was equally strong with some beautiful prose. I prefer stories with faster narrative, but this slow burning tale was still quite lovely. If you love books like Circe, you will definitely want to check out this one.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
August 20, 2022
Having already loved Claire North’s science fiction works, I was surprised and delighted to learn she was writing a series of Greek mythology retellings- a sub-genre I adore! North’s writing is evocative, lyrical and always a little surprising, so I expected to love Ithaca.
And..I was not disappointed in the least! I will say that Ithaca is a book that will not be for every reader. Don’t go into the book expecting a first person narration from Penelope or to focus intimately on a small group of women. Ithaca has a much wider scope.
Hera, goddess of women, marriage and childbirth, narrates the story. She is sarcastic, humorous and at times irreverent. It might not resonate with all readers, but I found Hera’s voice perfect for telling this story about the ways women can be strong, about how they can struggle with the balance of power, of motherhood and personal freedom.
Through Hera’s eyes, we get the perspective of many women besides Penelope, including Clytemnestra, Elektra, and Penelope’s maids. We also see the story though the perspective of Penelope’s son Telemachus, and though several of the suitors. While this might make the story too complicated for some, for me the interweaving of all the perspectives created a vibrant and rich world.
It is a fiercely feminist book, but it’s not a preachy book. It tells a story that is full of betrayal and scheming, of friendships forged and friendships broken, of goddess and queens, love and death, and of fate and free will.
If you love Greek mythology retellings, unique, narrative voices and if you love a large cast of characters, I’d highly recommend picking up Ithaca. I am beyond excited to pick up the next book in this series!
*Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.
And..I was not disappointed in the least! I will say that Ithaca is a book that will not be for every reader. Don’t go into the book expecting a first person narration from Penelope or to focus intimately on a small group of women. Ithaca has a much wider scope.
Hera, goddess of women, marriage and childbirth, narrates the story. She is sarcastic, humorous and at times irreverent. It might not resonate with all readers, but I found Hera’s voice perfect for telling this story about the ways women can be strong, about how they can struggle with the balance of power, of motherhood and personal freedom.
Through Hera’s eyes, we get the perspective of many women besides Penelope, including Clytemnestra, Elektra, and Penelope’s maids. We also see the story though the perspective of Penelope’s son Telemachus, and though several of the suitors. While this might make the story too complicated for some, for me the interweaving of all the perspectives created a vibrant and rich world.
It is a fiercely feminist book, but it’s not a preachy book. It tells a story that is full of betrayal and scheming, of friendships forged and friendships broken, of goddess and queens, love and death, and of fate and free will.
If you love Greek mythology retellings, unique, narrative voices and if you love a large cast of characters, I’d highly recommend picking up Ithaca. I am beyond excited to pick up the next book in this series!
*Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.
August 21, 2022
"He once heard an old soldier say that fighting clean was for fools. First you survive. Then you make up the story of how."*
Ithaca is Claire North's idea of just what might have been happening in Odysseus's house while he was... lost... or being held hostage... or slaying cyclops...
It is told by the goddess Hera, who feels largely forgotten by the poets in the shadow of her husband Zeus, and step daughters, Athena and Artemis.
"I realise that what makes him king amongst the gods is less the thunderbolt he wields and simply that he believes himself set upon high."*
We know, of course, that Penelope is holding down the palace in Ithaca, fending off suitors left and right. In this book, the island is also under attack from pirates. So we must follow Hera and Penelope down the rabbit hole of who might be attacking the island and why, and then also figure out how to defend an island when the only men are largely untrained teenagers and old men.
"How do you hide an army?...You hide them in precisely the same way you hide your success as a merchant, your skills with agriculture, your wisdom at politics and your innate cunning wit. You hide them as women."*
I very much enjoyed Hera's voice as a narrator. There are moments when she is scathing in her critique of men and disdain for the ancient poets, and moments where she is softer in the fondness she feels for her queens. I do think telling the story through a third party created some distance between the reader and Penelope, who easily fades to the background in the large cast of characters, many of whom I struggled to keep track of at times. (Let's face it, the suitors are just a laundry list of ancient Greek names to me save for a couple.)
"She understands, of course, that this is society and how society works. She is smart; she has learnt these lessons. What she doesn't understand is why, being the way it is, society is so insufferably stupid, run by flaming idiots."*
If I have one critique for this book I think that it's a tad on the long side? Hera, is prone to rambling a bit it seems, and though I enjoyed her voice more than not, I do think it could have been trimmed in places. The setting and description are all wonderfully told and easy to envision. It appears as though a second book is due to out in May and you can be sure I'll give it a go.
Before I'll go I'll leave you with just *one* of my favorite quotes:
"Athena loves it when a hunky warrior clad in bronze kneels before her inner sanctum, and when a man violated a woman upon her altar, it was the woman whose hair she turned to snakes in retribution for this sacrilege. So much for the wisdom of Athena."*
Oooh.... BURN.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
*Quotes pulled from advanced review copy and have not been checked against final published edition. Subject to change
Ithaca is Claire North's idea of just what might have been happening in Odysseus's house while he was... lost... or being held hostage... or slaying cyclops...
It is told by the goddess Hera, who feels largely forgotten by the poets in the shadow of her husband Zeus, and step daughters, Athena and Artemis.
"I realise that what makes him king amongst the gods is less the thunderbolt he wields and simply that he believes himself set upon high."*
We know, of course, that Penelope is holding down the palace in Ithaca, fending off suitors left and right. In this book, the island is also under attack from pirates. So we must follow Hera and Penelope down the rabbit hole of who might be attacking the island and why, and then also figure out how to defend an island when the only men are largely untrained teenagers and old men.
"How do you hide an army?...You hide them in precisely the same way you hide your success as a merchant, your skills with agriculture, your wisdom at politics and your innate cunning wit. You hide them as women."*
I very much enjoyed Hera's voice as a narrator. There are moments when she is scathing in her critique of men and disdain for the ancient poets, and moments where she is softer in the fondness she feels for her queens. I do think telling the story through a third party created some distance between the reader and Penelope, who easily fades to the background in the large cast of characters, many of whom I struggled to keep track of at times. (Let's face it, the suitors are just a laundry list of ancient Greek names to me save for a couple.)
"She understands, of course, that this is society and how society works. She is smart; she has learnt these lessons. What she doesn't understand is why, being the way it is, society is so insufferably stupid, run by flaming idiots."*
If I have one critique for this book I think that it's a tad on the long side? Hera, is prone to rambling a bit it seems, and though I enjoyed her voice more than not, I do think it could have been trimmed in places. The setting and description are all wonderfully told and easy to envision. It appears as though a second book is due to out in May and you can be sure I'll give it a go.
Before I'll go I'll leave you with just *one* of my favorite quotes:
"Athena loves it when a hunky warrior clad in bronze kneels before her inner sanctum, and when a man violated a woman upon her altar, it was the woman whose hair she turned to snakes in retribution for this sacrilege. So much for the wisdom of Athena."*
Oooh.... BURN.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
*Quotes pulled from advanced review copy and have not been checked against final published edition. Subject to change
June 9, 2024
"There is a woman still living inside Penelope full of hope and fear and dreams and despair. But she has been a queen far longer than she was ever anything else, and the queens of Greece are not given many choices that are their own."
A beautiful, lyrical and poetic retelling of what Penelope was up to in Ithaca while her husband Odysseus was "lost at sea." The tale is narrated by the Goddess Hera who is just as snarky as you would expect. My girl Penelope cannot catch a break: she has to deal with 1) obnoxious, drunk suitors who all want to marry her and unalive her son so that they can be king of Ithaca 2) Her cousin Clytemnestra and her cousin's children who want to unalive their mother after she unalived their father Agammemnon and 3) HER UNGRATEFUL ASS SON, TELEMACHUS.
This might be one of my favorite depictions of Penelope. She's not just Odysseus' faithful wife but also a queen, a mother and a really good politician. She's just as cunning as her husband and we see her political savviness on full display. She's not above using her grief and her image as the longsuffering widow to keep her drunken "suitors" at bay. At this point Penelope doesn't even know if she still loves her husband, and while she loves her son and would gladly give her life for him, she's not sure if she likes him (to be fair he's in his sulky teenage "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO" phase). We also see a woman who's sometimes scared and unsure of herself; she wrestles with some of her decisions but in the end, she does what needs to be done to keep herself, her son and her people safe. Is it any wonder that Hera has a soft spot for her?
"Penelope, when she first came to Ithaca, learnt a lot about what it was to be a queen from Anticlea. She learnt that when the south wind is dull and heavy, you do not sweat; nor when the north howls in the harshest of winters must you shiver. The storm may bend your back, but only you can straighten it again."
While the writing was riveting it did drag a bit in the middle, and there were moments where I was like "Get on with it!" The best parts of the book were Penelope plotting with her maids and outsmarting her suitors and Hera throwing shade at Athena and Zeus (as she should).
A beautiful, lyrical and poetic retelling of what Penelope was up to in Ithaca while her husband Odysseus was "lost at sea." The tale is narrated by the Goddess Hera who is just as snarky as you would expect. My girl Penelope cannot catch a break: she has to deal with 1) obnoxious, drunk suitors who all want to marry her and unalive her son so that they can be king of Ithaca 2) Her cousin Clytemnestra and her cousin's children who want to unalive their mother after she unalived their father Agammemnon and 3) HER UNGRATEFUL ASS SON, TELEMACHUS.
This might be one of my favorite depictions of Penelope. She's not just Odysseus' faithful wife but also a queen, a mother and a really good politician. She's just as cunning as her husband and we see her political savviness on full display. She's not above using her grief and her image as the longsuffering widow to keep her drunken "suitors" at bay. At this point Penelope doesn't even know if she still loves her husband, and while she loves her son and would gladly give her life for him, she's not sure if she likes him (to be fair he's in his sulky teenage "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO" phase). We also see a woman who's sometimes scared and unsure of herself; she wrestles with some of her decisions but in the end, she does what needs to be done to keep herself, her son and her people safe. Is it any wonder that Hera has a soft spot for her?
"Penelope, when she first came to Ithaca, learnt a lot about what it was to be a queen from Anticlea. She learnt that when the south wind is dull and heavy, you do not sweat; nor when the north howls in the harshest of winters must you shiver. The storm may bend your back, but only you can straighten it again."
While the writing was riveting it did drag a bit in the middle, and there were moments where I was like "Get on with it!" The best parts of the book were Penelope plotting with her maids and outsmarting her suitors and Hera throwing shade at Athena and Zeus (as she should).
September 11, 2022
Greek mythology and retellings are my bread and butter. So when I got my hands on an arc of Ithaca by Claire North, I was over the moon. Unfortunately, and despite a strong start, I couldn’t get into this story.
It started out in the vein of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, but didn’t quite meet my expectations. I love reading mythological retellings because they often bring characters to life and make them feel fresh again. But with this one, they all felt pretty one dimensional.
I’ve tried reading this author in the past, but I think her writing just doesn’t work for me.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy to review.
It started out in the vein of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, but didn’t quite meet my expectations. I love reading mythological retellings because they often bring characters to life and make them feel fresh again. But with this one, they all felt pretty one dimensional.
I’ve tried reading this author in the past, but I think her writing just doesn’t work for me.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy to review.
August 25, 2022
It was so boring 😭 the characters are so two-dimensional and I didn't care for any of them, and I'm starting to grow really tired of all these retellings that don't add anything new to the original story, instead only feel the need to write how much they hate men every few sentences.
March 22, 2023
7/10
"Once upon a time, there were three queens in Greece. One was chaste and pure, one a temptress whore, one a murderous hag. That is the how the poets sing it."
If you look for an engaging Penelope's retelling, a story that you may know of her and her son Telemachus, her love and passion for Odysseus, do this is NOT your book.
This isn't a bad book, yes hard to read and follow, and yes there are a lot of names and people who seem their existence wasn't necessary, but it is a GOOD story, not perfect, though I like to read the next book.
"I who have nothing to lose that the poets have not already taken from me, only I will tell you the truth. I, who part the veil of time, will tell those stories that only the women tell. So follow me to the western isles, to the halls of Odysseus, and listen."
"I was a queen of women once, before my husband bound me with chains and made me a queen of wives."
This is a new Penelope story from Hera's perspective, Mostly Hera's perspective! The story starts eighteen years after Odysseus sailed from Ithaca, eight years after Troy fell.
Odysseus, the cleverest man in Greece, how chose his wife? Clever Penelope tries to buy some time for his back, but for what? Why does she want Odysseus back, is it because of her love for him or loyalty or maybe only greed to rules like men, like Clytemnestra, her cousin? I really did not know, I'm afraid I failed hard to understand Penelope.
I should confess though it is Penelope's retelling, I enjoyed Elektra and Clytemnestra most, Yes we have Agamemnon's wife and daughter here, Athena and Artemis too!
Elektra with his brother Orestes land on Ithaca, tracking their guilty mother and wanting Clytemnestra's death.
"When the others are dead and gone, when Clytemnestra’s body is burnt and Penelope has breathed her last, only Elektra will remain, the last woman to carry my fire. But not yet–not yet."
I like to say this was a story of women! Women are bold, stubborn and well may I say, jealous.
"When women fight, no man can be left alive. No man can live to tell what they see. No mercy. No quarter."
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) via NetGalley for giving me chance to read Ithaca (The Songs of Penelope, #1) by Claire North, I have given my honest review.
Quests
"I know very little about killing, That is the men’s business. But it is the women who come to dress and wail at the corpses when the killing is done, no?"
"If you make enough people believe you are important, one day it may actually be true."
"He was smart, knew how to play it. Not too smart that people think you’re a threat, not too dumb that people don’t know you’re useful."
"Once upon a time, there were three queens in Greece. One was chaste and pure, one a temptress whore, one a murderous hag. That is the how the poets sing it."
If you look for an engaging Penelope's retelling, a story that you may know of her and her son Telemachus, her love and passion for Odysseus, do this is NOT your book.
This isn't a bad book, yes hard to read and follow, and yes there are a lot of names and people who seem their existence wasn't necessary, but it is a GOOD story, not perfect, though I like to read the next book.
"I who have nothing to lose that the poets have not already taken from me, only I will tell you the truth. I, who part the veil of time, will tell those stories that only the women tell. So follow me to the western isles, to the halls of Odysseus, and listen."
"I was a queen of women once, before my husband bound me with chains and made me a queen of wives."
This is a new Penelope story from Hera's perspective, Mostly Hera's perspective! The story starts eighteen years after Odysseus sailed from Ithaca, eight years after Troy fell.
Odysseus, the cleverest man in Greece, how chose his wife? Clever Penelope tries to buy some time for his back, but for what? Why does she want Odysseus back, is it because of her love for him or loyalty or maybe only greed to rules like men, like Clytemnestra, her cousin? I really did not know, I'm afraid I failed hard to understand Penelope.
I should confess though it is Penelope's retelling, I enjoyed Elektra and Clytemnestra most, Yes we have Agamemnon's wife and daughter here, Athena and Artemis too!
Elektra with his brother Orestes land on Ithaca, tracking their guilty mother and wanting Clytemnestra's death.
"When the others are dead and gone, when Clytemnestra’s body is burnt and Penelope has breathed her last, only Elektra will remain, the last woman to carry my fire. But not yet–not yet."
I like to say this was a story of women! Women are bold, stubborn and well may I say, jealous.
"When women fight, no man can be left alive. No man can live to tell what they see. No mercy. No quarter."
Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) via NetGalley for giving me chance to read Ithaca (The Songs of Penelope, #1) by Claire North, I have given my honest review.
Quests
"I know very little about killing, That is the men’s business. But it is the women who come to dress and wail at the corpses when the killing is done, no?"
"If you make enough people believe you are important, one day it may actually be true."
"He was smart, knew how to play it. Not too smart that people think you’re a threat, not too dumb that people don’t know you’re useful."
August 13, 2022
Fans of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes will enjoy this story of Penelope. As Queen of Ithaca, she might seem like a regal, authoritative figure, but this is ancient Greece, and she wields little power. Thankfully, the Goddess Hera has taken a shine to her. Thus unfolds a story of women and the roles they play (willing or not) that are not recorded by the poets. For me, the best character in this wonderful historical fiction novel was Hera. This queen of queens and mother of gods is more human than many of the mortals in the story. Her unique viewpoint gave the narrative depth and power.
September 18, 2022
I had such high hopes for this story, but I struggled to make it through. The writing was overly complicated, and the storyline didn't flow as smoothly as I would have liked. The retelling of The Odyssey was highly anticipated. The POV was told by Hera instead of Penelope - who I wanted to hear from. It did allow a more extensive investigation of the facts, but I think it took away from the emotion of the events surrounding her.
I didn't feel any connection to the characters or the events - I felt highly disinterested in the characters and the events I've previously fallen in love with and felt that it hurt the story. I felt flat upon finishing it.
I didn't feel any connection to the characters or the events - I felt highly disinterested in the characters and the events I've previously fallen in love with and felt that it hurt the story. I felt flat upon finishing it.
July 4, 2022
4.5/5
Wow. Just wow. As a huge fan of Claire North's writing, I had no doubt that I would enjoy Ithaca. But the sheer brilliance of this retelling exceeded my wildest dreams. The story is intimate, emotional, and full of drama.
Fans of fast-paced, action-packed stories won't like it, though, so keep that in mind.
Ithaca is the first book in a trilogy telling the story of Penelope of Ithaca. When Odysseus went to war, he left Penelope to rule the western isles. He was supposed to return after Troy's fall, but he didn't. This left Penelope with a big problem. How could she protect her island and her people when not only did she have no army, but the idea of women being in charge was seen as ridiculous?
Additionally, Ithaca was valuable enough to be worth conquering. Powerful suitors wanted to marry Penelope, and she couldn't say yes or no to any of them. Personal preferences aside, there was politics involved. If she married one of the suitors, she risked the others becoming enraged and attacking her isles. And with no men of fighting age to defend it, Ithaca would be doomed. Unfortunately, some of the suitors were tired of waiting and decided to break all the rules to get what they wanted before someone else does.
The story is narrated by Hera, queen of the gods. She has a biting tongue but she's a gifted storyteller. Her narration resembles omniscient narration but at times she starts to rage about her position among gods, her conflict with Athena, or pathetic men. Because she's a goddess, she's able to comment on Penelope's thoughts and actions, as well as those around her. She even mentions what is going on with Odysseus and some of the other famous faces of Troy. It's all fun and full of ATTITUDE. And delightfully feminist.
Ithaca is a fantastic opening to the series. Ancient geopolitics, espionage, treachery, and games of power make it thrilling, and deeply personal stakes make it intimate and focused. I loved it.
Wow. Just wow. As a huge fan of Claire North's writing, I had no doubt that I would enjoy Ithaca. But the sheer brilliance of this retelling exceeded my wildest dreams. The story is intimate, emotional, and full of drama.
Fans of fast-paced, action-packed stories won't like it, though, so keep that in mind.
Ithaca is the first book in a trilogy telling the story of Penelope of Ithaca. When Odysseus went to war, he left Penelope to rule the western isles. He was supposed to return after Troy's fall, but he didn't. This left Penelope with a big problem. How could she protect her island and her people when not only did she have no army, but the idea of women being in charge was seen as ridiculous?
Additionally, Ithaca was valuable enough to be worth conquering. Powerful suitors wanted to marry Penelope, and she couldn't say yes or no to any of them. Personal preferences aside, there was politics involved. If she married one of the suitors, she risked the others becoming enraged and attacking her isles. And with no men of fighting age to defend it, Ithaca would be doomed. Unfortunately, some of the suitors were tired of waiting and decided to break all the rules to get what they wanted before someone else does.
The story is narrated by Hera, queen of the gods. She has a biting tongue but she's a gifted storyteller. Her narration resembles omniscient narration but at times she starts to rage about her position among gods, her conflict with Athena, or pathetic men. Because she's a goddess, she's able to comment on Penelope's thoughts and actions, as well as those around her. She even mentions what is going on with Odysseus and some of the other famous faces of Troy. It's all fun and full of ATTITUDE. And delightfully feminist.
Ithaca is a fantastic opening to the series. Ancient geopolitics, espionage, treachery, and games of power make it thrilling, and deeply personal stakes make it intimate and focused. I loved it.
September 27, 2022
Claire North's words are needles, and each one is directed at some tender part of the patriarchy in this pointedly feminist revision of The Odyssey. Although Margaret Atwood was on to something when she titled hers The Penelopiad, because Odysseus is hardly present in this one at all...and he is not missed.
So much for a man of twists and turns: Odysseus, as it turns out, has nothing on his wife Penelope. He goes off to Troy; she stays home. And despite the unpleasant business with Cyclops and sirens, Odysseus also gets a seven-year-long island sex vacation with Calypso and then another slightly shorter one with Circe. Back home in Ithaca, Penelope is juggling the following problems: a husband who has been gone so long he is presumed dead; a hall full of suitors who are eating and drinking their way through Ithaca's wealth; a son who wants to be a man without having any experience of what that involves; an island nation at the mercy of other Greek city-states; and several interfering goddesses who are each pulling invisible threads of fate.
Getting home is easy, all things considered. Keeping one's own son, self, and people alive - now that's going to take a much wilier person than Odysseus.
This may be the most actively feminist of the spate of recent Greek myth retellings. The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships offered a feminist perspective, but Ithaca gives Penelope and the women of Ithaca real agency, even as they weaponize their veils and mourning customs, steal every advantage of silence, sex, gossip, and the appearance of meekness, and get away with, well, murder because men can't actually wrap their heads around women as capable and intelligent beings.
It's not the first time I've come across this kind of reading of Penelope; that honor belongs to my first and only classics course, provocatively titled, "Monsters, Barbarians, and Women." (This being UC Santa Cruz, of course it was a class featuring feminist readings of Greek literature. We spent a lot of time talking about Penelope.) North pulls it off with panache. I'm no classics scholar, but I know just enough to appreciate the skill with which she weaves in other stories - Clytemnestra's, most importantly, but also pirates and Egyptians - to imbue Penelope with even more agency and foresight.
The writing is beautiful; incisive and contemporary without seeming jarringly modern. North's clear, barbed, and emotionally distant narrative style is a perfect fit for her subject matter. Hera, the goddess of wives and narrator of Penelope's tale, tells the stories of women but also has much to say on the subject of men and her fellow Olympians vying for power.
So yes, it's about war, too, and what war does to the women left behind, stuck in a culture that tells them they can do nothing even when there is no one else left to do it.
Ithaca is not a fast read nor an easy one. The characters still feel remote at the end of it, but the story and the language are deeply satisfying. Claire North's writing is so distinctive: stately, unflinching, giving equal weight to beauty and brutality. I didn't realize at the outset that it wasn't a standalone (though I think it could be, especially if you don't ), but I will surely read a sequel.
So much for a man of twists and turns: Odysseus, as it turns out, has nothing on his wife Penelope. He goes off to Troy; she stays home. And despite the unpleasant business with Cyclops and sirens, Odysseus also gets a seven-year-long island sex vacation with Calypso and then another slightly shorter one with Circe. Back home in Ithaca, Penelope is juggling the following problems: a husband who has been gone so long he is presumed dead; a hall full of suitors who are eating and drinking their way through Ithaca's wealth; a son who wants to be a man without having any experience of what that involves; an island nation at the mercy of other Greek city-states; and several interfering goddesses who are each pulling invisible threads of fate.
Getting home is easy, all things considered. Keeping one's own son, self, and people alive - now that's going to take a much wilier person than Odysseus.
This may be the most actively feminist of the spate of recent Greek myth retellings. The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships offered a feminist perspective, but Ithaca gives Penelope and the women of Ithaca real agency, even as they weaponize their veils and mourning customs, steal every advantage of silence, sex, gossip, and the appearance of meekness, and get away with, well, murder because men can't actually wrap their heads around women as capable and intelligent beings.
"How do you hide an army?"
"Medon," Penelope tuts, "what a foolish question. You hide them in precisely the same way you hide your success as a merchant, your skill with agriculture, your wisdom at politics and your innate cutting wit. You hide them as women."
It's not the first time I've come across this kind of reading of Penelope; that honor belongs to my first and only classics course, provocatively titled, "Monsters, Barbarians, and Women." (This being UC Santa Cruz, of course it was a class featuring feminist readings of Greek literature. We spent a lot of time talking about Penelope.) North pulls it off with panache. I'm no classics scholar, but I know just enough to appreciate the skill with which she weaves in other stories - Clytemnestra's, most importantly, but also pirates and Egyptians - to imbue Penelope with even more agency and foresight.
The writing is beautiful; incisive and contemporary without seeming jarringly modern. North's clear, barbed, and emotionally distant narrative style is a perfect fit for her subject matter. Hera, the goddess of wives and narrator of Penelope's tale, tells the stories of women but also has much to say on the subject of men and her fellow Olympians vying for power.
[A]ll the war, all the rage and hurt and loss and pain - had been for nothing. For what? For a single night of flame and a few kings taking the spoils? When the sun rose over the ashes of her city, the soldiers of Greece were still hurt, still bloody, still lost, only now there were no stories left, no poets to tell them that they were heroes. So instead they became beasts performing sacrilege upon the living and the dead, for their fathers had taught them no other way to be a man than to howl at the crimson sun.
So yes, it's about war, too, and what war does to the women left behind, stuck in a culture that tells them they can do nothing even when there is no one else left to do it.
Ithaca is not a fast read nor an easy one. The characters still feel remote at the end of it, but the story and the language are deeply satisfying. Claire North's writing is so distinctive: stately, unflinching, giving equal weight to beauty and brutality. I didn't realize at the outset that it wasn't a standalone (though I think it could be, especially if you don't ), but I will surely read a sequel.
August 3, 2023
A retelling of the Odyssey that focuses on Penelope and the women around her as they are shaped by overseeing goddesses, and in turn shape the course of Ithaca. From the perspective of Hera, this novel is a wide reaching twist on the classic myth, giving spotlight to the women of Ithaca as they defy the expectations of men and gods alike, showcasing flaws, ambition, and solidarity. Complex and musing, this is a retelling that praises the wit and rage of women who are ready to leave the background, and lead with a force long repressed. An interesting take on Penelope which sets the stage for its coming sequel.
November 3, 2022
Ithaca by Claire North is the first book in a trilogy about Penelope’s Ithaca as she struggles to hold the kingdom together during Odysseus’ absence. The narrative is replete with intrigue, spies, trickery, subterfuge, power plays, and betrayal. North takes the unusual step of telling the story through the first-person voice of Hera, the queen of the gods.
Hera is a formidable narrator. She is snarky, funny, sarcastic, and with a sharp tongue quick to spout contemporary idioms. She is fiercely determined to help Penelope without attracting the attention of the other gods. She observes the action from the vantage point of a goddess with a bird’s-eye view of Ithaca, zooms in to its more intimate spaces, and gives access to men only conversations and gatherings denied to women. She steers events unobtrusively, ridicules men, critiques male heroes and the poets who honor their exploits while completely overlooking the role of women in their successes, bemoans her position as a sister/wife of convenience to the king of the gods, and reserves her most scathing commentary for her relatives in the Greek pantheon.
North focuses her lens unremittingly on the world of women as they work in the shadows. They plot and scheme in secret, unobserved and underestimated by men who see them merely as objects for sexual gratification. Penelope is intelligent and skillful in navigating the labyrinth of obstacles and hordes of suitors plaguing her home. Clytemnestra is fiercely unrepentant. And Elektra is intelligent, clear-sighted, and articulate—in contrast to her brother who is portrayed as a dithery weakling. North also includes appearances by Artemis and Athena, as well as a wide array of female servants, priestesses, and a fearless Amazon warrior.
This imaginative and fascinating take on Penelope’s Ithaca is broad in scope, populated by resourceful females, and decidedly feminist in its orientation. A familiarity with the Greek pantheon and many of the stories in Greek mythology is essential to understanding Hera’s quips and barbs and references—the source of much of the humor in the narrative. The occasional shifts in point of view from first-person to third may be disconcerting for some. But the writing is fast-paced and engaging. The lens on women and their intelligent, behind-the-scenes activities under the very noses of men is intriguing. Although the focus is ostensibly on Penelope, it is actually Hera who commands the spotlight with her narrative voice, irreverent attitude, sharp tongue, and brutal honesty.
Highly recommended for its fresh and delightful take on a classical Greek myth.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Hera is a formidable narrator. She is snarky, funny, sarcastic, and with a sharp tongue quick to spout contemporary idioms. She is fiercely determined to help Penelope without attracting the attention of the other gods. She observes the action from the vantage point of a goddess with a bird’s-eye view of Ithaca, zooms in to its more intimate spaces, and gives access to men only conversations and gatherings denied to women. She steers events unobtrusively, ridicules men, critiques male heroes and the poets who honor their exploits while completely overlooking the role of women in their successes, bemoans her position as a sister/wife of convenience to the king of the gods, and reserves her most scathing commentary for her relatives in the Greek pantheon.
North focuses her lens unremittingly on the world of women as they work in the shadows. They plot and scheme in secret, unobserved and underestimated by men who see them merely as objects for sexual gratification. Penelope is intelligent and skillful in navigating the labyrinth of obstacles and hordes of suitors plaguing her home. Clytemnestra is fiercely unrepentant. And Elektra is intelligent, clear-sighted, and articulate—in contrast to her brother who is portrayed as a dithery weakling. North also includes appearances by Artemis and Athena, as well as a wide array of female servants, priestesses, and a fearless Amazon warrior.
This imaginative and fascinating take on Penelope’s Ithaca is broad in scope, populated by resourceful females, and decidedly feminist in its orientation. A familiarity with the Greek pantheon and many of the stories in Greek mythology is essential to understanding Hera’s quips and barbs and references—the source of much of the humor in the narrative. The occasional shifts in point of view from first-person to third may be disconcerting for some. But the writing is fast-paced and engaging. The lens on women and their intelligent, behind-the-scenes activities under the very noses of men is intriguing. Although the focus is ostensibly on Penelope, it is actually Hera who commands the spotlight with her narrative voice, irreverent attitude, sharp tongue, and brutal honesty.
Highly recommended for its fresh and delightful take on a classical Greek myth.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
August 16, 2022
** Thanks so much to NetGalley, Claire North and Redhook Books for this ARC. Ithaca will be out September 6th, 2022 **
Ithaca by Claire North tells the story of Penelope, Queen of Ithaca. Set while Penelope is entertaining suitors and weaving (and unweaving) her father-in-law's funeral shroud, it explores what it means to rule as a woman who must be seen not to rule at all. I always enjoy feminist interpretations of myths, and this was no exception. The plot was fascinating and I really appreciated the insight into what it means to be powerful as a woman - which in ancient Greece meant to be powerful in secret. Narrated by Hera, the story comments on the different ways in which the most famous queens of Greece - Helen, Clytemnestra, and Penelope - navigate the balance between motherhood, womanhood, and queenhood.
My one main complaint about this book was that the narration by Hera was sometimes very annoying and the writing bothered me at times. I really struggled with how to rate this, as the writing sometimes felt very subpar, but I enjoyed the story quite a lot despite it.
This wasn't a favorite read, but I enjoyed reflecting on power and gender in ancient Ithaca.
Ithaca by Claire North tells the story of Penelope, Queen of Ithaca. Set while Penelope is entertaining suitors and weaving (and unweaving) her father-in-law's funeral shroud, it explores what it means to rule as a woman who must be seen not to rule at all. I always enjoy feminist interpretations of myths, and this was no exception. The plot was fascinating and I really appreciated the insight into what it means to be powerful as a woman - which in ancient Greece meant to be powerful in secret. Narrated by Hera, the story comments on the different ways in which the most famous queens of Greece - Helen, Clytemnestra, and Penelope - navigate the balance between motherhood, womanhood, and queenhood.
My one main complaint about this book was that the narration by Hera was sometimes very annoying and the writing bothered me at times. I really struggled with how to rate this, as the writing sometimes felt very subpar, but I enjoyed the story quite a lot despite it.
This wasn't a favorite read, but I enjoyed reflecting on power and gender in ancient Ithaca.
October 1, 2022
Exceptional in every way.
August 29, 2022
"They think the greatest poems are the ones of death in battle and the ravishing of queens. But the stories that will live for ever are of the lost ones, the fearful ones, who through bitter hardship and despair find hope, find strength – find their way home."
I’ve been talking about how much I wanted to read Ithaca since last year, and I can’t even begin to explain the excitement I felt when I got an advanced copy of this beauty in the mail. I taught the Odyssey for almost two decades, and I’ve always been curious about Penelope and her story for the twenty years Odysseus was away. How did she fare ruling Ithaca and raising her son? We know the story of the suitors and how Odysseus tricked and defeated them, but Penelope’s entire experience is often glazed over. In Ithaca, her story comes to life, and we see the brutality, heartache, determination, and strength of a Queen.
The story is told from the goddess Hera’s slightly detached perspective. Snarky and often acerbic, Hera brings a unique voice and point of view to the story, and her caustic wit spotlights the inequities between men and women regardless of station, as well as the injustices women face for duty, honor, and the patriarchy.
"These are the men of note. We regard them as one might regard a rash – hopeful that it does not spread further – and then move on."
The story follows Penelope, Hera, Clytemnestra, and so many more women who are often glossed over in stories like The Iliad and The Odyssey. It shows the brutality of their existence and the lack of choice women had when forging ahead after abandonment or married to men they barely knew, expected to bow to every whim of their husbands, fathers, sons, and the patriarchy in general. It also shows how many women fought against their oppressors, some in stealthy and secretive ways and others in demonstrative and explosive ways.
I’ve never read a story that has Penelope feeling ambivalence or anything but a deep and lasting love and passion for her husband. In this story, it’s more a deep love of her land and her people, her son, and preserving the life she has carved out for herself. I also like that the book shows her cunning and astuteness, her way of forging battle. Though less demonstrative and assertive than her husband and his peers, it’s just as effective. From the suitors vying for her hand in marriage and the power that comes with it to the pirates threatening their shores to her sister hiding from her vengeance-seeking children, Penelope’s story is complex, filled with impossible obstacles, and riddled with danger.
“This is the world we live in. We are not heroes. We do not choose to be great; we have no power over our destinies. The scraps of freedom that we have are to pick between two poisons, to make the least bad decision we can, knowing that there is no outcome that will not leave us bruised.”
I enjoyed Ithaca and am so grateful to Orbit Books for providing me with a copy. It’s a captivating read, and the writing style is lovely. I look forward to reading more of Penelope’s story in the next book.
I’ve been talking about how much I wanted to read Ithaca since last year, and I can’t even begin to explain the excitement I felt when I got an advanced copy of this beauty in the mail. I taught the Odyssey for almost two decades, and I’ve always been curious about Penelope and her story for the twenty years Odysseus was away. How did she fare ruling Ithaca and raising her son? We know the story of the suitors and how Odysseus tricked and defeated them, but Penelope’s entire experience is often glazed over. In Ithaca, her story comes to life, and we see the brutality, heartache, determination, and strength of a Queen.
The story is told from the goddess Hera’s slightly detached perspective. Snarky and often acerbic, Hera brings a unique voice and point of view to the story, and her caustic wit spotlights the inequities between men and women regardless of station, as well as the injustices women face for duty, honor, and the patriarchy.
"These are the men of note. We regard them as one might regard a rash – hopeful that it does not spread further – and then move on."
The story follows Penelope, Hera, Clytemnestra, and so many more women who are often glossed over in stories like The Iliad and The Odyssey. It shows the brutality of their existence and the lack of choice women had when forging ahead after abandonment or married to men they barely knew, expected to bow to every whim of their husbands, fathers, sons, and the patriarchy in general. It also shows how many women fought against their oppressors, some in stealthy and secretive ways and others in demonstrative and explosive ways.
I’ve never read a story that has Penelope feeling ambivalence or anything but a deep and lasting love and passion for her husband. In this story, it’s more a deep love of her land and her people, her son, and preserving the life she has carved out for herself. I also like that the book shows her cunning and astuteness, her way of forging battle. Though less demonstrative and assertive than her husband and his peers, it’s just as effective. From the suitors vying for her hand in marriage and the power that comes with it to the pirates threatening their shores to her sister hiding from her vengeance-seeking children, Penelope’s story is complex, filled with impossible obstacles, and riddled with danger.
“This is the world we live in. We are not heroes. We do not choose to be great; we have no power over our destinies. The scraps of freedom that we have are to pick between two poisons, to make the least bad decision we can, knowing that there is no outcome that will not leave us bruised.”
I enjoyed Ithaca and am so grateful to Orbit Books for providing me with a copy. It’s a captivating read, and the writing style is lovely. I look forward to reading more of Penelope’s story in the next book.
March 11, 2023
4.75/5 stars
This definitely isn't a book for everyone, but this is also definitely a book for me.
I was actually terrified going into it, because every review I saw was very, very divided. It was either 5 stars or 1 star, no inbetweens. And I, a self-proclaimed hater of books, usually lean towards 1 star in those divided scenerio. Because why love a book when hate is an option??? I just love having strong negative opinions about things that don't actually matter.
But the plot? The narration???? The characters??? The politics??? This is my joker.
This definitely isn't a book for everyone, but this is also definitely a book for me.
I was actually terrified going into it, because every review I saw was very, very divided. It was either 5 stars or 1 star, no inbetweens. And I, a self-proclaimed hater of books, usually lean towards 1 star in those divided scenerio. Because why love a book when hate is an option??? I just love having strong negative opinions about things that don't actually matter.
But the plot? The narration???? The characters??? The politics??? This is my joker.
September 3, 2022
Ithaca
is an interesting addition to the wave of retellings and companion stories of classic tales from Greek mythology. Claire North aims to reinvent the Penelopiad, with a feminist slant that captures the quiet, hidden power of Penelope, the maids of Ithaca, and the goddesses of Mount Olympus. The novel brings forward the layered resilience and despondency of the women of Ancient Greece, who ruled, created order and strength in a time of chaos, only to be relegated again into limited roles by returning men while secretly both suffering and maintaining the stability of their lands. It also puts into stark relief the oppressive chauvinism of Ancient Greece and its Lost Generation, those men who came of age during and following the Trojan War, too young to fight and die as heroes on foreign shores and without leaders, kings, fathers to guide them, or surviving a long and seemingly pointless war to be confronted with the limited fruits of victory. And in their rage and impotence, they begin grasping for dominion: on Ithaca that includes eating, drinking, harassing Ornelope and the maids, and serving as loutish obstacles to anything constructive or productive for the kingdom.
There’s a lot that can be done - the Odyssey picks - and North covers a lot of ground, but perhaps too much. The plot expands to cover various maids that serve Penelope, though we perhaps don’t get to know any of them quite as much as we’d like (Priene is a standout for sure). It also brings Elektra and Orestes to Ithaca in pursuit of their mother Clytemnestra, a twist and non-Homeric or Aeschylean narrative choice, that sometimes works well, especially to reflect on the complicated relationship North draws between Penelope and her son Telemachus, but often their presence crowds out the Ithacans.
Perhaps the largest problem is North’s choice of narrator. Hera, Queen of the Gods, a greatly diminished figure herself, is telling the audience these tales that the poets do not. North writes Hera’s voice inconsistently in a way that is very distracting: we go from a voice that sounds mythic and laden with description perhaps overly purple with some clunky allusions - The island of Ithaca guards the watery mouth of Greece like an old cracked tooth - to very snarky modern tone and language - These eggs eventually hatch, producing Castor and Pollux, the little twerps. The writing and tone tip back and forth, but for me at least, it didn’t provide a more friendly connection to Hera which I think was what was intended, to render her accessible to the mortals in the story and those reading her tale. Instead I found the snarky, modern language jarring and disruptive from the more common pseudo-mythical narration North uses, and it had the effect of finding the Queen of the Gods more petty than I would otherwise and it broke my immersion to North’s world.
Ultimately, I think three stars is the right rating for this book for me: I did like it, and found it to be something of a worthwhile addition to the recent trends of feminist retellings and expanded editions of Greek myths. But the storytelling itself - so key in the source material and so well executed by other modern authors - is uneven and distracting and detracting from the overall effort. That said, I would pick up North’s next book in this series to see how she next tackles The Odyssey and Odysseus’s homecoming and how Penelope and her maids factor in to this versions murder of the suitors, and would hope there’s more consistency in tone and style and less faux comic arch. A solid if not inspiring read for lovers of Greek mythology.
There’s a lot that can be done - the Odyssey picks - and North covers a lot of ground, but perhaps too much. The plot expands to cover various maids that serve Penelope, though we perhaps don’t get to know any of them quite as much as we’d like (Priene is a standout for sure). It also brings Elektra and Orestes to Ithaca in pursuit of their mother Clytemnestra, a twist and non-Homeric or Aeschylean narrative choice, that sometimes works well, especially to reflect on the complicated relationship North draws between Penelope and her son Telemachus, but often their presence crowds out the Ithacans.
Perhaps the largest problem is North’s choice of narrator. Hera, Queen of the Gods, a greatly diminished figure herself, is telling the audience these tales that the poets do not. North writes Hera’s voice inconsistently in a way that is very distracting: we go from a voice that sounds mythic and laden with description perhaps overly purple with some clunky allusions - The island of Ithaca guards the watery mouth of Greece like an old cracked tooth - to very snarky modern tone and language - These eggs eventually hatch, producing Castor and Pollux, the little twerps. The writing and tone tip back and forth, but for me at least, it didn’t provide a more friendly connection to Hera which I think was what was intended, to render her accessible to the mortals in the story and those reading her tale. Instead I found the snarky, modern language jarring and disruptive from the more common pseudo-mythical narration North uses, and it had the effect of finding the Queen of the Gods more petty than I would otherwise and it broke my immersion to North’s world.
Ultimately, I think three stars is the right rating for this book for me: I did like it, and found it to be something of a worthwhile addition to the recent trends of feminist retellings and expanded editions of Greek myths. But the storytelling itself - so key in the source material and so well executed by other modern authors - is uneven and distracting and detracting from the overall effort. That said, I would pick up North’s next book in this series to see how she next tackles The Odyssey and Odysseus’s homecoming and how Penelope and her maids factor in to this versions murder of the suitors, and would hope there’s more consistency in tone and style and less faux comic arch. A solid if not inspiring read for lovers of Greek mythology.
August 8, 2022
Here’s a joint review by myself and Beth on The Fantasy Hive: https://fantasy-hive.co.uk/2022/08/it...
Short review below 👇🏽
“Listen to my voice: I who have been stripped of honour, of power and of that fire that should be mine, I who have nothing to lose that the poets have not already taken from me, only I will tell you the truth. I, who part the veil of time, will tell those stories that only the women tell. So follow me to the western isles, to the halls of Odysseus, and listen.”
This was a wonderful feminist Greek mythological reimagining. I loved Hera’s narration as she recounts Penelope’s story.
Penelope, Queen of Ithaca , wife of Odysseus who has sailed for Troy and has not returned. In his prolonged absence, the men of Ithaca begin to presume he is dead and therefore decide that Penelope should remarry to stabilise Ithaca and offer the island protection. For a simple Queen could not possibly rule without a man. Raiders are coming, pirates pillaging and killing all, and they have their sites set on Ithaca. Yet Penelope doesn’t wish to remarry, she doesn’t yet believe Odysseus is dead, and even if she did, she won’t be forced into to marriage to a man she does not want. Instead she will devise a plan to protect her lands, her people, all whilst holding off her suitors and trying to stop her son Telemachus from dying in a battle he is not yet ready to fight.
Although it took me a while to become invested in Penelope, she did become a fascinating character and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her outsmart the men of Ithaca. Her closest maids, Eos and Autonoe, were brilliant characters, often comedic, and I enjoyed seeing them play out all of Penelope’s plans. Along the way we meet Priene, Elektra and Clytemnestra, who were fierce and powerful women in their own right. If you’re looking for a tale with an array of different representation of strong females, this is the one.
The men were driven by pride and a sense of superiority and it was so very nice to see them humbled - especially Agamemnon, Penelope’s most insistent suitor. Through Telemachus we see a young boy desperately trying to be ‘manly’ as his father would have wanted, and assert his importance, yet not knowing quite what it takes to be a warrior. Penelope, despite her son’s fault, despite his reluctance to treat his mother with any ounce of the respect she deserves, loves him nonetheless, which makes their relationship so heartbreaking. In fact North does a fantastic job of exploring motherhood throughout the novel.
What I loved most of all was the unexpected moments of humour. Hera was an absolute superb choice of narrator as she looks down upon Ithaca and has a view of all the plots that are unfolding. She offers moments of revelation, the truth of what characters are thinking versus what they are saying, she offers well needed backstories to a lot of the characters, but most of all her sarcasm and cynicism was an delight to read.
Ithaca weaves a tale where the forgotten, seemingly insignificant women finally are given a voice, and I’m glad to have read it.
ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books UK. Ithaca will be released 6th September.
Short review below 👇🏽
“Listen to my voice: I who have been stripped of honour, of power and of that fire that should be mine, I who have nothing to lose that the poets have not already taken from me, only I will tell you the truth. I, who part the veil of time, will tell those stories that only the women tell. So follow me to the western isles, to the halls of Odysseus, and listen.”
This was a wonderful feminist Greek mythological reimagining. I loved Hera’s narration as she recounts Penelope’s story.
Penelope, Queen of Ithaca , wife of Odysseus who has sailed for Troy and has not returned. In his prolonged absence, the men of Ithaca begin to presume he is dead and therefore decide that Penelope should remarry to stabilise Ithaca and offer the island protection. For a simple Queen could not possibly rule without a man. Raiders are coming, pirates pillaging and killing all, and they have their sites set on Ithaca. Yet Penelope doesn’t wish to remarry, she doesn’t yet believe Odysseus is dead, and even if she did, she won’t be forced into to marriage to a man she does not want. Instead she will devise a plan to protect her lands, her people, all whilst holding off her suitors and trying to stop her son Telemachus from dying in a battle he is not yet ready to fight.
Although it took me a while to become invested in Penelope, she did become a fascinating character and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her outsmart the men of Ithaca. Her closest maids, Eos and Autonoe, were brilliant characters, often comedic, and I enjoyed seeing them play out all of Penelope’s plans. Along the way we meet Priene, Elektra and Clytemnestra, who were fierce and powerful women in their own right. If you’re looking for a tale with an array of different representation of strong females, this is the one.
The men were driven by pride and a sense of superiority and it was so very nice to see them humbled - especially Agamemnon, Penelope’s most insistent suitor. Through Telemachus we see a young boy desperately trying to be ‘manly’ as his father would have wanted, and assert his importance, yet not knowing quite what it takes to be a warrior. Penelope, despite her son’s fault, despite his reluctance to treat his mother with any ounce of the respect she deserves, loves him nonetheless, which makes their relationship so heartbreaking. In fact North does a fantastic job of exploring motherhood throughout the novel.
What I loved most of all was the unexpected moments of humour. Hera was an absolute superb choice of narrator as she looks down upon Ithaca and has a view of all the plots that are unfolding. She offers moments of revelation, the truth of what characters are thinking versus what they are saying, she offers well needed backstories to a lot of the characters, but most of all her sarcasm and cynicism was an delight to read.
Ithaca weaves a tale where the forgotten, seemingly insignificant women finally are given a voice, and I’m glad to have read it.
ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books UK. Ithaca will be released 6th September.
February 1, 2023
I really, really liked this! Claire North's writing style translated extremely well to retelling Greek mythology. The undercurrent of female rage and sorrow was pleasing and upsetting at the same time. It's also darkly funny.
I almost feel like I want to re-read this before I write a review so I can get my thoughts more in order, but nobody has time for that. Or, maybe some people do, but I don't know who they are. I just feel like it was so well done!
I was intrigued when I heard that Claire North would be switching it up and moving to a new genre from her traditional sci-fi arena, but she treats this subject matter the same as she does her wild sci-fi concepts: with great care for worldbuilding (here, mostly historical details and musings on the place of women in Ancient Greece), character, and theme.
Like The Penelopiad (which I haven't read yet, but will be reading soon for one of my IRL book clubs), Ithaca tells the story of Penelope left behind by Odysseus in the twenty years he is gone, first fighting at Troy, and then making his way home. And North doesn't just play it straight, either. Here as we enter the story, it's been eighteen years since Odysseus left for Troy, taking all of the eligible fighting men of Ithaca with him, and we hear about the passing events from the POV of Hera, wife of Zeus, god of marriage and women. Hera, being a god, can not only tell us what's going on in Ithaca and in her surroundings, but what is happening to Odysseus at the same time (she wryly gives us updates, most of which center on her sarcastic descriptions of him being so tortured about being sexily held prisoner on Ogygia with Calypso).
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because seeing what North chooses to focus on was surprising for me, but the problem of the suitors looms large, and is explored in a way that feels completely unique to me. And having Hera, frustrated and overlooked and put-upon Hera, be the way into this story ends up feeling extremely inspired. Definitely recommend, and I'm so glad there are going to be two more books in this series.
[4.5 stars]
I almost feel like I want to re-read this before I write a review so I can get my thoughts more in order, but nobody has time for that. Or, maybe some people do, but I don't know who they are. I just feel like it was so well done!
I was intrigued when I heard that Claire North would be switching it up and moving to a new genre from her traditional sci-fi arena, but she treats this subject matter the same as she does her wild sci-fi concepts: with great care for worldbuilding (here, mostly historical details and musings on the place of women in Ancient Greece), character, and theme.
Like The Penelopiad (which I haven't read yet, but will be reading soon for one of my IRL book clubs), Ithaca tells the story of Penelope left behind by Odysseus in the twenty years he is gone, first fighting at Troy, and then making his way home. And North doesn't just play it straight, either. Here as we enter the story, it's been eighteen years since Odysseus left for Troy, taking all of the eligible fighting men of Ithaca with him, and we hear about the passing events from the POV of Hera, wife of Zeus, god of marriage and women. Hera, being a god, can not only tell us what's going on in Ithaca and in her surroundings, but what is happening to Odysseus at the same time (she wryly gives us updates, most of which center on her sarcastic descriptions of him being so tortured about being sexily held prisoner on Ogygia with Calypso).
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because seeing what North chooses to focus on was surprising for me, but the problem of the suitors looms large, and is explored in a way that feels completely unique to me. And having Hera, frustrated and overlooked and put-upon Hera, be the way into this story ends up feeling extremely inspired. Definitely recommend, and I'm so glad there are going to be two more books in this series.
[4.5 stars]
September 4, 2023
I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, Redhook via Orbit Books, in exchange for an honest review.
I have such a weakness for Greek myth. Mythology of any kind fascinates me, but I’ve been obsessed with Greek mythology almost since I learned to read. Because of this love, I often find myself divided on retellings. On the one hand, I love any chance to revisit these stories I love, especially if told in a way that gives me a new perspective. On the other, I tend to judge these a bit harshly because of my love for the source material. But when I find a book that not only retells one of these timeless stories, it breathes new life into it, it becomes an instant favorite.
Ithaca? Definitely an instant favorite.
Ithaca is the story of, well, Ithaca, as Odysseus has been gone for 17 years and his queen, Penelope, strives to hold the kingdom together. She’s been inundated with suitors, seeking her hand in marriage because, in their minds, she’s quite obviously a widow. Of course, they actually care nothing about Penelope; they all just want to claim her kingdom for their own. Penelope balances on a razor’s edge, trying to keep the suitors fed and content as she constantly claims to be on the cusp of a decision, knowing full well that she can never choose because all of the spurned suitors will surely declare war on Ithaca. Thankfully, Penelope is incredibly clever, and she maintains this balance deftly and with astounding subtlety. But nothing lasts forever, and the suitors are beginning to get restless. As pirates begin periodically raiding this land of women and boys, Penelope is faced with an impossible decision. But as she decides, who will defend Ithaca?
Our tale is told in a nearly omniscient, mostly third-person narration through the eyes of Hera, queen of the gods and patron on the Greek queens. She is also a character in her own right, seeking to aid Penelope’s cause as subtly as possible, without drawing the attention of any of the other gods. Especially her husband, Zeus. I loved the mirroring of Penelope’s story with the little we learn of Hera throughout the novel. While I loved Penelope, Hera was definitely the stand-out character here. I’ve always disliked Hera, but in the past year or so I’ve read multiple books that showcased facets of her I had never considered. She has become so much more sympathetic and interesting to me through these works, and I absolutely adored her in Ithaca. I was also fascinated by Hera’s love for Clytemnestra, Penelope’s cousin and queen of Mycenae and murderer of her own husband, King Agamemnon. These are stories that I know well, but North’s writing and characterizations brought them to life in new ways.
Speaking of writing, I was incredibly impressed with North’s craftsmanship. She managed to both utilize the classical modes of storytelling used by Homer and his contemporaries while subverting those same modes in ways both thoughtful and irreverent. This could only be done by someone with a firm foundation in the source material who also has a brilliant ability to wield her craft. I’ve tried North’s writing in the past and found that it didn’t click for me as a reader. Either I’m a very different reader now, or she’s altered her style tremendously for this book. Or I was just wrong to begin with. The balance she was able to strike between respecting the material while also delivering snark and sarcasm in a way that brightened the story without ever making light of it, was astounding. There were some very emotional moments when really hard topics were conveyed beautifully, but there were also moments that made me laugh out loud. This was insanely clever, and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
Did I mention this is part of a series? Because I didn’t realize that for some reason until I reached the end. I might know where the story is going, but I still want the next book immediately. Alas, The House of Odysseus is at sea until May of 2023.
While I do think that Ithaca could be enjoyed on its own, I think that having a background with the foundational works it is retelling made reading this far more rewarding. Ithaca is mostly retelling what was happening in the background of The Odyssey, but it also references The Iliad quite often, as that covers why Odysseus left Ithaca in the first place. The Oresteia, which covers the lives and deaths of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon and their children, Orestes and Elektra, was also an integral part of this story. Had I not been familiar with these, I might have gotten lost in the names and the plot and not noticed the superb writing and how North was playing with form. Which would have been quite the loss on my end, as that was what made this book so special for me.
The plot itself was propulsive. I found myself having a very hard time putting this book down while reading it. But housed within that addictive pacing was deep and moving commentary on the lack of autonomy given to Grecian women and how cruelly they were often treated. Parts of this, especially the portions about Clytemnestra’s treatment at the hands of her husband upon his return from Troy, were incredibly difficult to read. And hearing from Hera how much of herself she saw in these queens, how she had experienced the same, really drove home the fact that height of station did nothing to spare these women. North also expressed how the poets of Greece were men, who only immortalized manly things and, when forced to record a story where a woman was at the fore, would find ways to twist it and make her less so that men felt like more. This was beautifully put and very thought-provoking.
I loved everything about Ithaca, except for the fact that it’s not the standalone I was for some reason expecting it to be. But this is very much a rereadable book, so no doubt I will enjoy it again before the next installment is released. Not only did Ithaca give me wonderful characters to root for, it did so from stories I’ve known all my life and has thus altered them in my memory. For the better. I now feel this desire to go back to those original sources and revisit their stories from a new perspective. I can’t recommend Ithaca highly enough, especially to those who share my lifelong fascination with Greek myth.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
I have such a weakness for Greek myth. Mythology of any kind fascinates me, but I’ve been obsessed with Greek mythology almost since I learned to read. Because of this love, I often find myself divided on retellings. On the one hand, I love any chance to revisit these stories I love, especially if told in a way that gives me a new perspective. On the other, I tend to judge these a bit harshly because of my love for the source material. But when I find a book that not only retells one of these timeless stories, it breathes new life into it, it becomes an instant favorite.
Ithaca? Definitely an instant favorite.
Ithaca is the story of, well, Ithaca, as Odysseus has been gone for 17 years and his queen, Penelope, strives to hold the kingdom together. She’s been inundated with suitors, seeking her hand in marriage because, in their minds, she’s quite obviously a widow. Of course, they actually care nothing about Penelope; they all just want to claim her kingdom for their own. Penelope balances on a razor’s edge, trying to keep the suitors fed and content as she constantly claims to be on the cusp of a decision, knowing full well that she can never choose because all of the spurned suitors will surely declare war on Ithaca. Thankfully, Penelope is incredibly clever, and she maintains this balance deftly and with astounding subtlety. But nothing lasts forever, and the suitors are beginning to get restless. As pirates begin periodically raiding this land of women and boys, Penelope is faced with an impossible decision. But as she decides, who will defend Ithaca?
Our tale is told in a nearly omniscient, mostly third-person narration through the eyes of Hera, queen of the gods and patron on the Greek queens. She is also a character in her own right, seeking to aid Penelope’s cause as subtly as possible, without drawing the attention of any of the other gods. Especially her husband, Zeus. I loved the mirroring of Penelope’s story with the little we learn of Hera throughout the novel. While I loved Penelope, Hera was definitely the stand-out character here. I’ve always disliked Hera, but in the past year or so I’ve read multiple books that showcased facets of her I had never considered. She has become so much more sympathetic and interesting to me through these works, and I absolutely adored her in Ithaca. I was also fascinated by Hera’s love for Clytemnestra, Penelope’s cousin and queen of Mycenae and murderer of her own husband, King Agamemnon. These are stories that I know well, but North’s writing and characterizations brought them to life in new ways.
Speaking of writing, I was incredibly impressed with North’s craftsmanship. She managed to both utilize the classical modes of storytelling used by Homer and his contemporaries while subverting those same modes in ways both thoughtful and irreverent. This could only be done by someone with a firm foundation in the source material who also has a brilliant ability to wield her craft. I’ve tried North’s writing in the past and found that it didn’t click for me as a reader. Either I’m a very different reader now, or she’s altered her style tremendously for this book. Or I was just wrong to begin with. The balance she was able to strike between respecting the material while also delivering snark and sarcasm in a way that brightened the story without ever making light of it, was astounding. There were some very emotional moments when really hard topics were conveyed beautifully, but there were also moments that made me laugh out loud. This was insanely clever, and I can’t wait to read the next installment.
Did I mention this is part of a series? Because I didn’t realize that for some reason until I reached the end. I might know where the story is going, but I still want the next book immediately. Alas, The House of Odysseus is at sea until May of 2023.
While I do think that Ithaca could be enjoyed on its own, I think that having a background with the foundational works it is retelling made reading this far more rewarding. Ithaca is mostly retelling what was happening in the background of The Odyssey, but it also references The Iliad quite often, as that covers why Odysseus left Ithaca in the first place. The Oresteia, which covers the lives and deaths of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon and their children, Orestes and Elektra, was also an integral part of this story. Had I not been familiar with these, I might have gotten lost in the names and the plot and not noticed the superb writing and how North was playing with form. Which would have been quite the loss on my end, as that was what made this book so special for me.
The plot itself was propulsive. I found myself having a very hard time putting this book down while reading it. But housed within that addictive pacing was deep and moving commentary on the lack of autonomy given to Grecian women and how cruelly they were often treated. Parts of this, especially the portions about Clytemnestra’s treatment at the hands of her husband upon his return from Troy, were incredibly difficult to read. And hearing from Hera how much of herself she saw in these queens, how she had experienced the same, really drove home the fact that height of station did nothing to spare these women. North also expressed how the poets of Greece were men, who only immortalized manly things and, when forced to record a story where a woman was at the fore, would find ways to twist it and make her less so that men felt like more. This was beautifully put and very thought-provoking.
I loved everything about Ithaca, except for the fact that it’s not the standalone I was for some reason expecting it to be. But this is very much a rereadable book, so no doubt I will enjoy it again before the next installment is released. Not only did Ithaca give me wonderful characters to root for, it did so from stories I’ve known all my life and has thus altered them in my memory. For the better. I now feel this desire to go back to those original sources and revisit their stories from a new perspective. I can’t recommend Ithaca highly enough, especially to those who share my lifelong fascination with Greek myth.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.
February 5, 2024
4.7
Echt een heel goed boek, volgt de mythologie goed en lezen uit het perspectief van een godin is echt heel interessant! De kleine plot twists en penelope's plannen vond ik echt heel leuk.
Edit: tja hoewel dat godinnen pov nieuw en heel interessant was werd ik het op het einde wel een beetje beu. Al dat "ik ben zo sterk maar ik kan niks doen" werd (vooral naar het einde) wel een beetje veel vond ik. Dan ben je zo sterk en zijn je "main tricks" wormen in iemand buik stoppen en insectenbeten? En (kleine spoiler hier) ik vond het ergens een beetje gek dat Clytaimnestra Hera's favoriet is terwijl de hoofdpersoon van het boek Penelope is?? Ook creërt dit godin pov iets meer afstand van de karakters omdat Hera eigenlijk alleen over ze vertelt en nergens echt contact met ze heeft. Ondanks dit pov issue ben ik benieuwd naar boek 2 (want echt ik love penelope, autonoe, eos, medon, priene, echt bijna iedereen) maar vraag ik me wel af wat er verder nog kan gebeuren op het kleine Ithaca als dit alles al is gebeurd...
Echt een heel goed boek, volgt de mythologie goed en lezen uit het perspectief van een godin is echt heel interessant! De kleine plot twists en penelope's plannen vond ik echt heel leuk.
Edit: tja hoewel dat godinnen pov nieuw en heel interessant was werd ik het op het einde wel een beetje beu. Al dat "ik ben zo sterk maar ik kan niks doen" werd (vooral naar het einde) wel een beetje veel vond ik. Dan ben je zo sterk en zijn je "main tricks" wormen in iemand buik stoppen en insectenbeten? En (kleine spoiler hier) ik vond het ergens een beetje gek dat Clytaimnestra Hera's favoriet is terwijl de hoofdpersoon van het boek Penelope is?? Ook creërt dit godin pov iets meer afstand van de karakters omdat Hera eigenlijk alleen over ze vertelt en nergens echt contact met ze heeft. Ondanks dit pov issue ben ik benieuwd naar boek 2 (want echt ik love penelope, autonoe, eos, medon, priene, echt bijna iedereen) maar vraag ik me wel af wat er verder nog kan gebeuren op het kleine Ithaca als dit alles al is gebeurd...
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September 8, 2023Renowned author of science fiction novels Claire North (pseudonym of Catherine Webb) has turned her attention to Greek history and mythology to bring us a feminist retelling with Penelope, wife of Odysseus, at its heart.
Odysseus has been absent for eighteen years. He sailed with an army to fight in the Trojan War, and while other leaders and warriors returned, he never has. And so, the suitors have come knocking.
As she sits and weaves a funeral shroud, Penelope is inundated with suitors looking to marry her and take Odysseus’ place on the throne of Ithaca.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-historic...
Odysseus has been absent for eighteen years. He sailed with an army to fight in the Trojan War, and while other leaders and warriors returned, he never has. And so, the suitors have come knocking.
As she sits and weaves a funeral shroud, Penelope is inundated with suitors looking to marry her and take Odysseus’ place on the throne of Ithaca.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-historic...
May 20, 2023
This is a feminist retelling of ancient Greek mythos. While there are quite a few such retellings were published in recent years, I liked it more than others, quite possibly because I enjoyed other novels by the author.
The story starts roughly in line with a classical version – Odysseus is yet to return, Penelope waits for him, while feeding an army of suitors, who eat, drink and grab female servants; Telemachus growing up. What is usual for most retellings and this isn’t an exception, relations within families aren’t that flowery romantic – in this case Telemachus is a sulky teen, rebelling against his mother and trying to be a proud son of Odysseus, whom he knows only from what poets tell i.e. an infallible hero, not a real person. And a lot of ‘happy’ marriages are actually rapes, only told by hired poets as love affairs… what is unusual is that part of the story is narrated by Hera, wife of Zeus. In the classical mythos, she is often portrayed negatively, punishing ones whom her husband slept with. In this case, it is depicted not as an affair of the god of thunder with mortals, but as rape by him – the interpretation can be definitely used, even if I’d preferred a greater variation. As Hera notes: He does this a lot. He will appear as an injured animal – sometimes a bird, sometimes a bull – limp towards a tender maid, who exclaims, “You poor dear, let me shelter you!” and then poof! Just when you least expected it, that delicate, innocent creature you nurtured upon your bosom has transformed into the naked form of your brother, hand between your thighs, lips upon your throat. I recall Minos' wife Pasiphaë, mother of the Minotaur and her story with the white bull, including the fake cow made by Daedalus by her order, hardly fitting with either a limping animal or a tender maid… however, there is an interesting argument who Hera really was before poets falsified the story of gods.
The story of Penelope then intertwines with the story of the children of Agamemnon – the conqueror of Troy, as they went searching for their mother, Clytemnestra – cousin of Penelope, who killed Agamemnon and run away. Her daughter, Elektra plays here a prominent role, while her son Orestes is mostly in the background.
This is quite an interesting interpretation of not only the Odyssey but ancient Greek mythos in general, and I plan to continue reading it with the second volume planned for 2023.
The story starts roughly in line with a classical version – Odysseus is yet to return, Penelope waits for him, while feeding an army of suitors, who eat, drink and grab female servants; Telemachus growing up. What is usual for most retellings and this isn’t an exception, relations within families aren’t that flowery romantic – in this case Telemachus is a sulky teen, rebelling against his mother and trying to be a proud son of Odysseus, whom he knows only from what poets tell i.e. an infallible hero, not a real person. And a lot of ‘happy’ marriages are actually rapes, only told by hired poets as love affairs… what is unusual is that part of the story is narrated by Hera, wife of Zeus. In the classical mythos, she is often portrayed negatively, punishing ones whom her husband slept with. In this case, it is depicted not as an affair of the god of thunder with mortals, but as rape by him – the interpretation can be definitely used, even if I’d preferred a greater variation. As Hera notes: He does this a lot. He will appear as an injured animal – sometimes a bird, sometimes a bull – limp towards a tender maid, who exclaims, “You poor dear, let me shelter you!” and then poof! Just when you least expected it, that delicate, innocent creature you nurtured upon your bosom has transformed into the naked form of your brother, hand between your thighs, lips upon your throat. I recall Minos' wife Pasiphaë, mother of the Minotaur and her story with the white bull, including the fake cow made by Daedalus by her order, hardly fitting with either a limping animal or a tender maid… however, there is an interesting argument who Hera really was before poets falsified the story of gods.
The story of Penelope then intertwines with the story of the children of Agamemnon – the conqueror of Troy, as they went searching for their mother, Clytemnestra – cousin of Penelope, who killed Agamemnon and run away. Her daughter, Elektra plays here a prominent role, while her son Orestes is mostly in the background.
This is quite an interesting interpretation of not only the Odyssey but ancient Greek mythos in general, and I plan to continue reading it with the second volume planned for 2023.
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