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The Last Song of Penelope

Claire North

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336 (54%)

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews

Shirin ≽^•⩊•^≼ t.

561 reviews92 followers

June 24, 2024

"I am Athena, and my love is marble within my chest."

Three queens there were in Greece:

One beloved of Hera, who killed her husband and died (Ithaca),

One who belongs to the goddess of love and her name will live for as long as there is love (House of Odysseus),

And here it is at last, The Last Song of Penelope, One who wed to the beloved of Athena...

"Let his name be remembered for ever, let his story outlast the high temple upon the mountain peak, let all who hear it speak of Odysseus. And when you tell his story, remember: though he was lost, he was not alone. I was always by his side. Sing, poets, of Athena."

This trilogy was indeed worth reading, I am not saying it is perfect... Still, I enjoyed it. It was so smart, each book narrated by a goddess...

In this last conclusion, the story of Odysseus and Penelope after 20 years, after bloodshed, her beloved husband came back, was he beloved at all, loveable now?!

I always wonder in Penelope's story if she is so much in love with her husband and waiting for him so long, or is it just for the sake of her son?! Or only it was Homer building 3 women and each one chose a different path!

And now this book, The Last Song of Penelope:

"Listen closely, for this is the only time I will tell it. A whispered secret, a hidden tale – this is the story of what actually happened when Odysseus returned to Ithaca."

I always said Athena is the tricky one, do I in love or hate her?! Claire North did a smart thing, actually she did in all three books...we all choose between bad and worse, choose for the greater good, and sometimes mistaken

"Wisdom is not loud, is often unseen, unpraised, unremarked. Perhaps, if I were not also the lady of war, I would be wise enough to be content."

I said before in the last book that I also was among others who didn't enjoy the first book, as much as it deserved, but the story improved in the next two, and with some leniency, this deserves 5 stars!

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) via NetGalley for giving me a chance to read The Last Song of Penelope (The Songs of Penelope #3) by Claire North, I have given my honest review.

few long fav quotes:

I made myself like a man of Olympus. I thought , if I did so, that I would finally be able to show my power, to blaze – not as some silly woman, but as wisdom and war incarnate, bright amongst the gods. In some small ways, it worked. I was not mocked, as Aphrodite is; not dismissed so readily as Hera or Demeter when they speak. It was never quite enough, but it was something – and something was all I could grasp. I did not then appreciate what else would come from making myself a man. For these are the things a man may not be: frightened, ashamed, guilty, doubting, hurt, ignorant, full of need. The need to be seen. The need to be touched, the yearning to be held . The need to belong when broken as well as whole, in this ever-changing world.

Ares, of course, loves nothing more than a reckless charge into near-certain doom, the valour of the bloody man who must hold, hold, hold. He loves to cradle a warrior in his arms as he dies, one who did the impossible – and as soon as the life has faded from the dead man’s eyes he stands, shrugs and moves on without a care. War has no time, he says, to remember the names of the dead – that is a problem for peace. Nothing will get done if we stop to linger. This moment – just this – is the only thing that matters.

I have done everything in my power to be . . . relevant. To make the world about me wise, to make wisdom greater than war. I have failed. Men fight and die, and for what? Glory and power and spite and pride – nothing more. Gods and kings spin their stories, and in their stories it is good to die for one man’s pride and to give thanks for the chains that are put about the necks of every child born less than a king. And I thought . . . if I could not wield power through wisdom, or mercy, or justice, then perhaps I could take power in this other way. Perhaps if I became like these men of blood and cruelty, that would be enough. So I banished from my heart all hopes of tenderness, compassion, longing or kindness. I turned away friends for fear of being wounded, laid aside love as a danger, punished women for the things men do, denied my loneliness and refuted my fears.

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Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)

2,547 reviews3,897 followers

June 2, 2024

3.5 Stars
This is a solid conclusion to the Greek myth fantasy series that started back with Ithaca. I enjoyed book one but I struggled with book two. Thankfully this finale entry returned back to the elements that I loved at the beginning of the series.

This is another feminist character driven entry with strong interpersonal moments. Like the previous entries, this one continues to be slow paced. This kind of story is very dependent on the complexity of the characters. I felt these characters were interesting, but could have been stronger.

This book would have a higher rating if I loved mythological retellings more. I suspect other readers who can’t get enough of this fantasy subgenre will love this trilogy even more than I did. I liked it, but I felt it played it a bit safe and I would have loved a more creative approach to the source material.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

fantasy series-complete

Karen

900 reviews115 followers

June 15, 2024

THE LAST SONG OF PENELOPE (THE SONGS OF PENELOPE #3)
BY: CLAIRE NORTH

This was my first reading experience with Claire North, as an author and I have mixed feelings about this last installment. I read this a couple weeks ago and it's the longest time that I have let a novel simmer in my mind after reading it and writing my review. I always write my review while a book is fresh in my mind with this being the exception. Anyone that takes the time to read my reviews, I'm pretty sure knows that I love Greek Mythology feminist re-told tales. My favorite are the two by Madeline Miller which the clear winner is Circe, followed by her former which served as an introduction to her gorgeous prose many years earlier called, The Song of Achilles. I didn't in all honesty find The Last Song of Penelope, which is the final installment in Claire North's trilogy as beautifully written as Madeline Miller's two of the novels which Circe being the clear favorite. If you are familiar with Greek Mythology this can be read as a standalone. I did find Athena's voice and guidance in the narration to be the most compelling written aspects of the novel which Claire North executed brilliantly.

The first book in this trilogy is called, Ithaca, which is narrated from the Greek goddess, Hera's perspective who was Zeus's wife. The second in this trilogy is called, House of Odysseus, which is narrated by the Greek goddess named, Aphrodite with some of the Greek goddess Artemis, as well. This one being reviewed is called, The Last Song of Penelope, which as I said is narrated by the Greek goddess, Athena. Athena is known in Greek Mythology as the goddess who represents: war, wisdom and military victory, but also includes a representation of the arts. The second half of this novel was my least favorite part of the book since it is when Penelope realizes that the shabby looking man who had disguised himself as a beggar is her husband, Odysseus. The reason I didn't feel as engaged in the writing was because it featured battles where they took place at Odysseus's father's farm where Odysseus has followed Penelope's ideas, which didn't feel organic. Because I've studied this subject matter on a scholarly level extensively, I didn't feel as connected to the characters as I should have.

In this re-telling in the feminist representation starts out with descriptions of Ithaca being an Island that was thought inferior since the land is scraggy, scrub brush and rocky, who most of the other kingdoms of Greece felt it less desirable to inhabit. Penelope has reigned by her strategic fashion of not alienating the vast amount of suitors who wish to marry her. One Egyptian King is given more focus in the narrative which was instrumental in his involvement with Penelope and Odysseus's son Telemachus learning to fight. Odysseus has been absent for nearly twenty years which if you are familiar with Homer's "Odyssey", and, "The Iliad," in short where he spent ten years fighting in the Trojan War to simplify it. It actually contains much, much more. For the sake of this novel and review I have omitted a wealth of information. Odysseus took with him all the strong men of fighting age off with him to fight with the other kings and mortals. This left Penelope in a vulnerable position to deal with the suitors who think that she is a widow because of Odysseus's long absence. She has had to deal with an enormous burden being young when he left. There are other men who were also hoping to replace Odysseus as king which Penelope had to outwit such as pirates and King Menelaus, Helen's husband.

What is the difference between, "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey"? They are both epic poems written by Homer, with the scholarly texts that I studied and both contain more than twenty volumes each. I'm going to give a quick and short explanation. "The Iliad," should be read first since they are sequential. The Iliad is the epic poem about the Trojan War which Odysseus was fighting among the other kings of Greece which accounts for ten years of his time away from Ithaca. While the epic poem of "The Odyssey," is the story about the survivor of the war and his attempts to return home. For purposes of this trilogy, and "The Odyssey," it is Odysseus who takes from seven to ten years finding his way back to Ithaca. In this novel, and trilogy, this leaves Penelope utilizing all of her wits to keep other men from and kings from conquering Ithaca with the help of her trusted maidens and women. She has kept her suitors at bay and her son Telemachus who is now a grown man has just returned from searching for his father by which he doesn't have any news of whether Odysseus is alive or dead because he was unable to locate him. We the reader know, that Odysseus is safe and hiding on Ithaca disguised as the beggar, who is watching Penelope in trying to ascertain if she is/has been faithful to him.

The first half was more engaging for me than the second half by which I have already said was largely about battles of which there is retribution from some of the fathers of the suitors fighting Odysseus for something that he did. Actually, there were two things that he did in Claire North's version that has enraged Penelope and were the catalysts for her going to find safety to shelter with her father-in law, who is at Odysseus's father's farm. Before Odysseus makes his presence known Penelope is feeling guilty towards herself, in her view she feels responsible for Telemachus's indifference and hostility to her. She blames herself since she reasons within that she was neglectful of Telemachus's upbringing since she was always preoccupied with saving the kingdom of Ithaca. She is angry at Odysseus for reasons I won't say because they would be major spoilers. It has more to do with acts he did after he revealed who he was, making his presence known upon his return, than the twenty years he spent away.

In the parts of fighting that I found tedious and slow, but then again someone else who reads this may love it for its action driven plot. Odysseus and Telemachus who follow Penelope to the farm, with a small number of men will find themselves fighting for their lives. It is here that I noticed Claire North's writing infused in the empathetic voice of Athena's narration to be stunning. Athena who is created by North to employ her voice of reason, and fighting for just causes. as the goddess of war and wisdom. Athena is seen as a civilizing influence with her wisdom of war, in sharp contrast to Ares who is seen as representing the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter. I did like this part when I felt the author's love of her central characters. One part of this is going to appeal to women as Penelope's is seen as the feminist icon who saves the the main characters by having her maidens and more warriors arrive within Elektra's army fight in an important battle. By bringing in women reinforcements where Odysseus, his father and Telemachus are outnumbered with each battle fought. As the battles proceed, and both sides rest and bury the dead. Next they regroup, and strategic decisions are made when their size of men left are greatly outnumbered by the opposition. As a feminist retelling having Odysseus portrayed as deferring to Penelope's decisions it works for this novel, but I found it unrealistic and that could've influenced my enjoyment of the first half to be more connected to the storytelling, characters and narrative to a greater degree.

In the final saga of Penelope, the song of Penelope is ending and the song of Odysseus's return to take his place as King of Ithaca again will happen if everybody is to be up to the task of cooperation. First it's up to Penelope to dig deep within her and with Athena's gentle guidance and voice it will test Penelope again to gather her wits and use her cunning to win a war for the fate of Ithaca. No matter what, or how grand the challenge, the lengths she will go to save her island and family, in ways that are unconventional and seldom done will surprise you.

Publication Date: June 4, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Claire North and Redhook Books, Redhook for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheLastSongofPenelope #ClaireNorth #RedhookBooksRedhook #NetGalley

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Marianne

3,810 reviews275 followers

June 6, 2024

The Last Song Of Penelope is the final book in The Songs Of Penelope trilogy by award-winning, best-selling British author, Claire North. Odysseus is secretly back in Ithaca, posing as a filthy, smelly beggar while he checks out what Penelope’s been up to during his twenty-year absence. Telemachus has returned from his year-long search for his father empty-handed, from which the hundred suitors for Penelope’s hand deduce that Odysseus is dead: now is their time!

Odysseus and his son are plotting: the suitors must die. But Penelope isn’t fooled by the beggar rags or the act, and she’s quickly worked out what Telemachus and his father are up to. The odds look terrible, and even if they manage to slay all the suitors, that isn’t going to go down too well with their families and leaders. It’s bound to be a bloodbath with few survivors among them. So the clever Queen of Ithaca consults with her midnight council of women, and they make some contingency plans.

Some of the suitors describe Penelope as “tricksy” (there was that thing with the burial shroud for Laertes) and one of those tricks makes it easier for Odysseus, Telemachus and their tiny band when they carry out their massacre. Of course, the inevitable happens and soon they’re holed up at Laertes’s farm when the angry fathers turn up for revenge with mercenaries in tow.

All this time, Penelope is furious, about his distrust of her, and about the fate of some of her maids, so she’s denying Odysseus, never actually accepting that this man is he, referring to anything about her husband in the third person, which makes for some interesting conversations as she gets to comment on his twenty-year absence, and his poor behaviour, with some impunity.

It does take him some time to realise just how canny his wife is: “She was a woman alone, a widow in all but name, and Ithaca needed a strong king to guard its shores. This being so, naturally she would not turn away anyone who sought her hand, not least because if they were busy wooing, they would not be busy plundering, raiding or enslaving her peoples.”

There’s plenty of humour, especially when Laertes or Priene are participating: Priene tells Odysseus “Penelope is right – the isles need to have a king. You are the least awful choice. The one with the greatest story.” There’s also a bit of heartache when Penelope has to send the Egyptian packing, and her moving eulogy for one very close to her can’t fail to bring tears to the reader’s eye. And there are battles, with plenty of bloodshed despite some clever tactics.

This time, North uses the goddess Athena as her narrator who, with her emphasis on war and wisdom, offers quite a different perspective from that of Hera and Aphrodite. Odysseus may have been her favourite for a long time, but she’s coming to respect Penelope and see her intelligence and her worth.

North’s quick summary of the situation that many other poets describe is refreshingly frank, and quite delightful, at times almost tongue in cheek. Athena’s commentary on events and players, on the affairs of gods and mortals, is irreverent and often darkly funny, but also insightful. She observes: “Wisdom is not loud, is often unseen, unpraised, unremarked. Wisdom is rarely easy, too often an unwelcome guest.”

Even novices to the Greek myths and legends will be able to, with perhaps only a cursory check of Wikipedia, thoroughly enjoy North’s treatment of Penelope’s story. This is Greek myth at its most palatable and entertaining. Highly recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.

Celeste

1,030 reviews2,447 followers

June 22, 2024

I adore Greek myth retellings when they’re done well. Circe and The Song of Achilles, Clytemnestra and Stone Blind, Ariadne and Elektra and Atalanta are all examples of excellent retellings, beautifully written. Stone Blind and Circe are even among some of my very favorite books. But North’s Songs of Penelope trilogy has usurped them all on my shelf. It’s rare that a mythic retelling is not a standalone novel. It’s rare that such a story can stay so true to its source material while also being wonderfully original. It’s rare that every book in a trilogy merits five full stars. Songs of Penelope manages to do all three of those things brilliantly. There is nothing that I would change about any of this trilogy, but I believe this final installment, The Last Song of Penelope, is my favorite. What a note to end on.

Each of these three books is told by a different goddess. Ithaca came from Hera’s perspective. House of Odysseus, from Aphrodite. In The Last Song of Penelope, we hear from the third of Olympus’s most prominent goddesses: Athena. (Artemis is also present throughout the series, but she has no interest in sitting still long enough to spin a tale.) Athena is the goddess of war and wisdom, and she sees that the gods of Greece will someday become obsolete. She is determined to be timeless where they are not, and she knows that the best way to achieve that is through a different kind of immortality, that guaranteed by a really good story. She will not be the star of this tale; she will be on the periphery, but that will be more than the rest of the pantheon achieves. It will be enough. It is for the crafting of this story that she has chosen to patron Odysseus and coax him through the twenty years he is away from Ithaca, first in Troy and then on his decade-long journey home. In this book, Odysseus is finally home. And, through the eyes of Athena, we witness all Hades break loose in the court of Penelope.

The triumph of Odysseus as we see it in The Odyssey is tragic here. We see a man storm in and wreck everything a woman has built, as if he has earned that destructive privilege simply by being a man. But here, that destructive force is a hero of the ages, one that millennia of readers and listeners have respected for his canniness: Odysseus. We know him as wise and clever, a man who always thinks through every step in a plan. And here, we see him lose his grip on that cleverness. In the wreckage, he and his furious, devastated wife must figure out how to repair the damage. Or, at least, how to survive it.

I love the character work in this series. Penelope, who has always been portrayed has nothing more than a faithful wife with just enough of her husband’s cleverness to outfox the suitors who plague her halls, is a woman of great depth here. We see her grow as the series progresses, as the layers of her character are slowly peeled back. And then there’s Odysseus. Because he is so intelligent and canny, we see him regain his grip on the cleverness that failed him in the heat of the moment. We see him learning from those mistakes and putting serious effort into cultivating empathy, as that’s what he needs to understand Penelope. His responses are so different from those of other men and kings in this land, in this time. At first, these differences are solely because he refuses to be like other men; he is better. But as the story continues, he begins to see himself and those around him — especially the women — differently, more clearly. He changes. He learns. He grows. I found both husband and wife incredibly believable and exquisitely rendered.

North’s writing is fantastic. Her prose in this series is as close to flawless as humanly possible. It’s brimming with humor and emotion while also being absolutely gorgeous. This series is excellent in physical and digital form, because it’s just a wonderful, timeless story, very well told. But it’s absolutely brilliant on audio. The Iliad and The Odyssey were the zenith of oral storytelling, and North has woven that kind of cadence into her unique retelling. Catrin Walker-Booth also just does a phenomenal job on the audio narration.

The elements I loved in the first two installments in the series carry through The Last Song of Penelope, as well. Besides the aforementioned character development and phenomenal craftsmanship to the writing itself, I just love how this series is set up. The pacing and setting are very well done. But one of the highlights for me is all of the gender politics, both ancient and modern, that is woven into the narrative. This is a very feminist series, but it never felt preachy or like it had an agenda. The point was to tell the stories of the women and goddesses on the periphery of such a famous story, and North was very successful in her aim.

I love everything about the Songs of Penelope trilogy. It’s a unique but timeless take on a story that has shaped storytelling for as far back as collective memory can recall. The entire trilogy is now shelved alongside my favorites. It’s a story I’ll be revisiting often, and I’ll think of it whenever The Iliad or The Odyssey are mentioned.

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Kate O'Shea

895 reviews109 followers

May 29, 2024

The final chapter of the Penelopiad and its been just as excellent as the first two. Claire North has managed a feminist retelling that has really told the possible story of the women in the Odysseus myth.

Penelope has been Queen of Ithaca for 20 years without her husband, Odysseus. She has managed the finances, outsmarted the suitors who told her that Odysseus was dead, she has (with her band of warrior women) beaten back raiders and those who would take her land. She is, in fact, more of a ruler than Odysseus had ever been (or had time to be what with the wars and the manliness etc).

And who comes here, into her Palace but a bedraggled beggar just wanting a crust from the table. Penelope is thankfully no fool and sees the badly disguised Odysseus for who he is immediately. However she also knows the situation needs handling with kid gloves. The suitors have been around for ten long years and their fathers are expecting one of them will be King of Ithaca at some point. They need appeasing. Telemachus, Odysseus' son) who came back from his travels with no news of his father needs his manhood protected and Odysseus needs to feel like the conquering hero. Penelope begins her softly softly approach to all these puzzles.

However Odysseus, being the conquering hero, decides on swift justice - the suitors are slaughtered, the faithless maids put to death and ... and then. Well then the trouble really begins.

The Last Song of Penelope is everything it's predecessors were. It is smart, funny, sympathetic and one of the best retellings I've read. Claire North has imbued Penelope with the perfect traits for any wife who has ruled without her husband for decades. And how else would you survive but on your wits and with your sisters to help.

I loved it. I loved the first two - Ithaca and House of Odysseus. I'd urge anyone even vaguely interested in Greek myth or just enjoys a really well written novel to read them. They are all extremely entertaining.

Thankyou so much to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the advance review copy. Very much appreciated.

maven calore’s venice b!tch

372 reviews4 followers

Want to read

October 1, 2023

I NEED THIS TO COME OUT RIGHT NOW. also is it bad that i ship kenamon (or whatever his name is) with penelope? 😭 i just want them to be happy bro. i predict that this book will be narrated by athena (as the last of the three goddesses who “helped spark” the trojan war)

Ceinwen Langley

Author 3 books228 followers

June 20, 2024

Perfection.

adult fantasy historical

Julie - One Book More

1,190 reviews211 followers

June 9, 2024

Sometimes the hardest book reviews to write are the ones for books you completely inhale body and soul because what can you say that compares to how much you loved the book? That’s how I’m feeling with The Last Song of Penelope, the final book in Claire North’s The Songs of Penelope series. A fresh and feminist twist on a classic tale, this is a brilliant read and definitely one of my favorites of the year.

Claire North is a gifted storyteller with a beautiful (and poetic at times) writing style that transported me into Penelope’s world on Ithaca. From the first pages where the island is so deftly personified that it becomes a character in itself, I was submersed in Penelope’s story. She’s an amazing and complex protagonist, wise, shrewd, and brave, and this series created such a layered and fully realized woman. This is not Odysseus’s wife. She is her own woman – a leader, a strategist, a mother, and a friend – which she proves time and again. There were times in the book when her story broke my heart and others when I physically cheered for her. She is a force, and she is not to be dismissed. At one point in the story it says, “Wisdom is not loud, is often unseen, unpraised, unremarked,” and I feel like this describes Penelope and her amazing council of women so well.

The series has been an in-depth character study of Penelope, but in this book, we also have a nuanced look at Odysseus. If you’ve ever read The Odyssey and remember Odysseus’s return home, you’ll be as captivated with The Last Song of Penelope as I was! It’s a fascinating character study of a deeply flawed man who has always been presented as a larger-than-life hero. While staying accurate to the original tale, we see a totally different, less glamorized version of the end of The Odyssey and after. North captures the vicious brutality of Odysseus and Telemachus, and it’s horrifying, as is what happens after.

I found Odysseus’s mess of thoughts throughout the novel to be illuminating. His feelings about the war, his time with other women, the loss of his crew and friends, and his ignorance of Ithaca and its inhabitants weigh heavily on him, and though he often acts rashly, he also acts with more patience and subservience than I ever expected. I love how his character changes and grows and learns to appreciate the people he continually disregarded and underappreciated. I also was so fascinated with Odysseus’s broken relationship with Penelope.

Unlike the original story, Odysseus’s reunion with his wife is less than amicable, and it’s no wonder. So much has happened over the twenty years Odysseus has been gone and in the time he��s been home, and many of his actions are unforgivable. The relationship between Penelope and Odysseus is stilted and complicated and hanging on by the thinnest thread in her loom. I’ve never read a story where their relationship was explored in such an intricate and layered manner, and we see it all – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

For much of the story, Penelope and Odysseus are distanced from each other, physically and emotionally, which is vastly different from the tales they both admit to spreading (he claims he’s desperate to get back to his only love, and she professes to be mourning the loss of the husband she misses when both are lies). It’s an interesting contrast and commentary on the unreliability of the spoken word, especially when tales are told over and over again, as they often change with the speaker. It’s also an immersive and hard look at a marriage in crisis and a couple fighting to maintain control, adjust to a new life after 20 years apart, and relearn to respect, depend on, and trust each other.

So the story is excellent, the characters are fascinating, and the writing is brilliant. But on top of that, this is the kind of book that really makes you think. There are so many thought-provoking scenes that shine light on issues like toxic masculinity, gender stereotypes and roles, masculinity vs femininity, marriage, love and loss, grief, and so much more. It’s the kind of read that sits with you and stays with you long after you finish it. And a special shout-out to Laertes for being a bright spot in an often dark story.

A massive amount of thanks to Orbit Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

fantasy

Paul Perry

398 reviews223 followers

July 30, 2024

A stunning end to Claire North's Song of Penelope trilogy - poetic, satirical, humane. One of those books that are so good it makes me consider revisiting recent books I've awarded five stars.

Sarah

86 reviews

June 30, 2024

This has been a truly enjoyable series to read and this finale lived up to my expectations - that last 10% was pretty great and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next.

The novel this time is told through Athena's point of view, and details how Penelope dealt with the return of her husband Odysseus. After lots of brutal murders and fighting, the two have to team up to ensure they continue to reign over their island. The character of their son Telemachus was extremely irritating and very well written to be like that after the last two novels. I felt very sad for Kenamon and how his story ended but I'm glad he left before the drama started.

Each novel in this trilogy was narrated by a different goddess but the authors sense of humour shined through them all and the way women were depicted was epic through them all.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and the author.

2024 netgalley

Kelly

112 reviews

June 23, 2024

“Nothing, I howl to the stars and sun, to the endless night and cruel breaking day. There is nothing so dangerous as the need to be loved, as the desire to be seen, to be held, to be known in all your failings and loved despite them all. Nothing as heart-cracking, as soul-sheering, as to love and be loved and be seen to laugh and seen to weep and known to be afraid and so away with it, let it be gone! It is cruel to be wise, and yet still to yearn”

Athena and her narration as a woman who is constantly repressing and is unable to properly express what she feels was so special to me actually.

The writing staying consistently beautiful - that scene with Penelope and Kenamon in the garden was so vividly described I could picture it so clearly and it had me welling up hard.

Marks the first time I’ve given a full trilogy five stars which is an achievement and a half given how steengy I am at giving them out. But much like when Craig Revel Horwood does it, you know when the full marks are given it means it was REALLY worth it.

12 reviews

I love womanhood.

36 reviews1 follower

‘does she believe in redemption? does he understand that he needs to be redeemed?’
oh odysseus and penelope we’re really in it now

myth

Moonkiszt

2,491 reviews292 followers

July 18, 2024

In this third book of Claire North's Songs of Penelope series - she renders a very interesting take on the story of Odysseus in the narrative voices of female Goddesses of Greek myth lore: in the first book Ithaca it was Hera a reader heard from. In the second book House of Odysseus it was narrated by Aphrodite, and in The Last Song of Penelope we hang with Athena who directs a reader's gaze to the physical world and persons of interest, while filling their ears or eyes (depending on reading format) with the inner "view" only she would have.

This continues to be my favorite part of these books. To be given a Goddess's Eye view of a classic work. . .and in this particular work the author has brilliantly NOT chosen the main protagonist of the classic work to feature, but rather one that is overlooked, Penelope, Odysseus' wife and queen. An intriguing choice because she is a woman, a lesser-than person in the time of the classic work's writing. Disturbing to admit that in our present time things haven't changed enough in those role assignments and assumptions. To have differing Goddesses providing insights to the reader, and the long tale split three ways, gives three thought-provoking reads.

For me, Athena is a welcome choice as narrator. Penelope needs to deal with a murderous son, and the return of Odysseus, his beggar masquerade, and the massacres his presence brings about. This is my least favorite part of the classic, and North stays true to this stupidity (imho). Yet he is Athena's favorite and she stays on his side of all his questionable choices. As does Penelope, but. . and here is the big but I like in this retelling. . .she's not doing it for him or her. . .she's all about their people and community. It's a sacrifice I can barely stand but as the curtains close, I appreciate the author's El Fin.

Of the three, this was my favorite, hence the extra star.

*A sincere thank you to Claire North, Redhook Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

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Sarah Reads

151 reviews10 followers

March 30, 2024

The Last Song of Penelope is the final installment in Claire North's The Songs Of Penelope trilogy. It tells the story of Odysseus' return to Ithaca and how he, disguised as an old begger, spies upon Penelope and the suitors to uncover any wrong doings of his wife's in his absence.
Full of anger and without the full story, Odysseus lashes out at the suitors, and Penelope's maids, insighting a revenge-fueled war. Odysseus has survived twenty years of war, tragedy, and the wrath of the gods, but can he survive the vengeance sought by the family of those he killed?

Thank you #NetGalley, Redhook Books, and the Author Claire North for an advanced readers copy of The Last Song of Penelope in exchange for an honest review. I LOVED the first two books, so i might have screamed a little in excitement when I got approved! If you love mythology retellings and a feminist perspective, then this is the book for you! Put its release date of June 4th, 2024, on your calendars!

Jane

351 reviews31 followers

July 20, 2024

This, like the two volumes preceding it in the series The Songs of Penelope, is just fantastic. I loved all three and the developing story of Penelope, the suitors, the kingdom of Ithaca, waiting twenty long years for the return of Odysseus from the Trojan war. The books are beautifully written, funny in parts, exciting, with a feminism worn lightly and convincingly. But more than anything they are just so much fun. Oh, and the goddesses and god or two, who are beautifully portrayed in all their—often conflicting—passionate partisanship, godly splendor and frailties. Oh, and Telemachus, son of Penelope and Odysseus, who is such a twit, always trying to live up to his storied father, always dismissing his mother’s wisdom and measured ways, failing at both. Lastly, the play of story, what the poets will tell, what really happened in war and love and shifting alliances, is another theme and resonant with our own time and the familiar jockeying for control of “the narrative”, for better and worse. Though these stories are a lot more entertaining and edifying.

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Naomi

879 reviews4 followers

July 14, 2024

I've really enjoyed this trilogy of greek myth retellings. Taking each book from the pov of a different goddess brought a really interesting flavour to each book. Whilst I know the Penelope/Odysseus story well, this brought a new lens to it and, I felt, was very thoughtfully crafted.
I do think each book could have been shortened a bit, but other than that, I've really enjoyed each.

Alanna Hill

171 reviews4 followers

July 3, 2024

such a solid ending to this trilogy that i have so thoroughly enjoyed. poignant is not the word i’d thought would initially describe this book, but it is in fact the one i’m left with. athena pov done so so so well! way to stick the landing miss claire.

Katie

248 reviews2 followers

July 8, 2024

nothing happy happened this entire book and that's fine but it was just not fun

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Sandra T.

186 reviews10 followers

June 19, 2024

The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars
Publication date: 20 June 2024
Thank you to Little Brown Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .

What a brilliant ending to this trilogy! I was so looking forward to reading this ARC and it did not disappoint.
Our third and last godly narrator is Athena, the Goddess of War and Wisdom, and it was a more subdued narration compared to its predecessors, but it had amazing moments of rage and passion (Priene's charge had me holding my breath.)
I have loved Penelope throughout those books, and she really solidified herself as one of my favourite characters ever. She is charismatic, intelligent, strong, resilient and caring, and her dynamics with the returning-after-20-years-and-f***ing-things-up Odysseus are tense and complex.
Just like the previous two books, the secondary characters are excellent and so vivid (Penelope's warriors, her father in law, Laertes, and Kenamon amongst many others, as well as Elektra making a powerful cameo.)
I appreciated the overall theme about women's place in history, about who gets to tell those stories and who gets to be celebrated. I have loved Claire North's writing and I'm going to seek everything she's written before, and everything she's going to write from now on.

Tanya

1,111 reviews19 followers

June 11, 2024

"I will fight for the women. I will fight for the maids. I will fight ... in some way ... to keep them safe. Even if that means," a scowl of displeasure about her lips, "fighting to defend some ... Greek king. If it needs a man on the throne to keep them safe, even a man like Odysseus, then ... they are what matter." [loc. 2159]

The culmination of the 'Songs of Penelope' trilogy, which began with Ithaca and continued with The House of Odysseus. In my review of the latter I wrote that I suspected the third book's narrator would be Athena, and so it is. Poor Athena. She's convinced that she will only be remembered because of Odysseus, whom she's championed lo these many years. 'A good story can outlast almost everything. And for that I need Odysseus.'

Finally his long journey home is complete, and he returns to Ithaca disguised as a beggar -- a disguise which fools Penelope for about three seconds. She is not pleased by her husband's return, and even less happy when he and their son Telemachus dispatch the importunate suitors (pre-drugged by Penelope's maids) and then hang some of the maids for fraternisation. (I was dreading this scene, and am relieved that in North's version of the story, only three of the maids are killed. But three is more than enough.) Penelope's fury at her husband for overturning everything she's built in his absence, and for provoking all-out warfare by his slaughter of the guests in his house, is palpable. She wants him dead. And yet she knows that if her transformation of Ithaca comes to light, she and all the women who've worked with her to preserve her island will perish at the hands of men.

Odysseus is almost monstrous, and Telemachus is weak: but Odysseus is also legendarily clever, and he begins to realise that Penelope is the reason he has a home to return to, and that she is the de facto queen of Ithaca -- not because of her marriage to him, but because of what she has achieved. And, in the end, it's Penelope, her women, and her astute alliances that save the day.

The writing is superlative, the characterisation acutely observed, and the description of the muddy, bloody, haphazard nature of Bronze Age warfare seems more likely than the cinematic depictions (Troy) of glorious combat. Athena, too, is vividly depicted: another female fighting to be taken seriously, her existence constrained by the expectations and prejudices of the other Olympian gods. But Penelope is at the heart of this story, and it is her story. She's the one who decides how it should be told, and how her husband's reputation will be shaped by the poets. Because nobody must ever know what she has done.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 18 JUN 2024.

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Jenny B (RhinoAGoodBook)

97 reviews3 followers

June 28, 2024

When a ragged beggar shows up on the island of Ithaca, Penelope immediately recognizes him as her plotting husband who has been missing the last 20 years. As Odysseus is busy making his plans against the suitors in his palace, he is also trying to decide whether his queen has been faithful. How far does he want to take his revenge? Penelope tries to stay a few steps ahead and help Odysseus carry out his plan without him realizing just how strategic his wife has become.

Most of us are very familiar with the heroic tales of Odysseus, but less is written about his queen who is left to fend for herself amongst the suitors with a dwindling treasury. In the world of Greek Mythology women are usually at the mercy of men, afraid of rape or even to just exist too loudly amongst them. What I love about this trilogy is the quiet strength the women possess. Penelope knows just how to lead while pretending that she isn't in control at all (because we must not bruise the delicate male egos of Ancient Greece). As the island doesn't contain many men of fighting age, it's up to the women to keep everything running and to defend Ithaca from outside forces. This last book in the Songs of Penelope Trilogy gives us the return of the mighty Odysseus - and yet he's really not so heroic. It still comes down to the women to save Ithaca from some rash actions. Each book is written from the viewpoint of a Goddess, and this installment is by Athena who is the perfect final narrator.

The characters are very complex and well-written. Penelope and Odysseus especially have so much depth - they're so different than the wife pining for her wise and heroic husband to return. Instead we have a capable queen who has ruled Ithaca longer than the king has, and he comes in without a well-thought-out plan and destroys her carefully crafted peace. I love the various feminist voices, the Egyptian suitor, and the scraggly, old Laertes. Telemachus is definitely the most annoying character here, and I know he is written that way on purpose, but there are lots of cringeworthy moments. There is a bit of humor amongst the bloodshed and scheming. I love the fact that Penelope refuses to acknowledge Odysseus as her actual husband for a majority of the book, as this allows her to verbally criticize him, repeatedly, without retribution. All in all, this was a great ending in the tale.

I recommend this book to all who love Greek Mythology and female-driven narratives. There are battles and death and mentions of rape. Although I highly recommend starting with the first book in the trilogy, I also think you could jump right in, especially if you're familiar with The Iliad and The Odyssey. I look forward to reading more from Claire North! I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and Redhook books for my opinions.

4.5 Rounded up

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Candace Sewell

260 reviews2 followers

April 17, 2024

I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let me preface this by saying I have not read the previous two books in this series, but from what I read, it does well as a standalone so I decided to try it.

I enjoyed this, but perhaps not as much as I would have had I read the other books. There’s background I sense I missed, characters I would’ve appreciated more, and plot lines I would’ve understood a bit more in depth. For that reason, I do recommend reading the others first, but it truly isn’t necessary for the story.

The plot line is… well… I mean this is a retelling so it’s pretty true to Odysseus’s life as written in the epics. It was well done and lyrical, told from Athena’s POV. I personally thought the beginning was a bit slow for my liking (again, the issue of not reading the other two first), but the second half was interesting and had me wanting to continue. It took me over a week to read the first half, but two days for the second. The characters are interesting and cunning, but with the omniscient Athena, little is hidden from the reader. Men are generally trash in this book, but it is set in Ancient Greece so that is unsurprising. The writing is lyrical and poetic, but is part of the reason the book drug so much for me. I normally don’t mind writing like this, but for whatever reason, it didn’t do it for me like it usually does. I can appreciate a slow build, but I definitely struggled with this one.

All in all, I’ll give this a 3.25⭐️ with the allowance I likely would’ve enjoyed this much more after reading the series. If I do read the other two books, I may revisit and update my rating, but as a standalone, it wasn’t what I hoped it would be.

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Christine Liu

252 reviews77 followers

June 23, 2024

Look, I’ll just come right out and say it. Claire North’s Songs of Penelope trilogy is the ONLY Greek mythology retelling you need to read. I’ve previously posted about each of the first two books, which give us a detailed account of what was going on in Ithaca during the years Odysseus spent journeying home. When The Last Song of Penelope begins, Odysseus has finally arrived back on his home shores, and bloody mayhem ensues.

In the original source material, the climax of the story takes place when Odysseus wins the archery competition Penelope has set with a prize of earning her hand in marriage, then reveals his identity to everyone and slays the suitors who have exploited his wife’s hospitality and dishonored his halls. That happens around the middle of this book. What unfolds in the second half is a powerful reckoning with the consequences of his actions. In the hands of a less capable writer, it would be extremely easy to make him appear to be either a stock villain or a glorified antihero, but Claire North gives us an Odysseus who is neither, but feels more human than any other depiction I’ve encountered in any form of media. Without revealing too much about the plot, I’ll just say that it’s a truly satisfying conclusion to a series that is heads and shoulders above anything else in the genre.

But true to its title, this isn’t a book about Odysseus. It’s an ode to Penelope, to the maids who helped her keep Ithaca standing for twenty years, to the silent labor of women who do what must be done and have no songs sung about their heroic feats. Watching Penelope’s journey unfold over these three books has been a privilege and a delight. I can’t recommend this trilogy enough.

Sevim

111 reviews1 follower

July 8, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"When the sea has taken everything else away, the only thing that remains is a man who wills himself to live. No soul of note. No character worth any mention. Just flesh, hanging on"

A very satisfying conclusion to the Songs of Penelope trilogy, and, in my opinion, by far the best of the three books - a 3.5 stars to the solid 3 I gave "House of Odysseus", though I'm still compelled to round the rating down for the purposes of Goodreads - I might have considered rounding up had it not been for the underwhelming, though very Greek Deus ex machina ending I could see coming from miles. As expected, Athena is the narrator of this final installment, and though I still wish Hera had remained the sole narrator, I cannot begrudge Claire North's choice here (though I still could have done without Aphrodite as a narrator).

There is a subtle improvement in North's prose here too - The Last Song of Penelope is still peppered with certain somewhat jarring patterns of speech, but to a much lesser degree, and it doesn't detract from the overall gravity of the novel.

Another thing I didn't necessarily appreciate is that Odysseus's character was somewhat lackluster, at times even meek - my view of him is still somewhat shaped by Atwood's Penelopiad, and I did not expect him to yield to the feminine power of Penelope and the maids quite so easily - though I respect that this novel's focal point is markedly different, and accept his characterization insofar as it served the narrative, and highlighted Penelope's cunning, her authority. That being said, I'm still not a fan of the overarching theme in modern myth retellings of making the men lesser so the women might shine - an opportunity was lost there, I feel, of letting those two characters play off of each other, instead of one overshadowing the other so clearly.

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Mere

1,140 reviews36 followers

May 31, 2024

Thank you to orbit for a final copy of this book.

First off, I have been eerily awaiting to see how this book series was going to end and how it was going to tie back into the original myth because Claire does such a fantastic job of both sticking to the original myth but also adding her own twists and flair to the woman's stories.

I am very happy to say I absolutely adored how she took Penelope's story and made it far more in depth and interesting than the Odyssey actually made it. One thing I really loved about this book was how it was told from a goddess's point of view and as if she was the one helping to write the story or write the song that would eventually be sung.

There were a lot of amazing parts in this book and there are just too many to list, mostly because some of them are just better read. I honestly really don't know what else to say because this book left me with a lot of feelings and emotions and this is definitely one I think I would love to reread and annotate. Actually, I would love to do that to the whole series because I feel like there's messaging in this book that is done both subtly and very well that sometimes you can miss if you're not paying attention.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves Greek mythology and feels that the woman in these stories were mistreated or misunderstood and should have had larger parts to play.

Dan Trefethen

961 reviews46 followers

June 10, 2024

I had thought the second book in this series, House of Odysseus, was the last book. The series is about the women of Ithaca surviving for twenty years after Odysseus left, and the book ends with Odysseus washing up on the shore of Ithaca. That might have been a reasonable point to end it.

Claire North wasn't done. She wanted to dive into the story of Odysseus reclaiming his kingdom, slaughtering the suitors, and triumphing over his enemies who would have usurped his role.

But wait, that's not entirely what happens, even though that's the legend we know. Once again North tells us the story behind the story, how the women attempt to survive and overcome Odysseus's massive mistakes. And it tells the story about the notoriously wiliest man in ancient Greece, and how he might, just might, come to break out of the macho constraints that bind his behavior.

It's a heartbreaking story, but a compelling one. As narrated by the goddess Athena who has mixed feelings about her 'favorite', Odysseus, it allows the author both an omniscient viewpoint on all characters but also a more distanced one, giving us a unique view into the legend that we think we know, but really have no idea what really happened. North's telling seems more realistic than most of what is told in the Odyssey.

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Melanie De Vera

19 reviews1 follower

June 2, 2024

I’ve always had a soft spot in Greek mythology. I binge read through this entire series within a week, which is why I was so happy I got a chance to read the final installment as an arc.

What I enjoyed most about Claire North’s retellings is that they’re all done in a perspective that we didn’t grow up learning in high school, which is from a female’s perspective. The first two books follow Penelope while her husband, Odysseus is away for war. This final book is when he’s finally back and Penelope begins to anticipate and deal with her fate.

The Last Song of Penelope, while beautifully written, didn’t compare to the previous books. Overall, I loved the complexity that’s added to the original story. Recommending anyone who’s also had an interest in Greek mythology.

Katie

181 reviews1 follower

June 5, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC.

As someone whose introduction to Greek Mythology came through The Odyssey, this book brought me so much joy. It was a story I knew told from a perspective I have been really enjoying from Claire North these past couple of books. This trilogy has given me so much insight into the gaping whole left behind during a male-centred myth, how Ithaca still stood for the 20 years its king was gone.

The Last Song of Penelope was beautifully written and the narration from Athena’s perspective was particularly interesting, reading her feelings towards Penelope and Odysseus and even Artemis to an extent.

I really loved seeing how Penelope and Odysseus’s estranged marriage was drawn back together, how they unravelled what had happened to each of them during the two decades apart, how Odysseus underestimated his wife and how Penelope taught him the true value of women beyond what he saw them for.

I am truly sad to see this trilogy come to an end but I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews

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The Last Song of Penelope

Claire North

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