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stephalexa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Narrated by Aphrodite, House of Odysseus follows the story of the women of Greek epic and tragedy.
Penelope is besieged by suitors, her husband Odysseus still some time from returning and her son, Telemachus, searching for news of him.
When Elektra and her brother, Orestes, arrive seeking help with his illness, Penelope and her band of women set about ensuring that Menelaus of Sparta doesn't take Orestes' throne.
This was a wonderfully lyrical reimagining of myth - the prose excellently suited to the original source material. At times there were some more modern turns of phrase and Aphrodite's character makes her domain very clear. There was some lovely vocabulary used throughout, again very fitting for something inspired by epic.
I hadn't read Ithaca before this and could easily dive straight in - the dramatis personae was helpful in filling in a few blanks. I will, however, be adding Ithaca to my TBR so that I can continue the story.
I really appreciated the female focus of the story, as well as the interaction between the mortal and divine. This too, has a female lense.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys myth retellings and wants to hear more from the female characters of the these stories.
Please do check the content warnings.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC in return for an honest opinion.
Penelope is besieged by suitors, her husband Odysseus still some time from returning and her son, Telemachus, searching for news of him.
When Elektra and her brother, Orestes, arrive seeking help with his illness, Penelope and her band of women set about ensuring that Menelaus of Sparta doesn't take Orestes' throne.
This was a wonderfully lyrical reimagining of myth - the prose excellently suited to the original source material. At times there were some more modern turns of phrase and Aphrodite's character makes her domain very clear. There was some lovely vocabulary used throughout, again very fitting for something inspired by epic.
I hadn't read Ithaca before this and could easily dive straight in - the dramatis personae was helpful in filling in a few blanks. I will, however, be adding Ithaca to my TBR so that I can continue the story.
I really appreciated the female focus of the story, as well as the interaction between the mortal and divine. This too, has a female lense.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys myth retellings and wants to hear more from the female characters of the these stories.
Please do check the content warnings.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC in return for an honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Torture
Minor: War
introvertsbookclub's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
I love the ways that North explores Greek myths. Her choice of Aphrodite for the narrator was surprising in a novel about Penelope on Ithaca but her portrayal of Aphrodite ended up being one of my favourite aspects of the novel. North’s Aphrodite is as tender as she is impassioned, and as driven by love between sisters and friends, as she is by romantic lovers.
North’s Penelope is a continuation of the Penelope she introduces in the first novel in this series. Clever, cunning and crafty, she plays the grieving wife and worried mother in front of her councillors and suitors (all of whom are laughably incompetent), but is ruling from the shadows when they are not looking, having assembled a small army of women to assist her.
The depictions of Helen, Menelaus and Elektra were exciting to read, and the various plot lines interesting to unwind. To take three separate stories – Penelope waiting for Odysseus on Ithaca, Orestes and Elektra recovering from Clytemnestra’s murder, and Menelaus and Helen’s life after Troy – and thread them together created one epic narrative that was so much fun to read. I can’t wait for the next instalment.
North’s Penelope is a continuation of the Penelope she introduces in the first novel in this series. Clever, cunning and crafty, she plays the grieving wife and worried mother in front of her councillors and suitors (all of whom are laughably incompetent), but is ruling from the shadows when they are not looking, having assembled a small army of women to assist her.
The depictions of Helen, Menelaus and Elektra were exciting to read, and the various plot lines interesting to unwind. To take three separate stories – Penelope waiting for Odysseus on Ithaca, Orestes and Elektra recovering from Clytemnestra’s murder, and Menelaus and Helen’s life after Troy – and thread them together created one epic narrative that was so much fun to read. I can’t wait for the next instalment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
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