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rhiannonsw1997's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
aimeeec's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kristinsesselja's review against another edition
3.0
I think the changed ending wasn’t effective honestly. But it was fun to read a greek retelling where I didn’t actually know the story that well. But wasn’t the whole point that they were cursed because of incest? And then they just erased that part… weird.
northcoraline's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
adoto's review against another edition
I can't get over the nicknames. I'm sorry. I love Natalie's podcast and every interview she has given but I can't do this
mercibeauk's review against another edition
3.5
I definitely went through a mythology obsession as a teen and it has been fun to get back into it as an adult. This book focuses on the female characters who are often set aside in the traditional stories. This book tells the story of Jocasta, the mother of Oedipus, and Ismene, Jocasta's youngest daughter. I think it helpful to have a foundational knowledge of Oedipus and the story of Antigone for this book.
I loved how the author gave depth to Jocasta and Ismene's characters and fleshed out the story. I actually really appreciated the changes to the storyline and the tension created by the different timelines of the story.
Something I struggled with in this book was that the author often "told" us what was happening instead of "depicting" in the story what was occurring. This might be a preference of mine, but I found myself skipping through some paragraphs when it was just the "telling" of events because it felt tedious to read. I overall enjoyed the story and feel like this is a really great retelling and reframing of a classing Greek tragedy.
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC.
I loved how the author gave depth to Jocasta and Ismene's characters and fleshed out the story. I actually really appreciated the changes to the storyline and the tension created by the different timelines of the story.
Something I struggled with in this book was that the author often "told" us what was happening instead of "depicting" in the story what was occurring. This might be a preference of mine, but I found myself skipping through some paragraphs when it was just the "telling" of events because it felt tedious to read. I overall enjoyed the story and feel like this is a really great retelling and reframing of a classing Greek tragedy.
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC.
lucysnowy's review against another edition
4.0
a very wonderful retelling of the oedipus and antigone stories. i've previously read both of these works by sophocles. and the differences that haynes chose to incorporate were brilliant.
firstly. antigone is not the wonderful, powerful political figure that she is regarded as in modern criticism - she is uncaring in the wake of her brothers' deaths, turning immediately to her belief that she should be queen. and haynes, by forefronting ismene, is dramatically shifting the narrative. she is given a chance to bury the body of eteocles.
he is not a traitor to thebes, either, but a brother who simply wishes to protect his sister. creon, too, is an interesting character, one who we see in the innocence of childhood as part of jocasta's story, then polluted by his grief upon the death of his wife.
the focus on the reckoning was very interesting, and by extension, the introduction of sophon was very important. the way he connects mother and daughter, spanning the time periods, is a wonderful way to show the similarities between the two women.
but the standout character for me has to be jocasta. her growth throughout the book was powerful, as she grows up into a woman. she lives, she mourns for what could have been, she loves, she grieves.
one of the best retellings ive read to this point!
(ps. how many times can i write wonderful in one review lol)
firstly. antigone is not the wonderful, powerful political figure that she is regarded as in modern criticism - she is uncaring in the wake of her brothers' deaths, turning immediately to her belief that she should be queen. and haynes, by forefronting ismene, is dramatically shifting the narrative. she is given a chance to bury the body of eteocles.
he is not a traitor to thebes, either, but a brother who simply wishes to protect his sister. creon, too, is an interesting character, one who we see in the innocence of childhood as part of jocasta's story, then polluted by his grief upon the death of his wife.
the focus on the reckoning was very interesting, and by extension, the introduction of sophon was very important. the way he connects mother and daughter, spanning the time periods, is a wonderful way to show the similarities between the two women.
but the standout character for me has to be jocasta. her growth throughout the book was powerful, as she grows up into a woman. she lives, she mourns for what could have been, she loves, she grieves.
one of the best retellings ive read to this point!
(ps. how many times can i write wonderful in one review lol)
scarls's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book as I enjoy Natalie Haynes writing style, however, as I do vaguely know the stories of both Oedipus and Antigone it was a fairly confusing read as, as the author says herself at the end, she played “fast and loose with their stories”. Knowing the basics of the myths but not quite well enough to know if i was misremembering things or if they were just different in this version was frustrating but i think that may have been my own fault for not remembering the myths…
Nonetheless, good fun all round, love me a good classic myth retelling.
Nonetheless, good fun all round, love me a good classic myth retelling.
christym's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0