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pedanther's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
shay_talksbooks's review against another edition
challenging
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Dropping into Ithaca with Penelope whilst Odysseus is 'lost at sea'/on his quest (actually holed up with Calypso on Ogygia), following the politics of the court and all the drama that unfolds upon the island.
I've read a lot about Helen, Clytemnestra & Elektra, but very little about Penelope so this filled in a few gaps in my Greek mythology knowledge!
I really enjoyed this one, although it did take me a while to get into the narration. The story is told by Hera and, at the beginning, the humour felt a bit forced and like the author was constantly trying to be funny instead of just telling the story, but at some point that changed for me and I began to really love and appreciate Hera's snarky comments. Loved it, and will definitely read the rest of the trilogy.
I've read a lot about Helen, Clytemnestra & Elektra, but very little about Penelope so this filled in a few gaps in my Greek mythology knowledge!
I really enjoyed this one, although it did take me a while to get into the narration. The story is told by Hera and, at the beginning, the humour felt a bit forced and like the author was constantly trying to be funny instead of just telling the story, but at some point that changed for me and I began to really love and appreciate Hera's snarky comments. Loved it, and will definitely read the rest of the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, and Rape
Moderate: Slavery
ezio_sev's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Claire North’s writing reads like poetry. She tells a unique story through the eyes of Hera about Penelope, queen of Ithaca, as she tries to save her island and grapples with her fading relationship with her son.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
woolgathering_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
„Love is for fools and children.“
„And yet we live, Leaneira. We live.“
What a masterpiece of a book, wow. The prose was excellent, it reminded me of the Bridgerton narrator, but like hundred times better. It's witty, engaging and easy to read. The story was unfolding at a slower, but nevertheless enjoyable pace, and I loved how the narrator didn't tell us everything, how we were invited to think about the story and its characters and come to our own conclusions about some things. I adored the wide cast of woman characters, who were all masterfully written - complex, sometimes unlikeable and messy, driven, and so real. The only issue I had that there - ironically - too many male characters for me to keep track of, I kept forgetting who was who, lol. It also felt like just a glimpse into the lives of the gods and the mortals alike, like there is so much more to come - you can imagine my delight when I found out that this is the start of a series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
zemightyenby's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Blood
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence
fronk10's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A really interesting book of political intrigue and hidden agendas. I didn’t know a lot about Penelope going in, and it was refreshing to see a different aftermath of Tory and a parallel to the Odyssey. It got a little slow in the middle, but I loved the camaraderie between the women of Ithaca and the goddesses of Olympus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Violence
sirenricobooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Pregnancy
andrealinia's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Violence
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The story of the women of Ithaca awaiting the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, narrated by Hera.
This was the inaugural pick for my new book club Myth of the Month and it was fun way to kick off the year! I thought the narration was hilarious and really enjoyed Hera as a storyteller. That said, I found the plot a bit slow-moving, and felt like not very much happened…by the time things started to pick up towards the end, the book was over, and I felt like the entire story was more of a set-up for a sequel than a standalone novel.
Still, if you enjoy feminist mythology retellings, this one was beautifully written, and I would still recommend it overall, particularly if you like a more character-driven narrative!
CW: Murder/blood; death of parent; sexual violence; slavery
The story of the women of Ithaca awaiting the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, narrated by Hera.
This was the inaugural pick for my new book club Myth of the Month and it was fun way to kick off the year! I thought the narration was hilarious and really enjoyed Hera as a storyteller. That said, I found the plot a bit slow-moving, and felt like not very much happened…by the time things started to pick up towards the end, the book was over, and I felt like the entire story was more of a set-up for a sequel than a standalone novel.
Still, if you enjoy feminist mythology retellings, this one was beautifully written, and I would still recommend it overall, particularly if you like a more character-driven narrative!
CW: Murder/blood; death of parent; sexual violence; slavery
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
maheandco's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mythologie grecque - femmes dirigeantes - secrets
Ce livre est un véritable coup de coeur à mes yeux. Fan inconditionnel de l'univers d'Homère, c'est la première fois que je lis la réécriture de l'Odyssée du point de vue de Penelope ; ou du moins, des femmes de cette île.
Le plot est relativement simple : voilà près de de huit ans que la guerre de Troie est finie, mais toujours aucune nouvelle du roi Ulysse. Bien que cela fait une vingtaine d'année désormais que Penelope dirige le royaume avec discrétion, plusieurs éléments viennent perturber la paix présumée d'Ithaque. Encore une fois, ce sera aux femmes d'y réagir.
La première chose qui m'a clairement surprise dans cet ouvrage, c'est le point de vue : il s'agit de celui de la déesse Héra et une chose est sûre : elle est *petty*. Déesse souvent mise à part et peu apprécié pour ce qu'elle est réellement, elle a jeté son dévolue sur les femmes d'Ithaque et notamment la reine Penelope. Une reine fière, forte et dont la discrétion est son atout principal.
Cette série sera une trilogie et on sent ici que pas mal de choses se mettent en place, mais suffisamment pour me faire déjà pleurer sans que je n'ai rien demandé. Plusieurs histoires se rencontre, notamment avec Clytemnestra et la vengeance de ses enfants Oreste et Elektra : et juste... J'ai encore envie de pleurer.
Un gros gros plus aussi sur le fait que plusieurs religions se côtoient, notamment avec un homme venu d'Egypte et qui amène ses dieux avec lui. J'aime beaucoup le fait de mettre en avant que plusieurs religions peuvent se côtoyer et que cela est totalement accepté.
Enfin bref, un gros coup de coeur et j'ai plus que hâte de lire la suite ! Le premier tome a déjà été traduit en français et le dernier tome sort en anglais fin de cet été <3
Ce livre est un véritable coup de coeur à mes yeux. Fan inconditionnel de l'univers d'Homère, c'est la première fois que je lis la réécriture de l'Odyssée du point de vue de Penelope ; ou du moins, des femmes de cette île.
Le plot est relativement simple : voilà près de de huit ans que la guerre de Troie est finie, mais toujours aucune nouvelle du roi Ulysse. Bien que cela fait une vingtaine d'année désormais que Penelope dirige le royaume avec discrétion, plusieurs éléments viennent perturber la paix présumée d'Ithaque. Encore une fois, ce sera aux femmes d'y réagir.
La première chose qui m'a clairement surprise dans cet ouvrage, c'est le point de vue : il s'agit de celui de la déesse Héra et une chose est sûre : elle est *petty*. Déesse souvent mise à part et peu apprécié pour ce qu'elle est réellement, elle a jeté son dévolue sur les femmes d'Ithaque et notamment la reine Penelope. Une reine fière, forte et dont la discrétion est son atout principal.
Cette série sera une trilogie et on sent ici que pas mal de choses se mettent en place, mais suffisamment pour me faire déjà pleurer sans que je n'ai rien demandé. Plusieurs histoires se rencontre, notamment avec Clytemnestra et la vengeance de ses enfants Oreste et Elektra : et juste... J'ai encore envie de pleurer.
Un gros gros plus aussi sur le fait que plusieurs religions se côtoient, notamment avec un homme venu d'Egypte et qui amène ses dieux avec lui. J'aime beaucoup le fait de mettre en avant que plusieurs religions peuvent se côtoyer et que cela est totalement accepté.
Enfin bref, un gros coup de coeur et j'ai plus que hâte de lire la suite ! Le premier tome a déjà été traduit en français et le dernier tome sort en anglais fin de cet été <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, and Alcohol