A review by introvertsbookclub
House of Odysseus by Claire North
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