Claire North

'CLAIRE NORTH BRINGS A POWERFUL, FRESH AND UNFLINCHING VOICE TO ANCIENT MYTH' Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne Following the critically acclaimed Ithaca comes House of Odysseus, the second novel in Claire North's Songs of Penelope trilogy - an exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. On the island of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never returned. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace - but this is shattered with the arrival of Orestes, King of Mycenae. Orestes, son of Agamemnon, is mad. Wracked with guilt for putting his own mother to death, he grows ever more unhinged. But a king cannot be seen to be weak. To keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae, his sister Elektra brings him to Ithaca to recover under the protection of Penelope. But no sooner has Orestes arrived then his uncle Menelaus, the blood-soaked king of Sparta, comes looking for him. Menelaus hungers for Orestes' throne - and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims. Caught between Sparta and Mycenae, Penelope must protect Ithaca from two mad kings on the edge of war. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus' wife. Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . . Praise for the Songs of Penelope series: 'Darkly fascinating, raw and breathtaking' Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne 'Richly poetic . . . This is an impassioned plea for the lost, disenfranchised queens of ancient Greece, a love letter to the silenced women of history' Booklist 'Everything I've wanted in a retelling: a vibrant cast, full of suspense, told with a phenomenal narrative voice - this is an absolute masterpiece' Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect Twin 'Conjures up a world in which women, abandoned by their men, must weave their own destinies' The Times 'Claire North has set a new standard for Ancient Greek retellings. Absolutely sublime' Hannah Lynn, author of Athena's Child The Songs of Penelope series: Ithaca House of Odysseus

House of Odysseus

House of Odysseus is the second installment of The Songs of Penelope trilogy, and though not quite as strong as the previous book, it's still a solid story. 

I love that this series focuses on Penelope during Odysseus's time away, and that it flips the original myth almost on its head. Yes, the Odyssey proclaims how clever and loyal Penelope is, but this book/series really shows you how cunning and self-reliant she is and indeed is forced to be to keep her throne safe and the kingdom of Ithaca secure for Odysseus's eventual return. Penelope didn't just sit around weaving for the 20 years that her husband was away, first at Troy and then at sea on his sometime-perilous journey. 

I love how well done her story is here; the author does her justice. Much like the character of Penelope, this book itself is clever, witty and humorous. Though the story was a little slow at times. It also, toward the end, felt like a detective whodunit story, which was great and well thought out, just a bit of a tone shift in my opinion. I think that the author's writing style isn't always for me, and that's okay. 

I did not like Aphrodite as narrator as much as I enjoyed Hera's narrations in the first book. I just didn't see how Aphrodite added much to the story, and involving Helen of Troy was a weak link to make Aphrodite relevant to the events on Ithaca. That's not to say I didn't like Helen's character, because I really did. I would have liked to have seen a little more of her, though I still don't think any author can capture or do justice to Helen like Margaret George does in her phenomenal novel, Helen of Troy. But Aphrodite doesn't seem to do much more than "smoothing the hair" on someone's brow or blowing a bit of her perfume to try and distract someone. I know the author won't do it, but I'd love to get a first person POV from Penelope, but I suppose the confessions she made to Elektra and Orestes were close enough to getting to know her most personal thoughts and feelings. 

The secret network of warrior women is still intriguing and compelling. This book is full of strong characters, even the menfolk (as much as Menelaus makes a great villain), Aphrodite notwithstanding. I can't always get behind the writing style, but this book, overall, for its slow parts, was pretty enjoyable.

Amanda

House of Odysseus is the second installment of The Songs of Penelope trilogy, and though not quite as strong as the previous book, it's still a solid story. 

I love that this series focuses on Penelope during Odysseus's time away, and that it flips the original myth almost on its head. Yes, the Odyssey proclaims how clever and loyal Penelope is, but this book/series really shows you how cunning and self-reliant she is and indeed is forced to be to keep her throne safe and the kingdom of Ithaca secure for Odysseus's eventual return. Penelope didn't just sit around weaving for the 20 years that her husband was away, first at Troy and then at sea on his sometime-perilous journey. 

I love how well done her story is here; the author does her justice. Much like the character of Penelope, this book itself is clever, witty and humorous. Though the story was a little slow at times. It also, toward the end, felt like a detective whodunit story, which was great and well thought out, just a bit of a tone shift in my opinion. I think that the author's writing style isn't always for me, and that's okay. 

I did not like Aphrodite as narrator as much as I enjoyed Hera's narrations in the first book. I just didn't see how Aphrodite added much to the story, and involving Helen of Troy was a weak link to make Aphrodite relevant to the events on Ithaca. That's not to say I didn't like Helen's character, because I really did. I would have liked to have seen a little more of her, though I still don't think any author can capture or do justice to Helen like Margaret George does in her phenomenal novel, Helen of Troy. But Aphrodite doesn't seem to do much more than "smoothing the hair" on someone's brow or blowing a bit of her perfume to try and distract someone. I know the author won't do it, but I'd love to get a first person POV from Penelope, but I suppose the confessions she made to Elektra and Orestes were close enough to getting to know her most personal thoughts and feelings. 

The secret network of warrior women is still intriguing and compelling. This book is full of strong characters, even the menfolk (as much as Menelaus makes a great villain), Aphrodite notwithstanding. I can't always get behind the writing style, but this book, overall, for its slow parts, was pretty enjoyable.

I am so sorry to open like this but it must be said - Claire North really is absolutely wiping the floor with the rest of the mythology retelling girls. The reason why I stopped reading mythological retellings is that quite often they would stick very closely to the original myth without adding anything to it. Plot-wise, this is OK. However, those novels aim to give depth to characters who have been denied it by a misogynistic society - but rarely ever do.

One thing I have enjoyed about her work thus far is her excellent plotting, which she also demonstrates here. This is actually key in helping elevate this trilogy above others. North does not stick only to the familiar plot points from the myths but rather takes a lot of creative license with them (and I mean, who are we to say this is not - now - just another version of the myth?). She creates situations and circumstances to place her characters in (which are predominantly the women from "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" and other women that may have been peripheral or barely mentioned in mythology) and allows them to react to them and act within them, therefore allowing the reader to actively spend time with them and get to know them. This both makes her novels more refreshing to meet and makes the reader more invested in the stories of these women.

I am so sorry to open like this but it must be said - Claire North really is absolutely wiping the floor with the rest of the mythology retelling girls. The reason why I stopped reading mythological retellings is that quite often they would stick very closely to the original myth without adding anything to it. Plot-wise, this is OK. However, those novels aim to give depth to characters who have been denied it by a misogynistic society - but rarely ever do.

One thing I have enjoyed about her work thus far is her excellent plotting, which she also demonstrates here. This is actually key in helping elevate this trilogy above others. North does not stick only to the familiar plot points from the myths but rather takes a lot of creative license with them (and I mean, who are we to say this is not - now - just another version of the myth?). She creates situations and circumstances to place her characters in (which are predominantly the women from "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" and other women that may have been peripheral or barely mentioned in mythology) and allows them to react to them and act within them, therefore allowing the reader to actively spend time with them and get to know them. This both makes her novels more refreshing to meet and makes the reader more invested in the stories of these women.

House of Odysseus

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