Scan barcode
bobthebard's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Misogyny
Minor: Slavery
stargazerave's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
From the very first day I started reading this book, I was obsessed with North's style of writing. An incredible blend of beautiful descriptions, witty dialogue, and clever insights into the world of the gods, North allows us to see the Age of Gods and Men through a previously relatively unexplored perspective: that of the goddess, Hera.
Within its first few pages, Ithaca throws you immediately into the belly of the beast while also establishing quickly that, unlike other stories of Grecian mythos, this tale revolves around women. I adore this altered perspective on Greek mythos as so many of the writings and stories are male-centric and Hera's bitter scorn towards those who have cast her aside and underestimated her provides a refreshing and, at times, entertaining view. It serves as a reminder that not only is Hera the goddess of wives, she's also the goddess of queens.
It is a beautiful thing to see powerful women being angry and destroying anyone who tells them they shouldn't.
Hera's unending persistence and resilience, and how it echoes in the characters she blesses, is truly a wonder and joy to read, even as she 'loses' conflicts. There are three primary examples we can see this in: Penelope (Queen of Ithaca), Clytemnestra (Former Queen Regent of Mycenae), and Elektra (Princess of Mycenae). Each of these three echo aspects, or epithets, of Hera.
It's worthy of mentioning that Helen of Troy is also referenced in the context of being blessed by Hera, though I won't be using her as an example as she does not actually appear in this novel.
In Penelope, we see the facet of Hera that is purely the goddess of Queens. She sacrifices everything for her kingdom, for her people, with even the fate of her son falling to a place of lesser import for the majority of the book's pages.
Through Clytemnestra, we see the facet of Hera that is the goddess of not only Queens, but of Women and, to a lesser extent, Mothers as well. Clytemnestra is referred to throughout the novel as being one of Hera's favoured in a variety of ways and we see this in the way she interacts with others throughout the chapters.
Finally, and my personal favourite of the three, we have Elektra. Elektra is an incredibly unique character, her viewpoints a mishmashed blend of the misogynistic views of her father and the strongwilled determination of her mother, and due to her much younger age than the other two listed here, we get to see much more of her character develop and be shaped by the presence and proximity she has to the Divine.
We also get a very interesting view on Hera's thoughts and feelings of her fellow Olympians. Her distaste for Zeus is palpable while her fear is also entirely understandable. The relationship between Hera and Athena, particularly the way it develops, was one of the major highlights of the novel for me and something I really really enjoyed. Hera is not simply the narrator of this story, she's equally as much of a character as any other and that's really what sets this novel apart for me.
Within its first few pages, Ithaca throws you immediately into the belly of the beast while also establishing quickly that, unlike other stories of Grecian mythos, this tale revolves around women. I adore this altered perspective on Greek mythos as so many of the writings and stories are male-centric and Hera's bitter scorn towards those who have cast her aside and underestimated her provides a refreshing and, at times, entertaining view. It serves as a reminder that not only is Hera the goddess of wives, she's also the goddess of queens.
It is a beautiful thing to see powerful women being angry and destroying anyone who tells them they shouldn't.
Hera's unending persistence and resilience, and how it echoes in the characters she blesses, is truly a wonder and joy to read, even as she 'loses' conflicts. There are three primary examples we can see this in: Penelope (Queen of Ithaca), Clytemnestra (Former Queen Regent of Mycenae), and Elektra (Princess of Mycenae). Each of these three echo aspects, or epithets, of Hera.
It's worthy of mentioning that Helen of Troy is also referenced in the context of being blessed by Hera, though I won't be using her as an example as she does not actually appear in this novel.
In Penelope, we see the facet of Hera that is purely the goddess of Queens. She sacrifices everything for her kingdom, for her people, with even the fate of her son falling to a place of lesser import for the majority of the book's pages.
Through Clytemnestra, we see the facet of Hera that is the goddess of not only Queens, but of Women and, to a lesser extent, Mothers as well. Clytemnestra is referred to throughout the novel as being one of Hera's favoured in a variety of ways and we see this in the way she interacts with others throughout the chapters.
Finally, and my personal favourite of the three, we have Elektra. Elektra is an incredibly unique character, her viewpoints a mishmashed blend of the misogynistic views of her father and the strongwilled determination of her mother, and due to her much younger age than the other two listed here, we get to see much more of her character develop and be shaped by the presence and proximity she has to the Divine.
We also get a very interesting view on Hera's thoughts and feelings of her fellow Olympians. Her distaste for Zeus is palpable while her fear is also entirely understandable. The relationship between Hera and Athena, particularly the way it develops, was one of the major highlights of the novel for me and something I really really enjoyed. Hera is not simply the narrator of this story, she's equally as much of a character as any other and that's really what sets this novel apart for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
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, Violence, and Sexual assault
kate001's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Sexual assault
Moderate: Violence
vikingllama's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
maddlecat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such an interesting read. I found myself really having to pay attention but being fully engaged in the storytelling through Hera's eyes, of a story that I otherwise knew very little about besides suitors waiting for Penelope to move on. The storytelling was unique and made slower portions seem interesting, while taking on the inherent sexism of the Greek myths without being cheesy or corny about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Extremely well-written and thoughtful. It goes very much in-depth about the experience of being a woman, particularly what it would’ve been like during that time. It focuses a good deal on the quiet, subtle power women wield through deception, as well as the sheer audacity of men. I liked it more as it went on as I got used to the narration style (it is narrated by Hera in an omnipotent POV, which I’m not the biggest fan of, but grew to appreciate). I liked it, but I don’t think I’ll continue on with the series. The first part of the book I didn’t have a strong emotion reaction to anything other than annoyance at the men. However, I did get emotional at certain parts when Hera brings up her affection and love for “her queens”, as well as the despair that is to come both in their future as well as in their experience due to the ego of men. Overall, it was thoughtful and hit the points it wanted to address effectively, but as for it continuing as a series…I’m not fully on board.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: War and Slavery
deadnberried's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
TW: SA, violence against women
I went into reading this thinking I knew what it was going to be and it was decidedly not what I imagined.
A huge fan of Madeline Miller's Circe and Song of Achilles, I expected Ithaca to be a similar blend of raw humanity, rich characters, and the thin veil between mortals and gods that infuses everything with magical potential, be it for good or ill. This book seems to have been written attempting to do those things, but through such an incredibly jaded, bitter lens that the story is a slog to get through.
Advertised as Penelope's side of the story (ra-ra, Penelope ruled Ithaca for ten years, let's see how this badass rose to the challenge!), we instead get an incredibly dejected, dispiriting novel about being crushed under the thumb of patriarchy. Women's lives and happiness don't matter, men are animals and will do what they want to women, even royal women can't escape man's ownership and brutality, even GODDESSES can't. Penelope is regularly condescended to by the council that 'helps' her rule Ithaca, while she does all of the actual work of keeping an economy running herself behind the scenes, her son is as different from his hero father as it's possible to be (and Odysseus isn't that great actually), Hera is almost powerless so she just hovers behind Penelope wringing her hands and bemoaning the fate of women in a man's world. This book is just a bummer.
I went into reading this thinking I knew what it was going to be and it was decidedly not what I imagined.
A huge fan of Madeline Miller's Circe and Song of Achilles, I expected Ithaca to be a similar blend of raw humanity, rich characters, and the thin veil between mortals and gods that infuses everything with magical potential, be it for good or ill. This book seems to have been written attempting to do those things, but through such an incredibly jaded, bitter lens that the story is a slog to get through.
Advertised as Penelope's side of the story (ra-ra, Penelope ruled Ithaca for ten years, let's see how this badass rose to the challenge!), we instead get an incredibly dejected, dispiriting novel about being crushed under the thumb of patriarchy. Women's lives and happiness don't matter, men are animals and will do what they want to women, even royal women can't escape man's ownership and brutality, even GODDESSES can't. Penelope is regularly condescended to by the council that 'helps' her rule Ithaca, while she does all of the actual work of keeping an economy running herself behind the scenes, her son is as different from his hero father as it's possible to be (and Odysseus isn't that great actually), Hera is almost powerless so she just hovers behind Penelope wringing her hands and bemoaning the fate of women in a man's world. This book is just a bummer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, War, Child death, and Murder
sauvageloup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hard to rate this one since I read it rather piecemeal and I cant hold a coherent sense of it in my head
pros:
- the characters all have distinct personalities and dialogue, which is written well. Penelope is focused, hera is snippy, telemachus is foolish, etc. but they're all complex too. there were some nice additions to the canon, kenamon and teodora (or I didnt remember them anyway), and it was nice having some decent characters.
- there is dry humor, especially in here's perspective
- I like the concept on focusing on outwardly quieter female power, and looking at hera and penelope, and the other women from a different angle than the mythology does.
cons:
- it did feel too slow a lot of the time, with a lot of meandering and introspection.
- it was frustrating seeing telemachus ignore his mother repeatedly, and aspects of the myths play out, but that's not a book criticism, just that inevitable tragedy isnt rly my genre.
so overall, I appreciated the writing quality and definitely enjoyed meeting Claire North and hearing her discuss her work, but this wasnt quite my type of book, a bit too slow.
pros:
- the characters all have distinct personalities and dialogue, which is written well. Penelope is focused, hera is snippy, telemachus is foolish, etc. but they're all complex too. there were some nice additions to the canon, kenamon and teodora (or I didnt remember them anyway), and it was nice having some decent characters.
- there is dry humor, especially in here's perspective
- I like the concept on focusing on outwardly quieter female power, and looking at hera and penelope, and the other women from a different angle than the mythology does.
cons:
- it did feel too slow a lot of the time, with a lot of meandering and introspection.
- it was frustrating seeing telemachus ignore his mother repeatedly, and aspects of the myths play out, but that's not a book criticism, just that inevitable tragedy isnt rly my genre.
so overall, I appreciated the writing quality and definitely enjoyed meeting Claire North and hearing her discuss her work, but this wasnt quite my type of book, a bit too slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Murder, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Child death, Gore, War, and Misogyny
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Rape
Minor: Xenophobia
cathy_alice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Slavery