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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
sad
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
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved the way this book was written. Jumping around from different women’s perspectives was a unique way to read the story. I didn’t love that the stories weren’t all in chronological order, but it didn’t take me out of the story. So many heartbreaking stories included in this book, but she wrote them all so beautifully. The occasional humor was done really well too. I loved that this retelling focused on the women’s stories. The women were written as strong, developed characters and the storytelling really gave them justice.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Epic retelling of Trojan wars from the women most affected.
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is brilliant - normally I'm a little wary of books with multiple PoVs in it, but Natalie Haynes characterises them so well and so differently that you feel like you know them within about four lines.
There is so much sass, and bitterness, and entirely-founded-in-Classical-texts-ness to this novel, and I think it is so worth a read.
It's one of those remarkable things that you can read and appreciate equally well irrespective of your familiarity with Trojan War myths.
I read the whole thing in an afternoon because I simply couldn't put it down.
There is so much sass, and bitterness, and entirely-founded-in-Classical-texts-ness to this novel, and I think it is so worth a read.
It's one of those remarkable things that you can read and appreciate equally well irrespective of your familiarity with Trojan War myths.
I read the whole thing in an afternoon because I simply couldn't put it down.
After finishing Circe, I figured I would steer into the skid and go immediately into another woman-centered retelling of Greek myths.And it was helpful to have a lot of the names and event outlines already in my head reading this, although it covered a lot of different territory.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It read a little more like a series of interconnected short stories than a novel. Which made it a bit uneven. OK, it was the Penelope chapters. The letters to her wayward husband did NOT work for me. It is such a forced format and, frankly, made it more about him than her.
Perhaps it says something about me that all of the stories where a woman got her revenge were deeply satisfying. I’ve always appreciated that about Greek mythology. The women are rarely shrinking violets, even if it doesn’t end well for them, and this book really celebrates that.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It read a little more like a series of interconnected short stories than a novel. Which made it a bit uneven. OK, it was the Penelope chapters. The letters to her wayward husband did NOT work for me. It is such a forced format and, frankly, made it more about him than her.
Perhaps it says something about me that all of the stories where a woman got her revenge were deeply satisfying. I’ve always appreciated that about Greek mythology. The women are rarely shrinking violets, even if it doesn’t end well for them, and this book really celebrates that.