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eujichinaejr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
loriluo's review
2.0
"Ithaca" recounts the events on Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War; Penelope and her son Telemachus haven't seen Odysseus for 17 years since his departure for the battle, and in that time, the kingdom has fallen into chaos. Penelope is pressured by her advisors into wedding one of the many suitors that arrive at the kingdom, hoping that Odysseus's long disappearance means he has died. Her son Telemachus has grown into a man doing that time, and is restless to prove himself and step outside his father's shadow. They are also visited by Elektra and Orestes, children of Penelope's cousin Clytemnestra, who are chasing after their own mother to avenge justice on their father Agamemnon.
Uniquely, the story is told from the perspective of Hera, wife of Zeus. I initially appreciated her perspective and biases, including a number of quips and jabs at her own husband and children as well as some of the interactions she has with Athena in their long-standing grudge. However, as time went on, these grew laborious and lengthy and added a lot of additional verbiage to the novel that I found unnecessary. Perhaps because of this perspective, so much else of the book felt lost; Penelope, who is the titular character, had little focus and her character lacked depth and complexity. There were a number of other characters and names included as well that also seemed extraneous and didn't contribute to the storyline at all either. By the end of the novel, there was so much muddled together - too many characters, plotlines, and dialogue - that I felt the novel had lost its original purpose.
I normally love Greek mythology retellings, especially taken from a feminist perspective, but "Ithaca" was not a successful take on this.
Thank you Redhook Publishing for the advance copy of this novel!
Uniquely, the story is told from the perspective of Hera, wife of Zeus. I initially appreciated her perspective and biases, including a number of quips and jabs at her own husband and children as well as some of the interactions she has with Athena in their long-standing grudge. However, as time went on, these grew laborious and lengthy and added a lot of additional verbiage to the novel that I found unnecessary. Perhaps because of this perspective, so much else of the book felt lost; Penelope, who is the titular character, had little focus and her character lacked depth and complexity. There were a number of other characters and names included as well that also seemed extraneous and didn't contribute to the storyline at all either. By the end of the novel, there was so much muddled together - too many characters, plotlines, and dialogue - that I felt the novel had lost its original purpose.
I normally love Greek mythology retellings, especially taken from a feminist perspective, but "Ithaca" was not a successful take on this.
Thank you Redhook Publishing for the advance copy of this novel!
inky_cap's review
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
norahjreads's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
deianeiraann's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Rape
Minor: Domestic abuse
realisticreader1's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.0
fleeting_indecency's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
marjolein85's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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? Yes
2.25
Usually, I enjoy retellings of the Greek myths a lot, however, for me in this story the characters never really came to life. Furthermore, I think this story could have been told in 100 pages.
ezio_sev's review
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: War and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
maeyuka's review against another edition
3.0
I think Ithaca is well-written, and I find Greek mythology fascinating. However, the story felt slow to me, and my problem with these is that I often get confused by the many characters and names in Greek retellings. Overall, it's a good book, but it just wasn't my style.