A review by adaora_ble
Hera by Jennifer Saint

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

The more I read the feminist POV retellings, the more I came to find myself frustrated by one of these two points depending on the book and the character and the way the author handles it. Either the lack of true agency or the lack of true difference. What I mean by that is that in a book where we hear all the main character's thoughts and feelings most of the time they can never truly effect the plot of the story and of course to a certain extent that's the point, the futility of their actions in the face of gods and men and the lack of power they have over their own destiny, Le Guin's Lavinia and Pat Barker's Silence of the Girls I think are the most obvious examples, in SotG Briseis often eavesdrops on the main plot of the Iliad in order to move the story along  and to cover the fact that she doesn't actually do that much. I still enjoy those books but it becomes more of a sticking point the more retellings you read.

Saint taking on a goddess rather than a mortal character allows for a refreshing change of pace from that, it's a fresh take on the genre. Hera is allowed to intervene in ways and for reasons we had not thought much about in the myths she is involved with, now she is the divine force that effects others rather than simply having the plot happen around her, and we also benefit from the fact that it can span a greater time period and touch on her involvement in other recognisable legends. And that brings me to my second 'issue' and Atalanta was guilty of this too; in a feminist retelling that's meant to bring women to the forefront I find that where they like to wax lyrical about how different they are from men, how they have different values, behave in different ways, and want different things from life, for all their moral superiority in the end they often end up in the same situations; seeking power, glory and renown and being petty and destructive if things don't go their way. And again that's probably the exact point of it, heroes are heroes are heroes (or gods) whether they're men or women and part of the mortal and immortal condition is being immeasurably and predictably selfish.
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