A review by wlreed312
Ithaca by Claire North

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0

For years I have wanted a book about what's going on in Ithaca during the events of the Odyssey, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard about this. And after a kind of rocky start, I ended up enjoying it a lot, but not as much as I had anticipated. For me it was the POV that took me out of it, I honestly didn't like Hera much as a narrator. I wanted to know more of what was going on in Penelope's mind, and this didn't give me as much of that as I would have liked. I also had some issues with how Hera talked about women, there was some cattiness that didn't sit well with me. And there was once or twice where there was a line or two that bordered on homophobic for me.

But in spite of that, I thought the last third of the book was outstanding. We get some really lovely scenes between Penelope and Elektra, as well as between Penelope and Clytemnestra. There is some great dialogue, and I thought the ending was very good. So while it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it was still very enjoyable.

 
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