Ithaca

Product Information

I've been waiting for a Penelopiad for very long now, dissatisfied as I've been by other books purporting to tell "The Odyssey" from the side of the hero's wife, so I picked this book up with much hope and excitement. I wont give anything away for those that don’t know the original story, but safe to say if I was in Clytemnestra’s position, I don’t think I would or could have held out as long as she did. And Elektra is intelligent, clear-sighted, and articulate—in contrast to her brother who is portrayed as a dithery weakling. And in their rage and impotence, they begin grasping for dominion: on Ithaca that includes eating, drinking, harassing Ornelope and the maids, and serving as loutish obstacles to anything constructive or productive for the kingdom.

Claire North aims to reinvent the Penelopiad, with a feminist slant that captures the quiet, hidden power of Penelope, the maids of Ithaca, and the goddesses of Mount Olympus. Because she's a goddess, she's able to comment on Penelope's thoughts and actions, as well as those around her. Unfortunately, some of the suitors were tired of waiting and decided to break all the rules to get what they wanted before someone else does. The narration is so scathing of all the gods, particularly Zeus, playing on the diminished role of Hera compared to some of the earlier mythologies.so i think if youve never read anything about penelope, this will be a new and interesting story for you. Don’t go into the book expecting a first person narration from Penelope or to focus intimately on a small group of women. A retelling of the Odyssey that focuses on Penelope and the women around her as they are shaped by overseeing goddesses, and in turn shape the course of Ithaca. It's all about Penelope as queen of Ithaca, mother to Telemachus, and cousin to Clytemnestra, Orestes, and Elektra.

But now, years on, speculation is mounting that husband is dead, and suitors are starting to knock at her door . Jason's] relationship with his ma is bedevilled by his lack of understanding, his observation of the adult world is often very funny indeed, and there’s a poignancy and depth that give Jason’s odyssey that extra fillip. With its well-written, fluid and elegant prose, even pacing throughout the novel, and themes of feminism, survival and loyalty Claire North’s Ithaca is an engaging read that I would recommend to fans of Greek Mythology and those fond of feminist retellings. So we must follow Hera and Penelope down the rabbit hole of who might be attacking the island and why, and then also figure out how to defend an island when the only men are largely untrained teenagers and old men.She is also a character in her own right, seeking to aid Penelope’s cause as subtly as possible, without drawing the attention of any of the other gods. The characters still feel remote at the end of it, but the story and the language are deeply satisfying. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women—and their goddesses—that will change the course of the world. After quite a few years, however, the suitors that have been a guest in her home are turning restless, making it harder and harder for Penelope to postpone the inevitable. Having read Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad recently and loving it, I had hoped to hear more about Penelope and her maids and the events in Ithaca during Odysseus’s absence from Penelope’s perspective.