Ithaca: The exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth (The Songs of Penelope)

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Touch is a little disturbing, and it follows entities called Ghosts that have the power to take over the bodies of other human beings for any amount of time that suits them, be it hours, days, weeks or even years. The idea of being an unwilling victim to a character like Kepler is very unsettling, and it easy to see why people gravitate towards the unique nature of this book. Ithaca is Claire North's idea of just what might have been happening in Odysseus's house while he was... lost... or being held hostage... or slaying cyclops...

Follow me through the halls of the palace of Odysseus; follow to hear the stories that the men-poets of the greedy kings do not tell. I have a smile on my face after reading this brilliant book. Claire North made me laugh my head off at this excellent re-telling of the Penelopiad. Our tale is told in a nearly omniscient, mostly third-person narration through the eyes of Hera, queen of the gods and patron on the Greek queens. 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. Especially her husband, Zeus. I loved the mirroring of Penelope’s story with the little we learn of Hera throughout the novel. While I loved Penelope, Hera was definitely the stand-out character here. I’ve always disliked Hera, but in the past year or so I’ve read multiple books that showcased facets of her I had never considered. She has become so much more sympathetic and interesting to me through these works, and I absolutely adored her in Ithaca. I was also fascinated by Hera’s love for Clytemnestra, Penelope’s cousin and queen of Mycenae and murderer of her own husband, King Agamemnon. These are stories that I know well, but North’s writing and characterizations brought them to life in new ways. If you cannot seem to find much online about Claire North, the reason is fairly obvious: Claire North is actually a pseudonym for Catherine Webb. While many an author creates a pseudonym to create distance between their personal lives and their literary efforts, Catherine Webb was already an acclaimed author before she created the Claire North Persona. as someone who hates change, it always scares me when an author switches genres. i know CN as a sci-fi writer, so seeing her come out with a greek mythology retelling had me nervous.Oh, and don't forget clever Penelope, although I liked Clytemnestra, but I was waiting to see Penelope on, and look what she has to say: From the hard carved road that winds down the terraced valley into what we will grudgingly call a city, Teodora comes. She has given up running; now each footfall is one at a time, counting the steps, forward without a destination, head first, heels twisting, and people scurry to clear a way before her. She carries a bow without arrows, and an old woman walks at her side. Their arrival will only make things harder, but I never shied from trouble. Men give women power, and women sacrifice the women around them to appease men. Not Clytemnestra..."

Let us therefore to Ithaca go, in that warm late summer when the leaves begin to crinkle and the ocean clouds tumble in too mighty to be bothered by the little land below. It is the morning after full moon, and in the city beneath the palace of Odysseus, some few hours away by bare foot on hard soil, the first prayers are being sung in the temple of Athena. It is a crooked wooden thing, squat as if frightened of being blown apart in the storm, but with some notable pieces of pillaged gold and silver that only rustics would find magnificent. I avoid passing even a place so dull, lest my stepdaughter show her smug, preening face, or worse, whisper to my husband that she saw me afoot in the world of men. Athena is a priggish little madam; let us move by her shrine in haste. Seventeen years ago, king Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. None of them have returned, and the women have been left behind to run the kingdom. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (as Claire North) nominated for the BSFA Award for Best NovelIN Clair North, Catherine Webb is availed an opportunity to branch out into more interesting genres of literature. The student of economics is best known for ‘The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August’, though she has also made a name for herself because of her Gamehouse series of Novellas. It is a fiercely feminist book, but it’s not a preachy book. It tells a story that is full of betrayal and scheming, of friendships forged and friendships broken, of goddess and queens, love and death, and of fate and free will. Everything I’ve wanted in a retelling: a vibrant cast, full of suspense, told with a phenomenal narrative voice – this is an absolute masterpiece’Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect Twin

He once heard an old soldier say that fighting clean was for fools. First you survive. Then you make up the story of how."* A lifelong Londoner, Webb enjoys walking through the areas she describes in her books – Bethnal Green, Clerkenwell, and along the River Thames – comparing the city of London as it is now with how it was at various times in the past. She appeared in CosmoGirl in 2006/7 in an interview. She also appeared in online interviews with CBBC and nzgirl when she was 15, [5] [6] and also with The Daily Telegraph, which described her as a teen queen. [3] Bibliography [ edit ]Once upon a time, there were three queens in Greece. One was chaste and pure, one a temptress whore, one a murderous hag. That is the how the poets sing it."

The story is narrated by Hera, queen of the gods. She has a biting tongue but she's a gifted storyteller. Her narration resembles omniscient narration but at times she starts to rage about her position among gods, her conflict with Athena, or pathetic men. Because she's a goddess, she's able to comment on Penelope's thoughts and actions, as well as those around her. She even mentions what is going on with Odysseus and some of the other famous faces of Troy. It's all fun and full of ATTITUDE. And delightfully feminist.so i think if youve never read anything about penelope, this will be a new and interesting story for you. for those readers who have, you will definitely enjoy heras feminist commentary on the familiar events. Like Penelope at her loom, North weaves and unweaves, teasing out the threads of Homeric myth to recombine them into something unique, wonderful, and urgently contemporary."— M. R. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts A fantastical nightmare so skillfully sketched that it felt like truth. And when it was done, I simply didn't want to leave... Compelling [and] beautiful."— NPR Books on Notes from the Burning Age If North at first paints Helen as vain and silly, she later proves to not be the fool she pretends, displaying an unexpected wisdom and expertise. Penelope, she unfailingly portrays as oh so clever. Of Menelaus, Aphrodite says “A man who was once considered really rather ugly, and became through power and might and force of arms one of the most handsome men in the world… Menelaus likes it when women cry at his feet while begging for protection. Their tears help fill the leaking hollows of his fractured soul.”