House of Odysseus: The breathtaking retelling that brings ancient myth to life (The Songs of Penelope)

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This may be the most actively feminist of the spate of recent Greek myth retellings. The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships offered a feminist perspective, but Ithaca gives Penelope and the women of Ithaca real agency, even as they weaponize their veils and mourning customs, steal every advantage of silence, sex, gossip, and the appearance of meekness, and get away with, well, murder because men can't actually wrap their heads around women as capable and intelligent beings. Did I mention this is part of a series? Because I didn’t realize that for some reason until I reached the end. I might know where the story is going, but I still want the next book immediately. Alas, The House of Odysseus is at sea until May of 2023. This "powerful, fresh, and unflinching" reimagining from the award-winning author of the Penelope trilogy breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men (Jennifer Saint). On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra. Caught between Sparta and Mycenae, Penelope must protect Ithaca from two mad kings on the edge of war. Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus' wife. Each woman has a secret, and their secrets will shape the world . . . I understood Claire North in The Songs of Penelope series, three women protected and loved by three goddesses as a narrator for each book.

Wow. Just wow. As a huge fan of Claire North's writing, I had no doubt that I would enjoy Ithaca. But the sheer brilliance of this retelling exceeded my wildest dreams. The story is intimate, emotional, and full of drama. Conjures up a world in which women, abandoned by their men, must weave their own destinies' The TimesI fell in love with North’s depiction of Hera and Penelope as they navigate Ithacan politics in Ithaca. And while I was rather sad Hera departed as a narrator, Aphrodite was such an incredible successor. Her perspective not only brought a deliciously scandalous perspective to Penelope’s love life, but it just felt right to have the goddess of love narrate the faithful queen’s next political adventure. 🕊️

There’s a tone and flavor to the writing style that is so smart and clever and witty. It both left me laughing out loud and also slowing down to reread passages that were emotionally beautiful. 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. This is the second part of the trilogy and, if anything much better than Ithaca, which bodes extremely well for the final part which I now can't wait to read. What sets House of Odysseus apart is North's skillful blending of the ancient and the contemporary. She effortlessly juxtaposes the mythical elements of the story with the realities of modern life, creating a thought-provoking exploration of themes such as feminism, identity, power, family ties, and the enduring power of myth. The seamless integration of these elements is a testament to North's storytelling prowess. 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.

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. This time I find the characters most developed and fascinating, truth to be told, CN' Helen is the one that for so long I was looking forward to finding her in a retelling, Helen I always imagined in my mind, well down! Richly poetic . . . This is an impassioned plea for the lost, disenfranchised queens of ancient Greece, a love letter to the silenced women of history’ Booklist

In House of Odysseus we advance the story as Orestes (now driven to the point of utter insanity by the Furies) and Elektra try to fend off Menelaus, King of Sparta, who would quite like the title King of Kings for himself.

House Of Odysseus is the second book in The Songs Of Penelope series by award-winning, best-selling British author, Claire North. Perhaps a year after Orestes has slain his mother Clytemnestra on Ithaca’s shores, and Penelope’s son Telemachus has set out to search for his father, a ship quietly arrives from Mycenae into the burnt out harbour of Phenera. Elektra has brought her brother, the newly crowned king of kings, the greatest of the Greeks, seeking the refuge she hopes Penelope will provide. The writing of the work also left much to be desired. The POV used throughout the book alternates between third person omniscient, third person limited, second person, first person, then also shifts between present tense and sometimes using past tense. The writing constantly bounced between all of these. And the changes happen within a paragraph, which makes for a very frustrating read. There was an abundance of run-on sentences, over-flowery language that added nothing to the story or descriptions, weird smiles and metaphors that were nonsensical, as well as several typos and errors. The author also used modern words and phrases scattered throughout the work which completely broke the little immersion there was with this book.