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Greek Myths: A New Retelling
Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of the most enduring stories of all time in this beautifully produced, spellbinding new collection, featuring original artworks by Chris Ofili.
Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan war and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens. There are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals. This is a world of extremes, and one that resonates deeply with our own: mysterious diseases devastate cities; environmental disasters tear lives apart; women habitually suffer violence at the hands of men.
Unlike in many previous collected myths, female characters take centre stage - Athena, Helen, Circe, Penelope and others weave these stories into elaborate imagined tapestries. In Charlotte Higgins's thrilling new interpretation, their tales combine to form a dazzling, sweeping epic of storytelling, and a magnificent work of scholarship and imagination.
'Startlingly fresh... This excellent book should delight many generations of story lovers to come.' Guardian
Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan war and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens. There are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals. This is a world of extremes, and one that resonates deeply with our own: mysterious diseases devastate cities; environmental disasters tear lives apart; women habitually suffer violence at the hands of men.
Unlike in many previous collected myths, female characters take centre stage - Athena, Helen, Circe, Penelope and others weave these stories into elaborate imagined tapestries. In Charlotte Higgins's thrilling new interpretation, their tales combine to form a dazzling, sweeping epic of storytelling, and a magnificent work of scholarship and imagination.
'Startlingly fresh... This excellent book should delight many generations of story lovers to come.' Guardian
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2021
608 people are currently reading
11460 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Higgins
11 books56 followersCharlotte Higgins is the author of three books on aspects of the ancient world. Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain (Vintage, 2014), was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction, the Thwaites Wainwright prize for nature writing, the Dolman travel-writing prize and the Hessell-Tiltman history prize. In 2010, she won the Classical Association prize. Her most recent book Red Thread: On Mazes and Labyrinths (Cape, 2018) was BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.
As chief culture writer of the Guardian, she contributes to the Long Read, culture and comment sections; and writes editorials, book reviews and essays. This New Noise, a book based on her nine-part series of reports on the BBC, was published by Guardian-Faber in 2015.
Higgins began her career in journalism on Vogue magazine in 1995 and moved to the Guardian in 1997, for which she has served as classical music editor and arts correspondent.
She has served as a judge for the Art Fund museums prize, the Contemporary Art Society award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society awards. As a broadcaster, she has appeared regularly on BBC Radios 3 and 4. She has also written for the New Yorker, the New Statesman and Prospect.
She is an associate member of the Centre for the Study of Greek and Roman Antiquity at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and is on the board of the Henry Barber Trust. She is a keen amateur violinist.
As chief culture writer of the Guardian, she contributes to the Long Read, culture and comment sections; and writes editorials, book reviews and essays. This New Noise, a book based on her nine-part series of reports on the BBC, was published by Guardian-Faber in 2015.
Higgins began her career in journalism on Vogue magazine in 1995 and moved to the Guardian in 1997, for which she has served as classical music editor and arts correspondent.
She has served as a judge for the Art Fund museums prize, the Contemporary Art Society award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society awards. As a broadcaster, she has appeared regularly on BBC Radios 3 and 4. She has also written for the New Yorker, the New Statesman and Prospect.
She is an associate member of the Centre for the Study of Greek and Roman Antiquity at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and is on the board of the Henry Barber Trust. She is a keen amateur violinist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews
April 11, 2022
It’s no secret I’m loving Greek myth retellings, and this beauty is my latest favorite.
Described as, “A brilliantly original, landmark retelling of Greek myths, recounted as if they were actual scenes being woven into textiles by the women who feature prominently in them—including Athena, Helen, Circe and Penelope.”
What sets this retelling apart is that it covers several myths in this epic recounting. Since I really, really loved Madeline Miller’s Circe, I could not have been more enchanted with her niece Medea’s story and the way Higgins (re)told it.
Recounting Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the Trojan War of in The Iliad, The Odyssey, Homer’s Hymns, and so much more, I thoroughly enjoyed having a woman’s perspective on these stories. I think my favorite of all may have been Penelope’s narrative. What a way to revisit The Odyssey and turning her loyalty to Odysseus into something more authentic and powerful.
This is a stunning book complete with illustrations by Chris Ofili, and I highly recommend the hardback because of the artwork. I am grateful to have this on my retellings shelf as a solid and enjoyable addition I will happily revisit and cherish.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Described as, “A brilliantly original, landmark retelling of Greek myths, recounted as if they were actual scenes being woven into textiles by the women who feature prominently in them—including Athena, Helen, Circe and Penelope.”
What sets this retelling apart is that it covers several myths in this epic recounting. Since I really, really loved Madeline Miller’s Circe, I could not have been more enchanted with her niece Medea’s story and the way Higgins (re)told it.
Recounting Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the Trojan War of in The Iliad, The Odyssey, Homer’s Hymns, and so much more, I thoroughly enjoyed having a woman’s perspective on these stories. I think my favorite of all may have been Penelope’s narrative. What a way to revisit The Odyssey and turning her loyalty to Odysseus into something more authentic and powerful.
This is a stunning book complete with illustrations by Chris Ofili, and I highly recommend the hardback because of the artwork. I am grateful to have this on my retellings shelf as a solid and enjoyable addition I will happily revisit and cherish.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 14, 2022
4.5****
The girl was a powerful enchantress, like her aunt Circe; she knew how to find and mix herbs that bring sleep, madness and death; how to force rivers to run backwards, how to quench blazing fires, to make forests move.
I love Medea even more from that above quote- she is just amazing.
This book was so good in that it retells most (of not all available) Greek myths through the eyes of the women, working the loom, to tell these stories. Each chapter is dedicated to a woman using weaving to tell their own story and stories that they’ve heard.
The author also does this in a “chronological way” almost - a way so the myths follow in an order and make sense to the reader.
When I first started this book, the “Athena” chapter was heavily influenced by Ovids Metamorphoses which I had just finished- so at these points my reading wasn’t super fast as the myths were already fresh in my mind.
However, when I came across Andromache and Helen- retelling the sorrows of the Trojan war (especially Andromache who my heart breaks for from the Trojan war). The author fully recounts the stories of The Iliad in these two chapters.
Other chapters also incorporate The Odyssey, The Homeric Hymns, Euripides, Sophocles, etc, but these are all interwoven and retold amazingly.
Some of the women’ POV storytelling I REALLY enjoyed. My favourite was definitely the perspective of Eurydice as she descends into the Underworld and spends time down there before Orpheus arrives- especially as I’ve never read the underworld from Eurydices POV before - I very much enjoyed her travels with Hermes.
I also especially loved seeing Penelope’s chapter to finish off this book. Enjoyed how the author captured Penelope not as “the loyal one” (her epithet) but as someone who was simmering in anger, rage and grief hearing of Odysseus’ affairs, as well as her uncertainty and distrust of him when he comes home- I also immensely loved Penelope’s lamentation of the goddess Athena.
The only issue I had with this was when it came to retelling Heracles and his story- it wasn’t particularly linear, so if you were someone who maybe hadn’t read the myths it might seem a little confusing. But overall, this was a fantastic retelling and very much needed.
The girl was a powerful enchantress, like her aunt Circe; she knew how to find and mix herbs that bring sleep, madness and death; how to force rivers to run backwards, how to quench blazing fires, to make forests move.
I love Medea even more from that above quote- she is just amazing.
This book was so good in that it retells most (of not all available) Greek myths through the eyes of the women, working the loom, to tell these stories. Each chapter is dedicated to a woman using weaving to tell their own story and stories that they’ve heard.
The author also does this in a “chronological way” almost - a way so the myths follow in an order and make sense to the reader.
When I first started this book, the “Athena” chapter was heavily influenced by Ovids Metamorphoses which I had just finished- so at these points my reading wasn’t super fast as the myths were already fresh in my mind.
However, when I came across Andromache and Helen- retelling the sorrows of the Trojan war (especially Andromache who my heart breaks for from the Trojan war). The author fully recounts the stories of The Iliad in these two chapters.
Other chapters also incorporate The Odyssey, The Homeric Hymns, Euripides, Sophocles, etc, but these are all interwoven and retold amazingly.
Some of the women’ POV storytelling I REALLY enjoyed. My favourite was definitely the perspective of Eurydice as she descends into the Underworld and spends time down there before Orpheus arrives- especially as I’ve never read the underworld from Eurydices POV before - I very much enjoyed her travels with Hermes.
I also especially loved seeing Penelope’s chapter to finish off this book. Enjoyed how the author captured Penelope not as “the loyal one” (her epithet) but as someone who was simmering in anger, rage and grief hearing of Odysseus’ affairs, as well as her uncertainty and distrust of him when he comes home- I also immensely loved Penelope’s lamentation of the goddess Athena.
The only issue I had with this was when it came to retelling Heracles and his story- it wasn’t particularly linear, so if you were someone who maybe hadn’t read the myths it might seem a little confusing. But overall, this was a fantastic retelling and very much needed.
February 18, 2025
This is supposed to be a feminist retelling bringing the women into the spotlight. It fails on that account, very badly. Just because a book has a female focus/female main character does not make it feminist, especially when you strip all the women of their agency.
‘It is true that murdering a parent is a terrible thing,’ replied Apollo. ‘But understand this: the crime under consideration is not the murder of a parent. The mother is not the parent of a child. It is the father who is the only true parent. Look at it this way: it is the father’s seed that enters the womb. The womb is only the soil that the plant grows in. The woman is just … the vessel for the child. We know this because the womb is not even needed! Here is the proof, standing before you: Athena. Zeus gave birth to her himself – no need for a mother. She was born from his head.’
This was just not it. Like women being called vessels/incubators in a supposed female focus feminist retelling? Bold Choice. I don't understand why this part was included. Women do all the work for 9 months, then risk dying in birth, yet guys get all the credit for 10 seconds of "work" while in bliss. Women risk death, disablement, chronic health issues, permanent body changes to birth a child. Everything changes for her to bring forth a pregnancy, yet the guy who do less than 1% of the work get all the kudos? Screw that. The trial wasn't even needed, you could've just left it at the murder as a lot of the stories get no closure. So I don't get why this part was even included. We all knew Clytemnestra death would go unpunished/shown to be okay/understandable. The trial was pointless to me. What was the author trying to say with this? That the world is misogynistic? We already knew that. That the bar is so low for men that it's in hell? We already knew that too. I don't get it.
I felt like this could have gone so much deeper and richer in the womans stories. Some women are again, just background stories and the guys who pop up in myths are reinvented rather than the woman. The guys are made nicer, things aren't their fault and what they did, it made them very sad :( Where is the womens agency? None of these woman are pushing their stories narratives, they are just reacting to the big supposed bad men who feel sad about their violence but wouldn't change a thing.
It's meant to focus and feature the woman, it doesn't do that. They are whispers. And I didn't like the whole "She was weaving". It came across very shallow without much depth. Very surface level. Like Medusa, one of the most interesting stories you can pull from, is given 3 lines. The story talks about Perseus more than Medusa. And Jason dominates the Medea myth, like there is so many ways you can add depth to that. But it came across as very "Jason made her mad, then her kids are dead, so sad." There is so much you can do with these stories and I don't think this worked. It's not fresh, it's stale.
Also, you don't humanise Medea by making her nicer/weaker. She is what I call "Nasty Gal" and is proud of it. You humanise her by not making her weaker, but through her human emotions. Her rage, anger and spitefullness humanise her, as everyone will feel these emotions at least once. I also dislike how they made Medea reactionary rather than having any agency. And one thing about Medea is she broke the mould, she was a terrifying idea to the men who told stories about her. A woman who managed to thrive eventually and do what she liked. She was a poweful woman secure in her power and herself, that is scary to a lot of people. There is a reason why people are treated like non human, the person doing the behaviour is scared that if they gave you all the rights they have, you would be better than them and we can't have that.
Also, a lot of the stories are "This bad thing happens to them, usually rape.The end." They are just left there.
We never get a deeper look into their minds and motivations. It felt like I was watching a play through a dirty window in a soundproof room.
Quite disappointing really. It still ignores the women while giving every men a redemption arc.
Also, you can't sanitised Agamemnon and make him into a good person. You just can't. He will always be a literal horror to me.
It isn't badly written, but just completely misses the mark.
‘It is true that murdering a parent is a terrible thing,’ replied Apollo. ‘But understand this: the crime under consideration is not the murder of a parent. The mother is not the parent of a child. It is the father who is the only true parent. Look at it this way: it is the father’s seed that enters the womb. The womb is only the soil that the plant grows in. The woman is just … the vessel for the child. We know this because the womb is not even needed! Here is the proof, standing before you: Athena. Zeus gave birth to her himself – no need for a mother. She was born from his head.’
This was just not it. Like women being called vessels/incubators in a supposed female focus feminist retelling? Bold Choice. I don't understand why this part was included. Women do all the work for 9 months, then risk dying in birth, yet guys get all the credit for 10 seconds of "work" while in bliss. Women risk death, disablement, chronic health issues, permanent body changes to birth a child. Everything changes for her to bring forth a pregnancy, yet the guy who do less than 1% of the work get all the kudos? Screw that. The trial wasn't even needed, you could've just left it at the murder as a lot of the stories get no closure. So I don't get why this part was even included. We all knew Clytemnestra death would go unpunished/shown to be okay/understandable. The trial was pointless to me. What was the author trying to say with this? That the world is misogynistic? We already knew that. That the bar is so low for men that it's in hell? We already knew that too. I don't get it.
I felt like this could have gone so much deeper and richer in the womans stories. Some women are again, just background stories and the guys who pop up in myths are reinvented rather than the woman. The guys are made nicer, things aren't their fault and what they did, it made them very sad :( Where is the womens agency? None of these woman are pushing their stories narratives, they are just reacting to the big supposed bad men who feel sad about their violence but wouldn't change a thing.
It's meant to focus and feature the woman, it doesn't do that. They are whispers. And I didn't like the whole "She was weaving". It came across very shallow without much depth. Very surface level. Like Medusa, one of the most interesting stories you can pull from, is given 3 lines. The story talks about Perseus more than Medusa. And Jason dominates the Medea myth, like there is so many ways you can add depth to that. But it came across as very "Jason made her mad, then her kids are dead, so sad." There is so much you can do with these stories and I don't think this worked. It's not fresh, it's stale.
Also, you don't humanise Medea by making her nicer/weaker. She is what I call "Nasty Gal" and is proud of it. You humanise her by not making her weaker, but through her human emotions. Her rage, anger and spitefullness humanise her, as everyone will feel these emotions at least once. I also dislike how they made Medea reactionary rather than having any agency. And one thing about Medea is she broke the mould, she was a terrifying idea to the men who told stories about her. A woman who managed to thrive eventually and do what she liked. She was a poweful woman secure in her power and herself, that is scary to a lot of people. There is a reason why people are treated like non human, the person doing the behaviour is scared that if they gave you all the rights they have, you would be better than them and we can't have that.
Also, a lot of the stories are "This bad thing happens to them, usually rape.The end." They are just left there.
We never get a deeper look into their minds and motivations. It felt like I was watching a play through a dirty window in a soundproof room.
Quite disappointing really. It still ignores the women while giving every men a redemption arc.
Also, you can't sanitised Agamemnon and make him into a good person. You just can't. He will always be a literal horror to me.
It isn't badly written, but just completely misses the mark.
September 22, 2022
This is supposed to be a ~feminist retelling~ but that is only true because 1) each chapter title is the name of a woman and 2) the author is literally just TELLING you the same Greek stories over again. Higgins does this without giving any woman vitality, voice, agency, or any quality that makes them less blurry than any ubiquitous story with a woman in it. Reading this book was a mf CHORE.
If you want intricate and luscious prose with a deep dive into a specific character and the people that come in and out of their lives, THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK. You should try Madelyn Miller, Jennifer Saint, or Pat Barker. All of those authors understand the assignment and absolutely nail it.
If you want a feminist (revisionist) retelling where the main female protagonist is actually interesting and/ or gets a redemption arc, THIS IS REALLY NOT THAT BOOK. You should try Katee Robert or Scarlett St. Clair (and if you don’t like smex try Alexandra Braken or if you’re literally a child try Mary Pope Osborn). And if you want the individual voices of the women in Greek myths to linger in your soul for every single day until you die, read Nina MacLaughlin or Nakita Gill.
If you want a rundown of the general Greek myths without a lot of commentary, LAWD ALMIGHTY THIS IS NOT THE BOOK. You should try Robert Graves’ Greek mythology. Go look in your grandparents’ basement they probably have a copy. It’s exhaustive and v. straightforward. If you want to read an actual female academic’s translation of Greek text (spoiler: THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK) please go read Emily Wilson and exalt her work on high.
If you want a general overview of Greek mythology but like with humor and wit and joviality while still focusing on the actual myths, lol THIS IS NOT THE BOOK. You should try Stephen Fry or Liv Alpert. And if you really want to explore that genre but you want it tied to modern day examples of bomb ass women embodying ancient myths and you still want it to be feisty and fun, I’M DEAD INSIDE THIS IS STILL NOT THE BOOK. You need to read Natalie Haynes.
I don’t know where this book is supposed to fit in amongst all these other great authors turning out amazing interesting hilarious novels and books. It’s as though the author took Wikipedia pages, summarized them in third person past tense, and then at the end of every story adds “and this is what Penelope/Helen/Arachne/whomever wove“ because all the stories are supposed to be tapestries. Like that’s a nice idea but it’s just so thick and uninteresting.
Props are due, however bc this author simultaneously congratules herself on being a feminist while recapitulating the visceral misogyny of Greek mythology in her own text while simultaneously giving the impression that she too just fcking hates women. This book was tedious to finish and I smashed the speed to 2.2x to finally get to the end and make it stop forever. Literally will read any other author over Higgins again.
If you want intricate and luscious prose with a deep dive into a specific character and the people that come in and out of their lives, THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK. You should try Madelyn Miller, Jennifer Saint, or Pat Barker. All of those authors understand the assignment and absolutely nail it.
If you want a feminist (revisionist) retelling where the main female protagonist is actually interesting and/ or gets a redemption arc, THIS IS REALLY NOT THAT BOOK. You should try Katee Robert or Scarlett St. Clair (and if you don’t like smex try Alexandra Braken or if you’re literally a child try Mary Pope Osborn). And if you want the individual voices of the women in Greek myths to linger in your soul for every single day until you die, read Nina MacLaughlin or Nakita Gill.
If you want a rundown of the general Greek myths without a lot of commentary, LAWD ALMIGHTY THIS IS NOT THE BOOK. You should try Robert Graves’ Greek mythology. Go look in your grandparents’ basement they probably have a copy. It’s exhaustive and v. straightforward. If you want to read an actual female academic’s translation of Greek text (spoiler: THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK) please go read Emily Wilson and exalt her work on high.
If you want a general overview of Greek mythology but like with humor and wit and joviality while still focusing on the actual myths, lol THIS IS NOT THE BOOK. You should try Stephen Fry or Liv Alpert. And if you really want to explore that genre but you want it tied to modern day examples of bomb ass women embodying ancient myths and you still want it to be feisty and fun, I’M DEAD INSIDE THIS IS STILL NOT THE BOOK. You need to read Natalie Haynes.
I don’t know where this book is supposed to fit in amongst all these other great authors turning out amazing interesting hilarious novels and books. It’s as though the author took Wikipedia pages, summarized them in third person past tense, and then at the end of every story adds “and this is what Penelope/Helen/Arachne/whomever wove“ because all the stories are supposed to be tapestries. Like that’s a nice idea but it’s just so thick and uninteresting.
Props are due, however bc this author simultaneously congratules herself on being a feminist while recapitulating the visceral misogyny of Greek mythology in her own text while simultaneously giving the impression that she too just fcking hates women. This book was tedious to finish and I smashed the speed to 2.2x to finally get to the end and make it stop forever. Literally will read any other author over Higgins again.
November 27, 2022
I thought this was so good. The cover was fantastic and I loved that as I read this one (I bought this in hardcover yesterday at a local bookstore) the cover sparkled. Higgins does a great job of following Greek myths through many of its famous women, but they are all linked by the loom and their weave depicting some of the terrible things the gods and goddesses have done. We start off with Gaia and Uranus and how their offspring where the Titans. And of course we follow on how eventually Zeus and his brothers and sisters usurped Cronus and then the Greek gods/goddesses as we know them just run amok. I like that Higgins shows the brutality of the gods/goddesses in this one. As a kid reading the Greek myths I always felt put out by how it was just kind of shrugged by how much Zeus ran around abducting maidens (Higgins calls it rape which it was and she shows the aftermath of it for the women in question). The book follows all the way to the end of the Odysseus, but I always thought that Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad was a better ending to the story of Penelope and Odysseus.
Athena weaves and shows the beginning of the gods/goddesses and men. Alcithoe weaves and shows us the beginning of the cult of Dionysus and the tragic tale of Oedipus. Philomela is a tragic and dark tale. A young woman and her sister, Procne who long to be birds to explore the world around them, but Procne's husband has other terrible ideas about Philomela. Arachne who shows us the true ugliness of the gods, and in the end still loses to Athena (who honestly sucks). Andromache who knows that she's destined to lose her husband Hector all because of his awful brother and the woman who launched a thousand ships, Helen. And of course Helen, Helen who I had sympathy for while reading, Helen who is smarter than she appears who knows that she has no way to get out of something that was honestly between three goddesses who caused so much war and strife. And who we know grieves for the children she birthed from Paris and the life she knew before him, with him, and now in her years now with her husband Menelaus, ready to drink to forget. Circe weaves and sees so many of the women who were tossed aside by men, women like her niece Medea and Ariadne. Penelope of course ends the book and we get to see her jealousy and exhaustion dealing with Odysseus being gone and having to deal with the suitors who would marry her. She also sees the end of Clytemnestra and the terrible end of Cassandra.
Some of my favorite passages which Higgins turns some of the myths on their heads:
Alcithoe:
Philomela:
Helen:
Circe:
Penelope:
Athena weaves and shows the beginning of the gods/goddesses and men. Alcithoe weaves and shows us the beginning of the cult of Dionysus and the tragic tale of Oedipus. Philomela is a tragic and dark tale. A young woman and her sister, Procne who long to be birds to explore the world around them, but Procne's husband has other terrible ideas about Philomela. Arachne who shows us the true ugliness of the gods, and in the end still loses to Athena (who honestly sucks). Andromache who knows that she's destined to lose her husband Hector all because of his awful brother and the woman who launched a thousand ships, Helen. And of course Helen, Helen who I had sympathy for while reading, Helen who is smarter than she appears who knows that she has no way to get out of something that was honestly between three goddesses who caused so much war and strife. And who we know grieves for the children she birthed from Paris and the life she knew before him, with him, and now in her years now with her husband Menelaus, ready to drink to forget. Circe weaves and sees so many of the women who were tossed aside by men, women like her niece Medea and Ariadne. Penelope of course ends the book and we get to see her jealousy and exhaustion dealing with Odysseus being gone and having to deal with the suitors who would marry her. She also sees the end of Clytemnestra and the terrible end of Cassandra.
Some of my favorite passages which Higgins turns some of the myths on their heads:
Alcithoe:
"A god can spy on a woman as much as he likes, it seems, though a man may no, even by mistake, glimpse a naked goddess.
Philomela:
"Not like that! cried Pygmalion, suddenly furious. "Go back to the couch. Lie down. Please. I arranged you so beautifully. She had no idea what he was saying, but every newly awakened instinct in her body was telling her to get away from him. He made to grab her, but in truth he was terrified. This is not what he thought he had made, this dishevelled woman with sweat glinting off her clavicle, this woman shrieking like something escaped from Hades, this woman now staggering towards the door and her liberty.
Looking down from Olympus, Aphrodite smiled to herself, then shrugged, and started to comb out her long, shining hair."
Helen:
"But Priam--and his eldest son, Hector, Paris's brother--knew that Helen was a pretext. There was always an excuse for war, some symbol or stand-in. It was often a woman; this time it was Helen. What the Greeks really wanted, all along, was Troy's wealth They wanted the treasuries of her temples emptied out, her women lined up and shared out-soft bodies on which to vent their rage and greed."
Circe:
"But Jason didn't tell Medea all that he knew about Theseus and Ariadne. He didn't tell her that after the pair escaped from Crete they put in for the night on the island of Naxos. He didn't tell her that early in the morning, before it was light, when Ariadne was still asleep, Theseus ordered his crew to put to sea without her, leaving her all alone on the shore--betraying her, breaking all his promises to her."
"A the death of their king and his daughter the Corinthians started rioting; they were a mob, terrifying in their cries for vengeance. Medea's boys did as they had been instructed by their mother. To keep safe, to keep them from harm, they should run to the temple of Hera, where no one would hurt them. But the Corinthians ignored the sanctity of the temple. They turned on those children....When Medea heard the dreadful news....But that's not what happened. As the rabble approached, her doors swung open and she came outside. At the sight of her, the mob fell back--they were blinded, burned, by the deadly, shimmering heat that came from her."
Penelope:
"Inside the palace, Clytemnestra led her husband through to the bath, and, with smooth assurance, helped him strip off his clothes."
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August 13, 2023Ok .. so I did go into this thinking it was a feminist retelling that brings the woman to the forefront ... that it is not .. in my opinion anyway! I was a little miffed that medusa was pretty much cut out of this.
A lot of this book was also nothing I already knew or hadn't read before .. its fair to say though I have read a lot of greek mythology.
However, if we ignore all that, I did still really enjoy listening to this one on my back and forth work commutes. I was dying for a greek mythology hit and this hit the spot perfectly so I can not complain too much.
It was meticulously researched, well written and easy to read and the book itself is just utterly gorgeous!!!
Overall, a great entertaining read!
September 1, 2023
3.5 stars. a great overview of greek mythology with a gorgeous writing style, but not necessarily the feminist retelling i was expecting.
August 10, 2022
I’ve never read a compendium of Greek mythology quite like this; written variously from the POV’s female characters such as Penelope and Helen — they narrate their own myths as well as those of ancient gods and goddesses (and famous heroes, too!). It was very interesting learning about some characters I’d heard of but didn’t know much about — I would say it’s incredibly useful to have everything neatly in one book, but because of that, it is a long read. This is the sort of thing that you pick up, put down and can quite easily forget to return to for a while. That said, it is easy to read and some parts of prose are clearly very inspired by Ancient Greek poetic voice (but the writing is, at the same time, quite clunky in parts — almost like it reads in translation. Except this is very clearly not that at all).
I sort of wish I’d come across this when I was younger — this is a great ‘introduction’ to Greek myth without having to scour and pull together lots of disparate sources. And so accessible, as well!
I sort of wish I’d come across this when I was younger — this is a great ‘introduction’ to Greek myth without having to scour and pull together lots of disparate sources. And so accessible, as well!
March 21, 2022
Not what it claims to be. This book claims to be female centered, however, the female characters are no more central than any other retelling. Seems very traditional and even sympathetic to the males. I expected so much more based on the introduction’s claims. Additionally, while the drawings are lovely in the book, I found it interesting that the author chose to use a male artist for what is supposed to be a female-centric book. I feel as though an opportunity was missed to highlight a female artist.
June 26, 2024
Ma asteptam la cu totul altceva. Nici nu a fost scrisa din perspectiva femeilor si nici doar despre ele nu a fost vorba. Singurul lucru ce mi-a atras atentia din carte si cat de cat pe tema, a fost cat de urgisete au fost acestea.
Citeste toata recenzia pe pagina mea de instagram: @reading_on_my_way
Citeste toata recenzia pe pagina mea de instagram: @reading_on_my_way
January 21, 2023
So first of all, this book was not what I expected, but this is not said in a bad way. The book is exactly what it tells itself to be, it's a telling of the Greek Myths, so many that you kind of lose count, and they're all told in a compelling and enthusiastic way, and they're also short... there's a big number of those I had already read, but it's always good to be reminded...
Now the construction of the book is the really interesting thing here, each chapter and its correspondent tales are told through tapestry - similar to the way Achilles' shield is described in the Illiad - the border and the center tell a story. And there's too particular ones that use this system so well, because they make it more organic and less stiff - Circe's chapter fits itself into the scenes of Odysseus in her island, and then Arachne's has it taking place during the competition with Athena, and has the two tapestries, each with a theme to itself!!!
Now my big shot out is to Penelope, construction wise her chapter doesn't do anything as interesting, but I love her!!! And it's not just now I've absolutely adored every retelling/modern interpretation of her, it just works for me, and she's once more my favorite voice here - again, makes sense when my favorite female characters of all time play into the archetype of Penelope - just her mind makes it all so worth it!!!
This book was just a fascinating read!!! You can have a simple retelling of this myths, but underneath it you have this work into character and mind that's just so good!!!
Now the construction of the book is the really interesting thing here, each chapter and its correspondent tales are told through tapestry - similar to the way Achilles' shield is described in the Illiad - the border and the center tell a story. And there's too particular ones that use this system so well, because they make it more organic and less stiff - Circe's chapter fits itself into the scenes of Odysseus in her island, and then Arachne's has it taking place during the competition with Athena, and has the two tapestries, each with a theme to itself!!!
Now my big shot out is to Penelope, construction wise her chapter doesn't do anything as interesting, but I love her!!! And it's not just now I've absolutely adored every retelling/modern interpretation of her, it just works for me, and she's once more my favorite voice here - again, makes sense when my favorite female characters of all time play into the archetype of Penelope - just her mind makes it all so worth it!!!
This book was just a fascinating read!!! You can have a simple retelling of this myths, but underneath it you have this work into character and mind that's just so good!!!
March 24, 2022
Inconsistent writing and not the feminist retelling I was expecting
June 11, 2023
This was a fascinating take on greek myths. There were names and stories from my childhood I'd forgotten about and it was brought back to life through Charlotte's retelling. It's brutal, challenging, and inspirational (also makes me want to book another greek holiday).
July 14, 2023
medea is the girl boss of the millennium and jason deserved it
April 3, 2024
3.5 stars
a really enjoyable retelling of some of the best known Greek myths, told through the stories woven by the women in the myths. the storytelling was really well done and flowed so nicely.
a really enjoyable retelling of some of the best known Greek myths, told through the stories woven by the women in the myths. the storytelling was really well done and flowed so nicely.
August 10, 2023
A great way to review or be introduced to a multitude of Greek/Roman mythology. I enjoyed the presentation as stories being woven rather than standalone as it helps show the interconnection between all the myths. Also appreciate the notes at the end that share where to find the “original” myths.
August 30, 2021
I love Greek mythology. It's been that way since I was a kid.
The truth is I have always been drawn to sweeping epic tales that feature gods and monsters, magic and adventure, humans who go off on long dangerous odysseys in search of themselves as much as in search of triumph. What's great about them is that the myths themselves are endlessly diverse and variable in detail, and that's what allows them to continue to bloom with fresh life and perspective long after they've been told. To reinvent themselves incarnation after incarnation depending on who's looking at them. To sprout wings in the reader's imagination each and any time they're read. Above all else, though, that quality is what keeps them ripe so they can be plucked for retelling over and over again.
Higgins does a brilliant job of illustrating this. She decorates, she enhances. Quite unobtrusively, she accessorizes Greek myths with motifs and effervescence that changes the entire bedrock upon which they are grounded.
In her reimagining, it is women like Athena, Circe, Aphrodite, Helen of Troy, etc., who are at the helm - the heart - of the tales with their looms. They are the writers, the shapers, the crafters of everything that is told. Theirs' are the hands which are responsible for piecing together the elaborate and imaginative tapestry that exists to make sense of the world. It is their voices, it is their weaving fingers of experience, which gives these myths of old a vibrant new texture that readers will be able to feel as well as behold. It's a powerful depiction that infuses the myths with creative new artistry and paints the female characters with bolder agency.
I though this was brilliant. Unique. It was so nice to encounter a retelling of Greek mythology where the female characters/goddesses were the ones who were "spinning the yarn" and "pulling all the strings" in oratory for once. Talk about a dazzling, tender, sophisticated reimagining--wow! Just wow!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Random House for the ARC.
BOOK BLOG
The truth is I have always been drawn to sweeping epic tales that feature gods and monsters, magic and adventure, humans who go off on long dangerous odysseys in search of themselves as much as in search of triumph. What's great about them is that the myths themselves are endlessly diverse and variable in detail, and that's what allows them to continue to bloom with fresh life and perspective long after they've been told. To reinvent themselves incarnation after incarnation depending on who's looking at them. To sprout wings in the reader's imagination each and any time they're read. Above all else, though, that quality is what keeps them ripe so they can be plucked for retelling over and over again.
Higgins does a brilliant job of illustrating this. She decorates, she enhances. Quite unobtrusively, she accessorizes Greek myths with motifs and effervescence that changes the entire bedrock upon which they are grounded.
In her reimagining, it is women like Athena, Circe, Aphrodite, Helen of Troy, etc., who are at the helm - the heart - of the tales with their looms. They are the writers, the shapers, the crafters of everything that is told. Theirs' are the hands which are responsible for piecing together the elaborate and imaginative tapestry that exists to make sense of the world. It is their voices, it is their weaving fingers of experience, which gives these myths of old a vibrant new texture that readers will be able to feel as well as behold. It's a powerful depiction that infuses the myths with creative new artistry and paints the female characters with bolder agency.
I though this was brilliant. Unique. It was so nice to encounter a retelling of Greek mythology where the female characters/goddesses were the ones who were "spinning the yarn" and "pulling all the strings" in oratory for once. Talk about a dazzling, tender, sophisticated reimagining--wow! Just wow!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Random House for the ARC.
BOOK BLOG
August 13, 2022
This is, indeed, a retelling of the Greek myths, but in the most literal sense of the word. That is, it retells the myths without offering any new or refreshing points of view, while also doing it in the most chaotic way, oftentimes forgetting crucial plot details or explaining them in such backward way that they lose much of their original meaning. In other occasions, while explaining one myth, the author will suddenly jump to another, give it one paragraph, and the go back to the first one in the same sentence, making it quite difficult to full concentrate on what’s going on. It felt like the author was in a rush while writing them, and the reader doesn’t have much opportunity to fully embrace the characters and their stories, which should be the whole point of the book.
The few changes that the author did make were either a) To give the characters absolutely no agency over their actions and turning them boringly passive, especially the male ones, to the point that after finishing the book you’re left with the sense that Greek mythology is just a series of extremely unfortunate events thrown upon a bunch of characters who are almost comically unlucky (Actaeon just stumbled on Artemis bathing, he didn’t do anything wrong, AGAMMEMNON is a poor, poor, man who has to make very difficult decisions for reasons outside of his control, and Achilles, even Heracles, are just valiant warriors with very ill luck) or b) Not even her own idea, and are just fully plagiarised work form other authors (which she fully admits to doing in her Notes.)
So, is it worth a read? Absolutely not, not even as a first-time reader of the myths, since the author manages something that I didn’t ever think it was possible: she makes Greek mythology terribly boring and unengaging. Therefore, I highly recommend her aforementioned Notes, which is basically a list of books and essays that are actually good. Also, apparently this book was marketed as a feminist retelling of the myths. I assure it is not, and I’m tired of authors thinking that an overuse of the word “rape” will mark their books as such.
The drawings were nice though.
The few changes that the author did make were either a) To give the characters absolutely no agency over their actions and turning them boringly passive, especially the male ones, to the point that after finishing the book you’re left with the sense that Greek mythology is just a series of extremely unfortunate events thrown upon a bunch of characters who are almost comically unlucky (Actaeon just stumbled on Artemis bathing, he didn’t do anything wrong, AGAMMEMNON is a poor, poor, man who has to make very difficult decisions for reasons outside of his control, and Achilles, even Heracles, are just valiant warriors with very ill luck) or b) Not even her own idea, and are just fully plagiarised work form other authors (which she fully admits to doing in her Notes.)
So, is it worth a read? Absolutely not, not even as a first-time reader of the myths, since the author manages something that I didn’t ever think it was possible: she makes Greek mythology terribly boring and unengaging. Therefore, I highly recommend her aforementioned Notes, which is basically a list of books and essays that are actually good. Also, apparently this book was marketed as a feminist retelling of the myths. I assure it is not, and I’m tired of authors thinking that an overuse of the word “rape” will mark their books as such.
The drawings were nice though.
October 5, 2023
I really need to start DNFing books...
Depending on how you read this collection, it's either a great introduction to greek mythology for greek myth novices or perhaps not the best first glance into the topic. Unfortunately for me, it was the latter. I found the book to be quite dense and overwhelming, and honestly, pretty boring. Whilst I can see why some might like the writing, for me it kind of read like a textbook at times due to just how much information and different stories the author was trying to cover.
My main issue was the layout. The chapters being named after different female characters were misleading, and pretty irrelevant as each chapter didn't actually focus on the character but rather just covered a plethora of different stories and figures that didn't really have any common connection between them and also weren't very developed. Sometimes the author would even stop a story midway to then finish it off in another chapter. I would have preferred each chapter focused on a particular character/story in detail.
Finally, the description of this book as a feminist retelling is also pretty misleading, as there wasn't really any particular focus put onto the women. Again, it was literally just a retelling of LOADS of different myths randomly bundled up into one book.
Depending on how you read this collection, it's either a great introduction to greek mythology for greek myth novices or perhaps not the best first glance into the topic. Unfortunately for me, it was the latter. I found the book to be quite dense and overwhelming, and honestly, pretty boring. Whilst I can see why some might like the writing, for me it kind of read like a textbook at times due to just how much information and different stories the author was trying to cover.
My main issue was the layout. The chapters being named after different female characters were misleading, and pretty irrelevant as each chapter didn't actually focus on the character but rather just covered a plethora of different stories and figures that didn't really have any common connection between them and also weren't very developed. Sometimes the author would even stop a story midway to then finish it off in another chapter. I would have preferred each chapter focused on a particular character/story in detail.
Finally, the description of this book as a feminist retelling is also pretty misleading, as there wasn't really any particular focus put onto the women. Again, it was literally just a retelling of LOADS of different myths randomly bundled up into one book.
October 16, 2023
Skipped some chapters on the characters I wasn't interested in. The ones I did read didn't provide any new information and there was very little actually about these women. if the author wants to write feminist stories, maybe she should focus on the women in them, instead of getting sidetracked by men and myths that don't involve them. A lot of the women were raped, which was to be expected in a book about Greek mythology; however, I think a lot of substance was missing from those aspects. I didn't care about these women, because the stories barely revolved around them. so when they did get raped, i had very underwhelming emotions.
On a more positive note, the writing was often engaging, if lacking in nuance. Some sections were boring and it felt like the same story was being repeated.
There are better books out there, ones that are actually worth your time and money. (and ones that actually revolve around the women they are trying to write about)
On a more positive note, the writing was often engaging, if lacking in nuance. Some sections were boring and it felt like the same story was being repeated.
There are better books out there, ones that are actually worth your time and money. (and ones that actually revolve around the women they are trying to write about)
August 6, 2023
I have a lot of questions about an author who dedicates herself to retelling brutal stories of rape and violence. The stories are so short there can be no other point than “the gods are going to get you.” This is a great book if you love rape and murder.
June 10, 2024
Aprendi muito com este livro, mesmo!
É uma coleção de mitos gregos contados por algumas personagens femininas da mitologia. É um bom livro de referência, daqueles que estão eternamente na nossa estante e que de vez em quando vamos lá para nos lembrarmos de algum mito, relação genealógica, ou ainda, localização geográfica.
Nota-se a formação clássica da autora, que incluiu uma introdução, uma invocação e uma coleção das fontes dos mitos que contou. Para quem gosta de estudos clássicos, é uma informação valiosa. E não podia deixar de referir o incrível trabalho de pesquisa!
É um must have, para quem gosta de aprender sobre Mitologia :)
É uma coleção de mitos gregos contados por algumas personagens femininas da mitologia. É um bom livro de referência, daqueles que estão eternamente na nossa estante e que de vez em quando vamos lá para nos lembrarmos de algum mito, relação genealógica, ou ainda, localização geográfica.
Nota-se a formação clássica da autora, que incluiu uma introdução, uma invocação e uma coleção das fontes dos mitos que contou. Para quem gosta de estudos clássicos, é uma informação valiosa. E não podia deixar de referir o incrível trabalho de pesquisa!
É um must have, para quem gosta de aprender sobre Mitologia :)
May 31, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ A good, traditional retelling of some of the most famous Greek myths.
August 13, 2023
this book is actually so so cool! learned so much about some of the “underground” greek myths and enjoyed the feminine twist!
April 10, 2024
written rlly well from female perspectives just long to read xx
April 11, 2022
This book was crafted, not simply written. Really enjoyed the way the author grouped the myths together and hung it on weaving. I especially liked her interpretation of Penelope.
August 31, 2023
absolutely loved this beautiful retelling of a variety of different greek myths - i especially loved the weaving motif throughout the book and the highlighting of the often overlooked labour of women (not only for their craft and weaving abilities but also for their role in the successes of many heroes). i also loved the blend between fiction and non-fiction writing. just amazing!!
March 28, 2022
2.5 ⭐️ a good way for a newcomer to gain an understanding of the stories and how all link together. I did find myself drawn in to some more than others. But, the way in which it is told sort of left me feeling unable to connect with the people and story. I did enjoy the Andromache, Penelope and Circe sections more. But, overall this was lacking.
This was supposed to be a female centred re-telling. It is barely that. The three sections I mentioned perhaps were the most female centred. This is simply another re-telling from the same male perspectives really. The women are raped. The end. Woman does bad due to man’s previous behaviour. The end. I found it lacking in the exploration I would have hoped for for something female centred. Basically, although her weaving theme and the composition of the tale is good, there is nothing new here I haven’t seen before. Oh, except a few times the men are given a pass for their terrible behaviour and attempts are made to cast them as good guys. Medusa gets three lines in her story. Perseus gets far more and actually didn’t kill Medusa he felt sorry for her, no it was Athena taking over his body 😑
This was supposed to be a female centred re-telling. It is barely that. The three sections I mentioned perhaps were the most female centred. This is simply another re-telling from the same male perspectives really. The women are raped. The end. Woman does bad due to man’s previous behaviour. The end. I found it lacking in the exploration I would have hoped for for something female centred. Basically, although her weaving theme and the composition of the tale is good, there is nothing new here I haven’t seen before. Oh, except a few times the men are given a pass for their terrible behaviour and attempts are made to cast them as good guys. Medusa gets three lines in her story. Perseus gets far more and actually didn’t kill Medusa he felt sorry for her, no it was Athena taking over his body 😑
August 18, 2022
4.5 ⭐️ - A great compendium of the Greek myths that's set out as a series of retellings (through key women weaving the stories themselves) whilst also having the research and flavour of a non-fiction book. A v different and interesting approach that worked really well.
April 21, 2023
Was this informative? Yes. Was this boring at times? Also yes. Honestly, this was just a never ending stream of consciousness with stories coming one after another with multiple tangents and it felt like I was being talked ‘at’ not ‘to’. There was just so much information to take on board.
I don’t understand the whole weaving thing. Were the women at the beginning of each chapters actually weavers and did they sit down and weave this stories on the loom or was this just a device to tell the stories? I have no clue!
I don’t understand the whole weaving thing. Were the women at the beginning of each chapters actually weavers and did they sit down and weave this stories on the loom or was this just a device to tell the stories? I have no clue!
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