The Whispering Muse

Robotswithpersonality

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

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Mostly mourning the lost potential in the premise.
Despite the extensive amount of the story delivered by an unlikeable narrator, I can see so much here that would have really worked for me if handled differently.
The author writes well, but seems to often choose to write in an attempt to shock the reader, but in ways I've encountered before, that only leave a bad taste in my mouth. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Opening with post-WW2 tensions: white supremacy and eugenics still viable ideas to some people, so many who have suffered violence and trauma in war, the 'place of women'.
Then the story within the story of a second mate ostensibly transported from a place and time where he had a past serving aboard the Argo with Jason, in recounting his tale focusing on the Lemnos incident, parallels the fact that he and the listening passengers and crew are (edited) 2w

Robotswithpersonality 3/? aboard a ship in the 1940s unexpectedly paused in its own journey.
One more layer is apparent in a Nordic tale recounted that foreshadows Jason and Medea's own dark endings, told both to the Argonauts and the 40s listeners.
The unlikeable narrator has the potential for farce, because he appears to have a Polonius/Mr. Collins level of clueless chatter that sucks up to his benefactor, and tells people things for their own good and criticizes (edited) 2w

Robotswithpersonality 4/? everyone in the least tolerant manner possible.
There's also a strong theme of sexual violence against women and seeing women only as insatiable sexual objects, which is disturbing in itself, but also because it never really feels like the author did the work to explain the linkage between the problems with the latter and the perpetration of the former. (edited) 2w

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? Perhaps the idea was that with such an unlikeable narrator, anything he said you'd understand to be distasteful and not an attitude the reader should take forward, but it's all the messier when Caeneus, the second mate, acting as the narrator for the story within the story is at once catering to the needs of a good portion of the women of Lemnos without valuing them beyond sexual desire, and recounting his own assault at the hands of Poseidon (edited) 2w

Robotswithpersonality 6/? when he was a woman who wished to become a man after this ordeal.
There's a single page that suggests a sci-fi/fantasy element that might explain why Caeneus from ancient mythic Greece is in the 20th century, but for the most part this is a bizarre mashup of historical and myth-retelling. (edited) 2w

Robotswithpersonality 7/? It ends much too quickly for my taste plot-wise, with no real resolution, but too slowly considering some of the uglier discussion topics, and worse, the detestable narrator appears in better state than he started. Again, I've read books where these writing choices are made, before, and I remain baffled as to what the point was. I'm afraid my brain is pretty good at dumping the junk when it's in the realm of fiction, so if the idea was to make (edited) 2w

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 it memorable because it pushed buttons, it failed there too. 🤷🏼‍♂️

⚠️Racism, xenophobia, misogyny, dismemberment, SA, child death 2w

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vivastory

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

Having just returned from the theaters where I saw The Northman, I thought now is a good time to repost the picture of my signed Sjón book. Author of strange & wonderful novellas & screenwriter of 2 strange & wonderful movies. Also, an early fan of Backlisted!

wanderinglynn What did you think of The Northman? I‘ve seen a lot of ads for it & it looks interesting, but maybe a bit violent? 3y

vivastory @wanderinglynn I will need to sit with it for a bit, but I really appreciate the commitment to the worldview they tried to portray & I think that Eggers & his team succeeded. It is pretty violent, but the violence is never gratuitous. They show you what you need to know on the screen & then cut away. It earns it's R rating but it doesn't wallow in it either, if that makes sense. 3y

persephone1408 Is it Eric before the vampirism??? Lol 3y

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vivastory

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

Since the new movie “Lamb“ (the AV Club said of it, “as much a strange domestic drama as an A24 horror movie“) is released this week, I thought this as good of a time as any to post a picture of my signed copy of Sjón's The Whispering Muse. Sjón is one of the screenwriters for Lamb. Trailer below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnEwJKVWjFM&t=37s

Reggie Yeah, I don‘t know. You gonna go watch it, then? 4y

wanderinglynn I‘m not sure what I just watched. 🤔😆 4y

vivastory @Reggie I am. I'm going to try to see it this weekend. 4y

Megabooks Interesting. I‘d like to see this. 4y

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JanuarieTimewalker13

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

so-so

To get an idea about the book, Michel Faber‘s review in The Guardian is much better than I could ever give. 22June2012
I almost bailed, but Caeneus kept me reading. I enjoyed Moonstone much more. #Iceland

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Currey

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

so-so

In contrast to The Blue Fox, I found myself largely lost without knowledge of the mythical underpinning of the story. This book has won many awards and is an intertwining of Norse Mythology, and Jason‘s journey with the Argonauts. There were humorous moments and impressive mash ups but I was largely unable to appreciate this one. I got the impression that I was also simply missing an Icelandic sense of humor. #readaroundtheworld #iceland

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JanuarieTimewalker13

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

My book haul from Book Outlet (rec‘d last week). Already sent out Demi Lovato journal to my friend. 9 books and a journal for$16.80. They were all bargain books. The most expensive was Sjòn‘s at $1.79 ? I felt so rich when the box came!! Making up for my bookmobile days when I was allowed only 1 or 2 books and the kids who had $ walked out with loads....lol ❤️Book Outlet❤️#bookoutlethaul

JanuarieTimewalker13 By the way, the Demi Lovato journal was beautiful...wish I would‘ve taken a photo before I sent it out. It was only 99 cents!! 8y

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Nat_Reads

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

While not the book I thought it was, I'm liking it! And fittingly it follows my reading of Ragnarok, which I greatly enjoyed! Mythic and comic sea voyage! Norse Mythology btw. Learning that I tend to go for cold settings the warmer it gets...

Nat_Reads

Ragnarok: The End of the Gods

TobeyTheScavengerMonk Just read an article about this one recently. Sounds crazy. http://www.tor.com/2017/05/03/norse-and-greek-mythology-meet-postmodernism-in-sj... 8y

Nat_Reads @TobeyTheScavengerMonk Thank you!! I love reading stuff like this. The book is definitely crazy!! 8y

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KathyWheeler Did you read Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology? I like at as well. 8y

Nat_Reads @KathyWheeler Not yet!! I am waiting for my library hold to come in!! 8y

KathyWheeler @Nat_Reads I liked it. I'm going to read Ragnarok soon as well. 8y

Nat_Reads @KathyWheeler I really liked Ragnarok!! 8y

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StaceGhost

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

pick

I bought signed editions of both "Land of Love and Ruins" by Oddný Eir and "The Whispering Muse" by Sjón at the Keflavik Airport Penninn Bookstore before take-off. Both of them feature hauntingly beautiful settings and strangely compelling characters. Both are fascinating in different but related ways. Regardless, I highly recommend both these authors. Many more Icelandic recommendations to come! Maybe it will help how badly I want to return? ??

ReadingEnvy I focused on Iceland for a year but struggled with Laxness, which is blasphemy I'm sure. 9y

StaceGhost Haha! Our tour guide said they all have to read him in school and it was awful because when she was 16 she had no point of reference for anything he was saying. I'm tackling it next, but with realistic expectations 😅 9y

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vivastory

The Whispering Muse: A Novel | Sj�n

#signedsundays
You know it's unique when your book is blurbed by David Mitchell, A. S. Byatt, Junot Diaz & Bjork.

LeahBergen Ooo, nice! 9y

Nat_Reads Just picked this one up from the library! 8y

vivastory @Nat_Reads I still need to read this one. Have you read Sjon? 8y

Nat_Reads @vivastory I just started it! So far so good!! 8y

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