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I really like Hera's POV here!

Interesting.

I enjoyed this Greek mythology story, this time about Penelope and the island of Ithaca. She is still waiting and hoping Odyssesus is alive and will come back. It started off slow and was even contemplating to DNF it. But decided to stick at it.

Another myth retelling that made me a little sad; it talks about a woman‘s place in the ancient world as Penelope deals with her suitors. I was just disappointed because the most interesting part - Penelope creating a female army - wasn‘t mentioned as much as I‘d like. We also don‘t see the “end” - when Odysseus comes home, and we don‘t know what happens to the one kind and helpful suitor (created just for this book).

I don't usually read mythology retellings, and it didn't become my favorite genre either, but it wasn't bad. It's about badass women. 💪🏻
#fiction #mythology #greekmythology #retelling
#catsoflitsy

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

I‘ll call this a Pick because I liked it well enough, but it felt a bit long and it didn‘t contain author‘s notes about why this particular myth was being retold and what sources, if any, were drawn upon. (Natalie Haynes writes good author‘s notes in this regard.) Content warning for rape / sexual assault.

I loved this imagining of the period just before the beginning of the “Odyssey”. Claire North tells the story of Penelope protecting her kingdom from the suitors and myriad other calamities. Honestly, in North‘s telling, Penelope is the more wily and clever one of the couple. This is my favorite Clair North book since “The First 15 Lives of Harry August” :)

This was my first #Aardvark selection and it was excellent. This is about Penelope and how she deals with those pesky suitors while Odysseus was MIA. And my favorite part is that Hera is the narrator. It's funny and clever. I love Greek stories. There is a lot to work with there. The author did an excellent job with it.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

It can be super challenging to keep track of the characters in Greek Mythology Retellings 🤯 Thankfully Claire North has included a list of all characters (mortal and immortal) at the very beginning. If ever there was a page to dogear 😉

Odysseus is modest - when modesty is a weapon.

I went into this wanting to love it. Sadly, I can‘t stand Hera as a narrator—she comes across as vindictive and petty—and the writing just seemed… juvenile. Not for me, sadly.

Thanks to Terra dog for holding up the book for me!

Well, this is delightful. This is the third novel I‘ve read by this author. I love a retelling of mythology. This is about Penelope when Odysseus has failed to return to Ithaca, told through the eyes of the Goddess Hera.

#BookSpinBingo #DoubleSpin @TheAromaofBooks

Ithaca is a retelling of Penelope's story, which I loved in theory. To be fair, there is so much in this book that I loved, but the shifts in tone due to Hera being the narrator of the tale felt out of place and became annoying.

I'm still glad that I read it, but it's not a Greek retelling I'll revisit.

#20in4 #Readathon @Andrew65

I'm hoping to finish up two more books I'm currently reading for September's #BookSpinBingo and then start on some audiobooks and graphic novels for #Scarathlon ☺

Another #Aardvark hint - feels like this one is possibly Ithaca!

While this book (if it is indeed the book this hint refers to) is not my personal cup of tea, is anybody else low-key stoked for Aardvark to launch??

When pirates come to Ithaca‘s shores, Penelope, Queen of Ithaca & wife of Odysseus, must use the cunning & power she has to protect her people.

This was at times lovely & mythical. But with the goddess Hera as narrator, we get a lot of tone shifts that pulled me out of the story. & Hera‘s presence is overwhelming sometimes, like she‘s the main character, not Penelope. The best scenes are when Penelope and her attendants work together. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

It's my favorite retelling of the Greek myth of Penelope!
#bookreviews #reading #greekmyth #penelope

Full review at: https://lostnagoodbook.wordpress.com/2022/09/06/ithaca-claire-north/