This novel offers a unique perspective on a timeless story.
One of the book's strengths is its contemporary take on the ancient narrative. Gerber successfully adapts the characters and events to a modern setting, making it relatable to a new generation of readers. This approach breathes fresh life into the well-known tale, allowing readers to explore its themes in a modern context.
The character development in "I, Antigone" is commendable. The protagonist, Antigone, is a complex and relatable figure, and the supporting characters are equally well fleshed out. Their emotions and dilemmas are vividly portrayed, making the reader empathize with their struggles.
However, the novel's pacing can be a bit uneven. At times, it moves swiftly, but in others, it lingers on certain events, potentially losing the reader's attention.
All in all, "I, Antigone" offers a refreshing take on a classic tragedy with well-developed characters. It successfully bridges the gap between ancient and modern storytelling, though it does have moments of pacing and adaptation that may not resonate with all readers. If you appreciate modern reinterpretations of classic tales, this book is worth exploring, but be prepared for some occasional unevenness.

A wonderfully encapsulated retelling the of the Oedipus myth. Perfect for the mythology curious who want a complex story boiled down to its essential components. Narrated by the daughter of Oedipus, the titular Antigone, Gebler tells the story with empathy and gives a window into a foundational myth.

A Greek mythology girlie through and through it only made sense that I start my audiobook journey with I, Antigone.

I was lucky enough to get my audiobook from NetGalley. And I’m glad that I started it a long while ago and left off when I hurt my knee. The book came in handy today. I was going to cry in the middle of 50 person line to enter a tax office, and yell at my boyfriend and HR. Books can save you in the most unexpected of ways, in unlikely spaces.

The story of Oedipus has always been a tragic one. No less tragic is the story of Jocasta, his wife and mother, and his children, one of whom, Antigone, narrates this story. We know Antigone’s story for the play by Sophocles. We know her fathers story even better. After all, Frued had a field day.

Frued didn’t mention that Oedipus tore his own eyes out.

I feel like there isn’t much I should mention about the plot. A book based on Greek mythology depends only on the strength of the writer and the journey they take on us. After all, we know these stories; we know the start and end and what happens in the middle. These characters are compelled to act the way they do. After all, as Stephen Mitchell put it,

“the trojans couldn’t give Helen back because they didn’t give her back.”

And as Antigone says

I’m not free to not do it.

There’s something oddly comforting and terrifying in that; that sometimes we must do what we must do for no other reason than it was written in us. Nurture or nature; fate or chance, the odds are sometimes just so stacked against us and all we can do is hurry ourselves along with some dignity.

This book was a good example of that. We never talk about Oedipus and Jocasta as man and wife. It’s always hidden away under what we know is incredibly repulsive. Although I think those of us who also grew up on Flowers in the Attic know that life is a bit harder and more messy than it needs to be. But his fidelity at the end when he asks to go to her funeral and is denied by Creon is a bit different. After all, we all know how horrified Oedipus and Jocasta were; the idea of fidelity, even after that is truly something. It’s these details that Carlos Gerber uses to bring them to life; to make us sympathetic towards them. We don’t need to like them all the time or their actions; but the story of Oedipus, as other stories in Greek myth, has always been one to show us that human beings are doomed. And it’s only how we conduct ourselves through that fate that make our lives worth something.

Really enjoyed this retelling! Super easy to read and the narration was great.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eAlc via NetGalley

I love a greek myth, espeically those focused on women. It helps when reading to already know the story of Antigone, but overall it was very enjoyable and I'd highly recommend.

I, Antigone is a retelling of the traditional Greek myth of Oedipus from his daughter Antigone's point of view. In this audiobook, author Carlo Gébler and narrator Stephanie Racine explore the issues of fate, free will, and family through a contemporary lens.

The audiobook begins with an ancient prophecy about Oedipus's fate and his parents' desperate attempts to prevent tragedy. Then, we follow Oedipus' trip through his childhood and return to Thebes, where he defeats the Sphinx and ascends to the throne.

Antigone, who is desperate to set the record straight regarding her father's life and death, narrates the story. Through her narration, we gain insight into the characters and their situation, as well as a fresh perspective on fate's force.

Stephanie Racine's narration is superb. Her delivery brings the story to life with a voice that is low and quiet, dark and sluggish, like a river rolling over rocks. The combination of Carlo Gébler's writing and Stephanie Racine's narrative provides a compelling and dramatic encounter. This audiobook is a must-listen for classics enthusiasts.

My thoughts specifically on the audiobook: simply lovely. Stephanie Racine’s vocals were very fitting for the role of this book. Cadence, and production were impeccable.

The story itself was about. 3.75-⭐️ for me. It didn’t seem to “set the record straight” as to what was Antigone’s aim. Overall, it was a very clean and linear retelling to the story of Oedipus Rex, with just enough embellishment to give the myth a refreshing voice.

3.5 stars (rounded up)
I am a big fan of mythological retellings and am always drawn to those of Greco-Roman origin since I was a classicist at some point of my life. This was a fresh and interesting journey through Antigone's eyes, but not truly about Antigone in full. I would have appreciated a deeper dive into Antigone with a more critical and/or feminist lens. It was a little slow in the beginning and I kept putting it down at first. But once I crossed the threshold, it became more digestable.

The birth of a baby boy portends the death of the mythical Greek king, Oedipus, but what occurred to make his tragic end so renowned? And how wasn't it stalled, when knowledge of it was provided?

I have an interest in any mythological retelling and have had success with many of the recently published titles that focus on the infamous Greek gods and myths, as these are where my personal mythological interest primarily lies. This one was no different and I thought Gébler did a commendable job of making this ancient world accessible and alive for the modern-day reader.

I knew the basic facts about this Greek myth but not the minute details so found this a fascinating retelling, which, judging from other reviews, is also a very faithful one.

<i>I, Antigone</i> is told as the biography by Antigone of her father Oedipus in 7th century BC Greece. The story tells not just of Oedipus’s life, however, but also of those who came before him and paved the way for his life to fulfill the famous prophecy.

I liked that this was a more in-depth retelling of the original myth. I do feel like the book could have had a better title since Antigone herself barely factors into the story. Stephanie Racine did a nice job narrating the audiobook. I would recommend this book for those would like a refresher on this particular Greek myth.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

3.5

tw: murder, gore, sexual assault, animal sacrifice (with detailed explanation), suicide, violence, incest, infanticide

I, Antigone is a book inspired by the classic Greek myth, the story of Oedipus and his family before him, told by his daughter, Antigone. It is very much a retelling that draws from the sources but is repackaged. Which is to say, if you are looking for a new twist, a new perspective - this is not it. But, however, if you are someone not familiar with the story, I think this would be a great place to start. (Also, if you're someone like me, who expected more of Antigone, this is not for you.)

The story opens up with Europa, her kidnapping, and subsequent r*pe by Zeus, her brother Cadmus's search for her, and then after failing, the establishment of Thebes. Antigone tells us she is a descendant of that family, and then tells a story of her mother Jocasta and her first husband Laius, and their downfall later on. She tells the story of her father's birth and life and how he came to be her mother's second husband. I am assuming a lot of people know this story, but I am trying not to give away too much, in case you don't. If you do know the classical story, you will know the contents of this book. Obviously, some things are modified, changed, and stylized to fit better into this particular novel, but the core of the story is there.

The narrator is Antigone, and she is not an active participant for the vast majority of the book. She tells the story as it's been told to her, and seldom interrupts to add some of her own comments to the narrative.
"He was wholly at fault and he was entirely innocent.
This is true of us all if we only knew it. His fate is everyone’s."
I enjoyed her interjections, and I had hoped there would be more of her experience, her story interwoven with her family's, but sadly, there wasn't. In my head, the book is divided into three parts: the family history before Jocasta and Laius, Jocasta and Laius's life - which makes up for a large part of the novel, and the last third which is a speed-through of Oedipus's life to catch up to the point where everything went downhill and then to the moment in which Antigone is telling this story.

This wasn't my favorite read, but, in truth, there was nothing "wrong" with this book. The writing was amazing, in my opinion, that was the strongest point of the book and what makes this novel worth reading. I listened to the audiobook, and if you can, I would highly recommend it - the narrator is fantastic, and there's a lot of emotion in the way the story is told. I think my biggest qualm with the novel is that based on the synopsis (and the title), I simply expected something different. I was very interested in Antigone's experience and how all of the family tragedies have affected her and formed her - but I got none of that.

As I mentioned, this is a pretty clear retelling - not drifting too far from its source material, but what I think is also done incredibly here are the characters. Many of them are not likable or worthy of sympathy, but this book does a great job of considering the motivation behind actions and through the lens of the time when it happens - if our choices are truly ours or if they're pre-destined and possible to avoid. I think it does a great job exploring the thoughts of people we follow, and that is where Antigone adds her comments, which, as mentioned, I liked a lot. I think the pacing was also slightly off, the part of Laius and Jocasta takes up a lot of the book while everything that happens after Oedipus's birth seems sped-through.

I listed the trigger warnings at the beginning, but I just wanna say that especially the first third of the book was gorier than I expected. There are several animal sacrifices, and there it is in detail explained how it's done and what's done afterward, and several deaths happen that are also pretty bloody. There is sexual assault, which is not as graphic but still in one instance happens on page. So if you are interested in reading this, take this into consideration!

This was an interesting retelling, and I'm glad I read it, even if it wasn't my favorite. I would still recommend it, the writing and characters are very well done, and there was clearly a lot of research put into the creation of this, and I think this novel successfully unifies the myths of the people we follow. If you are interested in the story, I would recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This, sadly, was disappointing. Basically just a very straight-forward retelling of Oedipus' myth, as well as the events leading up to it and after. I was missing the author's original voice and point of view, as there was no new perspective added to the myth and because of that I didn't really see the point with the book overall.

A very detailed retelling of the Oedipus myth, this has a very epic feel and the world building and character development is impressive, but I was a bit disappointed not to really hear more of Antigone's story, especially given the title. This does seem very faithful to the original myth rather than exploring other themes. The writing is very good but I don't feel the comparisons to Madeleine Miller and Jennifer Saint are entirely valid.

I really liked this retelling of the Antigone story from the beginning. It showed a lot of the story from different angles and it was good to see the story in full. The writing was good and i think it conveyed the messages that Gebler wanted to convey well. I would definitely read more by this author in the same vein as this was really enjoyable.

Mythology retellings are peaking right now - after Madeline Miller's successes, many have found the urge to give the characters from acient lore, especially the women, a voice and lend motivation to their sometimes unsympathetic actions, so that antiquated mentalities can catch up with 2k22 sentiments. This author did none of that in I, Antigone, though?

Besides this being a straight-up, no-creative-freedom retelling of the Oedipus saga, starting with the abduction of Europa and going into lengthy explanations of the genealogy of the kings of Thebes, Antigone, the eponymous heroine of this novel, is only the narrator. Perhaps an afterthought, part of the epilogue, but that's it. Whereas Miller's retold classics add layers and personalities to her characters, Gébler adheres to the one-dimensional classic presentation that does no one, especially not Jocasta, any favours.

Not to mention the author's weird obsession with bodily fluids.

In short, this is the case of another Western writer who managed to make preconveived fictional people seem even worse than they already were. Maybe read Sophocles instead.

This was an enjoyable book to listen to. A clear retelling of the play by Sophocles for a modern audience.

I, Antigone was the perfect read for someone who didn’t know much about this myth (outside some of the more popular points). A clear narration and constantly moving plot held up particularly well within the audiobook; it was a joy to listen to and really brought the reader inside the mind of our narrator.

First off, readers need to be aware that the title of this book is incredibly misleading. Make sure to read the synopsis closely to realize this story has absolutely nothing to do with Antigone, nor do you get the story told from her perspective.

Now that I've said that, I'll admit that I barely made it to the 10% mark before DNFing this audiobook. The story itself should not be compared to the writing of Madeline Miller, because she writes stories from a new perspective. This is basically just an Oedipus retelling for a modern audience. I maybe would have been okay with that, but I really wasn't down to read step-by-step on how to slaughter an animal. Others may not have any issue with this (admittedly) small portion of the story, but it's a pretty hard limit for me.

What was absolutely excellent about this book, however, was the narrator. Stephanie Racine was an absolute pleasure to listen to and I'd happily devour another book narrated by her.

A beautiful story narrated in a beautiful way! I, Antigone tells the history of Antigone's family and all the twists and turns that are taken to get to her. If you are a fan of Greek mythology, you will love this retelling of Oedipus.

Stephanie Racine does an absolutely wonderful job of narrating and was a joy to listen to.

I found myself so immersed in this audio book. Narrator was the perfect fit for this and did such a good job! A fab retelling of the story, with so much background to Antigone, her family and past.