I always love retellings of ancient Greek mythology/history. This is no exception. The execution is somewhat slow and plodding, but I was always engaged nonetheless. I give a lot of credit to the audio performance. Stephanie Racine has a lovely voice and performed this book very well.

I can't help but compare this to books like Circe and Ariadne. It feels similar in that it is an epic, woman-narrated retelling. Both of those books were five stars for me. This one doesn't quite live up to their precedent I feel. I think what I'm missing here is a feminist or critical lens. It is simply a story and doesn't try as hard to say anything deeper. And while the narrator is Antigone, she isn't a main character. This story is not woman-centered. Not that it is bad, but it all stays rather surface level.

Make sure you check out the content warnings for this one. I was somewhat taken aback by some, personally.

Sexual violence? Yes, Zeus rapes Europa and there is also a very graphically depicted rape by a man of a boy. Other content warnings? Suicide (pretty detailed), beating of slaves, murder, incest, infanticide, infertility, discussion of abortion, child abuse, slavery, imprisonment, execution.

I, Antigone is a beautifully crafted retelling of popular Greek mythology - the story of Oedipus.

In this book, Antigone serves as the narrator, telling the biography of her father, Oedipus. She traces back her lineage, weaving together the series of events that led to her father’s exile and death. Antigone is fiercely determined to set the record straight once and for all.

In this beautiful re-imagining, she shows the same tenacity we witnessed in the Theban play that is her namesake. She implores the listener to consider the power of fate over free-will when we determine one’s innocence or guilt..

Gébler's writing is highly detailed and lyrical. I was enthralled from the very beginning and emotionally invested all the way through. The story flows beautifully without dragging on.

I enjoyed the interactions of King Laius and Queen Jocasta as they wrestled with the tension and emotions between them. I especially loved the fact that there is a more in-depth portrayal of the female characters in this story, notably Jocasta.

Gébler also brings new life and depth to the shepherd, who was no more than a mention in the original. Here, he is a fully realized character whose unthinkable task pulled at my heartstrings.

Some have assumed from the title of this book that this is Antigone’s personal life story. It's not.. Antigone isn't physically present until the end. But I will say that everything is tied together beautifully. I feel it's all very fitting. After all, it's Antigone’s unfaltering love and loyalty to her family that drew us to her in the first place.

Gébler does a fabulous job honoring Antigone and expanding her legacy.

If you enjoy Circe and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, this is the book for you!

The audiobook narrator, Stephanie Racine, has a beautiful voice! She did an excellent job bringing this book to life and keeping Antigone’s voice strong and clear throughout the story. Her narration greatly enhanced the experience for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, New Island Books, Saga Egmont Audio and Carlo Gebler!

Thank you to NetGallery and Saga Egmont Audio for access to an early listen of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

An incredibly well researched retelling of the Oedipus story, narrated by his daughter, Anitgone. In I, Antigone, Carlo Gebler traces the lineage of Antigone's family history back to the rape of Europa, beautifully weaving together many classic myths to illustrate the path that led Oedipus towards his fate. Without denying Oedipus' role in his sordid story, Antigone argues that his fate was determined long ago and no matter which path was taken, they all would have led to the same place.

If you were hoping to learn more about Antigone and how her personal story weaves into those she has described, you have chosen the wrong book. Though Antigone the narrator breaks the fourth wall at times throughout her telling of the story, it is not until the epilogue of the book that we actually meet Antigone within the story. Even then, we get more of a picture of how she is wrapping up Oedipus' story and only a glimpse into her own story. We do not hear anything of her youth or her relationships with her family. We get no insight into who she is as a person. At the end of the story she is about to act out the role in mythology for which she is most famous for, but we do not hear these events described or learn of her fate after her actions. Upon completing this book, I felt a bit misled by its title.

While enthusiasts for Greek mythology like myself will be excited to discover a story that so beautifully ties together so many classic Greek myths, this book feels less accessible to those who are not familiar with Greek mythology. I do hope that the text version of this story includes a visual of the family tree described in this story--because the story spans such a large history, I found myself lost at times and wanting to visually. trace myself back to where I was in the story. If you are looking to build on your Oedipus research or dig more thoroughly into the history of Thebes, this book would be a great option. If you are looking for a new retelling of a story that centers an often overlooked female character from Greek mythology, keep looking.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Carlo Gébler for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I remember studying Antigone in Year 10 (16 years old) and being so fascinated by the whole story so when I saw this I knew I definitely wanted to read it.
I enjoyed that they delved deeper into the story of Antigone's family and why things happened as they did. I highly recommend this book!

You'd think after reading Hayne's Children of Jocasta last year, that I'd have heard all that one needs to understand this complicated family of Greek mythology. But you'd be wrong. This story tells us of Jocasta's plight, her son and later husband Oedipus and how their union comes to be. But in this case we get much more than I've heard in previous stories, we learn about Laius and his misdeeds which led to the insane situation of this family. When Jocasta cannot become pregnant and he petitions the oracle at Delphi, we learn that should he have a child, it will kill him. He doesn't give Jocasta the whole truth when he returns, no one gives anyone a full truth until the end of this complex tale. Poor Antigone is our narrator telling us little of her own life until the end but giving us an epic about her family back many generations to the founding of Thebes.

I adored how this story was told, the weaving and depth of the characters was Madeline Miller level. Every time I pick up a new Greek myth retelling, I think - will I be bored by a story I already know, and each time I am surprised by new details imagined by these authors. Gebler's writing is beautiful and lyrical and like all sad tales evokes such emotion. The pain and pride of these characters is so intense. You know they're all headed for disaster and yet you find yourself pulling for them so ardently.

I listened to this one via Netgalley and the narrator was fabulous.

Thanks to Sage Egmont for access to this advanced copy. All opinions above are my own.

Once I started listening to this book I truly couldn’t stop!

I, Antigone is the story of Oedipus and his ancestors told by his daughter, Antigone.

Going into the book I thought there would be more of Antigone’s personal story but I really enjoyed the unique perspective on the story it does tell.

This book provides all the background and context to the Oedipus story. This means it covers a lot of ground but it never drags and actually flows from generation to generation very naturally. I think that even if you aren’t familiar with any Greek mythology, it would still be very easy to follow.

The best thing about I, Antigone is how it fleshes out the minor and background characters in the myth. Jocasta, in particular, has more depth to her and it’s always fantastic to see the women in mythology given the attention they deserve. Another character to that’s expanded on is the Shepard tasked with abandoning Oedipus. Often he is just a footnote but here he is given a family and story of his own, adding a whole new layer.

The narrator did a brilliant job of bringing all these characters to life, all while reminding us that it is Antigone telling the story. I was fully absorbed in the story from the very start.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.