My interest in novels that retell classic Greek myths and legends from female perspectives continues to thrive having just finished Claire North’s upcoming book, Ithaca. As a figure in literature, Penelope – the wife of Odysseus – occupies an interestingly complex place that North’s take captures beautifully. I can’t say that I’m surprised given how much I enjoyed The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August years ago (which I plan to reread sometime in the next few months). There were a few places online that seem to indicate Ithaca will actually be the first of at least two novels North is writing focused on Penelope and I can honestly say that I will be satisfied whether or not this proves true. Ithaca works completely as a standalone novel while also providing an ending that leaves plenty of room for more (and given what’s left to come in the source material, I would thoroughly enjoy reading North’s spin on that as well).

It’s been eight years since the Trojan war ended but none of the men of Ithaca have returned and most believe Odysseus is dead. The suitors who would marry his queen, Penelope have been gathering for years and the pressure to choose one is mounting in the wake of what have become regular attacks on the island every full moon. The goddess Hera watches over one of her beloved Queens of Greece and the women who surround her and help her wield the silent and invisible power she uses to keep her husband’s kingdom functioning and from descending into civil war. But the supposed pirates attacking aren’t the threat to the delicate balance she’s struck. Penelope’s cousin, Clytemnestra has killed her husband, Agamemnon and now it is their son, Orestes’ duty to find his mother and avenge his father’s death. When Orestes and his sister, Elektra arrive on Ithaca having traced Clytemnestra’s path there, Penelope’s own role as Queen acting in her husband’s absence falls under uncomfortable scrutiny.

One of the elements of the novel that I appreciated was that it was narrated by Hera and the way the gods (or in this case, the goddesses) interacted with what was happening while also being separate from in in major ways. Not only were the delicate politics that Penelope had to negotiate on a daily basis on display, but the politics of Olympus were in play as well with their petty jealousies and power struggles. It was particularly interesting to see North’s interpretation of several different goddesses and how they relate to the plight of women: Hera, Athena, and Artemis.

Much of Ithaca is also spent exploring appearance and reality. It is an island where, because of the men and resources required for the Trojan War, the population is heavily skewed toward women so it makes logical sense for women to perform most of the work necessary to keep the island kingdom running in the eighteen years since the majority of the men set sail. However, even though the truth of the situation is obvious, the women can’t openly receive credit for the work they do. It is the same with the plight of Penelope and her suitors. There are a multitude of customs that must be upheld regarding the treatment of guests but there are about as many customs for how guests must treat their host. In so many ways, the suitors at Odysseus’ palace mirrors the siege of Troy but with less bloodshed – or at least, less obvious bloodshed. Trouble arises whenever appearances slip, which usually translates to the men glimpsing the women acting behind the scenes.

Ithaca will be available September 6, 2022.

Overall I’m quite disappointed in this book. I guess in a world where myth retellings are booming, it’s probably hard to not want to throw your hat in the ring. The writing goes from almost lyrical with similes every other line; to contemporary in an instant (with calling Paris a little wart and Poseidon an old fart.) It was whiplash that left me dissatisfied and wanting to DNF at 10% in. I pushed a bit further, really trying to give it a fair try, but I was still so disappointed. I really wanted to like this, as I tend to really enjoy myth retellings. This book put me in such a reading slump.

It has been seventeen years since Odysseus left Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War, leaving his young bride Penelope and infant son Telemachus behind. The war lasted ten years but Odysseus has not returned. Penelope is left to fend for herself and her son and run the kingdom of Ithaca with help of her household of maids and advisors. Odysseus’s prolonged absence has fueled rumors of his death encouraging hordes of suitors to flock to Penelope’s door and unashamedly becoming a fixture in her home. She has to make up excuses to hold them at bay. In addition to tactfully handling the volatile situation with her suitors, she is also troubled by the presence of a queen being hunted by her vengeful children for murdering their father. Penelope's son Telemachus, intent on proving he is a worthy successor to his father, joins the militia movement that is training for fighting the raiders who target their island at regular intervals. In other words, a lot is going on in Ithaca and Penelope has her hands full.

The presence of the Greek goddesses, each wielding their power over their devotees and their subtle manipulations, not to mention their limited interactions with one another makes for an interesting read. The exchanges between Hera and Athena, in particular, are quite amusing. Hera, as a narrator, does not mince her words –be it on her opinions about her husband’s amorous exploits or her true feeling about her stepchildren, her observations on Penelope’s suitors or her biased opinions of the Grecian queens among whom Clytemnestra is her favorite. She also holds nothing back while voicing her own brutally honest opinions about some of the "heroes" and how poets and bards wax eloquent while singing praises of their exploits, often neglecting to mention the contributions of their female counterparts or the lesser known mortals who have played an important role in their success.

While I did enjoy Hera’s narration, I felt that her views and perceptions dominated the story and somehow relegated Penelope’s perspective to the sidelines. Penelope is portrayed as quiet but observant and capable of ruling in her husband’s absence. Having read Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad recently and loving it, I had hoped to hear more about Penelope and her maids and the events in Ithaca during Odysseus’s absence from Penelope’s perspective. I did enjoy the detailed description of the lives of the women on the island. The women in Claire North’s Ithaca - Penelope, her loyal maids and advisors, and the warriors who take it upon themselves to defend their island from threats are brave and intelligent and empower one another when faced with adversity.

With its well-written, fluid and elegant prose, even pacing throughout the novel, and themes of feminism, survival and loyalty, Claire North’s Ithaca is an engaging read that I would recommend to fans of Greek Mythology and those fond of feminist retellings. I eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.

Many thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for granting access to a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Dear readers, if you are fans of Greek mythology, then get those thumbs moving and add ITHACA to your TBR stat.

Hera, queen of the gods, humorously narrates a story of intrigue and mystery. As we traverse the map of Ithaca, we dive into the halls of scheming women and men. All desperate, waiting for the right moment to strike. Especially the queen of Ithaca.

Penelope, Odysseus’s wife and queen, finds herself in a bit a of pickle.

She has some problems knocking at her door and they seem to mount as the novel progresses.

First, she has the suitors, a hundred plus men, all vying to be king once Penelope admits Odysseus is dead. Then there are pirates attacking her home, and no men to stop them from gaining ground. There’s also the rocky relationship between Penelope and her son, plus there’s trouble from her cousin, who is a fugitive after killing her husband, and probably (more than likely) is hiding on Ithaca, waiting for a chance to escape.

But all of these issues seem rather small compared to Penelope’s biggest problem. It’s that she’s a woman. And as a woman she is very limited in what she can do or say.

I can’t think of the last time I was completely absorbed in a story.

North is able to take Penelope’s problems and weave them into finding solutions. Focusing on how women move through the shadows of the world in order to be heard and get things done. And choosing Hera to narrate this story is a gem in of its self. Because we see her frustrations, her snarky humor, and the revelation of how similar her circumstances are to the queens of Greece.

Mesmerizing. North gives a powerful voice to the women of Ancient Greece, creating a refreshingly poignant story about, love, friendship, and what it takes to survive.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

I love retellings of Greek myth, especially when they are centered around women whose presence in the myth wasn’t the focus of the myth. The subject matter seems fairly well-researched, and I loved the references to Sumerian myth. I felt that it was an interesting take to tell the myth from Hera’s point of view, but I feel that it did have some drawbacks. Her point of view limits some character interaction since she is not actively involved. However, Hera’s wit and complaints about Zeus and the poets who wrote about heroes were a nice touch. The prose, while beautifully written, was a little bit difficult for me to read so I had to spread out my reading of the book into several sittings to get through it without losing interest. I’m a fan of slightly scattered storytelling, so I didn’t mind that aspect. Once I got through the dry parts, I enjoyed the book and its take on Penelope’s myth.

Ithaca is set in the aftermath of the Trojan War: we follow Penelope on Ithaca while her husband Odysseus is out and about fuckin around (literally). Told from the perspective of Hera, THIS is what a feminist myth retelling actually looks like (@ everyone except Madeline Miller, take notes).

The prose was exquisite and so sassy: I felt like the exact target audience for this book. It was brilliant. My #1 complaint about "feminist" myth retellings is they're still about the men. Like I swear they wouldn't pass the Bechtel test, it's told from a woman's voice but that's where the feminism stops.

Ithaca, however, gives women the spotlight, and the men are side characters of lesser import. We get to see Penelope, Clytemnestra, Elektra and more, and Hera also putzes around and chats with Athena and Artemis in their godly ways.

Ithaca is an absolute gem: it's the myth retelling high I've been searching for ever since getting my hands on Circe. Mythology hoes, bump this one to the top of your list.
Claire North delivered.

: I never thought I would like Hera but I did and I do in this retelling she is the narrator and as always goddess of Queens, wives, and women and I like her. The only thing that didn't make sense was when she tried to say Helen and Clytemnestra were trying to be more than just queens while Penelope was just a queen that to me rang extremely false. Penelope is a savage and both a cunning queen and Mom thought she should just throw Telemauch into the sea and let him drown all the men in this book are trash, actually, this book just reminded me how trash all men are in greek mythology and how much potential the women in the myths have and that they just get skipped over or patronized. However, I loved Penelope and Electra and Clytemnestra they are all savages. I love how Penelope handled both the suitors, the pirates, and her family’s surprise visit. I also really loved Hera and seeing the other gods and their interference from the gods' point of view which was by far my favorite part of the book.

This one didn’t disappoint. Definitely had all the elements I was looking for in a book. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone. It held my attention the whole time

I thought that since this was told from the POV of the goddess Hera, it would give a more interesting spin to an old story. This isn't the case. We're at the mercy of Hera's biases and whims, and we see such fleeting glimpses of most of the characters that it's impossible to feel any real connection to any of them - let alone care about them. Most of the characters are portrayed as idiotic (or extremely whiny) but that may have something to do with Hera’s view of mortals. I couldn't bring myself to read this book for more than 10-15 minutes at a time until I hit the 60% mark - and even then, it took me significantly longer to drag myself through it than it normally would.

I found the storyline difficult to follow and, for the most part, uninteresting -- when it wasn't completely irritating.

For better or worse, I’ve found myself drawn to the myths being retold in a more feminist light - I’ll continue to reach for those instead.

I received an ARC of this book through NG in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 50%.

<i>Ithaca</i> retells the story of Penelope, queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus, from the perspective of the goddess Hera. With pirates and suitors on her shores and her husband still away from home, Penelope must use her influence to secure the safety of Ithaca and her own reign.

There are lots of Greek myth retellings on the market, and this one has several things that make it stand out from the rest - namely and perhaps most interestingly the fact that it is narrated by a goddess. This allows for an almost entirely omniscient narrator, and one that influences how the reader perceives the story; while one may be familiar with the original story, they aren't familiar with <i>Hera's</i> side of it.

It's a refreshing way to go about a retelling, but it does have some drawbacks, one of which I think proves fatal for this book. All the characters - and there are <i>a lot</i> of them to keep track of - are kept at an arm's length, and while this allows the reader to get into the mind of a goddess, it doesn't do much to allow the reader to get close to the actual players of the story. This is no more obvious than with Penelope herself: while Hera does seem to favor her, there is still so much distance between Penelope and the reader that it becomes difficult to feel connected to her in any way. After reaching the halfway point, I realized that I just did not care about the characters enough to continue - even if it meant more of Hera's narration.

Overall, I think the concept behind this particular retelling is compelling and unique, but unfortunately the cons have outweighed the pros in its execution. I do however think that devotees of the genre will find much to enjoy here, if even in the concept alone.

Thank you to Redhook and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Rating: 5/5
(Was gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

There are an exhausting number of Greek Mythology Retellings lately. Besides dealing with the usual problems retellings do (repeating a well known story, finding enough new elements, etc.), the sheer bulk of the ones coming out in the last few years has saturated the market (though no fault of the books themselves). It can be hard to find one that is not just a classic myth retold in modern English with a few modern themes tossed in.

Enter “Ithaca” by Claire North. Telling the story of Penelope, long waiting wife of Odysseus, is nothing new but North manages not just to tell a good Greek Mythology Retellings but also a good story that is often great. I never got tired of reading it.

Narrated by Hera, the story follows Penelope as she struggles to deal with a plot that threatens the stability of a kingdom already under stress. Hera and Penelope scheme, work, and bargain as other famous myths enter in a way that both is thematically even and creates something new. A lot of myths share timetables but rarely narratives. There was never a moment I felt a character had been altered beyond recognition, never a story beat that felt too modern. It felt like a natural evolution that Penelope and the other characters would face the challenges that occur in the novel. When other mythological tales entered, they too just felt like new perspectives rather than totally redoings or repeats.

There was a lot in “Ithaca” I expected not to like or at least be apathetic toward. Yet each time it was done so well and so comfortably placed in the novel that I barely noticed it. Its points about the roles of women, the power of narratives, and classical themes were fitting and occasionally poignant. My heart ached more than once over things I already knew about.

There are a lot of Greek Mythology Retellings. “Ithaca” is a standout and one to read.

I love Greek retellings. I love feminist stories. This book did many things well, but it still missed the mark for me. The prose was beautifully written, and I greatly enjoyed the idea of the plot. The execution fell a little flat, and I think it was simply because at times the book was just boring. It seemed long and had a hard time keeping my attention.

It's told from the POV of Hera, which added an interesting perspective, but I think it hurt Penelope in the end. It made Penelope, whose story this is, seem undynamic. It was also hard to connect with her as a character in general.

As I said, the author did some things well but they just didn't tie in together to create a great book.

A feminist take on how Queen Penelope dealt with her unwanted suitors during The Odyssey.

This prose is fantastic. Claire North is a wonderful writer, but she’s never been this artistic with her prose. She doesn’t shy away from depicting how horrible being a woman was during ancient Greek times. The narrator is Hera, who gives hilariously bitter commentary on poets.

As beautifully crafted as this book is, I was so disappointed that it didn’t end with the best part of The Odyssey, Odysseus coming home and killing the suitors. It doesn’t take long for you to wish for their death.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

TW/CW: Violence, character death, mentions of sexual assault, murder

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Ithaca is the first book in a planned trilogy about Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, taking place while Odysseus is still making his circuitous return from Troy.

I was a little surprised to discover that this book is actually narrated by Hera, the Queen of the gods, instead of by Penelope. It’s an interesting thing to do, and gives the reader a more complete picture of what is going on. The narration reads many times like it’s trying to match the poetic style of the Odyssey and while sometimes it truly does, sometimes the prose is a little awkward (especially when it switches back and forth between a more archaic style and a more modern style).

I thought this book was a little long and a little verbose. I thought at times it could be very boring, and was a bit disappointed that it often seemed to be more about Clytemnestra than about Penelope.

Despite this, I wouldn’t say that it’s a bad book, although I’ve read others in the genre that I enjoyed a lot more.

I’m not a huge fan of Greek retellings but I always love to give a new author a shot to change my mind! I really enjoyed Ithaca and am eager to see what North does next.

a lovely feminist follow up after I read another book that attempted feminism but was …not.

I really love the pov and how the prose shifts—from casual to poetic and back. I wish I had known it was a first in a series. The ending is abrupt.

Gorgeous lines all over the book.
“ He rises and bends like the willow tree, and his bald head is crowned with a constellation of moles, etched with flowing rivers where bone meets bone beneath the thin skin, baked to leather by the sun.”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I’m always eager for Greek mythology retellings. This was incredibly well written. I loved that it was narrated by Hera. The commentary at times was reminiscent of Natalie Haynes (whose A Thousand Ships is one of my favorite books). This is very much a character driven book and a life study of the women and goddesses in and around Ithaca. Their struggles, how they are overlooked and underestimated, how they want to break free of the boxes they’ve been put in and what happens with they do try to break free. We see not just Penelope, but Clytemnestra, Elektra, and all the women around them. And of course we also see all the suitors and advisors. There is perhaps just one decent man in the book.
So while this is really well written, it is incredibly slow. Anyone expecting much of a plot will be disappointed. Stretching the story to another book or 2 honestly seems a bit excessive. We’ll see if I decide to continue.

Thank you so much to netgalley and redhook books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 stars
This novel follows Penelope, 17 years after her husband left for Troy. She is struggling to keep the suitors at bay, protect her island from pirates, and assist her cousins Elektra and Orestes in tracking down their mother, Clytemnestra, who has fled after murdering Agamemnon.

I was so excited for this book, because Penelope is such a fascinating figure in Greek mythology. Odysseus and Penelope is often reduced to the grieving widow waiting for her husband's return, but this novel really expands on how strategic and cunning she truly was. This novel is also narrated by Hera, goddess of marriage, which was one of the strongest points of the novel for me, as Hera is a goddess often either forgotten about, or painted in an incredibly misogynistic way. Penelope was a fascinating character to follow, and I really enjoyed seeing her through Hera's eyes. The novel was a little slow in the middle but overall I really enjoyed it. I'm excited to read more of Claire North's mythology retellings in the future.

I've been really interested reading retellings of Greek mythology lately, but something I wasn't expecting to find was the Iliad and the Odyssey told from the perspective of Penelope! Not much is known about her through the original myths, yet she went through a lot during the twenty years Odysseus was gone, and I'm glad Claire North decided to write about Penelope.

The writing was very fluid and easily created the environment, the characters were well-written and well-rounded, and the pacing was steady throughout--this is definitely going down as one of my favorite retellings!

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I always enjoy history, myth, and of course retellings of ages old stories. With this in mind, I knew that Ithaca would be a great choice for me to make. One reservation I had was my lack of insight into the original source material, the Odyssey.

Regardless, I feel that Claire North crafted a fine story. The prose is fantastic and fluid, and I was able to read the story with ease. I found myself loving Hera’s narrative style, though I longed for more insight on Penelope, as many other reviewers seem to. The pacing did not bore me too terribly, and I’m easily bored so this does carry great weight in my rating.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those who have a deep interest in retellings as a genre. Further, as I enjoyed North’s writing, I would 100% pick up another novel of hers. As a smaller aside, the cover on this book is lovely!