"Ithaca" recounts the story of what happens on Ithaca after the end of the Trojan War; Penelope and her son Telemachus haven't seen Odysseus for 17 years since his departure for the battle, and in that time, the kingdom has fallen into chaos. Penelope is pressured by her advisors into wedding one of the many suitors that arrive at the kingdom, hoping that Odysseus's long disappearance means he has died. Her son Telemachus has grown into a man doing that time, and is restless to prove himself and step outside his father's shadow. They are also visited by, Elektra and Orestes, children of Penelope's cousin Clytemnestra, who are chasing after their own mother to avenge justice on their father Agememnon.

Uniquely, the story is told from the perspective of Hera, wife of Zeus. I initially appreciated her perspective and biases, including a number of quips and jabs at her own husband and children as well as some of the interactions she has with Athena in their long-standing grudge. However, as time went on, these grew laborious and lengthy and added a lot of additional verbiage to the novel that I found unnecessary. Perhaps because of this perspective, so much else of the book felt lost; Penelope, who is the titular character, had little focus and her character lacked depth and complexity. There were a number of other characters and names included as well that also seemed extraneous and didn't contribute to the storyline at all either. By the end of the novel, there was so much muddled together - too many characters, plotlines, and dialogue - that I felt the novel had lost its original purpose.

I normally love Greek mythology retellings, especially taken from a feminist perspective, but "Ithaca" was not a successful take of this.

I received a free advanced reader copy of Ithaca by Claire North from Net Galley to read and submit an honest review . My thanks to Net Galley, the author and publisher for a chance to read this fine novel of Ancient Greece.
If you read the Odyssey years ago or have some familiarity with the source of this novel you will remember Ithaca a small kingdom lying west of the great states of Athens and Sparta, a place remote, poor and scorned as smelling of fish and pigs. It’s king, Odysseus, went off to fight in the ten-year long Trojan War with the other Greek warriors of historical note under the command of Kings Agamemnon and Menelaus. That war has been over for ten years, but Odysseus has not yet returned home. His wife- Queen, Penelope, rules and waits for his return or news of his death.
Meanwhile, the royal palace is filled with men who seek the hand, and the kingdom, of the Queen . Marry her and get a kingdom not to mention the gold and other loot that Odysseus supposedly sent home from the sack of Troy. Drawing on the history/ myths, Claire North weaves her tale of Penelope who sits at her loom while her “ suitors” eat, drink and boast at their prowess at battle and in bed. The author uses as her narrator the goddess Hera, wife / sister of Zeus, king of the Olympians. She is the guardian of wives and mothers, and like other gods/ goddesses, likes to meddle in the affairs of humans. ( There are other goddesses active in the story, and all meddle.)
I found the story fascinating. Penelope becomes real in the author’s hands, stepping out of the frescos and myths of ancient days . Her wiliness, fears and struggles in a culture of male dominance to retain her honor and position make her a compelling heroine. She must be strong and cunning , but look vulnerable, seem alluring while remaining chaste, act the tool of men while she manipulates and out schemes everyone.
“ Ithaca” is a novel that will take you away in a tale of treachery, murder, deceit and power politics, and manages it in lyrical, almost poetic language, as befits a retelling of historical myths. The heroine, Penelope, and the narrator, Hera are strong women in a man’s world . But it is not a feminist book, just a very well written, interesting and entertaining novel. It takes some attention to keep all the players in place, and the above mentioned foray into Wiki for research helps that. It is a world waiting to be discovered.( I found it helpful to spend a few minutes on a visit to Wikipedia to refresh my memory about the characters in this novel.)
Cautionary notes: sexual references and brief descriptions thereof and also some bloody combat scenes that might dismay some readers.

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

Reading Ithaca by Claire North was a beautiful experience. Told in the point of view of Hera, wife of Zeus, in chapter nine Hera describes herself, "I was a queen of women once, before my husband bound me with chains and made me a queen of wives." However Hera is not the only goddess interested in the events on Ithaca.
The story is focused on Odysseus's wife Penelope. She is described in chapter three, "She is Penelope, wife of Odysseus, lady of the house, queen of Ithaca and the source, she is assured by a great many men, of nothing but woe and strife."
There are other characters like Elektra who comes to Ithaca with her brother Orestes in search of their mother Clytemnestra. Besides suitors and cousins that come to Ithaca there are pirates that raid and steal.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I’m a HUGE fan of Greek Mythology. I absolutely love it. I’m always looking for stories and retellings so when I was browsing and seen Ithaca; I just knew I had to request it. I also love a female heroine novel too. I really recommend this book to anyone who loves history and mythology. I did see that this will be a little series, so I can’t wait to see what comes next!

One thing you should know about me is that I love Greek Mythology. I love any feminist retelling, and this was no exception. It followed the classic story of Penelope and the women of Ithaca. It doesn’t add any new details; it stays true to the original myth. It’s more character driven then the plot which I really liked. What made this retelling so different was Hera being the one to tell the story. It adds a whole new perspective to the this story.
If you're new to Greek mythology, I think this would be a great place to start. I enjoyed every minute of it!!

As a major fan of Greek Mythology, I was so excited to get an ARC of this book!

I know the story of Odysseus, but being able to see Penelope’s side of the tale seemed certainly intriguing.

This Penelopiad story, is actually narrated by the Goddess Hera. Her candour and humour, as well as the author’s writing, are fantastic. The only downside being you don’t actually get inside Penelope’s mind to know her thoughts and feelings.

A perfect read for fans of “Daughters of Sparta” by Claire Heywood, “Goddess of Yesterday” by Caroline B. Cooney, or anyone who enjoys Greek Mythology.

Thank you to Claire North, NetGalley, and RedHook Books

Big thanks to Netgalley and Redhook Booksfor the arc!

I adore Greek Mythology and always jump at the chance to read a retelling of one. I was even more excited when I found out that this gives readers a chance to see the story from the women's point of view drawn from a set of myths that is very much men dominated. When I started the book I received the surprise of Hera, not Penelope, being the one to narrate the story. But it didn't really work for me. With Hera being the narrator we were subjected to her biases of who she thought was important and who wasn't. There were so many characters introduced at points where they only had one line or were around for only a couple of scenes yet we sometimes received their entire backstory.

I found myself getting distracted and bored easily and this just had a hard time holding my attention. I really tried to give this one my all, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook Books for a digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

This story has a very unique narrator, the Greek Goddess of women and wives, Hera, Queen of the Gods. She tells the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, who accidentally took the long way home after conquering Troy. Godly intervention may have been involved. Odysseus and his son Telemachus, are favoured by Athena, stepdaughter and somewhat of a rival to Hera, who is mostly unconcerned with the men of Ithaca. More than anything, Hera seeks worship from the women of Ithaca, and pays special heed to the loyal and steadfast Penelope.

While waiting for her husband’s return (who very well may be dead), Penelope fends off suitors, prepares her son for kingship, and attempts to stanch the murmurs of rebellion. She is known for her fidelity, and her undying love for her husband, but Claire North’s Penelope is a little less loving and a little more honourable. She barely knew Odysseus before he was shipped off to war, and she raised their son alone. It’s not longing that has her waiting for him, but duty.

I love all of the characterization, especially with Hera. Without incurring her wrath, we will simply say she was never a Goddess I thought much about, but that has changed after reading this novel. Claire North brings humour to her, in a way. But she also touches on the role she plays for Zeus, always forgiving his trespasses, but never having room to commit her own. Hera becomes more of a person, and she was the perfect narrator. My favourite scenes were between her and Athena or Artemis.

I really enjoyed the novel and I anxiously await the sequel. One of my new favourite voices in Greek retellings.

Troy has fallen and the Greeks have sailed home.
But Odysseus is no where to be seen.
In his absence, Ithaca is under attack on two fronts: by pirates who attack by the light of the full moon, and by the gluttonous suitors who have made camp at the palace in order to persuade its queen to take a new husband.
Queen Penelope, along with her trusted slave women, do their utmost to protect their home and their kingdom from attack, all while the goddesses Hera and Athena look on.
Claire North’s Ithaca was a delight to read, well written, well researched, and full of biting wit that reminded me of Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad.

This book had a modern voice but a very poetic quality. I particularly liked the refrain around “but the poets will not sing of this”. It was a little long, but the pace really picked up in the second half and I couldn’t put it down!

I love Greek myth retellings… but this one missed the mark for me. It is slow moving with a lot of character building but you get to know them all except her. Having hers as the narrator instead of her was a miss. Overall it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either, I won’t be reading the next one

This book took me a little while to get into, but I am glad I stuck it out. Ithaca is not a fast moving story, and is very much character driven so it took a bit for everything to take off and for me to get sucked in.

The story is told from the view of Hera, watching over Ithaca from above which was a really interesting and unique perspective. I really loved the strength of the women throughout this story and seeing them all rally together.

If you are a fan of Greek retellings, definitely pick this one up.

I was so excited to read Penelope’s story after hearing of Odysseus’s adventures through nearly every other mythology retelling I’ve read, but this one missed the mark for me.

I loved Hera’s witty, cynical narration style, but at the same time felt this prevented us from getting to know Penelope herself. Hera was quick to mention all the doubts the suitors and men of Ithaca had about Penelope’s ability to lead, yet never showed us proof that Penelope had the brains and charm to survive and keep Ithaca going for so long in her husband’s absence.

The narration also jumped around quite a lot, which made it hard for me to follow the story. It was still a very well written book, it just wasn’t quite what I expected.

This is a story about the mothers and wives of Ithaca and what they were doing while Odysseus was off on his famed adventure. They did a lot more than entertain Penelope’s would be suitors. I love a Greek myth retelling and I’ve not read one about Penelope yet so I was excited to read this. I did enjoy this. North did a great job of telling a story we don’t hear often. It is written from Hera’s perspective which changes the narrative a bit and it’s the first book in a series so the story doesn’t finish in the first book. The book is a consistent medium speed throughout. Not a whole lot of action but it’s not a slow burn either. Overall I did enjoy the book and I do recommend it to other fans of Greek myth retellings.

As an avid fan of Greek mythology, I was really excited to pick up this novel, hoping that it would give me the same feeling as reading Circe or The Song of Achilles, and while the prose in Ithaca has passages that are just as beautiful, it still left me feeling a bit cold.

The main problem here is that Penelope is rendered so distantly that it feels like we get to know every single character (of which there are many) except her. For much of the novel, she is kept at arm's length despite being the main character and while her actions are always understandable, she comes across as very much a blank slate.

The better aspects of the novel come from the interplay between goddesses, and especially from Hera's narration. Hera is painted beautifully, as a woman who has seen her power be slowly chipped away by every god and goddess around her and yet still feels so passionately about the three queens of the story. Additionally, Elektra and Clytemnestra are real highlights, each showing a grit and desperation that claws at you. It is easy to see why those two are special to Hera.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Red Hook Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5/5 stars
“No songs are sung of a life lived quietly, of a man and a woman growing old in contentment. Can one love, wondered Penelope on that first and final voyage to Ithaca, without being a hero?”
Overall, I was completely impressed and intrigued by the premise and the creative angles taken. Beautifully written prose and amazingly fleshed out minor characters. In some ways, it was a bit stressful anticipating the moment that Odysseus would return, and then something different and interesting would happen instead. I really felt immersed in the ancient world in lovely, affecting, and profound ways. It's also a huge bonus that the novel is narrated by Hera, who is both a formidable presence and a caring deus ex machina powerhouse. I enjoyed her interactions with Athena particularly.
I do wish that this edition of the final product was more attentive to typos; maybe just my editor profession in the forefront, but a lot of the glaring typos were distracting. A lot of the humor in the narration and dialogue also did not truly land for me. I also felt that some of the scenes were drawn out a bit too long, and found myself impatient with the pacing at certain chapters. But I do look forward to reading the next books in this series! All in all, a vibrant new Penelopiad.

4.5 This is my first book by this author and I was not disappointed. If you're looking for delicious prose that fits right nest to your favorite Greek mythology retellings, add this title to your TBR!

I’ve just completed a back-to-back Greek re-telling marathon, and they deserve to be reviewed together! The first was Elektra by Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne, which was just released in May 2022. The second was Ithaca by Claire North, which is scheduled to be released September 2022 (thank you NetGalley for the ARC!). Both had issues, but they work better together. Ithaca feels like a wacky sequel to Elektra, extending the slightly rushed ending and giving the titular character Elektra the character development and agency she deserved. However, if you’re only going to pick one Greek story this year, I would choose Elektra over Ithaca for the better overall writing and the gorgeous righteous anger of Clytemnestra.

In Elektra, Saint uses three points of view – Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra. The choice to include Cassandra here is interesting, since she is on the opposing side of the war and separated from the Mycenean lives of Clytemnestra and her daughter Elektra for all but a brief moment in the novel’s timeline. Her inclusion makes the central focus of the book Agamemnon, since he is the central point that ties the three women together. I could see an argument to be made that she is included because all three women are fighting against what they are told is the will of the gods – the death of Iphigenia, Cassandra’s attempted rape by Apollo, Elektra’s fate as a child of the cursed House of Atreus. But if this is the case, why name the book after Elektra, the one who does the least struggling against her fate? She does very little throughout the book, other than argue with her mother and pine for her absent father. She felt underdeveloped and underutilized, and I found myself wishing I could skip her chapters more often than not.

Elektra finally gets the telling she deserves in Ithaca, where Claire North paints her as the mastermind behind her brother Orestes’s quest to avenge his father and the future of Greek queenhood. North use’s Hera’s point of view throughout the novel, reading situations with the frustration of a goddess banned from meddling by her husband-king Zeus. Hera loves Clytemnestra for the freedom she seized in ruling Mycenae, taking a lover, and killing her husband, but North’s plot loves Penelope more, for her subjugation and willingness to put her own needs below those of her husband’s lands, in a form of feminism that feels as frustrated as Hera. The book had minor editing and tonal issues that will hopefully be resolved before the final release – there are mythology mistakes that do come across as mistakes, rather than purposeful edits for the sake of the novel, and Hera cracks some jokes that feel off-tone for the rest of the novel. Either be a comedy or don’t. Also, it is 2022, and we do not need another narrative in which all the enslaved women love and would die for their mistress and have no qualms about being enslaved. I would have loved to have seen North spend some time complicating the enslaved women and their relationships with Penelope.

One thing you should know about me is that I love Greek Mythology. I love any feminist retelling, and this was no exception. It followed the classic story of Penelope and the women of Ithaca. It doesn’t add any new details; it stays true to the original myth. It’s more character driven then the plot which I really liked. What made this retelling so different was Hera being the one to tell the story. It adds a whole new perspective to the this story.
If you're new to Greek mythology, I think this would be a great place to start. I enjoyed every minute of it!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review. This was such a great read!

If you’re a fan of feminist Greek mythology retellings like Madeline Miller’s Circe or Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne you absolutely need to pick up Ithaca by Claire North. The story follows Penelope, wife of Odysseus as she’s been left alone to rule Ithaca in her husband’s absence. The story is set during Odysseus’ 10 year journey home following the Trojan War, at which point no one truly knows whether or not he still lives. This leaves Penelope in a highly precarious position as her island is filled with suitors who wish to marry her and replace her husband as king. This backdrop provides an interesting and complicated political landscape that Penelope must navigate throughout her story, notably because as a woman no one takes her opinion seriously and she must make her moves to protect the island in secret.

This book is now solidly among my favourite mythology retellings I loved it so much. I loved how it showed how the women of Ithaca had to carefully walk the line of being in control without letting the men know it, the characters were all strong and incredibly clever. I also really enjoyed the bonds that the women had with each other. The friendships aren’t the focus of the novel but it’s an important part of the background.

One thing I thought was so creative about this book is that the first person narrator is the goddess Hera as she observes and subtly influences what’s going on. She provides some comic relief at times, and also serves to zoom out of the situation and give the “godly” perspective.

I can’t wait to see what comes next!