There are so many retellings from Ancient Greece these days, there’s a danger of them blurring after together if something different isn’t brought to the table by the author. On the occasion the difference is that the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, is narrated by the Goddess Hera, telling the tale as waits for her husband to return from Troy (the extended journey we know from The Odyssey) and suitors push her to marry.

While Hera as the narrator is an interesting POV, the problem is that you get the observation but not the thoughts/feelings as you would in the scene if the POV was Penelope herself. Instead you are intruding on the scene as opposed to being inside of it. Hera is an interesting and complex character and her blunt, opinionated voice is appreciated in some ways, I just wished to connect more with Penelope, a woman who is resilient and resourceful and stealthily rebellious to what others try to demand of her as she deceives her suitors.

In terms of characters, it’s quite busy in how many are introduced, however while this is Penelope’s story, it doesn’t necessarily feel like it, in fact when Clytemnestra appears in the story, it feels more like the story belongs to her, when not Hera, which is a little frustrating when Penelope is already a character overshadowed by her husband and now her sister. North does include a lot in this story, characters aside, and it can be quite busy, overwhelming and confusing at times if you’re not reliant on knowing the details elsewhere.

I did enjoy North’s writing, not necessarily the direction of it sometimes as it’s a little scattered, but the writing itself is beautiful and easy to appreciate. My biggest issue is just that a story about Penelope, that I read for wanting to know about her, didn’t necessarily feel like a book truly dedicated to giving a voice to her. Greek mythology is a complex thing, with a lot of material to use, the direction just diluted a little for me. It is still a brilliant read though so thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was, unfortunately, a bit of a slog to get through. Ithaca tells the story of Penelope - long suffering wife of Odysseus who spends her days weaving (badly) while keeping her suitors at bay. Her suitors are men from all over Greece who believe Odysseus to be dead, making Penelope prime real estate.

I've read a lot of retellings, and fortunately know Penelope's story pretty well because otherwise I would have been very confused going into this book. There's a huge cast of characters that are just placed into the narrative without any explanation of who they are. I enjoyed Hera's narration - she's a goddess known for her pettiness and revenge, and her quips added to the narrative well. However this decision also had the unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate effect of making me, as the reader, feel very disconnected with Penelope. Hera's very nature as a goddess is to remain emotionally detached. She timatelt doesn't really care about the emotions or plights of the little people, and this attitude translates to the reader too. Ultimately I found myself just not caring about what was happening. Add in that the plot itself is really slow, and even Hera's sarcasm couldn't save the story for me.

I love Penelope and how clever and loyal she is, but Ithaca really didn't do her the justice she deserved. And in a saturated Greek retelling market, this book didn't stand out for me.

DNF @ 47%

I have tried to read this book for such a long time, and I am afraid I just couldn't finish this. This book follows the gap between Odysseus being away, and Penelope quietly running the country. The book is narrated not in first person, not in third, but in second person - by none other than the goddess Hera, Queen of the Gods. This experimental approach to storytelling is valiant and I truly tried to finish it in order to respect this artistic choice, but I found Hera's voice quite difficult to like. She hates humans, constantly points out sexism (which is more than fair, but she points out the same thing over and over - poets will not speak of this in future etc because it was done by a woman). If it was slightly more developed, I would have enjoyed it more.

I think this book certainly has an audience, but it missed the mark slightly for me I'm afraid.

I was provided by a complimentary copy of this novel by Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily.

The story is very slow paced. There are a lot of characters so it became confusing at times. The narrative voice of Hera is very good. This is very much a character focussed book.

the tale of odysseus has always been about odysseus. this story tells from his wife, the long forgotten perspective in the war of troy and how she struggled on ithaca, keeping the power balance in tact. inspiring, witty and so telling.

I was pleasantly surprised by this captivating historical fantasy novel that cleverly weaved in elements of Greek mythology. Although I don't typically gravitate towards retellings, this one truly captivated me. The feminist undertones were refreshing, with powerful female characters taking center stage in the narrative. The writing itself was exquisite, filled with beautiful prose. While I usually prefer faster-paced stories, this slow-burning tale still managed to enchant me. If you're a fan of books like Circe, I highly recommend giving this one a read.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Claire North has been one of my favourite authors of recent years but I was truly surprised to see her switch genres from speculative fantasy to Greek mythology. In fairness, she is not the first author to travel back to that era to shine a feminist lens on a period which was objectively speaking horrific for women. It has been eye-opening for me in recent years to revisit these tales of heroism which captured my imagination as a child. When I tried to have a season of reading round Greek mythology, I was left with the crystal clear realisation that every single one of the heroes of the Golden Age and beyond were actually complete and utter bastards. Total shower of shits. Cannot emphasise enough. The result though is that a lot of these retellings end up being incredibly depressing - would North's take on Ithaca manage to find some sunshine or would it be another tale of misogyny and misery?

Seventeen years after the departure of King Odysseus, Ithaca is a kingdom on a knife edge. With him went all the men of working age and the women of Ithaca have had to learn to watch their own backs. But now the suitors are circling, draining the stores and constantly spoiling for a fight. Queen Penelope is trying to keep order while maintaining the fiction that a woman would never attempt to wield power. Working with her are her trusted band of maidservants, all of them determined to keep the realm at peace.

Given that Margaret Atwood has already written The Penelopiad, the question hovers over what this book really brings to the table in terms of discourse over the role of women in ancient mythology. We know that they had no rights, no dignity and no respect. We know that sexual violence was rampant and that where it occurred, blame was always laid at the woman's door. There is the horror over Odysseus' slaughter of all his wife's maids upon his return. Queen Penelope kept the plates spinning during her husband's absence but when he finally came back, he murdered all she held dear. There is no happily ever after here. But where The Penelopiad is part poetry, Ithaca is far more grounded in the everyday. How can Penelope get through another day without Ithaca descending into anarchy? Watching her is Hera, fallen queen of the Gods, trying to help but just as restricted as any of the human women.

Ithaca seems more like a real place in this version of the story. The tensions crackle. Penelope tries to rule without it ever seeming as though she is trying to be in charge. Telemachus stomps about trying to make everyone believe he is a fully grown man. The various suitors try to curry favour and gain advantage. And somewhere far off, Odysseus rolls about on a couch with Calypso the nymph. But even this back-biting den of betrayal can get a lot worse. There are pirates visiting once a month leaving a trail of destruction in an island low on protectors. And then Orestes and Electra turn up demanding assistance in avenging the death of their father, meaning that they require help to hunt down and execute their mother.

Still, the novel did feel rather overwhelmed by its huge cast list and I struggled to keep track of all of Penelope's handmaidens. I completely lost the thread of each of their personal attributes. They all felt fairly interchangeable even though North had clearly tried to imbue them with individuality. At one point I even considered abandoning the book altogether which I have never been tempted to do before with a Claire North novel. While I enjoyed Hera's narration and commentary, they almost belonged in a different book as Hera rather steals the show. Penelope becomes a supporting character where she probably ought to have been the lead.

Ithaca feels like a passion project for North. She clearly knows her stuff in terms of the classical background. I had been unaware of the background of Clytemnestra's first marriage and the brutal circumstances under which she became Agamemnon's wife. In the words of the classic musical Chicago, he had it coming. He only had himself to blame. The novel did leave me feeling more sympathetic to Electra but also far more interested in Orestes than I have ever been before. So Ithaca does have its compelling moments and I will be heading over to the sequel The House of Odysseus sooner or later. It is a depressing prospect though since it will doubtless feature the massacre of all the maidservants. But then so does so much of Greek mythology.

For a novel that was such a step change for North, I think it is unsurprising that it had its bumpy moments. Still, North does offer an innovative interpretation of Penelope's queendom and her vision of the gods on Mount Olympus was also intriguing. Ithaca celebrates the strength of women in the darkest of times, of the female ability to survive and endure. The women may not have ended up celebrated as shining heroes but it was their determination that Ithaca must survive which kept the kingdom intact. In protecting their homestead, they were perhaps the truer champions. A melancholy yet thoughtful spin on a tale almost as old as time, Ithaca celebrates the women who kept the home fires burning and who have been too long left unsung.

Fans of Natalie Haynes and Madeline Miller will appreciate this Penelope tale. She may appear to be a royal, powerful person as Queen of Ithaca, but in ancient Greece, she had little influence. Fortunately, the Goddess Hera has developed a fondness for her. Thus, a tale of women and the roles they play (willingly or unwillingly) that is not mentioned by the poets emerges. In this fantastic work of historical fiction, Hera stood out to me as the finest character. More human than many of the story's mortal characters is this queen of queens and mother of the gods. Her distinctive point of view provided the story force and depth.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book quite early on at around the 50 page mark. I was highly anticipating reading this but I found the writing style to be quite difficult to follow, which isn't at all helped by the genre (although I can't really fault this).

The best way I could describe my experience reading this story is that it was like looking at a large painting in a museum and not knowing/ not being guided where to look or focus. I appreciate the art but I can't quite grasp it for myself. Maybe I'll re-try reading it again at a future date.

Nevertheless, I thank you for the opportunity of being provided with an ARC and I will look forward to more of Claire North's releases.

This was such an addictive and I really liked the idea of the story being told in Hera's perspective. It was interesting to see it from her view as Penelope deals with everything going on in Ithaca.

I felt that this story was really well written and flowed seamlessly. I'm excited to read the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

ITHACA is an incredible novel, and one I wished I'd red earlier. The Greek feminist retelling genre is becoming increasingly glutted, which means I'm having to be come more discerning in my expectations and in what I'll pick up, but ITHACA blew me away in both its depiction of Ancient Greek women and its choice of narrator in Hera.

We all know Hera, or we think we do: petty, spiteful, jealous of Zeus' philandering and the resultant offspring. But there's a growing wave of research that Hera predates Olympus in her own right as a fertility goddess, and I was delighted to see this woven into Hera's backstory and characterisation. She's one of the best things about this book: I loved her snide asides and her interactions with other gods. The female Greek goddesses are treated in much the same way as Greek mortal women: constrained by the patriarchy of the gods, fighting for the choices and power that will give them autonomy within the limits set upon them by men obsessed with honour and the chance to become legend. Even the better men in this book do not come off well.

This is both a book about Penelope and not about her. It's about her, Clytemnestra, and Helen, three Greek queens who will become legend for very different things. It's about power, and the varying ways women grasp for power in this brutal world--overtly and covertly--and how they seem to be so easily punished for it, regardless.

I recently got an ARC of the next book in this series, which will be narrated by Aphrodite and involve Helen of Sparta/Troy, and I just can't wait.

I really enjoyed this.

We follow the tale of Penelope, the queen of Ithaca, as her suitors grow increasingly violent while her husband is presumed missing from Troy. Her young son is desperate to prove himself and there are pirates raiding their land. All this happens under the invisible watchful eye of Hera, Queen of the Gods, as she takes an interest in the lives of the women of Ithaca.

Told from the point of view of Hera, Claire North weaves a slow tale that builds with tension, gradually letting the politics and events of the story play out.

I adored how North portrayed Hera and Penelope! Never did I think I'd like a portrayal from Hera but damn this goddess had sass and I was here for it. In mythology Penelope is a largely bland character but here she was a quietly strong and watchful figure as she tended to pause before responding or acting and I found this portrayal fascinating. Especially her interactions with the women around her.

The pace was slow and I can see why people would think it was too slow however for me it crafted a rich and immersive world and made the characters, politics and tension even richer. We see flashes of the past, and other figures in history, leaving you to piece together who these characters were. I found this initially confusing but with a knowledge of Greek mythology you are able to piece who is who together. If you didn't, these flashbacks are so quick it doesn't affect the story.

Filled with wit, a very sassy goddess, and action filled tale, this was a strong and cleverly woven female-focused myth retelling, and I can't wait for the sequel!

A rather slow retelling of Penelope on Ithaka waiting for the return of Odysseus. Nicely done, and largely told from the point of view of Hera, it weaves Penelope’s story with the Oresteia, and has a feminist perspective: what happens when women are left behind when their men do not return from war.

I felt it could have been a bit faster paced, and the internal monologue did slow things a lot; but having the point of view being a goddess meant that the scene could shift elsewhere without breaking immersion. Set at the end of the Bronze Age, Hera is much reduced from her position as Great Mother; she has lost agency to Zeus in parallel with the reduced position of women in general. Women with agency are deplored as not being womanly.

I did like this, although I found the pacing a bit slow.

Ithaca was not the book I was expecting at all but ended up loving it.

This isn't written like the typical Greek myth retelling, this is a slow, political read set in the world of mythology. Don't let this put you off, this book will have you hooked.
We follow Penelope, 18 years after Odysseus left for Troy but the twist is that it's told through Hera's perspective. I loved Hera's voice and opinions on events. I'm going to start the next one right away.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. I have requested this because of the author. I love other works by Claire North and I really wanted to try this one. This is a mythology retelling and unfortunately, it was not for me. The writing is beautiful and I will definitely try more books by this author, but I have discovered that mythology retellings are just not for me.

I still highly recommend this for anyone that likes this genre.

I read House of Odysseus (which I rated 5 stars) before this book so I had very high hopes but unfortunately I just found this one boring. There was no compelling plot. It barely felt like there was a story being told. Hera’s narration was plain, unlike Aphrodite’s in House of Odysseus. She and Penelope didn’t have enough personality between them to fill a teaspoon.

Overall underwhelmed, but at least it shows a lot of growth as a writer between this book and House of Odysseus. I will still read whatever she puts out next.

I really struggled with this.
I had high hopes for a Penelopiad book to tell the story of Penelope as she holds things together while Odysseus is away well, but sadly this was not it.
I'll give it this, it started well and really caught my attention having Hera as the narrator rather than Penelope, which was something I wasn't expecting. It helped to avoid some pitfalls single POVs fall into, namely failure to gain insight into the mindset of other characters.

But as a result of this I found that we jumped about between minds quite a bit, and we never really engage that much with characters as a result, even our main FMCs!
The POV changes not just between mindsets but also narrative person, flicking between first, second and third person at the drop of a hat.
The writing itself and the descriptions do wonders to save this story, because it was obviously well researched and written. Though the use of modern words and phrases really threw me at times.

If you were hoping for a new Miller and Haynes and a powerful feminist retelling then I'm afraid this is not it.
Go pick up Clytemnestra instead!

I absolutely love a feminist retelling of a Greek myth and was super excited to read Penelope's story. I was surprised to find that it was told from Hera's perspective, but this soon made sense when I realized it gave the option to see other characters motivations somewhat.

The book started really slow and I actually almost stopped reading in the first third. There was a very formal reading style and a lot of characters with back stories, which made it complicated to keep up with and I really struggled to feel engaged.

Once the story really got started though, I enjoyed it more and there were moments of humour which I enjoyed, especially during the speech. I really liked the idea of the army of women preparing to fight and save their island and their lifestyle, but felt like it never really came to much.

I really liked the character of Penelope - her calm demeanor which covered a steel desire to survive and protect the women in her kingdom, her intelligence and patience. I'd have liked to have seen more from the perspective of other female characters, maybe some of the servants.

I enjoyed parts of the book, but on the whole this felt too long and like it was almost written by two different people.

This was a thoroughly entertaining and interesting read; quite possibly my favourite book of 2023 so far.
Absorbing, exciting, illuminating and riveting. It was a real page turner. And very funny in parts too.

I haven't read much Greek mythology so after my frantic Googling of all the characters at the beginning, I really started to enjoy this novel even if the plot was a bit meandering. It was funny at times and nice to see so many strong female characters. My only complaint would be there was a lot of characters to get round that weren't totally necessary to the plot.