Loved this book. It was laugh-out-loud funny in places, which I wasn't expecting. I know these myths inside out but this current crop of retellings are for the most part, bringing something a little bit extra. Claire North has found another angle to this old story. Waiting now for Telemachus to finally break out of his very long, teenage sulk. Thanks to Netgalley.

The women of Ithaca saw their menfolk off to war with Troy 17 years ago & still wait for their return. Narrated by Hera, this is the story of the women of Ithaca & Odysseus’s queen, Penelope, along with their son Telemachus & the many suitors vying for Penelope’s hand in marriage. There are numerous Greek names thrown in the mix & just when you’re getting into the story you’re suddenly reminded that it’s Hera narrating & you lose connectivity with the characters.

I loved reading the Greek myths at school & have enjoyed several retelling of the stories recently but while I enjoyed parts (the Monty Pythonesque description of the hired mourners was brilliant) I felt that much of the book was too clever for me (reminiscent of a school book requiring analysing) & detracted from the actual story.

I couldn’t say that I didn’t enjoy it because I did, the actual storyline was good but I found myself skimming chunks of it to get to the next bit of story.

Penelope was a young bride when her husband King Odysseus leave her to joined war of Troy. But it is almost eighteen years ago and no-one comeback since that. As a Queen in their island, Penelope must stand strong to keep his husband throne and her own safety. Everyday is new challenges and forge her own strength and mind. Ithaca is one of my most anticipated read this year. I always curious about Penelope life and eager hear her inner struggles.
Do I get what I expected from this beauty book?

I realized this is not fit me when almost whole book make me so struggles to get my self step on the plot and finished it. The over describe flowery writing and nonstop bouncy between POV are my main issues. The choice to make Hera as the narrator bring tendency to make this plot stories growing wide and her storytelling unfocused. Her position as Queen of the God make she can seeing and paid attention to everyone, everything and everywhere. And sometimes she also lost focus from Ithaca and busy talked about oldies family drama, random characters and her own desperateness at her immortal life. Sadly at least for me it is make this book missed chance to focus and dig deeper to important plots and characters on story.

I really want to love Ithaca, but this one isn't for me. I will still recommend it to other readers who really love Greek mythology, slow burn plot, multiple characters and enjoy poetically descriptive heavy prosa. Because I believe not all books will suitable everyone taste, but it isn't mean it is bad.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit, Little Brown Book Group UK for provided me with this complimentary copy. I am truly grateful and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Ithaca will coming at 8 September 2022.

Tenía mucho interés en el nuevo libro de Claire North, porque la mitología clásica siempre es un acierto en esta casa y North es una autora que no te deja indiferente. Además, la idea de que Ithaca tenía como narradora a la diosa Hera me llamaba poderosamente la atención, así como el enfoque feminista de la novela.


Ithaca se sitúa en es la isla homónima, 18 años después de la partida de Ulises y en pleno apogeo de los aspirantes al matrimonio con Penélope y por supuesto a su trono. La guerra de Troya se llevó a la flor y nata de los hombres de las naciones griegas, dejando atrás las mujeres para hacerse cargo de todo mientras ellos buscaban la gloria en el campo de batalla.

Penélope se encuentra por lo tanto en la incómoda situación de tener que caminar haciendo un difícil equilibrio entre defender su posición sin irritar a ninguno de los pretendientes, que buscan cualquier excusa para forzar su elección y acabar con el status quo. Además, los continuos festines que son necesarios para honrar a los visitantes suponen una pesada carga para los limitados recursos de la isla y el escenario es cada día más inestable.

Me gusta cómo la autora ha decidido cargar las tintas en esta dualidad, en la capacidad de las mujeres para gestionar cualquier proyecto de forma eficiente pero cómo la hipocresía de la sociedad contemporánea las obliga a ocultar sus méritos so pena de ser acusadas de brujería o cualquier otra patraña. ¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado desde la época griega clásica? Y, sin embargo, vemos algunas situaciones que podrían ser reflejo perfecto de la actualidad.

También me gusta mucho la elección de la narradora, porque Hera a pesar de ser una de las diosas más poderosas es quizá también una de las más desconocidas, famosa más bien por la cornamenta que le hace lucir su marido y sus arrebatos de ira frente a los vástagos del Amo del Olimpo. Debería ser el narrador omnisciente por antonomasia,

El libro tiene un ritmo pausado, con especial hincapié en las desigualdades hombre-mujer más que en la epicidad típica de los mitos griegos. Y es un cambio interesante, pero también he de reconocer que a veces peca de morosa en determinados capítulos. Por otra parte, a la mayoría de los personajes masculinos dan ganas de estrellarlos contra la pared, especialmente Telémaco, que es un quiero y no puedo de manual.


El problema que le veo a la novela es que Claire North ha renunciado a su estilo más característico y reconocible de prosa para adaptarse a la narración de los mitos griegos, pero esta misma renuncia es la que hace que Ithaca no destaque sobremanera entre los muchísimos retellings de mitología clásica que ya existen.

Retellings of Greek mythology and Ancient Greek epics seem to be the genre of choice in the 2020s; from Jennifer Saint’s two novels to Lore Olympus, and more besides, every writer continues to bring something new to old tales. Ithaca by Claire North is no exception to the rule.
Eighteen years since Odysseus left for Troy, eight years since he was to set sail home, we join the women of Ithaca, we see the quiet island troubled by threats. From pirate raids and warring suitors growing weary of stalling tactics, to a husband-murdering cousin hiding from justice and the children looking to avenge someone who might not deserve avenging.
The novel in advertising is frequently described as being the ‘untold’ version of Penelope’s perspective of The Odyssey, and this is something which permeates through the novel proper. Even extending to its narrator, who is revealed in a throwaway line in chapter six as being Hera, the Goddess of Marriage, and someone I have also found in Greek mythology to have been overlooked and unable to have her point of view heard. It is a perfect combination for the story itself, one that allows for such a refreshing perspective on something so familiar in the public consciousness.
Each woman in the narrative feels so unique, too. Penelope, whose only description in the classics was her loyalty to Odysseus and her cunning to rival her husband’s, flourishes here as Claire North puts these traits front and centre.
Ithaca strikes me as a novel somewhere between The Penelopiad (for obvious reasons), Ariadne (its interactions between gods and humanity), and Silence of the Girls (a deeper, physical look at the Trojan War from the perspective of the women), and it found a poignant balance between all three. Its look behind the scenes of these great adventures sometimes, however, feels too padded; there are some moments in the final 1/3 of the novel which I felt could have wrapped up a little sooner.
The novel’s tone is brutal at times, to the point, unflinching. The narrator tells you, the reader, how it is. Whether it’s a cutting remark about how Odysseus has “grown in stature … if only in the poet’s eye. (chapter 2). But it allows a more visual description of the smallest elements, transporting readers to the front line of conflict visible and hidden alike, and you can’t look away from the desperate moments or mistakes.
The book, the story told by so many different angles, is about power.
“The poets do not sing of women” but our writers certainly do.

I found myself struggling at first to get into this book as I was confused about the characters introduced in the first chapter and the writing wasn’t what I expected.
However…once I fell into the world and connected with the writing I found myself enjoying this book. It is truly one of the more original interpretations of Greek myth. North has crafted her own story using well known characters often relegated to being secondary to the hero.
It is also a true feminist retelling. With the females at the heart of this novel. Females with wholly different personalities and complex characters.
The use of Hera as a narrator was a confusing choice but it was nice to give her a voice of her own. Once again I keeping with the feminist voices.
I rated it 3.5 because while I loved these elements of the novel; the beginning was a struggle for me and I didn’t really understand why certain sections/characters were included. But I think it is a Greek Mythology retelling that is needed to bring some variety to this loved genre.

A retelling of the Greek myths from the perspective of the queens - I was definitely up for this book.

The world building and the level of detail the author included was incredible.

It did take me some time to get into the story with so many character names to remember and did have to flick back and forth a few times. I’m not sure all the characters were necessary as I felt some added very little to the story.

I loved the irreverent tone of Hera throughout the book but it did tend to dominate the narrative and make it much more Hera’s story than Penelopes.

I did find it hard to ‘bond’ with most of the characters so I was not as invested in their stories as I might otherwise have been. I think this was added to by Hera observing and reporting from a distance rather than as a direct part of the story.

I did enjoy this one but sadly not as much as I thought I might

3,25 / 5 ⭐

Tras una serie de libros a medio camino entre la fantasía y la ciencia ficción, Claire North se anima con la publicación de una versión en clave feminista de la historia de uno de los personajes de la Odisea. La novela se centra en la figura de Penélope, la mujer de Odiseo, quien queda a la espera en la isla de Ítaca durante veinte años a que su marido regrese de la guerra de Troya. Es hacia el final de este periodo cuando la novela de North se sitúa.

Ithaca, sin embargo, no se cuenta desde el punto de vista de Penélope sino de Hera, esposa y hermana de Zeus. Hera no es una narradora más para esta historia ya que aporta comentarios tan ácidos como críticos sobre las acciones de su propio marido o de cómo debería proceder la propia Penélope. Su punto de vista como diosa permite que la narración se mueva de un personaje a otro, algo aleatorio en ocasiones, aunque centrándose en buena parte en el de la mujer de Odiseo.

A la isla de Ítaca llegan numerosos pretendientes para ocupar el lugar de Odiseo y casarse con Penélope. Con esta intención u otras más agresivas hacen aparición por allí una gran cantidad de nombres que hacen que aquello parezca la isla de los famosos en versión griega clásica. Penélope hará lo posible para evitar todo compromiso y permitir que su hijo Telémaco siga creciendo y pueda imponerse a todos ellos mientras hace tiempo ante una posible vuelta de Odiseo. Un Telémaco con una aportación importante al desarrollo tanto de la protagonista como de la novela en sí misma.

A pesar de lo atractivo de la propuesta y de que la obra apenas pierde ritmo por lo que se lee muy fácil, me cuesta encontrar algo que la haga destacar sobre otras versiones de los poemas o personajes griegos en clave fantástica y feminista que se publican actualmente. Por otro lado, debo mencionar que North ha adaptado su escritura a un tono distinto al que nos tenía acostumbrados, por lo que he echado en falta el estilo tan característico de la autora en novelas previas. Por cierto que es la primera entrega de una trilogía aunque el cierre sea satisfactorio.

A tangled Web

Although somewhat sated with the genre of feminist revision of heroines in Greek myth, I was persuaded to try this new account of the deeds of Penelope wife of Odysseus, as Penelope has always struck me as the perfect mate of the cunning Odysseus, clever and resourceful herself, able, on occasion, to outwit her own husband. This is the Penelope of the Odyssey. Of course, Homer also portrays her as faithful where Odysseus is not, a woman subject to male authority, unable to rid herself of the hated suitors, only to delay their requests. The solution to the suitor problem comes, violently, with the return of Odysseus himself to Ithaca.

In this first volume of Penelope’s story, set a year or so before Odysseus’ return, but ranging deeply into the past, Clare North has remained remarkably close to Homer’s Penelope, while writing a completely original story. The story of Penelope’s resistance respects the conventions of Homeric Greece, i.e. a woman cannot rule, while allowing Penelope to devise a cunning and decisive response to the plots of the suitors. At the end of this first volume I find myself eagerly waiting for the return of Odysseus and what the author will make of that story.

In addition to the focus on Penelope, the author also highlights the character and personality of Telemachus, Odysseus’ troubled son, too young and gauche to be a hero like his father, and apparently lacking the intelligence of both his parents. The tale of Clytemnestra, killer of Agamemnon is also incorporated, a woman who does rule as a queen, to the disgust of her damaged children, Orestes and Electra.

The whole tale is narrated by the goddess Hera, and more gods, for example Athene, make significant appearances. In other recent novels in this genre, such contributions by the gods does not always work – but it does here. For the most part, the presentation of the gods enhances the narrative, as for example in Circe by Madeline Miller, although some work needs to be done on the silliness of Artemis.

This is an innovative and imaginative tale which largely respects the original by Homer.

Ithaca tells not the story of Odysseus, the poet-sung infamous journey, but that of Penelope and the women left behind on Ithaca, narrated by the goddess Hera, to whom the Queens of Greece are beloved, even as her power is so diminished that she must plot in the shadows to help them. Hera’s narrating voice is one of the strong elements driving this novel forwards, with a clear personality coming through in her voice, and the language is lyrical as well as full of bold sentiment. The story is interesting in that it focuses not merely on the elements of the original story of the suitors and Penelope’s ruse, but also cleverly weaves its own imaginative tale through this, with Penelope plotting behind the scenes to protect her island from raiding pirates with the help of only her women, and trying to protect Telemachus from his own foolhardy and boyish enthusiasm. It is as usual with these retellings, a bit over the top with the feminist retake - Hera does whine on quite a bit about how all her power was taken away from her by Zeus, for example, and I lose track of how many times women are referred to as stupid in order to get the point across that men take women for granted - eyeroll. As well written as this is, and with a distinctive voice narrating, I did also find it overly long and a bit tedious - maybe there have just been too many of these reimanginings, or not enough happened - I’m not sure.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Little, Brown for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Women are so often overlooked in the tales of heroes and legends - but in this story, the queens, mothers, wives and goddesses are front and centre around a world that disregards them and their power

Well. This surprised me, but in a good way. As an avid fan of Madeline Miller (especially of her book Circe, which shares some of the characters with Ithaca) I went into this thinking like ... no way this is gonna be as good as Circe. It won't even come close.
It did come extremely close.

In the first few chapters, it is not totally clear who the narrator is, who exactly tells us this tale of Penelope and the women of Ithaca, until she reveals herself as Hera. Yes, that Hera. Oh my God, I loved this so much. I think having a goddess as the narrator is so clever and I absolutely cannot stop gushing at how clever of a choice this was. Having Hera as a narrator is a step-up of the third person omnicient point of view, and it's amazing in every single way. Her lyrical way of telling the story contrasts perfectly with the almost childlike squabbles between the gods. It's so fascinating to see those hidden hands in the story: Hera whispering in Clytemnestra's ear, Athena sneakily guiding Telemachus, Artemis hunting and killing men at the side of the warrior women of Ithaca. And the way of narration, the writing, it just feels so very Greek mythology to me. It's so well done, and I have never read a book that reminded me so much of the actual Odyssey by Homer, while still being easy and fluent to read. Just ... the writing itself is absolute perfection.

Now, I was never the biggest fan of the Odyssey, mainly because I think Odysseus fucking sucks. Penelope was always and accessory to his annoyingness to me, so it was refreshing to see a book that focused on her. Odysseus thankfully isn't really in this book at all, he's just mentioned by Hera from time to time as having sex with Calypso once again, and of course, his presence hangs over the island like a vengeful ghost. I would've liked my boy Telemachus to be shown in a little bit more of a positive light (I would die for Telemachus), but it does make sense in the confines of this story to have him be a bit of an ass. He's a teenager going through puberty after all. Valid, I suppose. Penelope's character was definitely expanded from what she is usually depicted as (I especially loved her cleverly using her womanly problems to escape uncomfortable situations), but she still falls just a tiny bit flat.

I'm docking a star because at times, this book was really really really long, and considering that there is a second book coming, you really could've cut at least 100 pages, if not more. But I suppose that is also very Greek, no?

Hoot bloody hoot. Four stars. Can't wait for the next one.

Ever since my early high school 'Percy Jackson' days, I have been a little obsessed with ancient Greek myth retellings. The genre has experienced a boom in the last few years, especially retellings targeted at adults. These include 'The Song of Achilles' and 'Circe' by Madeliene Miller and Stephen Fry’s 'Troy', 'Mythos' and 'Heroes' collections. So when I saw 'Ithaca', I jumped at the chance to read it, and it did not disappoint.

'Ithaca' tells the story of Penelope, Clytemnestra and Elektra, the last Queens of Greece, during the fallout after the Trojan war. This is an interesting premise because in the original 'Odyssey', very little is said about Penelope. Her role in the story is limited to that of the dutiful wife refusing to marry the many suitors who come to her, weaving a shroud by day and unpicking it by night, waiting faithfully for her husband to return. For ten years. As a result of this limited information, Claire North had almost total creative licence over the plot of 'Ithaca'.

North uses this creative licence to explore a number of questions the original epics don’t answer. What happens when an entire demographic leaves a society, never to return? How does the day-to-day business change? Who fills the power void? How does the collective trauma of war affect a society? How does a society recover economically and socially? How long do the bonds of war really last?

In this version, Penelope’s suitors are little more than a political and economic inconvenience. They party and feast, draining the economy of Ithaca. Penelope doesn’t choose not to remarry because she has faith in Odysseus returning, though she certainly hopes he will, but instead is very aware of the political ramifications if she were to choose a suitor. This results in an eight-year long political stalemate after the fall of Troy, which is only broken when Ithaca is attacked by pirates. Penelope must find a way to defend Ithaca after all her soldiers and men of fighting age never returned from war. Simultaneously, queen Clytemnestra is on the run, hiding in Ithaca for the crime of killing her husband while her daughter, Elektra, is living in Penelope’s palace, her soldiers on the hunt for her mother.

I found the many facets of the plot incredibly engaging. Although the bones of this story are familiar, the added details, such as Penelope’s wit, the exploration of the role of the women in Ithaca and the relationship between queens overturned my expectations. The familiarity of Odysseus’s story enabled North to create what was predominantly a character study. The narrative was also predominantly well paced, though there was a section in the middle that felt unnecessarily slow.

I was further impressed by the clear and detailed research that went into the novel. North knew every aspect of the original myths and filled the story with subtle and not-so-subtle references to events that had already passed, myths occurring side-by-side and many of the more niche Greek stories. As a result, North’s Ithaca feels vivid and real. The stakes felt high, and it was easy to imagine the many places she mentions and follow the huge cast of characters.

One of the most striking elements of this novel was its prose and narration. The prose was beautiful and elegant, making it easy and enjoyable to read.

The novel was narrated from the point of view of the goddess Hera, an interesting choice. At first I was confused about this choice, seeing as Hera’s presence is limited in the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey', but it began to make sense as the focus of the novel zoomed in on the role of wives and queens in ancient Greece, presenting Hera as a fourth queen.

I enjoyed the way the novel highlighted Hera’s role in the Greek pantheon, giving her ambitions and personality, which she tended to lack in the original myths. There has been a recent cultural movement to re-examine ancient Greek mythological figures, who for a long time, were dismissed as evil, and I liked that Hera has been included here. This also served to emphasise the messages of the novel. In particular, the spotlight given to overlooked women, transforming them from shallow caricatures into multidimensional characters. This narrator’s perspective combined the character intimacy of first person point of view with Hera’s omniscience as a goddess, which brought in scenes and characters from all over Greece that would have been impossible if the perspective was limited to Penelope.

On the other hand, at many points this narration felt biased. Whilst I understand that to some extent Hera is meant to be an unreliable narrator, the story felt clouded by her jealousy and bitterness, often veering away from positive, empowering messages towards hating other women for ambition and success. Though this may be an accurate reflection of Hera’s mythological personality, it was limited to narrative overtones, and I felt that this removed some of the power of the plot, which revolves around more complex relationships between women.

Hera’s character also occasionally overshadowed Penelope, drawing the focus to her rather than the actual main character of the novel. However, this bothered me less than I would have expected because it felt more like world building and adding depth to mythology than losing focus. I also enjoyed this narrative frame as the strength of the perspective made me feel actively immersed in the world rather than a passive observer. It felt like I was watching events from a distance, but every so often, Hera, as the narrator, could intervene.

I mostly enjoyed the uniqueness of Hera’s narration, but North did seem to veer towards erasing or apologising for the less sympathetic aspects of Hera’s historical character. In one myth, Hera did quite literally throw her child, Hephaestus, off a cliff, and she caused Heracles’ insanity as punishment for the sins of his father.

The characterisation of others within the novel was excellent. Each character was introduced as they were portrayed in the original myths and then given new depth, motivations and flaws. Penelope in particular grew from a grieving pseudo-widow to an incredibly intelligent ruler, who used her subtlety and intellect to ensure her kingdom maintained its strength whilst retaining the facade of being merely the ‘wife of Odysseus’. Furthermore, despite her strength of character and intellect, she is still given emotional range, particularly in regards to her son whom she both loves and dislikes as a person. These complex emotions conflict and combine to propel the plot and create incredible depth of character.

Overall, 'Ithaca' was an amazing book and, with the exception of a few elements, I could not have enjoyed the experience more.

Final Rating: 4 stars.

Fantastic book, beautifully written. I loved this exploration of what was happening in Ithaca whilst Odysseus is on his way back from Troy. This book is so well done, I loved the perspective of Hera as she looks over the women of Ithaca and the three Queens of Greece. The concept of the story of the women using the fact they are overlooked is so well done and I loved all the characters, all motivations were explained and no character was reduced to a stereotype. I highly recommend this new Greek Myth Retelling

This is excellent. Truly excellent. There are a lot of feminist takes on the Iliad/Odyssey around at the moment, and North has some high bars to reach, but she manages it (after what I felt was a comparatively shaky beginning). A lovely take on what could have happened on Ithaca while Odysseus was away. I loved it.

Tell me, Muse, of the man of many turns……

Actually Poets, sing to me about Penelope, daughter of Icarius….. as resourceful as her husband Odysseus of many wiles.

Ithaca by Claire North does just that and more. Weaving stories within stories, this book is one of the most exciting Ancient Greek retellings I’ve read. With nods to Homer’s epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, Ithaca is a rollercoaster of tragedy and drama, covering all the wonderful themes of ancient literature including ritual, hospitality, family, community and my favourite, the pettiness of the Gods.

Narrated by Hera, Queen of the Gods, it is a spicy censure of the poets bias representation of men as hero’s. It smacks of feminism, whilst keeping all the characters identifiable to their true origins. Oh Hera is a formidable storyteller and it was so interesting to see the relationship between humans and their Gods but from the perspective of the devine. It was such fun to have her as a guide. #attitude

Taking place 17 years after Odysseus sails for Troy, Penelope finds herself Queen of Ithaca in name only. With her son Telemachus, on the verge of Manhood and her palace overrun with suitors contending for her hand and abusing her hospitality, she struggles to protect the balance of power using just her guilefulness and those around her she can trust.

This story is full of clever references to all number of myths and plays that slip seamlessly between delicious writing and non-stop drama! Honestly, I found the whole thing like a rally-cry, for women to try and recognise more of themselves in these characters from the ancient world. If this doesn’t leave you wanting to read some original epic poetry, I don’t know what will.

“Take it from a queen - the greatest power we women can own is that we take in secret.”

Ithaca was a strange one for me. On one hand, Ithaca was one of my most anticipated reads this year, but on the other, it felt like a chore to get through. I so desperately wanted to like it, but it felt a little bit too heavy on the description which I understand world-building is essential, especially for greek mythology re-tellings but also for trilogies which I believe Ithaca is the start of. But already for me, it put me off the rest of the series; I got to about chapter nine when I realised that I probably wasn't going to like this so would have to DNF or would make myself finish the book only to resent myself for it.

The book itself is structured odd in that it's third-person in chapter one, then first-person in chapter three which makes sense when you realise that Hera is the narrator, not Penelope but it is Penelope's story, so I felt as though I really wasn't a part of it; just an observer through Hera, who doesn't like mankind (understandable tbf). I think I would've preferred to be first-person through Penelope and really see and feel what she was going through.

Overall, I think it's a good read for someone who likes reading a book through the eyes of the narrator instead of the main character; the writing is at times beautiful and makes the entire book feel like a dream. It just wasn't for me.

Book #190 of 2022.

Thanks to Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and Claire North as I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ithaca is released on September 8, 2022.

After quite a slow start, where the list of unpronounceable named characters meant I had little grasp on the story, apart from the iconic Penelope weaving and unweaving a shroud for her living father in law. The father of a long disappeared king, Odysseus, presumed dead, leaving his wife in limbo, staving off advances from would be suitors, and trying to maintain a relationship with the would be heir, her son. After that initial attempt to place each of the factors in the storyline, I was drawn in by the wonderful prose, and most importantly by the narrator herself, the queen of the gods Hera. She brings a scathing humour and with the all seeing eye we are made aware of the multiplicity of threads woven, not just in the shroud but the story itself. The gods play a huge part in this, and that is a very clever use for the narrator, we see into the hearts of men and women and understand how little the fates can intervene. There have been quite a few works of fiction about the Trojan wars and centred on the women’s story, not least those of Pat Barker, but none have come so close to an understanding of the gods and their influence. I so enjoyed this, I may read it again.

I recently read Song of Achilles and Circe and really enjoyed the Greek mythology so I was very excited to give this book a read.
This tells the story of Penelope but is narrated by Hera, Queen of the gods. It gives an interesting perspective, however I felt like there were too many pointless characters mentioned leaving me very detached from the main characters. I can see what the author was trying to achieve, building a picture of the world from Heras POV, with almost a birds eye view, however I felt that it didn’t really work and left me disinterested in the story. I still wanted to read to find out what happened but found it best to read in small doses due to the fact it felt like there was a lot going on. This book is beautifully written however I felt the switch in the tenses used disrupts the flow of the actual story. I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it had been written from Penelope’s POV.

In 'Ithaca' by Claire North, Hera (God of marriage) cynically observes as suitors pursue Penelope, despite her and her son's confidence King Odysseus remains alive. Politics between these ambitious men, raids from unknown 'pirates' and Clytaemnestra's murder of Agamemnon ratchet up the tension, and Penelope has to use her wits and contacts among the women in order to try to keep her kingdom together.

Claire North is better known for Sci Fi, but the world building she does there is put to good use in the world of Greek myths. This is a very popular area for feminist exploration, but the use of Hera and the modern phrasing works well and engages the reader. Sometimes there are in jokes those knowledgable about the classics will enjoy, but went over my head, and I did find myself having to do a bit of googling. However, the characterisation is very good and the novel moves with pace.