Cover Image: Stone Blind

Stone Blind

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If Stone Blind had been described as a tale of the ancient Greek Gods and how Perseus ended up on a quest to fetch Medusa's head, maybe it would have been a four star read. Maybe. But it wasn't. It was described as Medusa's story, so I was anticipating something like Circe by Madeline Miller, a novel that told Medusa's story through her own eyes and focused on the portrayal of her. Or like A Thousand Ships by this same author, a novel that directly focused on the unheard female voices of the Trojan war and brought them to life. And oh boy, was I disappointed.

I'd say about 25% of this novel actually has Medusa as a semi-main character and even then, there's a lot of attention on her sisters. The rest of the novel is made up of petty Godly squabbles and fights and Perseus's quest across the land to bring back the head of a Gorgon. It... wasn't what I signed up for. It also frankly didn't interest me that much. I was genuinely interested in the childhood and life of Medusa, I was kind of interested in some of the God side plots although they really needed to be minimised... I just did not care about Perseus. Come on. The story of the boy who beheads the sleeping monster was not the important one here, particularly when he's shallow, selfish and cruel to boot.

What I wanted and what I got here were two very different things. Medusa was essentially relegated to a bit player in her own damn story and that's a crying shame, particularly when I know how well the author can portray the unsung voices. This could have been excellent, it should have been excellent; Haynes certainly has the writing talent and spark to pull it off. But instead of allowing Medusa to stand on the stage alone, she is overshadowed by Gods and men and petty arguments. And I really, really struggled to engage with it because of that.

Don't get me wrong. I'll read the author again. I adored A Thousand Ships. But this... this was a disappointment and it was nowhere near interesting enough to hold my attention.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free review copy of this title.

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If you enjoy myth retellings, this is one that is done very well. It is imaginative, neat and engaging.

But the key element is if you enjoy them- I've tried a few now, by different authors, and they don't really work for me.

Natalie Haynes is a great author, and what a story she has to work with! If you enjoy this or not will be down to whether myth retellings are up your street.

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3.5 stars

Unlike her Gorgon sisters, Medusa is mortal. However, because of her wings, Medusa stays away from the other mortals.
When Medusa catches the eye of Poseidon, the sea god, his actions lead to Medusa being cursed by the goddess Athene - where Medusa's hair once was is now a mass of snakes, and any living creature that meets Medusa's gaze is instantly turned to stone.
Medusa stays at her home with her sisters, safe until a young man named Perseus comes searching for the Gorgons.

As a fan of Greek mythology and having enjoyed several of the author's previous works, I was looking forward to reading this.
While Medusa is a main characters in this book, the story has several main characters whose lives entwine quite cleverly - alongside Medusa, there are chapters on Athene, Poseidon, Perseus, Andromeda, and several others.
The chapters about Medusa and her sisters were interesting and I really liked their close relationship.
Perseus was a character I disliked immensely, and the chapters on Athene made me see her in a new light.
The volatile relationships between the different gods were interesting to read, especially when they were trying to one-up each other or get revenge.
I thought the author did a really good job of weaving several story-lines together, and it was done in a very engaging way.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

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There is nothing quite as tragic as being born a woman.

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes is my first true introduction to Greek mythology. Thorough and exceptionally researched, I was very surprised by my overall enjoyment of this book.

There is little to no contest that Haynes is a talented writer and storyteller. Many lines and paragraphs were highlighted and annotated and stunned me upon reading. Aside from the sheer number of characters and points of view, I have no complaints about the writing and stylistic choices.

With that being said, I wanted this book to be full of Medusa’s story as opposed to supported by a retelling of many myths at onde. While I recognise that Medusa’s story is both a part of many others as well as its own myth, I felt like there wasn’t enough of her. Perhaps I wished Haynes would have taken creative liberty to expand on the story; perhaps I wished I’d have a better opportunity to learn and love the other women and their plights.

I was incredibly emotional reading this and I hurt for Medusa and her sisters. I hurt for the plight of all women who endured the wrath and greed of men and, in (emotional) self-defence, turned on other women. What a tragedy it is to exist for men who hate their own creations.

Thank you Natalie Haynes, Pan Macmillan, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

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I love the story of Medusa, any Greek myth I’m obsessed with but more so Medusa. Beautiful lyrical writing and I loved every minute of it

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Stone Blind is a retelling and a fresh take on the myth of Medusa. Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters and the only mortal in her family. After the sea god Poseidon assaults her in Athene's temple, Medusa is transformed and cursed by Athene for what Poseidon had done in her sacred space. The story was interesting and gave insight into Medusa, her family and upbringing. It played well to the original concept of blaming the victim for a crime perpetrated against them and the consequences thereof. I enjoyed the read, not as much as her previous novel "A Thousand Ships", but would still definitely recommend it.

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I love any retelling of the Greek Myths and could not wait to read this title; I have read Natalie Haynes before and enjoy her writing very much - this title did not disappoint!

I was expecting a story about Medusa, but it was so much more than that as it told mini stories about her young life, Perseus, Danae and so many of the other Greek gods which help develop her story. At first, this seems a little confusing, and maybe (as other reviewers have mentioned) makes the title a little misleading, but I felt it added to Medusa's story. Reading about her as a young girl and her relationship with her sisters was heartwarming and makes her fate even more bitter in my opinion. Medusa is so often portrayed as a monster, rather than the poor misaligned victim, that she should be seen as, and Haynes book goes someway to correcting that myth in a similar way to Jessie Burton's version of the 'Medusa' story.

I enjoyed the characterisation of Perseus, having recently read 'The Shadow of Perseus' by Claire Heywood, and felt that Haynes had developed a different version of our 'hero.'

The fickle, argumentative bickering of the gods is very amusing and enhances this read - though there is not a male god to like by the end of it! In Greek mythology, no-one's story can be told in isolation, and I think Haynes does a wonderful job of weaving together the multiple narratives in this novel to give a rounded picture of what life might have been like.

This is not really Medusa's story, but so much more! I satisfying read all round.

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Stone Blind is the story of Medusa and other events that happened at the same time, such as the tale of Perseus, his childhood, Danaë, his mother and her imprisonment as well as Andromeda and her eventual sacrifice. There are many different little stories that all come together so satisfyingly perfectly at the end that I had to take a minute to marvel at Haynes’ genius brain.

I’ve seen a fair few reviews that have disliked the book due to it being marketed as being a story about Medusa which I do think is a fair point. It’s not something that bothered me at all because I really enjoyed reading all the other side stories but I can definitely understand why that would be disappointing for some readers who wanted to read more from Medusa’s point of view.

100000000% read this one if you like books on mythology and if Medusa has piqued your interest!!!

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I find Natalie Haynes such a mixed author as some of her works i love and others, like this, i really struggle with. I liked the first 40% of this book but it just felt too much of a slow burn for me. I liked how they set up Medusa as a character and i appreciate this was a character study but it felt like it needed a bit more action in certain places. This had such good moments and i found what i liked was good, i just wish there were more like them in it.

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3 2 3 Stone Blind
1 finally got round to reading this Instagram favourite and l'm so glad I did!
I can totally understand why it has so many great reviews, it's absolutely beautifully written.
We start with life before Medusa's famous snake-hair, how she grew up with the Gorgons and their sisterly love for each other. We also see Perseus' life from baby to young adult.
We read Medusa's horrific attack and how it affects her, and she is then unfairly punished for this (Gods and Goddesses have a lot to answer for) The pain alone is bad enough but she gradually works out that she will never be able to look at her beloved sisters again. We follow the story along as we know it will end, and it's heart-wrenching. We also hear from the snakes as they remain alive after Perseus shoved them into a sack.
An emotional and witty read which I really enjoyed.

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This fell a bit flat for me. Mostly because I was expecting a story about Medusa and instead got a story about so many different people that I didn't really understand why the others were even in the story at all. It did tie together right at the end, but I don't feel like it was the best decision on the author's part. The gods in here also felt like spoilt little brats, which just got on my nerves to be honest! All in all, I just felt that there was too much going on in this one.

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I adored this book and everything about it was perfect. I cried and laughed and loved. It was so special and I can’t wait to come back to this book for a second read.

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Stone Blind was everything I wanted it to be. Natalie Haynes has taken an amazing character from Greek mythology and explored all characters involved in Medusa’s legend, allowing the reader to see her story from all angles.

The book is written beautifully and I adored the format too, which allowed me to get through the book easily.

Stone Blind fully rests in my favourites of this genre and cemented Natalie Haynes as an auto buy author for me.

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Another incredible book by Natalie Haynes this time brining to life the myth of Medusa. Haynes manages to bring something new to these characters and craft the most incredible stories, she is the queen of Greek myth retellings

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Please let us have a Medusa retelling that is actually about Medusa. I want what Circe gave us. It's an engaging story but marketed wrongly.

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I didn’t really find this entertaining, apart from Perseus’ interaction with the naiads. For the most part it was a bit dull, and not very emotive, unlike A Thousand Ships. I liked the ending though.

I will still read anything Haynes writes because I like her other work but this one just wasn’t for me.

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I really enjoyed this book. I'd definitely say it's my favourite of all the Natalie Haynes books I have read.

I always enjoy how Natalie Haynes combines a classic tale with a modern voice. That voice was so powerful in Stone Blind and the feminist rage and biting wit was so compelling to read. I loved how the author reduced Perseus to an inept, cowardly fool while bringing nuance and humanity to Medusa and The Gorgons.

As with so many classic tales, the female victim is blamed and punished for the actions of a man. I felt the rage was so entirely justified. I loved the descriptions of Perseus and how he became a figure to ridicule not admire.

The story had Hayne's trademark wit and sarcasm and the switch from humour to sadness was expertly done. It was heartbreakingly unjust to read how the innocent Medusa was villainised while the man who killed her (in the most cowardly fashion) was deemed a hero. Not to mention the actions of Poseidon and Athene. It perfectly highlighted that it wasn't Medusa who was the monster after all.

It's worth noting this isn't Medusa's story alone. There is a lot of changes in perspectives and the story focuses heavily on the interactions of the gods. I would perhaps have preferred a bit more Medusa however these seemingly external factors did all influence her fate.

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A gorgeous retelling of Medusa - Natalie Haynes can truly do no wrong! Literary and gripping, this is by far the best Medusa retelling I’ve read.

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Natalie Haynes' writing is just fabulous. I really enjoyed this book - the characters, the interwoven story that at times seemed confused but matched up so perfectly at the end. I feel that the blurb is a little deceiving as the book isn't just about Medusa but a fabulous Greek telling none-the-less.

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‘Stone Blind’ is the first novel by Natalie Haynes I’ve read and I came to it without expectations or pre-conceived ideas. Billed as the story of Medusa, the mortal raped by a god and turned into a Gorgon with a writhing head of snakes, this is in fact a much broader tale of Greek gods, goddesses and myths. Medusa is featured but is not prominent until the final third. A fleeting appearance and a disappointment I didn’t recover from.
A story of the abuse of power and privilege, of trickery and arrogance, mostly of men against women, this heaviness is leavened with wit and a modern feminist voice. It is the tale of assorted women, goddesses and mortals and their places in their worlds alongside men. In a complex weaving of many stories and narrators, this is a novel to read with your full attention. I felt it drag in the middle, perhaps my concentration wavered, perhaps the thin presence of Medusa began to weigh on me. Oh how I wanted more about Medusa and her Gorgon sisters, Euryale and Stheno, and less squabbles, battles and jealousies of so many immortals and their offspring.
Haynes examines the question, what makes a monster and who decides. She updates the relevance of Medusa and Perseus and questions the very idea that the Gorgons were monstrous. So, an ambitious tale in breadth – perhaps too ambitious – but with some feminist lines to remember. ‘So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our teeth, our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters.’
There are so many books out there that are fictionalised re-tellings of the Greek myths that we’re spoilt for choice. Will I read another by Haynes? I’m not sure, not for a while.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

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