I thought Stone Blind was excellent. I am not a classicist, but I have read quite lot about Greek myths and this seemed to me a fine, readable and thoughtful retelling of the Medusa myth.

We all know the story, I suspect. Medusa was, of course a monster. She was a Gorgon with snakes for hair whose glance turned any living creature to stone, whom the hero Perseus decapitated with divine aid from Athene and whose head he then used as a terrible weapon to save Andromeda etc. Natalie Haynes is interested in far more than that, and especially in Medusa’s origins and the question “Who decides what is a monster?”

Medusa was originally very beautiful, so much so that Poseidon desired her and, in the way of male gods, overpowered and raped her in a temple to Athene. This made Athene angry, so whom did she punish? The victim, because the perpetrator was too powerful to touch, and Haynes paints Medusa as an ordinary, loving woman who has been made into a monster by people and forces over whom she has no control. It’s a point with strong contemporary resonance which Haynes makes dextrously and wittily, while never diminishing its power. She also considers Perseus’s actions and finds him, rather than heroic, to be vain, reckless, incompetent and “a murderous little thug” who “thinks anyone who is not like him is a monster”. Again, it’s thought provoking and has real contemporary relevance.

This is anything but a stodgily politically correct polemic, though. Haynes writes with wit and zing, using various narrative voices, the most powerful of which is Gorgoneion, Medusa’s severed head which became a symbol of protection in ancient Greece. Haynes brings these ancient, mythical characters to life wonderfully; she spares no-one, male or female, their faults, but has a sympathetic understanding of many of them – especially the Gorgon sisters, whose characters are very far from monstrous.

Although it is very different in tone, for me Stone Blind is up there with Pat Barker’s The Silence Of The Girls as a modern re-telling of the tales of ancient Greece – which is very high praise indeed. I thought it was an excellent read which has left me with much to think about, and I can recommend it very warmly.

(My thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC via NetGalley.)

I was really glad to be approved for this one ive read a lot of natalie haynes books and i enjoy the way she writes and how she choses characters to focus on the story of medusa has been one of my favourites i liked this version a lot it most sympathetic towards medusa and the other gorgons and takes the power away from perseus who usually gets more sympathy than he deserves but not here as it keeps track of all his flaws and although it goes into other perspectives include those of the snakes i felt that remains on her side throughout and without changing large amounts of the familiar story

Medusa's tale has always been that of a tragedy. Born mortal to Ceto and Phorcys, as a baby she is left in the care of her immortal Gorgon sisters Sthenno and Euryale, the only thing distinguishing her from other mortals being a pair of wings similar to her sisters.

In this insightful and multilayered novel, Haynes once again proves that she is a masterful storyteller as the story of Medusa and much more is brought to life in a fresh and witty retelling.

I enjoyed the exploration of the bond of sisterhood, kindness and the strength of love - most strikingly shown in Medusa's character in her encounter with Poseidon - along with how it can alter perceptions of beauty and make one adapt a life already centuries in the making.

The prose is rich with lyricism and Haynes's trademark humour that I have come to adore within her work.

The author does a marvellous job of taking the traditional tale of the story and flipping it into her own interpretation from exploring the insufferable personalities and whims of the Gods and Goddesses to the "hero's" distinct lack of empathy and finally by making the "villain" relatable.

I can't thank @panmacmillan and @netgalley enough for allowing me early access to this triumphant novel - I also can't wait to pick up my hard copy in the next couple of days in anticipation of seeing @nataliehaynesauthor discuss this book at her talk in Edinburgh at @toppingsedin 🐍

This is a medusa re-telling so I was instantly interested and I'm so happy to say it did not disappoint.

This was an emotional rollercoaster, not for the faint hearted as the story of medusa is in itself heartbreaking and cruel. The author done an excellent job handling this story

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4984055801

A sparky, sassy retelling of the Medusa myth which wears its feminist credentials lightly. It's nice to see well rounded female characters brought to the fore, and some of the shine knocked off the traditional male heroes. And the bored, capricious gods, playing with human lives on a whim as they try to while away eternity, are comedy gold (with a serious point in there somewhere about why we need religion to explain the random cruelties of life).

The market for this kind of book is pretty flooded at the moment, but this one is nicely done.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"But I was always me," said Medusa. "I never changed." "You always changed and never changed."

The beginning of this book was surprisingly wholesome and funny, I loved seeing how the other Gorgons learned to care for Medusa. However, the story soon started to focus more on other characters (which is fair, as it was all connected to Medusa's own story and heartbreaking fate) and the change of pace was a bit distracting. Almost every character seemed to feel a great deal of self-importance, and Athene and Perseus in particular were incredibly capricious and selfish. If the goal was to make the reader dislike them to the point of annoyance, it was very well achieved. Sure, we're supposed to feel sympathy for Medusa and the injustice she suffers at their hands, but when there are only a couple of tolerable characters in the whole book it gets a bit tedious. The writing itself was fine, although at some points it was so straightforward that I felt, as a reader, that I was being treated like an idiot.

I had very high expectations for a feminist retelling of Medusa's story but this was not at all what I expected. The book didn't really focus on her, and Hayne's take on Perseus' character is not one I agree with. If you're interested in Greek mythology you might still enjoy Stone Blind, but if you already know the myths and are looking for a fresh perspective this is probably not it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Stone blind by Natalie Haynes

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Natalie Haynes for the opportunity to read this book.

Firstly I really appreciated that the author gave a brief list of characters at the beginning of the book that you could reference if you got confused. Always helpful when it comes to mythology and retellings.

The opener in this is brilliant, gives you a great overview of what's to come (even slight trigger warnings) and it really got me ready to feel all the emotions. And boy did I feel those. I cried a couple of times throughout medusas story and the horrors she faces.

I'm giving this 4 stars because while I loved the story of medusa the side stories, though relevant, did distract from it a little bit. They just didn't hold the same emotion level that hers did and I found perseus and athene insufferable.

Overall if you like retellings I think you'd really enjoy this book and the way it was written. The decision to include an opener that both set the scene and allowed readers a warning of what's to come in terms of potential triggers was a great one. I'd love to see more openings like that as I know many people need them.

I absolutely loved Stone Blind!
I'm a huge fan of Mythology retellings so it was pretty much a given that I would love this one as well.
I'm especially a fan of Medusa so I was extremely excited for this book and it lived up to all my excitement!
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone that's a fan of mythology retellings!
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible journey this was ! (Thank you so much to NetGalley for the advanced copy!)

As a novice in mythology, my expectations were pretty open as to the storyline or the "accuracy" of the plot. So I pretty much went in blind (see what I did there ?)

Page after page, I embarked on an adventure with all these characters and lived everything through their own perspectives. Haynes' narration was so perfect that you could feel Hera's disgust, Athene's envy, Perseus' cowardice, Medusa's fear... Pain, tragedy, a sense of destiny were all part of the story as well. However, not everything was dramatic : you will find humor in some dialogues (Hermes and Athene mostly).

But in the end, what stuck with me was the notion of monster. Who is a monster ? What is a monster ? Who can say who or what is a monster ? This to me was what the book was all about. It made you (certainly me! ) (re)think your own definition of monstrosity. It was subtle, but it was intertwined in every story and it was clever.

Bravo on more time for Natalie Haynes' and her marvellous retelling !

I had such a good time reading Stone Blind. I confess to being a bit overwhelmed by the variety of characters at the start, but I got there.

I adored the discussions around what makes a monster and the feminist discussion about traditional male and female roles.

I thought the Gorgons were so well written and I just loved all of them. I enjoyed being embroiled in the lives of the Greek gods, in spite of not necessarily liking any of them.

A proper adventure story that reminds us to question our pre conceived ideas through powerful and entertaining writing.

Another great mythology retelling from Natalie Haynes.

I enjoyed Natalie Hayne’s previous books: A Thousand Ships and Pandora’s Jar, so I jumped at the chance to reading her latest book: Stone Blind, a retelling of the myths surrounding the origins and fate of Medusa.

As in A Thousand Ships, the narrative here cleverly entwines the different strands of Medusa’s story, which is more complicated than the one you are likely to be familiar with (I blame endless holiday TV screenings of the 1981 Clash of the Titans. The Haarryhausen stop-motion Medusa was terrifying!). The version most of us know is that of a hero, Perseus, who bravely kills a horrifying monster and uses its severed head to rescue a beautiful maiden from a sea monster.

As you might expect, the original story is far more complex, and the way Haynes put Medusa’s experience at the centre of her narrative raises interesting questions about what makes a hero and a monster, and how those labels are earned, applied and perpetuated.

I believe one of the reasons the Greek myths have endured and are still getting retold in various forms today is that their gods, though magical, immortal and powerful, are also recognisably human in their feuds, petty jealousies and bursts of anger. Haynes leans into this in Stone Blind, often for humorous purposes, and some of the conversations between the gods are very funny. These moments (a reminder, if we need one, of Haynes’ brilliant comedic talents) also provide necessary moments of levity between the more sombre parts of the story.

The descriptions of the various settings are wonderfully detailed and evocative, drawing the reader into the action. And while I did find the story involving, if I have one criticism it would be that I didn’t find it as moving as I thought I would. Perhaps the narrative voice was a little too detached, but even so it was an enjoyable read.

Overall: fans of Greek myth and retellings are sure to enjoy Stone Blind. Highly recommended.

Full disclosure, I'm a Classics teacher so it's inevitable that I approach this through a different lens than most readers.

The story of Medusa has always been a fascinating one for me. I remember sitting in my tiny Scottish Highlands Primary school assembly hall, us all huddled around the tiny television to watch Clash of the Titans. Whilst everyone was swooning over Harry Hamlin and/or Pegasus I found myself transfixed by Medusa. Yes she was hideous but gosh, if there wasn't something utterly compelling and just down right cool about her too. Ever since that moment I've always rooted for the snake haired lady.

I've been a fan of Haynes for yonks. Even back to her earlier works such as The Amber Fury. I think A Thousand Ships was a far superior work to Barker's Silence of the Girls and her insight as a classicist and her background in standup comedy are used to great effect in her novels.

The story here follows pretty much the standard narrative of the Perseus story and the familiar cast of characters are here. Gold star straight away for specifying that the Ethiopian princess Andromeda has ebony skin. The blonde and blue haired Andromeda of the film always bugged the hell out of me. Where this story differs from the 'standard' tale is in the characterisation. Don't expect the perfect hero Perseus here, or a benevolent and wise Athena. The gods are petty and vindictive and many of the human characters are downright stupid. I've always hated the take on the Medusa myth that has Athena transforming her to protect her in some way. This is very much not the case here.

There's a wry humour in much of the book, it reminded me a bit of the type of humour in Joanne Harris' Loki novels. I particularly liked little touches like the olive trees of Athens having their own pov chapters, that was a fun idea. I also very much enjoyed Medusa's relationship with her sisters and the contrast between their love and care to their monstrous outward appearance. Beauty is found within and all that.

The novel inevitably feeds into wider discourse around misogyny, sexual abuse and victim blaming which will be familiar to any readers familiar with how these themes are confronted in modern myth retellings. I've read various scholarly and non-scholarly discussions on the Medusa myth and I didn't feel that there was anything particularly new and radical with what Haynes has done here but for those who aren't colossal Classics nerds like me, it might serve for some interesting food for thought.

Overall, another cracker from Haynes and although it's not my favourite of her works it is sure to appeal to anyone who enjoys a good myth retelling with a side of rage at the patriarchy.

This clearly interesting book was not for me. The actual myth story did not resonate and hence I became rather impatient and wondered why go on reading... The actual writing style is fine, with a humorous slant, although I found visualisation of landscape and characters a bit of a problem, and the constant change of character point of view via titular chapters rather cumbersome. I wonder if a younger reader would have found it more engaging. I had to give up three quarters into the narration as really not seeing the point. Nevertheless, I am thankful to the publisher and NetGalley to have given me the opportunity to acquaint myself with this book. The genre is clearly not for me.

🐍 Stone Blind by @nataliehaynesauthor

Happy publication to Stone Blind and a big thank you to @panmacmillan and @emmafinniganpr for sending me a copy of this beautiful proof to review!

This is one of my favourite reads of the year so far, I absolutely loved it.

Medusa has to be one of the most misrepresented women in mythology. Historically, she has been portrayed as a monster but thankfully this simplistic view is now increasingly being challenged, especially when it comes to retellings!

Stone Blind contains all the important elements of Medusa’s story, from her childhood till after her beheading by Perseus. However, what I loved most was the inclusion of other, related myths.

The story is told from the point of view of a variety of characters each with their own distinctive voices, including her Gorgon sisters, Gods and Goddesses. These are beautifully woven together and really provide a sense of how complex and interconnected Greek mythology is.

By exploring how other characters viewed Medusa and all the events which lead up to her tragic fate, you really get a sense of just how wrongly she was treated.

With Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes has written another brilliant retelling of Greek of mythology and I can’t wait to find out what she’ll bring out next!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is basically understood these days that Medusa was wronged- assaulted by Poseidon, tortured by Athena, she didn't deserve her fate as a monstrous gorgon whose destiny was to be beheaded by Perseus. It's this view that Haynes takes as she weaves the story of Medusa in with all the other players- some hugely important, others merely bit-parts- into this tapestry of Greek Mythology. As well as Medusa, we meet her sisters and understand their bond. We also meet other female deities and human women who are impacted by the actions of men and male gods- Olympus is not great if you're a woman. There are a LOT of characters and points of view in this novel (it was sometimes tricky to keep track). However, it's a brilliant retelling of one of the most maligned characters in Western mythology. Funny (honestly I will never see Athene the same way again), tragic and furious, I loved it.

When I heard this novel was going to be released I was greatly anticipating it as Haynes' previous works were a delight to read. And Stone Blind is no exception. The entire novel is a masterclass in Haynes' ability to adapt classic tales into a new perspective, giving Medusa a vindication she needs. She is a victim here but there is a strength to her - I was rather surprised that Haynes didn't present her take on the snakes being a form of defence rather than another curse.

I loved Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes’ story of Medusa, rehabilitating her image and transforming her from evil monster to wronged woman, I really enjoyed the description of her two immortal sisters finding baby Medusa on the beach and taking care of her upbringing. The other main character Perseus was a horrible little teenage toerag and it was interesting to see his story reflect that rather than giving him the standard hero treatment..

Another recommended read from the mistress of classical myth retellings.

Stone Blind

Natalie Haynes’ stunning new novel about the mythical life of Medusa, the demigorgon, is truly spectacular. Although initially cautious about approaching another mythological retelling, the minute I started Stone Blind my worries were dashed. Haynes’ compelling storytelling style makes this a real page turner, and the tenderness with which she approaches a well known “villain” in Greek mythology means the reader’s perception of Medusa is empathetic, kind and immediately subverted. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and learnt so much as I went along, it was a real pleasure to receive the proof.

I adore retellings of Greek myths and particularly those that give a voice and agency to the women who have for so long been relegated to the side-lines given the “traditional” focus on the kings and heroes that populate those tales. I love these different takes on these narratives, and Stone Blind presents the particularly intriguing story of Medusa to the reader. However new to the Greek myths a person might be, I think that most have heard of Medusa, usually in the context of a monster with snakes for hair and whose gaze will turn a person to stone. What some may not realise is that she wasn’t always that way, and Haynes uses this novel to give the background and context to this story.

We first meet Medusa as a baby, left with her Gorgon sisters (Sthenno and Euryale) to raise. She has little in common with them beyond their parentage – she is mortal where they are not, and appears almost human aside from the wings on her back. I love this part of the story. We see her sisters take on her care and upbringing, not understanding her needs initially, but learning and adapting as Medusa grows from baby to child to young woman. It’s beautiful to behold, and I think it would be a cold heart indeed that doesn’t become invested in the story of Medusa and her sisters. It makes her fate at the hands of Athene all that much harder to bear. She doesn’t deserve it, and it seems a particularly cruel punishment to bestow on someone who comes across as a brave, kind, and caring individual.

As well as Medusa and her sisters, Haynes also introduces the reader to the relevant individuals who play a part in this tale. This includes various gods and immortals as well as the more regular humans who have a role to play. There’s a lot going on, but Haynes sets the scene brilliantly, and the novel does start with a cast of characters should you get a little lost along the way. These narratives – which seem initially disparate yet come together beautifully as the novel progresses – provide the context and background to the story that I thought I knew but quickly realised that I had barely scratched the surface of.

One of these individuals is Perseus, a son of Zeus and one of his many mortal partners, who sets out on a mission to obtain a Gorgon’s head. He has his reasons for doing so, but it’s fair to say that he wouldn’t stand a chance were it not for the assistance of Athene and Hermes, provided at Zeus’s insistence. His own efforts are laughable, particularly when he doesn’t even have the wit to ask what a Gorgon is or looks like when assigned his quest. He does initially come across as a normal young man, but it doesn’t take long for his true colours to show. With his mission bestowed upon him, there’s a sense of inevitability as Medusa’s story begins to overlap with that of the supposed hero. And I have to admit that I while I knew what the outcome would be (that part of the story is well known), a part of me still hoped for a different ending.

If I did have any slight niggle with Stone Blind, it’s that Haynes seems to assume that the reader will take the side of Perseus, that they will sympathise with his quest and the motivation behind it despite the outcome, and that they will mistake his cruelty for cunning and cleverness. It’s fair to say that he is no match for the wily Odysseus on that last score, and I think that anyone who has read much about the myths will recognise that the supposed heroes are, generally speaking, utter dicks. To me, it seems obvious who the victim – several times over – is in this novel, and so being told not to sympathise with Perseus seems unnecessary to me. That’s just my view, of course, and other readers may take a different interpretation from the text.

One element to the novel that I did enjoy was the exploration of what it is to be a monster. For Perseus (and many others) it seems to be someone or something that looks different to themselves or that cannot be easily conquered, and so their fear is masked by designating its source as a monster. But here, for me, the monster in this narrative is not a Gorgon, and I think that there’s a strong message to judge less by an individual’s appearance and more by their actions. It’s a poignant message, and one that seems as applicable to today as it does to these ancient tales.

Despite my one slight niggle with the novel (and it is a slight niggle that’s very much down to me personally) I found this to be a fascinating read. It’s fantastic to see Medusa’s story shared in full, moving away from the portion of the tale that is so well known and providing the background that casts her in a very different light. Written with her trademark wit, Haynes delivers a feisty, feminist tale that I highly recommend.

“This particular monster is assaulted, abused and vilified. And yet, as the story is always told, she is the one you should fear. She is the monster. We’ll see about that.”

Natalie Haynes is one of my favourite writers to revisit Greek mythology. She makes them accessible and easy to read, and often humorous too. She also takes such a vast set of characters and uses them to explore a single story.
I love the story of Medusa, so I was really excited to see Natalie Haynes put her twist on it. I didn’t realise how many stories could be linked to Medusa’s though. Every time she introduced a tale or characters that seemed unconnected, it was just a waiting game - why were three sisters and a snake relevant? why did we need to know about the king of Ethiopia?
I really enjoyed that this book made Medusa human. It really emphasised that she wasn’t just a monster. She had a relationship with her sisters who loved her and she loved back. And she stood up for something she believed in when confronted by Poseidon, even though she was still scared.
I thoroughly enjoyed!