Claire North's artful retelling of the Greek legend of Penelope and Odysseus reaches its conclusion with The Last Song of Penelope and, as expected, we have another change of narrator. Our narrative voice this time is, quite fittingly, Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. Two characteristics that will be much in evidence this time round.

Odysseus has finally returned to Ithaca, but not as the conquering hero. Nope, he's returned disguised as a beggar, intent on finding out if his wife has betrayed his trust during his long absence with any of her many suitors. Before he's done blood will be spilt and Penelope's hard won peace will face its greatest threat.

Will the wisdom of Ithaca's womenfolk prevail? Will Penelope and Odysseus be reconciled? Sorry, but I'm not spoiling anything. If you've read the previous books,. you know what to expect. If not, where have you been? Go and get them read before you start on this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author for an advanced copy.

‘The Odyssey’ is so easy to mindlessly think of as “an entertaining heroic epic adventure”. It is only when you step back and re-examine the actions of certain so-called “heroes” from Greek mythology that you come to realise how extremely awful some of their actions were. I feel like this is a point that many authors whose books are marketed as “feminist mythology retellings” try to express, but not always with subtlety or success. Indeed, until now, no-one (in my opinion) has done so as effectively as Claire North does in this book.

I have read many Greek mythology retellings over the years and I have never been so utterly heart-wrenchingly traumatised by a scene as I was in this book. (And I mean that as a sincere compliment to the author!) North did such an incredible job of breathing fresh life into the characters of Homer’s epic that certain inevitable events of this narrative (inevitable to those of us already familiar with the legend) were utterly heartbreaking to read.

What North does that few other retellings have attempted, however, was to successfully redeem the hero for their unheroic deeds. After the scene with the suitors, I wondered how the novel could possibly continue for another 200 pages. I thought that Odysseus would surely be a character that we would subsequently struggle to engage with. Indeed, a lesser author would have left Odysseus in the ditch of our modern day disapproval. And yet… North creates such an incredibly complex version of this character - wise but troubled, caring but terrible, a hero and a villain, but ultimately human, and thus redeemable. Not even that long after the traumatising scene to which I previously alluded, I was fully rooting for his redemption and begging Penelope to forgive him. North does a tremendous job of embracing the horrible things that Odysseus does in mythology and yet forcing us to look at both the bad and the good, creating a truly conflicted character whose conflict is fascinating to witness. That the story had to end, leaving the conclusion of his and Penelope's story in a future that we will never see, was simply torturous!

And while the narrative does focus more on Odysseus in this book, as perhaps inevitable with his patron deity Athena narrating this final volume in the trilogy, this is still Penelope's story. This version of Penelope is my favourite version of the character that I have ever read. Cunning and wise, she is the intelligent, strategist Queen of Ithaca that the original mythology should have given us.

In short, ‘The Songs of Penelope’ trilogy is absolutely one of my favourite mythology retellings to date! Despite retelling an often retold legend, North’s version of the story feels entirely unique, somehow making her characters seem completely original. From the main characters of Homer's epic, to the goddesses who narrated the novels, to the invented side characters of North’s imagination, every single character was brilliant! To say goodbye to them all at the end of the trilogy was extremely hard…

I will continue doing everything that I can to get people to read these books! I appreciate that the writing - a somewhat chaotic pinball of a narrative, emulating the omnipresent everywhere-all-at-once perspective of a deity in constantly jumping between characters, time and continents, sometimes in a single sentence let alone a paragraph or chapter - was not for everyone, but I personally loved it. Ultimately, in the end, I really cannot recommend these books enough.

Thank-you sincerely to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital proof of this book!

The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars
Publication date: 20 June 2024
Thank you to Little Brown Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .

What a brilliant ending to this trilogy! I was so looking forward to reading this ARC and it did not disappoint.
Our third and last godly narrator is Athena, the Goddess of War and Wisdom, and it was a more subdued narration compared to its predecessors, but it had amazing moments of rage and passion (Priene's charge had me holding my breath.)
I have loved Penelope throughout those books, and she really solidified herself as one of my favourite characters ever. She is charismatic, intelligent, strong, resilient and caring, and her dynamics with the returning-after-20-years-and-f***ing-things-up Odysseus are tense and complex.
Just like the previous two books, the secondary characters are excellent and so vivid (Penelope's warriors, her father in law, Laertes, and Kenamon amongst many others, as well as Elektra making a powerful cameo.)
I appreciated the overall theme about women's place in history, about who gets to tell those stories and who gets to be celebrated. I have loved Claire North's writing and I'm going to seek everything she's written before, and everything she's going to write from now on.

I could not wait to get my hands on the final book in The Songs of Penelope series. My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group for approving my request for an ARC.

The Last Song of Penelope picks up where The House of Odysseus left off, however this time we hear the story through the voice of the Goddess Athena. Odysseus is one of Athena's favourite humans, drawn to him because of his guile and cunning. I did enjoy reading her take on things and I felt for her as she believed she would only be remembered through the tales of Odysseus.

I love how Claire North has tackled writing this series and having the Goddesses narrating the events. This gave the story an omniscient viewpoint, allowing us to see everything that was happening. The relationships between the Greek Deities was interesting and witty at times too. But most of all I loved Penelope and the women of Ithaca. Penelope's character is full of strength. She is wise, brave and complex.

This was a solid conclusion to this epic series and I would definitely recommend to all Greek Myth fans.

A perfect conclusion to the Songs of Penelope trilogy. Having read lots of Greek mythology retellings, I found this series to be so unique through its use of Hera, Aphrodite and Athena as the narrators. The prose is so poetic and for a story with a well known ending, Claire North did an excellent job at keeping us guessing as to what was coming next - The Last Song of Penelope certainly wasn't a predictable ending to the myth of Penelope!

I loved all three books of this trilogy. Please write more Greek retellings in the future!

Pros:
Athena voice, just liked with Hera and Aphrodite is easily the strongest part of Claire’s writing.
How sad and visceral (in both uses of the word) this book is.
The book is ‘character driven’ rather than ‘slow moving’.
The action sequences are fun and realistic.

Con:
I get that…Penelope and Odysseus find…talking to each other…awkward…but seriously…you can cut down on the number of…ellipsis…and half finished…

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

"I will fight for the women. I will fight for the maids. I will fight ... in some way ... to keep them safe. Even if that means," a scowl of displeasure about her lips, "fighting to defend some ... Greek king. If it needs a man on the throne to keep them safe, even a man like Odysseus, then ... they are what matter." [loc. 2159]
The culmination of the 'Songs of Penelope' trilogy, which began with Ithaca and continued with The House of Odysseus. In my review of the latter I wrote that I suspected the third book's narrator would be Athena, and so it is. Poor Athena. She's convinced that she will only be remembered because of Odysseus, whom she's championed lo these many years. 'A good story can outlast almost everything. And for that I need Odysseus.'

Finally his long journey home is complete, and he returns to Ithaca disguised as a beggar -- a disguise which fools Penelope for about three seconds. She is not pleased by her husband's return, and even less happy when he and their son Telemachus dispatch the importunate suitors (pre-drugged by Penelope's maids) and then hang some of the maids for fraternisation. (I was dreading this scene, and am relieved that in North's version of the story, only three of the maids are killed. But three is more than enough.) Penelope's fury at her husband for overturning everything she's built in his absence, and for provoking all-out warfare by his slaughter of the guests in his house, is palpable. She wants him dead. And yet she knows that if her transformation of Ithaca comes to light, she and all the women who've worked with her to preserve her island will perish at the hands of men.

Odysseus is almost monstrous, and Telemachus is weak: but Odysseus is also legendarily clever, and he begins to realise that Penelope is the reason he has a home to return to, and that she is the de facto queen of Ithaca -- not because of her marriage to him, but because of what she has achieved. And, in the end, it's Penelope, her women, and her astute alliances that save the day.

The writing is superlative, the characterisation acutely observed, and the description of the muddy, bloody, haphazard nature of Bronze Age warfare seems more likely than the cinematic depictions (Troy) of glorious combat. Athena, too, is vividly depicted: another female fighting to be taken seriously, her existence constrained by the expectations and prejudices of the other Olympian gods. But Penelope is at the heart of this story, and it is her story. She's the one who decides how it should be told, and how her husband's reputation will be shaped by the poets. Because nobody must ever know what she has done.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review. UK Publication Date is 18 JUN 2024.

The Last Song of Penelope is the final book in Claire North's The Songs of Penelope trilogy, but can be read as a standalone if you are familiar enough with Greek mythology. The first two books focus on Penelope's life when Odysseus is away, but in this final instalment he is now back on the island and Penelope starts to despair of her fate.

I very much enjoy mythology retellings, particularly when they give voices to the women in the stories. This book brings more complexity to the familiar story of Penelope and Odysseus, although it sometimes deviates slightly from the original myth. Claire North intertwines the characters' personal journeys with larger, timeless themes. Penelope is reimagined here not just as a figure of mythic endurance but as a complex character navigating issues of love, identity, and agency, bringing a fresh perspective to an ancient story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Super conclusion to this trilogy. Odysseus returns and chaos ensues. The flimsy peace collapses and a siege ensues. Can Penelope influence actions to get through this all alive, will she be able to reconnect with the husband who left for Troy twenty years before? Cleverly written and paced this series is a fabulous read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Last Song of Penelope' by Claire North.

'The Last Song of Penelope' is the conclusion in the trilogy by Claire North and by God, did she end it well. Beautifully written and woven, North's retellings are a sight to behold and I feel lucky that I was able to read it. I feel like I can't say much more about this book other than grabbing you by the arm and forcing you to read it because people truly need to experience this book for themselves.

This was the perfect ending to this series. It wasn't the happiest ending but I appreciated that Penelope had been SO in control for so long that Odysseus' arrival threw her off completely, and with a child like Telemachus, it was bound to go wrong. Odysseus' ability to own his mistakes made for interesting reading - he was certainly likeable by the end but I still found it hard to forgive him!

North writes internal monologues fabulously, the contrast and similarities between Athena and Penelope, Artemis and the warrior women of the forest, was great to read, I loved the fact that the women were finally allowed to show their prowess but at the cost of so many, fighting for a man who had been so out of control for 10 years, it made sense but still frustrated me!

Overall though I adored this book, I loved the style of writing, the pacing slowed down a bit somewhere in the middle, but picked right back up again, and Penelope. Long live Queen Penelope!

This book is probably the strongest of the 3 narratively. This one is from the perspective of Athena, the original “pick me” girl. I enjoyed her narration far more than the others, she was quite a sympathetic god. I also particularly enjoyed the coming together of Odysseus and Penelope.

Good solid story, probably one of the more unique ones in the genre but not one of my favourites.

The last instalment of Claire North's trilogy brings us the much anticipated conclusion of the her Greek retelling. Odysseus has finally washed ashore Ithaca and needs to reclaim his palace from the suitors. This one has a lot of action in it, which I was pleasantly surprised by, and a lot of war tactics, which shouldn't be surprising since it's narrated by Athena. Personally, I thought she was one of the weaker narrators of the series (Hera and Aphrodite being the previous) as she sort of floated in and out and I wasn't entirely sure of her motivations beyond creating a warrior that time would remember. Actually, often I felt like she was pushing people against what she was trying to achieve, and other times it felt like she wasn't really there at all. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and thought it was interesting the way that Odysseus was a 'different kind of man' than the other major male antagonists from the previous two books - but only because he wanted to be. It was a nod towards the fact that we all have thoughts and feelings running inside us that might be considered unlikable, but free-will gives us the option to act upon them or not. As an aside, I wish Kenamon had been in this one more but understand why he wasn't. (It still stings though!)

I have yet to review the previous two books, but I think this last one has to be the one I enjoyed the most. As one comes to expect from this series the writing is gorgeous and the characters complicated and interesting to read about, with the added bonus that Penelope and Odysseus finally get to interact after so many years apart and that this final narrator was particularly fascinating and my favourite of the three. The story did seem to drag at one point, but probably I only felt that way because of my lack of interest in the battle scenes.
All in all, this was a very nice ending for a unique retelling.

The Last Song Of Penelope is the final book in The Songs Of Penelope trilogy by award-winning, best-selling British author, Claire North. Odysseus is secretly back in Ithaca, posing as a filthy, smelly beggar while he checks out what Penelope’s been up to during his twenty-year absence. Telemachus has returned from his year-long search for his father empty-handed, from which the hundred suitors for Penelope’s hand deduce that Odysseus is dead: now is their time!

Odysseus and his son are plotting: the suitors must die. But Penelope isn’t fooled by the beggar rags or the act, and she’s quickly worked out what Telemachus and his father are up to. The odds look terrible, and even if they manage to slay all the suitors, that isn’t going to go down too well with their families and leaders. It’s bound to be a bloodbath with few survivors among them. So the clever Queen of Ithaca consults with her midnight council of women, and they make some contingency plans.

Some of the suitors describe Penelope as “tricksy” (there was that thing with the burial shroud for Laertes) and one of those tricks makes it easier for Odysseus, Telemachus and their tiny band when they carry out their massacre. Of course, the inevitable happens and soon they’re holed up at Laertes’s farm when the angry fathers turn up for revenge with mercenaries in tow.

All this time, Penelope is furious, about his distrust of her, and about the fate of some of her maids, so she’s denying Odysseus, never actually accepting that this man is he, referring to anything about her husband in the third person, which makes for some interesting conversations as she gets to comment on his twenty-year absence, and his poor behaviour, with some impunity.

It does take him some time to realise just how canny his wife is: “She was a woman alone, a widow in all but name, and Ithaca needed a strong king to guard its shores. This being so, naturally she would not turn away anyone who sought her hand, not least because if they were busy wooing, they would not be busy plundering, raiding or enslaving her peoples.”

There’s plenty of humour, especially when Laertes or Priene are participating: Priene tells Odysseus “Penelope is right – the isles need to have a king. You are the least awful choice. The one with the greatest story.” There’s also a bit of heartache when Penelope has to send the Egyptian packing, and her moving eulogy for one very close to her can’t fail to bring tears to the reader’s eye. And there are battles, with plenty of bloodshed despite some clever tactics.

This time, North uses the goddess Athena as her narrator who, with her emphasis on war and wisdom, offers quite a different perspective from that of Hera and Aphrodite. Odysseus may have been her favourite for a long time, but she’s coming to respect Penelope and see her intelligence and her worth.

North’s quick summary of the situation that many other poets describe is refreshingly frank, and quite delightful, at times almost tongue in cheek. Athena’s commentary on events and players, on the affairs of gods and mortals, is irreverent and often darkly funny, but also insightful. She observes: “Wisdom is not loud, is often unseen, unpraised, unremarked. Wisdom is rarely easy, too often an unwelcome guest.”

Even novices to the Greek myths and legends will be able to, with perhaps only a cursory check of Wikipedia, thoroughly enjoy North’s treatment of Penelope’s story. This is Greek myth at its most palatable and entertaining. Highly recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this ARC.

As someone whose introduction to Greek Mythology came through The Odyssey, this book brought me so much joy. It was a story I knew told from a perspective I have been really enjoying from Claire North these past couple of books. This trilogy has given me so much insight into the gaping whole left behind during a male-centred myth, how Ithaca still stood for the 20 years its king was gone.

The Last Song of Penelope was beautifully written and the narration from Athena’s perspective was particularly interesting, reading her feelings towards Penelope and Odysseus and even Artemis to an extent.

I really loved seeing how Penelope and Odysseus’s estranged marriage was drawn back together, how they unravelled what had happened to each of them during the two decades apart, how Odysseus underestimated his wife and how Penelope taught him the true value of women beyond what he saw them for.

I am truly sad to see this trilogy come to an end but I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I didn't actually realise that this was the third book in a trilogy, I think if you are fairly well versed in and interested in Greek Mythology then this reads well as a stand alone book, however it probably does have slightly more emotional resonance if you've read the previous two books (which I now will do!).
This is a retelling of the Odyssey, we're in the last part of the story where Penelope has been holding down the fort at Ithaca, keeping her suitors at arms length and Odysseus has now returned and needs to reclaim his throne.
This was beautifully written, with a lot of narration from the Goddess Athena, which I loved. The machinations of managing battle, as well as calculations and strategic ploys to avoid larger War or invasion were very compelling. It was really satisfying to see the characters develop even over the course of this story, so I can imagine that's even more rewarding as a final part of the trilogy. I also think this manages to strike a balance between humour and a modern tone, while still feeling somewhat grounded in the era. I'm now excited to read the previous two books!
Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and Net Galley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review, this is out on 20th June in the UK.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Claire North’s take on the story of Penelope and it wraps up in perfectly pitched fashion here. The decision to have each book narrated by a different goddess is inspired and here it is perfect & adds a wonderful new dimension to the story.

For me, this was less compelling than the previous two novels. Maybe because I knew how badly it was going to end or because Odysseus and Telemachus are less than satisfying or real in this novel. Telemachus in particular is a spoiled brat. A real nepo baby.

The voices of the different gods has always been a feature of these novels and Athena is excellent.

What the author does so brilliantly is to bring to life the voice of the women and how terrible it is for women with no autonomy. For women who have no protection when it comes to yhe male ego and sense of manhood. And, when you are a hero everything becomes several times more toxic.

The sequence of novels are a remarkable achievement and I am very glad I have read them all.

A satisfying end to the trilogy.
The voice of the god has switched to Athena, and although I missed the quirky opinions of Aphrodite it was appropriate.
The ending that we all know was handled cleverly and in a new way. (Spoiler alert) I wanted to still admire Odysseus at the finish, and I did.