I didn’t know much about the myth of Jason and Medea before going into this book but Natalie Haynes has a brilliant way of telling you know what you need to know while weaving her own touch onto the story.

I was invested in every POV and never felt like the pacing was off at any point in the book. Natalie Haynes is absolutely up there with Jennifer Saint with writing immersive and engaging retellings of myths and keep you captivated from start to finish.

I have to admit I'm not entirely sure how to review this, I love Greek mythology and I've read Natalie Haynes several times before she is clearly a very talented writer with a passion for the subject

Sadly a issue I had with a previous book of hers StoneBlind appears here as well, both are marketed as a famous story told from a villians pov the former Medusa,here it's Medua from Jason's quest for the fleece.

But It wasn't until 150odd pages of 380 that I got to her PoV,the first half is various other women as they encounter Jason and his men, she does become the dominant voice when we finally reach her at least but..

But as I said Natalie is clearly a very talented writer and it's a enjoyable enough story ,particularly when we actually get to Medeas voice, but the length of time taken to get there sadly leaves a bit of a sour taste for me, I only wish the story was marketed a bit differently.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a retelling of the story of Medea and Jason. It gives a human touch to Medea and the reasons why she does what she does.

It did take me a little while to get into the story and the way of writing due to it being told from multiple points of view but once I did I was hooked.

If you love Greek retellings I would highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Natalie Haynes and Pan Macmillan for this ARC

#bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #books #bookarc #arc #greekretelling #nofriendtothishouse #nataliehaynes #netgalley #panmacmillan

In No Friend To This House, Natalie Haynes gives us her version of the story of Jason (of the Argonauts fame) and Medea. Of course being Natalie Haynes it has been researched extremely well and pulls in texts from ancient Greeks to modern translations and essays.

Medea is a princess of Colchis. Her first encounter with Jason is an explosive one being as how she has been shot with an arrow by Eros (that troublesome little so-and-so). She falls head over heels in love with this deeply flawed hero ensuring he gains the Golden Fleece. As thanks he takes her away from her home, marries her and then wrecks her happy life.

Natalie Haynes has gathered voices from all over the story of these two doomed lovers. From the women of Lemnos, who Jason encounters and charms to his conquest of the Princess Glauke on Corinth we see this faithless "hero" weave his web. But, as usual, it is the goddesses who continue to pull the strings and there's nothing I enjoy more than one of Ms Haynes scenes where the goddesses try to outdo each other: very funny.

I didn't enjoy this as much as Stone Blind but it's still an excellent interpretation of Medea and Jason's story. If you enjoy Natalie Haynes' books you'll love this too. The writing is excellent and her storytelling superb.

There's also an excellent explanatory essay and bibliography for anyone who likes extra homework.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.

I’ve read a few of Natalie Haynes’ Greek mythology retellings now & I really enjoy them. Her writing style is so, so beautiful (almost poetic) & completely immersive. I did find this one a bit slow to start, the early characters didn’t grab me but once we were introduced to Medea and Jason, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

★★★

At first I found the book slightly confusing with all the POV switches I sort of forgot who was speaking, but as I read more and more I really appreciated this feature. I especially enjoyed the perspectives of the gods so that the reader realises how much interference these characters enderured in their lives. Usually in tales of Medea and Jason, Medea is regarded as the villain of Jason’s story and I loved the reframing of Jason being the villain of Medea’s story.

Actual Rating: 3.5

Greek Mythology Retellings are like my own personal brand of catnip; I can never resist checking them out and they very rarely seem to let me down. They generally seem to have such lyrical writing and it seems that the tales themselves are the type that I never tire of hearing. Yet somehow, despite her popularity within the sub genre, this was my first time trying a book by Natalie Haynes. I definitely look forward to trying more of her titles - new and backlist, including the non fiction ones she's penned - in the future, although this wasn't quite the new favourite that I'd been anticipating.

For a Medea retelling this started out in a very different way than I'd have imagined, although I'm not complaining as I really appreciated this approach. Instead of diving straight into Medea's life or her meeting with Jason 'No Friend To This House' sets the scene by showing how the Argo came to be at her home. Unlike many novels that cover this journey you don't see this journey through the eyes of the crew though - instead you get various snippets from the people, generally women, that this journey had an impact on. In fairness this could feel somewhat disjointed at times, so it may not be a style that works for everyone, but personally I loved this way of telling the tale; letting several people who don't usually take the spotlight have their say on events and including the voices of several Goddesses from the time.

Medea's meeting with Jason was the one element of this story that I was somewhat apprehensive of going into 'No Friend To This House'. Last year I read another Medea retelling and the dynamic between Medea and Jason didn't really work for me, giving the story an instalove feel whilst a previously strong female seemed to lose her edge. Thankfully within this tale that particular dynamic was handled well though. Yes there's still a sense of instalove to the events (it's rather unavoidable given the timeframe of it all) but it's explained within a way that suits the setting and I really appreciated that her uncanny nature allowed her to sense that something wasn't quite right with her feelings - even as they took over her completely.

Unfortunately - and much to my surprise - it was rather the opposite side of the equation that stopped this from becoming a new favourite for me: Medea seemed to lack her edge at the start and she didn't truly get a chance to 'wow' me. I think in part perhaps this was due to the aforementioned narrative approach of this one as the first time that you really see Medea, Jason is already on the scene. I'm not complaining as I loved the approach but I do wish that a few scenes of Medea's time in Colchis prior to Jason's arrival had been woven into the tale somewhere, as I really think this would have further fleshed the narrative out - especially when it comes to giving additional insight into the toxic dynamics within her family.

Similarly I felt like the events surrounding Pelias needed a little bit more page time. The incident itself is penned wonderfully well but the motivation behind it is never actually touched upon. Did Jason suggest that this should happen or not? What led her to go down this road when she hadn't particularly shown a desire for such conniving antics before? The latter drama is better explored in terms of motivation but I do also wish we'd had one or two scenes to show the bond between Medea and her children to flesh things out a little further. Although I do appreciate the unexpected viewpoint that ties things up in the end.

One thing that I truly adored within 'No Friend To This House' though has to be the interlude and how it makes you think about the golden fleece in a whole other light. The tales told within that segment aren't ones that I was particularly familiar with and I thought they gave the novel a perfectly poignant note and captured the way that the myths seem to shift certain individuals roles, depending on whose telling the story, perfectly. I think it was this segment, and the varied narrative viewpoints, that have left me with an increased desire to pick up Natalie Haynes non fiction works.

Overall I do think 'No Friend To This House' is well worth checking out as it brings often overlooked segments of Greek mythology into the spotlight and has an enthralling narrative approach to boot. Although it wasn't quite what I expected for a Medea retelling. It's an engaging book throughout which easily keeps the reader invested, but I can't help but feeling that parts of Medea's story could have been expanded upon slightly. For how poignantly it makes you think upon the golden fleece, and its origins, its worth shouting about though and I definitely plan to try more by the author in the future.

Natalie Haynes is one of my all-time favorites. And as far as the myth of Medea goes (one I’ve always struggled to enjoy, and that struggle is above and beyond that one particular set of actions that I don't want to say in case you don’t know it, but if you know her story you’ll know what I mean ), Haynes has done a good job here. Her Medea is sympathetic and interesting and justified in all she does. I can finally relate to Medea. It’s the realest she has ever felt to me, something no other Medea book has been able to accomplish for me. Jason also gets his just treatment.

That said, I have to note that I struggled with the book’s structure. I found it hard to understand or connect with what I was reading until Part II. Though marketed as a retelling of Medea’s story, she is not even mentioned until around 30% of the way through (maybe a bit more). The whole of the generous Part One of the book (out of Four) is told in a long and changing cast of characters, and we only meet each one for something like 1-3 pages. So I never got to know any of them or really feel invested. I was too busy not being sure what was going on or why we were meeting all these characters, why they mattered. I just trusted they would all end up relevant to the Medea story later on, but generally they did not. At the same time, each chapter title, named after a character, would be followed by a set of words somehow relating to that character? But I couldn’t understand the purpose or what they were trying to say.. There was no identifiable structure or rhythm to these, sometimes they just seemed like random words…so I never understood what they were for. In conjunction with the rest of my confusion, the whole thing made me feel really frustrated and lost as to what was going on with the story approach until well beyond where I might normally have read.

What I’m saying is, if you too find that you’re not clicking with the first part of the book, you could really skip the whole first section and not lose in context or understanding, and actually might make the book better for it. But once you get to Medea, it moves along at a clip and becomes more gripping.

thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this ARC.

this is a phenomenal reimagining of the story of Medea & Jason, based on what is clearly a deep and passionate understanding of not only greek mythology but how history is shaped by those who hold the power to tell it.

the use of so many perspectives was really engaging, and each character was so distinct and well-developed, their personalities drawn out from the sometimes tiny fragments of information, but so much consideration is given to crafting a fresh, complex and nuanced voice for each of woman (and goddess, and dove) from this era of mythology.

i love works that challenge our idea of who is the hero and who is the villain, and this is a prime example.

can't recommend this enough, will definitely be buying a copy for someone as a christmas gift.

5 stars

Finally got around to my first Natalie Haynes book (i know I know, so late) and I can absolutely see why she’s a masterclass. I absolutely loved her storytelling style, I thought it was funny and original while remaining true to the original myth.

This was my first Medea retelling and I haven’t read the source material so there were some parts (first 20-30%) that I worried I didn’t know enough about Medea to delve into this book - that, combined with a lot of different POVs in the first part of the book made it slightly hard to follow at times - but once the pacing of the book picked up in the second half, I found it an excellent reimagining and a pretty compelling account of Medea’s actions from her perspective; if not to agree with Medea then certainly to understand!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

No Friend to This House | Natalie Haynes

Having not long finished Stoned Blind, Haynes’ take on the Medusa myth, I submitted my request to review No Friend to This House as I loved her writing style and wanted to experience it again.
NFTTH follows the story of Jason and the Argonauts, which is a tale I’m not overly familiar with despite being a massive classics nerd. What can I say, we can’t all be perfect.

Perhaps it’s unfair of me to compare two books so much, but I was ultimately a little disappointed with NFTTH. I didn’t feel like it flowed as well, and it got a little lost with the inclusion of so many characters coupled with short chapters. Again, the source material is not as familiar to me as other aspects of Greek mythology, so that may play a part in how I felt about this book. I expected the full focus to be on the Argonauts and their quest, rather than following Medea and her interactions with Jason.

As with Stoned Blind, No Friend to This House was written superbly - I love Haynes’ writing style, the wit, the language, the vividity - and this retelling was entertaining, albeit different from what I was expecting.

No Friend to This House is available on September 11th 2025. I’d like to extend many great thanks to NetGalley and Mantle for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Natalie Haynes once again retells a myth from a new perspective. This time Jason (of Argonaut fame) and Medea. The first part of the book felt, to some degree, unnecessary and unfocussed. But once Jason and Medea became the main focus, the story picked up and Natalie Haynes's skill at telling tales shone through.

Thank you to @netgalley @nataliehaynesauthor and @panmacmillan for the advanced reader copy for my review!

Greek retelling are hot this year, and who better to write one than a classicist.

There’s always a fear when there’s a novel based on the Argonauts (that it’s just going to be another rewrite with nothing unique) however the angle of ALL the women involved made this highly addictive to read.

Like how Haynes focused on Medusa instead of Perseus, we have Medea (and all the women he wronged) instead of Perseus.

The key selling point is ALL the women- I loved seeing the Women of Lemmos’ perspective about their husbands and Jason; the women of Colchis and even the dove!

I savoured reading this novel as to not lose an ounce of knowledge and understanding. I thoroughly recommend this and cannot wait for it to be published in Hardback on 11th September 2025.

NB- read the author note!

4⭐️

Pros:
✅ Accurate Ancient Greek retelling
✅ Unique focus on all the women in the Argonaut story
✅ beautifully written and easy to follow - character list to support people new to myths

Cons:
⭕️ after getting far through the book I forgot most of the women at the beginning of the novel!

No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes is the retelling of the story of Medea, and her relationship with Jason, leader of the Argonauts.

Jason is a hero, a leader, handsome and charismatic. Medea is the daughter of a cruel king, a priestess of Hekate and a witch. The gods have planned for them to fall in love and have a life together – but for how long? And at what cost?

I have previously read several Natalie Haynes novels, and I absolutely adored them. I was incredibly excited when I was approved to read this ARC via Netgalley, and I was not disappointed.

The story is told from multiple points of view and gives an in-depth perspective on what really happened between Medea and Jason. We are shown the reasons why they fall in love – and why Jason could not have achieved his goals without Medea. Meddling from the gods, witchcraft, blood and death are all reoccurring themes within Greek mythology, and No Friend to This House is no exception. I was already familiar with this myth, but the way Natalie has written it – from Medea’s perspective – is both refreshing and soul destroying.

The entire novel is suspenseful and dark, and even those not familiar with the story can’t help but feel on edge. All the way through we are aware that something horrific is going to happen, we just don’t know how or when. And of course, when things begin to unravel for Medea, all we can do is watch it happen.

This book is perfect for anyone who has a love of Greek mythology, particularly if you prefer things narrated from a female perspective. I learnt so much more about this tale through this book, and although it is heartbreaking, it can be argued that every woman has experienced similar treatment at the hands of men.

No Friend to This House is brutal and gut wrenching, but it is also the story of women’s strength and resourcefulness in the face of adversity and rejection. I loved it!

An engaging retelling of the myth of Medea. To me, the strength of this book lies in its ability to establish character motivations in the context of the ancient era in which the story is set. These are not people driven by 21st century norms and values, and the author does a great job of making their actions make sense to a modern readership. The same goes for the gods and goddesses, whose point of reference is entirely separate from that of humans.

The book begins with a very long list of all the characters, which was intimidating, but it turns out it was not difficult to keep them all straight in my mind once I started reading. The plot does jump around a bit as we spend short periods of time with a variety of different characters, all of whose stories set the scene for the tale of Jason and Medea’s relationship. The central two characters don’t appear until about 40% of the way into the book and then the narrative stays mostly with them.

As a consequence of the plurality of narrative voices, however, no one’s story is built up enough for us to become emotionally engaged with its outcome. We never get to know any of the characters in much depth and so while I remained interested all the way through, I didn’t feel anything when tragedy invariably struck. This isn’t so much a criticism as an observation; I don’t think the book was aiming for deep character studies that would have readers in tears. Had it done so, this probably would have been a five star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Natalie Haynes' new book is marketed as a Medea retelling, but tells a wider story. We follow Jason and the Argonauts from the onset of their voyage until Jason's death. However, rather than following a linear pattern focusing on the male heroes, as traditional versions of the story do, No Friend To This House gives voice to the women and children who are often left on the sidelines.

I really enjoyed the way this book was written, as it shifts points of view for each scene, allowing for a fresh take on the tale.

If anyone has read this and figured out what the words in italics under the section headings mean, please let me know (I have a feeling they might make sense if all read together but that's hard to do on Kindle)!

A recommended read for fans of mythology retellings that give a voice to the voiceless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes

5/5 stars (no surprise there)

Let me start by saying, with my whole heart and the statement “I will die on this hill”, Natalie Haynes is incapable of writing a book that I won’t rate 5 stars. 10 stars. 100 stars. It’s an absolute fact.

I love Haynes’ writing style, she’s informative, descriptive, colourful and just straight out brilliant. I will never get bored of reading her books. I was SUPER lucky to receive a proof of No Friend to This house and I’m not even exaggerating when I say, I actually cried. To be blessed with what is now my most beautiful book. Did that stop me from preordering from Waterstones? Of course not. Support your favourite authors guys, I always will.

Anyway, a bit off topic there…. The use of multiple POVs in the book, really stood out to me. I found it interesting and far more compelling than just one POV. I think it's important to understand that whilst this is described as Medea’s story, there is a lot more than just writing about Medea alone. Haynes sets the scenes, gives you understanding and introduces you to other characters that have played a part at some point.

For me, it’s another masterpiece from Haynes and I’m forever going to love her work.

This book begins with the voyage of the Argo and the quest for the Golden Fleece. All the hazards they encounter along the way and the back stories are fascinating, especially as the author makes a point of telling the stories from the women’s point of view.
I liked the section with the Goddesses Hera, Athene and Aphrodite and their casual cruelty and disdain for each other, (apart from the rare occasion when they want the same outcome) and a clever recap from Erato the Muse of love part way through helps any reader who might feel they are getting a bit lost with so many different characters involved.
However this book is an imaginative interpretation of the traditional myth of Medea and her relationship with Jason who, with the help of the gods, she gives up everything for just to have the chance of a life with him.
But a love steeped in vengeance has disastrous consequences for everyone.
No Friend to This House is a clever and compelling read that will grip the reader from start to finish.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan for an ARC

3.75 stars

This is a fresh take on the Argonautica where the women finally get their say. And yes, I said the Argonautica - this book might be advertised as a Medea retelling, but I think that does this book an injustice as it covers a much broader scope, in fact Medea doesn’t appear until almost 150 pages in. Haynes’ Medea is a formidable witch, but rather than the unhinged and vengeful woman we often see depicted, this version is motivated by love - first love for Jason, then love for her children. She is angry, sure, but she has a right to be - she has been manipulated by Jason for years and her love has made her blind to that. I also really liked how strong and unique each of the narrative voices are, each giving character to the woman (or boat, or bird) who is telling the story.

While Medea is a compelling protagonist, I was actually more interested in the other storylines involved - this book is meticulously researched and gives voice to so many other women who are often overlooked. I particularly enjoyed the Lemnos sequence and could easily read a whole novel about Hypsypile and her people. I also really liked the inclusion of the goddesses meddling with the mortals. The book really focuses in on Medea at around 60-80%, and this was when I started to miss those other POVs. Haynes doesn’t do anything particularly special with Medea’s storyline (until the end, which I really enjoyed), but it’s her writing around the story everyone knows that makes this an original retelling.

The second half also felt like a completely different book to the first, and I think this is because Haynes drew from so many different sources in her research - the second half is based on a play and includes direct translations with much more archaic language, which contrasts with the more modern style of the first half in a rather jarring way. That said, I did really like the ending as I mentioned, and I thought the tension built to a truly satisfying climax.

Overall, this isn’t my favourite Natalie Haynes book, but it’s still worth the read. Don’t go into it expecting just a Medea retelling, though, because it covers so much more ground.

Natalie Haynes has done it again and this time, she’s taken Medea’s tale and spun it into something fierce, funny, and utterly unforgettable. No Friend to This House is a triumph of mythic reimagining. I was cackling one moment, clutching my heart the next. Haynes gives voice not just to Medea, but to the gods, the beasts, and the forgotten souls tangled in Jason’s quest. Her wit is sharp, her research deep, and her storytelling as rich as ambrosia. Devoured it in two sittings and would’ve gone back for thirds if there were more pages. Five stars, no question. A must-read for anyone who loves their mythology with bite and brilliance.