Haynes' retellings are impressively written and thoroughly researched - though this might have lacked some of the more emotive 'artistic licence' used in other retellings of Greek myths, it still brings something new to the story of Jason and Medea, somewhat dethroning Jason as the triumphant and virtuous hero whilst humanising Medea and re-examining events that led to the infanticide of her two sons.

I see a greek mythology retelling arc and I am hitting that request button faster than the speed of light.

This is a retelling of the myth of Medea, based on Euripides’ play… apparently.

When I read Stone Blind (also by Natalie Haynes), my main gripe was that while it was ostensibly Medusa’s turn to tell her story, it has warped into just another telling of Perseus’ story, and the same seems to have happened here. We don’t meet Medea until the 40% mark, and we learn nothing about her life before Jason, and little of her life after. For Haynes’ claim that this is a fresh take on Medea’s story, it is interesting how many pages are dedicated to the journey of the Argonauts before Jason ever meets Medea. Once again, Medea was only given page time when she had an impact on Jason. As if her life was only relevant when it occurred in proximity to a greek man.

At first I took it to be my misunderstanding of what this was going to be and thought that this was going to be Jason’s story told through the perspective of the women he left behind - a fascinating take. A hero’s story told almost by its negative space. But this was supposedly Medea’s story instead. I found it took some adjustment. The flitting between so many POVs, often for just one chapter was a new way of telling the story than I have seen previously, but once we eventually made it to Medea’s POV we do settle a little into a more consistent cast of Medea, the Nurse, and Glauke. At this point I did start to enjoy the story more, and once we got to Medea I thought she was competently written.

Haynes gives Medea a new take. She is often portrayed as mad and inherently evil, but Haynes presents her as a woman surrounded by terrible options, trying to make the best of it in a world that does not want to give her any agency. The prose wasn’t especially thrilling but Medea’s final few monologues were well written and very compelling in her anguish.

I think if Haynes’ didn’t so clearly have such a deep respect for Medea I would not have enjoyed this more, but I just wish it had come across better and there was more space given to her life outside of its interactions with Jason’s.

I don't think it's possible for Natalie Haynes to write a bad book honestly. This one was awesome, as usual! I'm super interested in Medea lately, so this came out at the exact right time for me. I loved the various perspectives from the people Jason affects, especially those I've never heard of before or wouldn't think of (like the dove). Amazing book, if I could rate it 6/5 stars I would!

Thank you Natalie Haynes, Pan Macmillan, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this retelling. After only loosely knowing the story of Jason and the Argonauts I was intrigued to read a modern adaption of the story and I was not disappointed. The story has the clear signs of an author who has clearly lived and breather this story, with the characters feeling alive within. The God's feel capricious and fickle in the way only they can be. Medea is a complex character and I loved seeing how her character evolved over the book especially with her interactions with Jason. The interludes did throw me somewhat - while really great for touching on other legends and further enriching this story e.g. where did the golden fleece come from originally, the writing style and the perspective changed suddenly to first person. Plot wise it made sense but did feel jarring as otherwise the story is not this way. Overall, Haynes has done it again!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

2.5 stars

I have been a bit hot and cold with mythological retellings over the years, and I have tried to read some of Natalie's books before but I've never really gelled with them. I have really got into them recently though, what with Bea Fitzgerald's publications. I have also read one Medea/Jason book by Rosie Hewlett, which was fabulous, so I had mixed expectations here.

To begin with, there's about 4 pages of character names, which was a lot to remember and a bit overwhelming. And then there's lots of chapters (some only a paragraph long) in different POVs of the characters, so it took me a while to get on top of everything and everyone.

I struggled with it. I admit that. I felt it was very...passive. Saying what had already happened as if retelling it to someone, rather than the reader getting to go on the journey with the characters. It also felt very fast, like Natalie was glossing over everything and flitting from one person to another and one scene to another, and so I struggled to get a foothold in it, to really care about anyone.

One positive is that she has focussed mostly on the background characters and how the whole Jason and the Argonauts story affected those secondary characters, which was a nice angle.

It did get better, by about 40% or so, once we really get involved with Medea and Jason. It's a nicer read then, but I think that's too late. I normally give myself 25% of a book before I give up, and I could quite easily have done so with this but I did stick with it. I had originally pre-ordered this but I cancelled it when I was sent this early copy, and I'm glad I did, because I think I'd have been disappointed if I'd bought it.

It's not bad per se, I'm not sure Natalie can write anything that could be called bad. But it was disappointing. It was flat, long-winded, slow but also too wide and general and flitting too quickly. I didn't connect with anyone, I wasn't really fussed about their journey or their quest. Sadly, it's not for me. But I have seen lots of other reviews that give it 5 stars, and others who hover around the 2 or 3 star zone, so it's clearly going to be a divisive book but we can't all love every single book we read.

No Friend To This House – a title which since this is a retelling of the myth of Jason and Medea, at first hand would seem to be about Medea, given all we know about her and how she’s consistently been portrayed in the vast majority of all tellings and retellings of the adventures of the Argonauts and Jason, as a villain. A witch, a wicked evil-doer, brotherslayer and child-murderess. Natalie Haynes, however, does things a little differently.

Full disclaimer before we go any further: I received an advance reader copy of No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes, published by Pan Macmillan via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

If you’re in any way familiar with Natalie Haynes’ work, the fact that she did things a little differently will not come as a surprise. Haynes, an academic, classicist and feminist, has always chosen to tread a different path with her retellings. and has gained quite some renown with her retellings, Stone Blind, her most recent offering was a highly acclaimed novel about Medusa. Natalie will always give voice to the downtrodden and the nameless, she’ll make us see the perspective of those who weren’t important enough to even get a name in the original tellings of the myths, and she’ll force us to look differently at those who have been called hero and villain for the longest time (and I do mean literally, the longest time: we’re talking about stories that are thousands of years old).
No Friend To This House is the story of Medea and Jason, but it is not at any point told by Jason (trust me - we'd be looking at a whole different story if that was the case) - not is it just told by Medea. Instead Natalie uses the POV’s of a multitude of characters who, at some point, came in contact with Jason, Medea or the Argonauts or whose actions have in some way shaped the myth of the Argonauts and the myth of Jason and Medea, or have been touched/shaped in any way by these myths, and she does this bitingly, unflinchingly – often with dark cynical humour, and it just makes sense. Because, if you’d been a character on the absolute outskirts of one of the most popular myths of all time and you’ve been forgotten – blatantly disregarded for all those (re)tellings, I daresay that would turn you into a cynic just as much as it would me.

While reading No Friend To This House I was once again struck by Natalie’s sheer genius for weaving many different story lines which, at first glance don’t appear to be connected to the myth of Jason and Medea, to this myth expertly, thus allowing us to get a broader view of everything that has happened, and also of all the casualties that Jason was willing to make in his quest for glory. I can tell you: after reading this story, you’ll not have gained a newfound (begrudging) appreciation for Jason. In fact, you’ll likely want to give all men named Jason in your life a wide berth after this because sheez – it’s not a good look.

At the same time, Medea is neither vilified nor turned into a saint. You’ll learn how she was a plaything in the game of gods and the game of heroes and how she weathered that storm. She doesn’t come out unscathed, but she comes out feeling far more real, far more human than any other retelling of the myth of Jason and Medea that I have read before have made her feel. And that’s another one of Natalie’s retellings’ strengths: she makes these characters feel like flesh and blood.

No Friend To This House is an excellent feminist retelling of the myth of Jason and Medea, highly recommended for anyone who likes retellings of Greek mythology where the focus, for once, isn’t on the grand deeds of the men, but on the women, the downtrodden, the vilified and the forgotten. I will continue to sing Natalie Haynes’ praise and will not compare her works to those of any other authors writing modern and/or feminist retellings because any comparison falls short and does not do Natalie’s biting, brilliant and most of all made-flesh retellings any justice. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. I promise you that even though you’ll likely be angry as hell afterwards, you will not regret it.

As with all Natalie Haynes’ books, the women of the story are very much at the heart of the plot. Each section is from the point of view of a different woman, but all the narratives are linked together by other characters and where one story breaks off, another picks up the thread, just from a different perspective. At times, this can make it a bit tricky to keep track of who everyone is, but you soon get back into the story and figure out the various relationships.
The central principle of the book is the fact that every woman, whether god or human, is ultimately betrayed by a man she once loved and whom she thought loved her. Sometimes the women take their revenge, sometimes, they are content to simply protect the children they bore him. But they are always the losers.I’ve long felt Medea was not the villain she is so often painted as, and here, Haines has created a heartbreaking choice in the lead up to Medea’s infamous ‘slaughter’ of her children from Jason. What makes it so tragic is that it would still be a believable story if it was reported in the newspapers today.

Medea is a complex character and because in this version of her story we hear from the goddesses who are propelling her towards her fate, we get a much clearer insight into how little control she initially has over what happens. Once she is in the situation however, she makes many mistakes by modern standards. However, tellingly, what seems to drive the biggest wedge between her and Jason is not the murders she encourages on his behalf, but the fact that she is more in demand than he is. Heroes are not meant to be outshone by their wives and as much as Medea tries to allow her husband the spotlight he craves, she is by far the most useful of the two. He relies on charm and a winning smile, while she has wits and intelligence on her side, so naturally, once people get to know them, it is her they turn to. Again, this is a story so many women are familiar with.

I think this is one of the reasons why the Greek myths have such an enduring appeal for me. When I was a child, I was drawn to the heroic exploits. As an adult, I am more interested in the collateral damage along the way and listening to the voices of the women in the stories because they are the moser interesting ones – anyone can be a hero with the help of the gods, but it takes a far stronger character to pick up the pieces left behind and carry on with life as best you can.

I'm a big fan of Greek retellings so I was really hopeful for this one, however, I found it came up short for me. I struggled with the changing narratives, and felt like too many characters ands myths were introduced very quickly, with no context to the changing narrative or character. I liked the main storyline running through, but struggled to keep up, which may be more a reflection on me than on the writing. For a story around a strong woman, a lot of emphasis was placed on the male perspective.

Thank you for this ARC! Natalie Haynes, per usual, delivered a masterpiece that I read in one sitting. I wasn't familiar with the myth of Medea, but I loved learning about her, and I loved the lens in which Haynes told the larger, interconnected stories. 10/10 would recommend, even to those who aren't as familiar with Greek mythology.

Natalie Haynes has a wonderful talent in bringing classical myths to life, drawing on impressive classical knowledge to gives new perspective to stories which are already familiar. I really enjoyed this new account of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece which brings to the fore the voice of Medea and other women whose accounts have been submerged in the standard retelling of the myth.

Jason the hero is shown to be far from heroic in his behaviour and this reader's sympathy was all for Medea. The multivocal structure is very effective. The selfishness and savagery of the gods is almost credible and is unsurprisingly paralleled by the behaviour of the humans whose lives they interfere with. And throughout the book there are delightful touches of humour. A great read.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Absolutely wonderful book. It was a slow start for me but i was soon hooked. I enjoyed the angle of speaking from lots of different women perspectives..

I genuinely believe we as a society need to leave mythology retelling alone for a while. Or at least Greek mythology retellings, let’s just implement a 20 years ban to give everyone some space to breathe. That said, I’d also propose to exclude Natalie Haynes from the ban, both because she is an excellent writer and because she knows the material intimately, and her books are better for it. This one is not an exemption, obviously, and I especially appreciated the chorus (pun intended) of voices talking to the reader, with the crow of course being my favourite. An excellent book overall, although I have to admit I’m partial to women doing bad things rather than just suffering and being mistreated.

Natalie Haynes always has an interesting take on a story. Whilst this doesn’t quite recapture the magic of A Thousand Ships, this book really comes into its own in the last section where we really get to see a nuanced and more modern interpretation of Medea.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

No Friend To This House is a reimagining of the myth of Medea, and is a a new look at the legend of Jason on his quest for the fleece but told through more of a female perspective.

While I really liked the concept of this book and found it refreshing to see the story through a more female gaze, in execution I found this book was unfortunately quite a let down.
It takes a very long time for this story to really get going. It really took a good almost 40% of the book before we really stayed with Medea and her pov. While I understand the multiple povs are there to try and give us multiple ways to look at the story, the absolute constant shifting of characters after every couple pages I found to be very disconnecting. I also found the character voices to be far too similar so I really wouldn't have known whose character I was reading from if it didn't tell you. I also found the prose to be just very simple and it didn't build a lot of emotion or visualisation for me so this wasn't a book that was easy to just read and get lost in.
I appreciate the huge amount of research that obviously went into this and it is any interesting take on the very well known legend but it could have been a lot more impactful and entertaining if the writing was handled differently.

I love Euripides’ Medea. It is a fantastic play that shows the fragility and the manipulative nature of Medea. Because I love this play, I get quite wary of retellings because I always worry that the author is going to do something that I don’t like.

After reading Stone Blind, I know I don’t have to worry with Haynes.

Natalie Haynes knows her stuff when it comes to mythology and she writes her versions very well. Greek myths aren’t known for their coherence and ability to stick to the same narrative, it depends on who is telling the story, so to bring together several disparate myths about Jason and Medea and to put them into one complete narrative is pretty outstanding. Splitting the stories into parts definitely helps because it gives a bit of distance to the stories so you don’t really notice that there isn’t anything other than the characters to connect them together.

Much like Stone Blind, this is a story of a man: in this case, Jason, told through the perspective of women and, as a result, that is mainly Medea. You get the story of the Argonauts, Medea helping him get the Golden Fleece, the murder of her brother, Pelias being murdered by his manipulated daughters and the narrative made famous by Euripides where Medea, angry that Jason has left her to marry another woman, uses her children to murder that woman and her father before she murders her children and disappears on her grandfather’s flying chariot.

Haynes’ Medea is portrayed a little differently. By choosing not to interpret her famous speeches from Euripides’, Medea comes across as a tad less vindictive, a bit more of a victim and her actions have more consequences, which I liked. In Euripides, the murder of her children feels like it was mostly to spite Jason, whereas in this version, her actions make the choice a lot harder and more consequential. It’s because of what she does that leads her to that point and, as a result, it feels a great deal more tragic.

I loved No Friend to this House. By trying not to beat Euripides (because let’s face it, you can’t), Haynes manages to put her own unique spin on the story and makes it feel fresh and new. I always love her interpretations of the gods. They are flighty, inconsistent, selfish, petty and frequently forget that the people they are playing with for their own ends even exist. Aphrodite getting a town of women to murder their menfolk because she felt slighted when she wasn’t worshipped enough was a real highlight.

Thank you for the free advance copy in return for an honest review.

Natalie Haynes could write a shopping list and I would run out to get a copy of it and read it the same day. Everything she writes is an incredible read, and I couldn’t believe my luck to have got an advance copy of her new novel. Predictably, it was brilliant - and it even surpassed the high bar set by all her other works.

This one is a retelling of Jason and the Argonauts, but foregrounding his wife Medea alongside Jason. It is told from the perspective of a range of characters, each speaking with their own distinct voice. It is wry, humorous and discursive. It is easy to read and accessible, while at the same time not being in any way superficial - there is so much depth here. There were so many small, interesting details and deft turns of phrase that you could just sense came from some very erudite analysis of a primary source or the author’s own very expert translation of the Greek or Latin. You could just sense that there is more story lurking behind so many of the choices and details in this novel.

It is beautifully told and compelling, immensely readable and witty. I’ll still be purchasing a hard copy when it comes out!

Another fantastic retelling by Natalie Haynes. This time she focuses on the story of Medea and Jason and sheds light on every background story that goes with it . In this book, Haynes once again manages to tell a well-known myth in a fascinating way and, as always, gives a voice to those who are otherwise neglected or not heard at all.
Anyone with even the slightest interest in Greek mythology must read Natalie Haynes.

Natalie Haynes has done it again. Something about the fantastical way she weaves a story, telling all the intricacies and drawing attention to those often overlooked, always does it for me.

No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes is a brilliant and compelling retelling of the myth of Jason and Medea. But it is not the usual story between Jason and Medea, it is more intricate and explorative. It’s a fierce and fast paced, with an intricately layered narrative that gives voice to the women left in the shadows of the original myths.

'𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵?'

Natalie Haynes has gone it again, an absolutely INCREDIBLE book. Everything she writes is so beautiful.

Medea is one of my top 3 favourite figures from Greek Mythology so I started reading this with bated breath hoping she would be done justice and let me tell you, she was.
This isn’t just Jason and Medea’s story retold. It’s a fierce and fast paced, with an intricately layered narrative that gives voice to the women left in the shadows of the original myths. From side characters to seemingly minor figures (even objects!), each POV adds depth and nuance to stories we thought we knew.
Haynes shines a light on the treatment of women in ancient Greece, particularly how they were silenced, stereotyped, or just point blank forgotten, and gives them back their voice. Medea in particular is no longer just the scorned woman, she's shaped by betrayal, power, and impossible choices.
There are many POVs (big love from me), but rather than confusing, it enriches the world, showing how all these lives, often ignored, intertwine. I couldn't put it down.

In the author's note, Haynes says she has been preparing to write this novel for most of her life - she even translated the Euripides play longhand in a move she dubs 'weapons-grade procrastination' - and I think you can tell. Her grasp of this story is awe inspiring, her characters are intriguing, and this retelling is comprehensive while remaining accessible. I loved it, and it inspired me to pick up Euripides, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I now plan to read the Argonautica at some point too!

My only issue was not actually with the book, it is with the marketing, which I think is misleading - the blurb pitches this as a feminist Medea retelling, which I think implies it will centre Medea. We don't meet Medea until page 144. It would be more accurate to call it a feminist retelling of Jason and the Golden Fleece, and in the authors note this is exactly what Haynes states was her aim, and I'd say she absolutely nailed that.

Starting with his mother, we meet pretty much every mortal and goddess who was even marginally involved in Jason's story - and Haynes does an excellent job of demonstrating how often these figures who were critical in Jason's heroics were also collateral damage to his ambition. I suspect some may find all the jumping around too much, but I really enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed how meddling the gods were, as it reminded me of The Iliad, and I delighted in the moments that Haynes' wit peeks through without dominating the tone. Her contempt for Jason is obvious, but despite this, he is not a cartoon-ified villain. This version of Jason is charismatic, attractive and ambitious as well as extremely flawed. You can see the red flags a mile off while also understanding exactly how easy they are to miss. Similarly, this Medea - while subject to the whims of the gods - makes her choices and lives with them. They are neither victim nor monster - they are just people.

This is by far my favourite of Haynes' fictional works that I've read so far and I cannot wait to discuss it with more people! Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the eARC.