A thoroughly enjoyable exploration of Penelope’s side of the ancient story.' It’s taut, suspenseful, and full of Hera’s delightfully dyspeptic attitude. 'The queen of the gods narrates a crackling tale of secrets and intrigue.This is a ground-up view of Greek myth populated by spying maids, crafty merchants, and conniving queens. Carey, author of The Girl With All the Gifts 'Like Penelope at her loom, North weaves and unweaves, teasing out the threads of Homeric myth to recombine them into something unique, wonderful, and urgently contemporary.'- M. 'Richly poetic.An impassioned plea for the lost, disenfranchised queens of ancient Greece, a love letter to the silenced women of history who had to hide their pain behind their eyes and their skills, capabilities, and power behind false incompetence and ignorance.'- Booklist 'A dazzlingly complex, twisting tale.Claire North breathes life into a cast of mythical characters from goddesses to queens to slave-women in a richly nuanced portrayal of human life.'- Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women-and their goddesses-that will change the course of the world. Beyond Ithaca's shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. But as everyone waits for the balance of power to tip, Penelope knows that any choice she makes could plunge Ithaca into bloody civil war. No one man is strong enough to claim Odysseus' empty throne-not yet. But now, years on, speculation is mounting that her husband is dead, and suitors are beginning to knock at her door. Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus.

None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom.

Breathtaking.' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the island of Ithaca. 'North brings a powerful, fresh, and unflinching voice to ancient myth. It’s time for the women of Ithaca to tell their tale. From the multi-award-winning author Claire North comes a daring reimagining that breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men.

Ithaca catherine webb