This novel picks up where the excellent “Ithaca” left off – Penelope remains surrounded by suitors in Ithaca, while Telemachus has left in search of his father. A ship arrives carrying Elektra and her brother, King of Kings Orestes, who is still pursued by the Furies following his murder of his mother Clytemnestra. Soon after, Penelope is also visited by Menelaus, in search of Orestes whom he hopes to prove as mad and dethrone, and his wife Helen – the woman whose face launched a thousand ships.

We then follow Penelope, via the narration of the goddess Aphrodite, as she finds herself as a queen torn between these two kings. Plans are hatched, schemes are plotted, and all actions unfold with a deftness of touch that kept me gripped throughout. As with the previous book in the series, Penelope sings from the page as a witty, humorous, and fully developed character. I loved her interactions with the Kings, various suitors, and maids in her court, and especially her relationships with Elektra and Helen, both of whom are also fascinating and complex.

I do love a retelling of a Greek myth, but this is up there amongst the best I’ve read. The beautiful writing and fullness of the characters created by the author will doubtless appeal to many readers – not just those with an interest in the Classics. I can’t wait for the next instalment in the trilogy, and heartily recommend this and “Ithaca”!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

While Claire North remains a fantastic author that I will read again and again, it took me many days to get through House of Odysseus, leaving me no doubt that this instalment pales in comparison to Ithaca.

There is something about Aphrodite as the omniscient narrator (compared to Hera in Ithaca) that seems less in touch with the characters. The love and lusts of Ithacans, suitors, and other visitors, seem to be just out of reach, and because of that, it never really seems as though Aphrodite truly understands the people she observes. Even her link with Helen seems tenuous at best.

The way Aphrodite slowly reveals herself to the reader - and to her divine siblings - gives me a taste of what North was aiming for with her choice of narrator. Unfortunately, it remains just-just out of reach.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"House of Odysseus" by Claire North continues from Ithaca but tells the story of Odysseus wife's Penelope story.

I would give "House of Odysseus" by Claire North a 3-star review because, the writing is really well done, it is nice to see Penelope's side but I just couldn't get into it.

House Of Odysseus is the second book in The Songs Of Penelope series by award-winning, best-selling British author, Claire North. Perhaps a year after Orestes has slain his mother Clytemnestra on Ithaca’s shores, and Penelope’s son Telemachus has set out to search for his father, a ship quietly arrives from Mycenae into the burnt out harbour of Phenera. Elektra has brought her brother, the newly crowned king of kings, the greatest of the Greeks, seeking the refuge she hopes Penelope will provide.

As a raving, possibly poisoned Orestes is deposited with Laertes and before they have a chance to investigate the Mycenaean ship for potential agents that might have effected his malaise, another King demands to be welcomed. Menelaus has brought his beautiful wife, Helen, and quite a lot of Spartan soldiers to overrun Ithaca. He’s looking for a mad Orestes, hoping to kindly help out by taking over his role.

Throughout, as some of Penelope’s suitors hatch a nasty plot, as a young woman is murdered, as ships are set alight, as a daring escape is made, and as Spartan soldiers are defeated, those awful creatures, the Furies hang over Orestes, exacerbating the effects of whatever mortal poison ails him. Cranky old Laertes gets a decent role in this instalment, with some splendid dialogue, and Kenamon the Egyptian also shows his worth.

This time, North uses the goddess Aphrodite as her narrator who, with her emphasis on love, offers quite a different perspective from that of Hera. Again, her quick summary of the situation that many other poets describe is refreshingly frank, and quite delightful, at times almost tongue in cheek.

Aphrodite’s commentary on events and players, on the affairs of gods and mortals, is also irreverent, insightful and often darkly funny as this exchange between the chief of Penelope’s warrior women, Priene, and her queen, demonstrates: “There’s a Mycenaean ship hidden in the smugglers’ cove at Phenera. Twenty-nine men, armed, ten women. This girl says she’s Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon, gives me this ring. Shall we kill them all?”
“Please tell me now if you killed any of them,” sighs Penelope. “I would rather not be embarrassed by the revelation later.”
“I was restrained,” grumbles Priene. “Though the night is dark and accidents happen when ships land in smugglers’ coves.”

If North at first paints Helen as vain and silly, she later proves to not be the fool she pretends, displaying an unexpected wisdom and expertise. Penelope, she unfailingly portrays as oh so clever. Of Menelaus, Aphrodite says “A man who was once considered really rather ugly, and became through power and might and force of arms one of the most handsome men in the world… Menelaus likes it when women cry at his feet while begging for protection. Their tears help fill the leaking hollows of his fractured soul.”

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. Rich in historical detail, this is Greek myth at its most palatable and entertaining, and the third instalment, The Last Song of Penelope, is eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Orbit for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: references to rape and sexual assault, violence against women, child death, abuse

“House of Odysseus” is the sequel to Claire North’s epic retelling of Penelope’s story in “Ithaca”. Carrying on from the ending where the raiding pirates were beaten back by a secret army of women, Penelope, the long-patient wife of Odysseus, now has to help her cousin’s children Elektra and Orestes after they murdered their mother Clytemnestra for killing their father. Narrated entirely by the goddess Aphrodite, this book follows Penelope and Elektra as they try to keep Orestes together as he falls into madness caused by the Furies while hiding him from his uncle, Menelaus. After Menelaus lands in Ithaca, he seemingly seeks the best for his brother’s children though in truth he’s more interested in claiming the throne of Mycenae from Orestes to add to his throne of Sparta. Caught between multiple men, including the suitors who refuse to leave her home, Penelope is forced to work with Menelaus’ wife Helen of Troy, her disgraced cousin and the woman partially behind the war in Troy, to protect the world she’s built for herself in the twenty years she’s waited. Meanwhile, Aphrodite watches over them- she is the goddess of love and passion but is rarely taken seriously by the other gods of Olympus- and she has plans of her own to protect these women.

This book was an incredible sequel, building on the world created in the first book, while also standing perfectly on it’s own. The highlight of this series so far for me has been in part the humour, whether it’s the satirical and sarcastic commentary of Hera or the more tolerant and friendly, though incredibly blunt, narration of Aphrodite; the way Aphrodite is written, with her incredible capacity for love, is one of the best representations I’ve read of her in fiction. I love how Claire North writes about the women of this series, especially Penelope, and how they strive to survive in a world dominated and made for men. Elektra, a character who is often demonised for her part in the death of her mother at Orestes’ hand, is represented here as incredibly young and vulnerable, which I enjoyed because it reminds you that Elektra and Orestes are trapped in a world where even their own uncle wants to take from them. Even goddesses are shown in this series to be vulnerable- for her actions in the first book Hera has been all but trapped in Olympus by her husband Zeus, while Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena are wary about what they can do without attracting notice (just like Penelope and her maids) from the men around them. This was slower-paced, but it was never boring and I found the expanded story of the characters to be really strongly written; knowing that this is a trilogy and how the original “Odyssey” ends, I can’t wait to see what might come next, especially with how this one wraps up.

After Orestes has killed his mother, Clytemnestra, he becomes King of Kings but is cursed. His sister Elektra brings him to Ithaca for the protection of Penelope, their aunt. However they are pursued by their uncle Menelaus, the boorish and rude King of Sparta. He brings troops and his wife Helen. Penelope sees that he wants to take control of Mycenae and Ithaca but what can a group of woman do against the hero of Troy and his army?
I really liked North's first book about Penelope and Ithaca and this far surpasses that. The key elements of the Greek myths are there - the Furies pursuing Orestes, the fact that Odysseus is still away from Ithaca, the actions of the goddesses in protecting favourites - but the style of writing and the dialogue is very contemporary. It addresses feminism, class and ageism, areas that the Greek tales would not include. Although this shouldn't work, it does!

The House of Odysseus follows the story of Penelope where Ithaca left off, only narrated by Aphrodite in this sequel, as opposed to Hera’s narration in the first book.

At first I missed the snarky, sarcastic tone of Hera’s perspective but gradually learned to see the steel behind Aphrodite’s simpering, just as we get to see the real Helen behind the carefully curated version.

I absolutely love Claire North’s telling of the familiar myths: not only is her writing sublime, but her characters are fully-formed and exciting. The subversive thrill of watching women of any status build and hold power made this compulsive reading. The maids, the goddesses, the Furies, the queens- utterly spellbinding. My only negative feeling on finishing this book is finding out that the next instalment isn’t due until June 24!

Odysseus left Ithaca over 20 years ago to fight at Troy, thus leaving Penelope to rule as Queen. Times are hard and suitors wait for Penelope to select a new husband and King.

Life will become even more complicated and dangerous when Menelaus comes searching for Orestes and Electra. Who will the Gods help?

Excellent novel showing us Penelope’s life and trials and the power women can hold. Action packed so enjoy a good read.

The Lady of the House

This is a first class read, one of the best renditions of Greek Myth in fiction that I have encountered. I had thought that this would be the concluding volume of the Penelope series with the return of Odysseus to his home but now realise that there will be one more volume. I cannot wait for it to appear.

Volume 1 was narrated by the goddess Hera; this volume has Aphrodite as its narrator, and has a frothier, more sexy tone to the narrative. I assume the final volume will be told by the goddess Athene, making up the three goddesses in the judgement of Paris.

The author has excellent knowledge of classical Greek mythology and the wonderful ability to make use of it for her own original ends. Homer never took Elektra, Orestes, Menelaus or Helen to Ithaka, the home of Penelope and Odysseus, but in this writer’s hands, you feel that such a variant reading is not only possible but desirable. Why should the resolution of Orestes' plight not occur in Ithaka rather than Athens? Menelaus makes such an amazing villain with his mansplaining paternalism, his selfish misogynism, and his confident and arrogant use of language that it is a pleasure every time he appears on stage. Penelope's cunning and sensitivity arouse the reader's enthusiastic support. And as for Helen - well I was more than surprised.

I really worry though. I know what Homer tells us Odysseus does when he returns and how he behaves and who he blames. What will happen to all these ladies we have grown to respect, even love, in the first two volumes? Claire North has certainly bated my breath. The ending is ominous.

I am just living my best life at the moment with all these Greek Mythology retellings! I thoroughly enjoyed Ithaca and was eager to jump straight into House of Odysseus which is told from the perspective Aphrodite this time. This one starts very swiftly from where Ithaca ends and we see how Penelope deals with the situation she's been placed in. ⁣
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I really like the idea of Penelope's story being told from the goddesses point of view because it really does give us a new outlook on what happened. Penelope has always been a character I love reading about and I just love how we see her develop in this one and become more assertive. ⁣
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I really like Claire North's writing and found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what happened next. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is what a Greek myth retelling should be. Fun, charming, intelligent and utterly entertaining. House of Odysseus is perfect in every way and such an amazing delight to give Penelope the attention she deserves. I am in no rush for Odysseus to return! Another 20 years, please.

This book is wholly about girl power - Hooray! Not angry, ugly, man-blaming, I'm-a-victim feminism but beautiful, strong, supportive and smart abilities of women. These qualities are what I hope to find each time I crack the spine of an ancient Greek retelling and I revelled in it, here.

What makes House of Odysseus shine is the genius of Penelope and her band of women warriors. Odysseus is not the only one in mythology to be gifted with such cunning. His lovely wife is equally blessed and, perhaps, more so as she must be far more subtle in deploying it. The Penelope of these books is the one I will always cherish. This is the Penelope I envisaged. The wider world of her supporting women, and even Laertes, is so well crafted, to set her off. Each boasting fully formed personalities and charms all their own to make this a stand out book on multiple levels.

Beyond Penelope's brilliance are two other characters of note - Aphrodite and Elektra. As our narrator, Aphrodite provides great levity and sarcasm whilst leaning the focus toward love, obviously, but is shrewder in her views than one might guess. She is insightful and generous in this book and the best representation of her as a Goddess I have ever read. Also impressive is Elektra. She never comes across well being of grumpy disposition and rather unlikeable. In House of Odysseus I see her truly for the first time. The weight she bears in her anger with her dead mother and the life she could have lead; unflagging support for her ailing brother, now the king of kings Orestes, makes her more human even if in a gruff way. I felt such empathy for her and feel I do know her now.

I hate for this series to end. The close of the book was a real sadness for me as I want Penelope and her ingenious ways of making the worst situation turn to her will carry on and on. But, it has been 20 years and Odysseus is nearing home. I hope Telemachus has grown up during his search for his father and that the next Goddess to narrate is kind to Penelope. I would bet Athena is up to bat, being the Goddess who favours Odysseus most. It will be a grim book, good, too, in many ways, but one I will devour with speed once published. No one can spin a yarn like the ancient Greeks but it takes modern writers to do justice to the little known women who linchpin these epic tales together. Sorry not give you a shout out, Helen, but it feels you've had enough attention being the woman 'who broke the world'. Though the beautiful dumb blonde she plays here is rather impressive. I hope you enjoy House of Odysseus as much as I did.

Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and Orbit for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book redeemed the series for me, as I was worried that the world building and descriptive elements of the first book would continue and overtake the plot - it doesn't.

The characters had a lot more development in this novel compared to in Ithaca, and it was really refreshing to see Penelope and the various other women in the book truly shine and show their cunning.

Having the story from Aphrodite's perspective also allowed the reader to see the passion and desire of all characters (both good and bad) in a way that would not have happened if North had continued with Hera's perspective - this was very well planned and I enjoyed the murder mystery aspect too.

The ending was once again written perfectly and will keep me waiting impatiently for the next book.

Having read the first of this series, Ithaca, and really enjoyed the fresh narrative voice and the skillful writing I couldn't wait to pick up House of Odysseus. This series contains some of the most skilful storytelling in all the Greek myth retellings I've read. The characterisation is multi-dimensional and is brought up to date in a way that doesn't negate the historical context. The narrative voice of Aphrodite is witty and entertaining. And the murder mystery style plot is compelling and satisfying.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review House of Odysseus.]

Rating: 4.5/5

Following on from Ithaca, the first book in Claire North’s ‘Songs of Penelope’ series, I rushed into House of Odysseus eager to find out what would happen next. I think this is a true testament to how much I’m enjoying this series because although North is filling in some unknown gaps for us, we still have an idea of how things might play out. For example, Odysseus is going to come back from his voyage at some point, that’s a given. And yet I’ve eagerly stormed through this series with the strongest urge to know how Penelope spent her years without him. The Songs of Penelope books are delivering on that and more, passing the mic to female characters and allowing them to leave their mark on the old epics.

The first book in this series, Ithaca, concludes with women of the island defending the land from pirates and with Orestes, the new king of Mycenae, killing his mother Clytemnestra. This leads to the son of Agamemnon being overcome with guilt and with each new day, becomes more and more unhinged. Concerned of what people may think of their king, Elektra whisks them away to Ithaca for a king cannot be weak in the eyes of his fellow men. But as the furies circle above and his mind continues to deteriorate, Menelaus, king of Sparta and uncle to Orestes and Elektra, sets out to find his nephew so that he can expose the weak king and seize the Mycenaean throne.

So it’s safe to say that Penelope is putting out fires (literal and metaphorical) everywhere. With suitors breathing down her neck and whilst still maintaining the image or dutiful wife to Odysseus, she now must do everything that she can to protect Elektra and Orestes from their power hungry uncle. Fortunately, Penelope has allies at her back that can assist with this new perilous situation, and following on from Hera’s watchful eye in the first book, we have Aphrodite leading the narration and adding her own influence into the chain of events.

Although I loved Ithaca and liked Hera as a narrator, I felt at times that her point of view would relegate Penelope’s which made it difficult for me to connect with the Ithacan queen. House of Odysseus, however, does not suffer from this problem. Aphrodite contributes some levity to the tale despite the higher stakes, something I really appreciated. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a mother but Hera was a tricky head for me to get into, whereas the goddess of love felt much more recognisable. I also loved seeing more of Athena and Artemis in this book who both have their own attachments to the characters we meet.

House of Odysseus is a delightfully feminist spin on a very male dominated story and I’d recommend this series to anyone who loves Greek mythology but would like to see more agency given to female characters. As a lover of fantasy, I always thought nothing could beat an epic battle scene, but Penelope might just have me convinced that the cunning battle of words and political movements are much more exciting.

Also, this book reminded me just how much I love Penelope’s character and how much of a badass she actually is, and this quote sums it up:

"You may not be scared of my women with their bows, but the other women – the ones bringing you water, the ones cleaning your clothes, the ones you fuck, the ones you hit, the ones you don’t even notice standing in the corner of your eye – they are everywhere. We are everywhere. We can reach you no matter where you run."

An excellent follow up in the Songs of Penelope series. I found the first in the series, Ithaca, a little slow paced and the stakes didn't feel particularly high. But the style of the narrative was engaging and I felt that North was setting up something that would be worth the effort.

Having now read House of Odysseus, I'm so glad I continued onwards. This second book picks up where Ithaca left off, and it reaps the benefit of those foundations. Here the gentle pacing felt more like a slow burn rather than a sluggish pace, and I loved how the threat to Penelope and Ithaca was now a truly powerful external force. I loved the introduction of Helen, Menelaus and the Spartans - and the tricky political manoeuvres that everyone was trying to make. The third act in particular was excellent and I was able to fly through it in no time.

Like Ithaca, this book is mostly told from the point of view of a goddess - this time, Aphrodite. I really love this approach and North really captures the whimsy and power of her and her fellow deities. As usual, there's a great amount of wry humour, which I really enjoyed.

The book definitely left me wanting more - a really great ending, which has me very eager to pick up the third book when it gets released!

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the ARC of this book!

A really entertaining book taking a fresh look at some well known Greek heroes, told from the point of view of the goddess Aphrodite, who watches and narrates the unfolding story.

It's original, well paced and really funny! Claire North does a great job of capturing Aphrodite's inner voice and brings added depth to each of the characters.

“What is love if it does not fight for love?”

With some leniency, this sequel really deserves 5 stars!

I know, I know, I also was among others who didn't enjoy the first book, Ithaca as much as it deserved, but House of Odysseus filled all the weak points, I really liked this one!

This review may have some spoilers, especially for those who didn't read the first book.

I understood Claire North in The Songs of Penelope series, three women protected and loved by three goddesses as a narrator for each book.

"Three goddesses there were who bathed in the waters of Mount Ida as Paris leered upon us, Zeus at his side. Three Furies there are who spin above the tent of Orestes. Three queens there were in Greece – one beloved of Hera, who killed her husband and died. One who is wed to the beloved of Athena, whose husband even now sets forth in his little rough-hewn boat again. And one who is mine, and whose name will live for as long as there is love, for as long as hearts beat throughout eternity."

You might guess who they are, I'll tell you the goddess's name and you find the woman.

"Sometimes, you see, we gods are not to blame for the things men do after all."

In the second book of The Songs of Penelope, Aphrodite, goddess of love, continues the tale of Penelope after Hera's watch over Clytemnestra.

"Men give women power, and women sacrifice the women around them to appease men. Not Clytemnestra..."

This time I find the characters most developed and very interesting, Truth to be told, CN' Helen is the one that long I was looking forward to finding in a retelling, Helen I imagined, well down!

Oh, and don't forget clever Penelope, though I liked Clytemnestra, but I was waiting to see Penelope on, and look what she has to say:
"You may not be scared of my women with their bows, but the other women – the ones bringing you water, the ones cleaning your clothes, the ones you fuck, the ones you hit, the ones you don’t even notice standing in the corner of your eye – they are everywhere. We are everywhere. We can reach you no matter where you run."

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK (Orbit) via NetGalley for giving me a chance to read House of Odysseus (The Songs of Penelope #2) by Claire North, I have given my honest review.

My fav Quest:
When a parent dies, when a mother dies, we never truly forget that grief. It stays within us, deep below, and on top of it we put more of our lives lived, more experiences, until it is so weighted down by the matter of our days that we are astonished to find that one unremarkable new moon we look inside, and there it is, bright and brilliant as the day it was born. This is the way with grief. With guilt. With regret. All we can do is honour the lessons this brings, look honestly upon who we were and what we have done, and try to do better when the next sun rises. Forgiveness does not change that. Especially the forgiveness of the dead.

If anything, I prefer this next slice of the adventure to Ithaca – and that’s saying something. What I particularly liked is that this part of the story is told in semi-omniscient viewpoint by Aphrodite, goddess of Love. North ensures her voice brings a sensual tone to the tale, both in her frank enjoyment of the bodies that she sees and their passions – but also her appreciation of the sound of the sea, the feel of sunlight on her skin. It brings a different slant to the tale – along with a wry and irreverent amusement that had me smiling throughout and laughing aloud a couple of times. And that laughter was welcome – because this is largely a dark tale.

Orestes is the son who has killed his mother and now is being pursued by the Furies. And a desperate Elekra brings him to Ithaca, closely followed by Menelaus and a small army of Spartans, determined to get his hands on his nephew. It is fascinating to see the dynamic between Menelaus and Helen, after the sack of Troy. And especially how Helen is faring. Which isn’t all that well, given that Menelaus isn’t remotely kind or loving towards his beautiful wife. Interestingly, Helen and Penelope are cousins, so grew up together before their marriages and fates took them in very different directions. I loved the insights we get into Helen’s personality throughout the story – indeed, this is as much about her character arc as Penelope’s.

I’m not a fan of semi-omniscient viewpoint – but North handles this delivery beautifully so that we’re never distanced from the characters peopling the story. I loved that we got a different aspect of old Laertes’ personality – as the former king of Ithaca and Odysseus’s father, Menelaus is compelled to treat the old man with a certain amount of respect. But it isn’t long before we realise that Odysseus and Penelope aren’t the only crafty members of the family, capable of coping with dangerous situations by dint of their wits.

All in all, this book is an utter joy. If you haven’t read Ithaca – I’d urge you to do so. But while these books follow on from the other, they are also constructed so that if you haven’t read the first one, you can still thoroughly enjoy this offering. If you’re a fan of feminist retellings of Greek myths, then this one is right up there with Circe and Songs of Achilles, so comes very highly recommended. While I obtained an arc of House of Odysseus from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

Odysseus is almost ready to return home, but before he does, Claire North returns once more to his home island of Ithaca to explore the story of Penelope, his wife.

House of Odysseus explores the return of Orestes and Elektra to Ithaca, after the death of their mother by Orestes' hand. Wracked by guilt and pursued by his uncle Menelaus, who insists Orestes is mad, Penelope must deal with this new complication while continuing to keep the fragile peace.

I enjoyed the return to Ithaca and Penelope a lot. Once again, the combination of Claire North's writing and Greek myth is excellent. However, I didn't enjoy Aphrodite as a narrator quite as much as Hera. There didn't feel like there was as much depth or emotional stakes to the narrative as the first book. Still, very enjoyable and entertaining book that I absolutely flew through on my holidays!

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘐 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩.

When I read the first novel in Claire North’s The Songs of Penelope series, Ithaca, one of the things that struck me was the way she so expertly recontextualises the gods for a modern audience. In my review of the book I even went as far as to say that her depiction of Hera completely made me re-evaluate how I had conceived of the goddess and the role she could play in stories like these. In this second instalment, I am delighted to say North has continued this brilliance. In this novel, the narrator is Aphrodite and to say I love the way she depicts Aphrodite is an understatement. Aphrodite in this book is just incredible. She’s funny and witty and angry and amused and very different from Hera. There is always a danger with books where the narrator changes from book to book the narrator changes in name only, but in this novel, the very fabric of the narrative is different as we see the priorities of Aphrodite, both in regards to mortals and in regards to her relationships with other goddesses. She doesn’t try to ‘redeem’ Aphrodite, or shave off her sharp edges, but she consolidates many different sides of the goddess of love. We see famous mythological moments through her eyes, most notably the judgement of Paris. The way North approached Helen as Aphrodites’ most beloved was fantastic. Helen’s depiction in general was incredibly moving and nuanced, manifesting in the text as a deeply scarred and sad woman, but still so absolutely Helen, with Aphrodite, despite professing her love, merely watching her sorry position back in Menelaus’s household.

𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴–𝘸𝘩𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦’𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥–𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘦.

Plot-wise, naturally, the story continues the narrative of Penelope’s Ithaca, during the period before Odysseus returns. This is an island of women, the only men “Boys raised by women. Trader’s sons. Merchant whores”; but far from struggling, under Penelope’s leadership, they have found a way to protect themselves and keep the island together despite lecherous and greedy suitors overstaying their welcome. This may not last forever though, as Elektra and Orestes’ come ashore asking for Penelope’s help with Menelaus and the Furies not far behind them…

North is very indulgent when it comes to relocating iconic mythological cycles to the island of Ithaca but to be honest I just really enjoyed the ride. I really love stories where women use their own methods to beat men at their own game and this is certainly the main tool North uses in these books. The murder mystery and political chess elements really worked for me and I just really loved this book.

I cannot wait for the next one. I am fairly sure that it will be narrated by Athena, considering her role in Odysseus’ return, but I would love North to use Artemis’ voice, a goddess whose presence is already interwoven in Ithacan society. Artemis so far has been presented a little coldly and stiffly but I would love to see what North would do with her POV.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for my ARC of this book.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦.