Book Review: Ithaca by Claire North (Penelope #1)

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Once upon a time, there were three queens in Greece. One was chaste and pure, one a temptress whore, one a murderous hag.”

It has been seventeen years since Odysseus left Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War, leaving his young bride Penelope and infant son Telemachus behind. The war lasted ten years but Odysseus has not returned. Penelope is left to fend for herself and her son and run the kingdom of Ithaca with help of her household of maids and advisors.

Odysseus’s prolonged absence has fueled rumors of his death encouraging hordes of suitors to flock to Penelope’s door and unashamedly becoming a fixture in her home. She has to make up excuses to hold them at bay. In addition to tactfully handling the volatile situation with her suitors, she is also troubled by the presence of a queen being hunted by her vengeful children for murdering their father. Penelope's son Telemachus, intent on proving he is a worthy successor to his father, joins the militia movement that is training for fighting the raiders who target their island at regular intervals. In other words, a lot is going on in Ithaca and Penelope has her hands full.

The presence of the Greek goddesses, each wielding their power over their devotees and their subtle manipulations, not to mention their limited interactions with one another makes for an interesting read. The exchanges between Hera and Athena, in particular, are quite amusing. Hera, as a narrator, does not mince her words –be it on her opinions about her husband’s amorous exploits or her true feeling about her stepchildren, her observations on Penelope’s suitors or her biased opinions of the Grecian queens among whom Clytemnestra is her favorite. She also holds nothing back while voicing her own brutally honest opinions about some of the "heroes" and how poets and bards wax eloquent while singing praises of their exploits, often neglecting to mention the contributions of their female counterparts or the lesser known mortals who have played an important role in their success.

“I am the goddess of queens, wives and women; my tasks may be thankless, but I perform them nonetheless.”

While I did enjoy Hera’s narration, I felt that her views and perceptions dominated the story and somehow relegated Penelope’s perspective to the sidelines. Penelope is portrayed as quiet but observant and capable of ruling in her husband’s absence. Having read Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad recently and loving it, I had hoped to hear more about Penelope and her maids and the events in Ithaca during Odysseus’s absence from Penelope’s perspective. I did enjoy the detailed description of the lives of the women on the island. The women in Claire North’s Ithaca - Penelope, her loyal maids and advisors, and the warriors who take it upon themselves to defend their island from threats are brave and intelligent and empower one another when faced with adversity.

With its well-written, fluid and elegant prose, even pacing throughout the novel, and themes of feminism, survival and loyalty Claire North’s Ithaca is an engaging read that I would recommend to fans of Greek Mythology and those fond of feminist retellings. I eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.

Many thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for granting access to a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.