LIDO Book Club - Three Great Reads
Mythology revisited is very much the theme of this latest roundup!
Some fantastic books have recently been published, retelling the old stories that so many of us grew up learning about. Here are our top three! Let us know if you have read any of them, and what you thought.
“The Children of Jocasta”; Natalie Haynes
A retelling of the story of Oedipus and that of Antigone from the point of view of Jocasta, wife and mother and the lesser known daughter and sibling, Ismene. While the story is decidedly Greek, the usual place taken by the Gods is downplayed, and the humanity of the characters brought to the fore.
From chapter to chapter, the perspective changes, taking you through a tangle of stories over the years that perfectly reconstruct the tales that we know so well, just through the eyes of characters that were barely given any voice previously. We highly recommend this beautifully woven story.
“Circe”; Madeline Miller
Circe is the quiet and unremarkable child of the sun God Helios. Her siblings all seem full of purpose and beauty, and she is mostly left to her own devices. A meeting with a mortal who she falls in love with sets her life on a whole new path, as it unlocks powers that she didn’t suspect she had. Her discovery of black magic results in her being exiled to the island of Aiaia, where she continues to hone her craft, and meet various figures of Greek mythology
A beautiful story of self discovery, and finding ones strength and power. In a world where everything is set against her, Circe finds her voice and her boundaries. A masterpiece of storytelling.
“The Women of Troy”; Pat Barker
This story takes place just after the fall of Troy. The Greeks are stuck on the beaches, hemmed in by strong winds, the women they have taken as slaves waiting for what is to come. We follow five famous women of Troy: Helen, Cassandra, Amina, Hecuba and Briseis. The book looks at the consequences of war, and how each woman reacts to her fate. The narrative we all know is spun on its’ head and told from a female perspective. Food for thought.
