MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

issybird · 12-12-2022, 11:37 AM

This is a category that has a lot of appeal for me and is popular right now, especially retellings of ancient myths/history from the/a woman’s POV. But I’ve found the reality is different; there are a lot of duds out there for me, some highly praised, and I either DNF them or finish them just because. Yet there are some I’ve thought terrific. I also should note that they come in two types; a straight up retelling/reimagining or transferred to a different, more modern setting.

Some recent ones I’ve jettisoned include Ariadne by Jennifer Saint, The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Common flaws for me are a mindset that’s unbelievable in the setting and straying too far from the standard story. As one example, a daughter of a king who moans and groans about being married to an old king and having to leave home - that was the deal. You can push the boundaries but not beyond credulity; at some point you’re no longer telling the same story and that’s the case for resetting it. And sometimes, they’re just badly written; people like a lot of what’s carp to me. I’ll add that I thought Miller’s Circe excellent and I’m currently reading a non-fiction book by Haynes about the famous women of Greek myth and it’s very illuminating and informative.

Others I finished but didn’t care for include The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, but I should admit that I have issues with both authors so perhaps it’s not surprising. The later was better than the former, which had nothing interesting to say at all. I also didn’t much like The House of Names by Colm Tóibín, but I do like him. There are others.

On the other hand, in addition to Circe, I thought Ransom by David Malouf and Cassandra by Christa Wolf excellent. A resetting of the Apollo/Daphne myth, The Latinist, was one of my favorite books this year and I also enjoyed The Just City by Jo Walton. It can be a relief to get away from the Trojan War, the House of Atreus and Thebes, far and away the major settings for retellings! I’ve just started Ithaca by Claire North and I like it a lot. The narrator, not so much.

So how do people feel about this sub-genre? Specific books? Despite my issues, I’m hooked. I know a retellings book club was mooted at the beginning of the year, so there are more of you out there.

12-12-2022, 11:37 AM	#1
issybird o saeclum infacetum Posts: 20,272 Karma: 222544794 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New England Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5	Myth Retellings This is a category that has a lot of appeal for me and is popular right now, especially retellings of ancient myths/history from the/a woman’s POV. But I’ve found the reality is different; there are a lot of duds out there for me, some highly praised, and I either DNF them or finish them just because. Yet there are some I’ve thought terrific. I also should note that they come in two types; a straight up retelling/reimagining or transferred to a different, more modern setting. Some recent ones I’ve jettisoned include *Ariadne* by Jennifer Saint, *The Children of Jocasta* by Natalie Haynes and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Common flaws for me are a mindset that’s unbelievable in the setting and straying too far from the standard story. As one example, a daughter of a king who moans and groans about being married to an old king and having to leave home - that was the deal. You can push the boundaries but not beyond credulity; at some point you’re no longer telling the same story and that’s the case for resetting it. And sometimes, they’re just badly written; people like a lot of what’s carp to me. I’ll add that I thought Miller’s *Circe* excellent and I’m currently reading a non-fiction book by Haynes about the famous women of Greek myth and it’s very illuminating and informative. Others I finished but didn’t care for include *The Silence of the Girls* by Pat Barker and *The Penelopiad* by Margaret Atwood, but I should admit that I have issues with both authors so perhaps it’s not surprising. The later was better than the former, which had nothing interesting to say at all. I also didn’t much like *The House of Names* by Colm Tóibín, but I do like him. There are others. On the other hand, in addition to *Circe, I thought Ransom* by David Malouf and *Cassandra* by Christa Wolf excellent. A resetting of the Apollo/Daphne myth, *The Latinist, was one of my favorite books this year and I also enjoyed The Just City* by Jo Walton. It can be a relief to get away from the Trojan War, the House of Atreus and Thebes, far and away the major settings for retellings! I’ve just started *Ithaca* by Claire North and I like it a lot. The narrator, not so much. So how do people feel about this sub-genre? Specific books? Despite my issues, I’m hooked. I know a retellings book club was mooted at the beginning of the year, so there are more of you out there.