Ithaca by Claire North

 

     After the success of Madeline Miller's Circe and Song of Achillies it is nice to see there is a literary market for others to mine from the mythologies of the past.  Claire North, whose The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August I found to be a fantastic read and, after many years, I still think about that tale. 

     Ithaca's King Odysseus sailed off to fight in the Trojan War, then got lost coming home, at least as told by Homer.  While Penelope and son Telemachus get a bit of attention in the great poem The Odyssey, there is a lot of room to add even more to the story.  Which is fitting, as current scholarly consensus believes that the Homeric tales had many contributors who added to the stories. (The blind performer Homer was most likely the most famous orator and had his name attached to the works.)  So, Claire North has really just continued what might be the oldest Fan Fic in existence.

    Claire North has given Penelope more than just a tapestry to make and unmake. Penelope is a Queen of Ithaca and has the people of Ithaca to look after, besides the servant of her house which is currently being besieged by the "100 Suitors of Penelope."  With help from the goddesses Hera and Athena, Claire North fleshes out the character of Penelope by giving her a slew of problems to solve.  

    I loved the performance of the narrator Catrin Walker-Booth. My first experience with the narrator, but not my last as I have House of Odysseus all lined up as my next listen.