The Last Song of Penelope
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 18 Jun 2024
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- £11.99
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- Pre-Order
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- £11.99
Publisher Description
'CLAIRE NORTH BRINGS A POWERFUL, FRESH AND UNFLINCHING VOICE TO ANCIENT MYTH' Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne
Following the critically acclaimed Ithaca and House of Odysseus comes the final novel in Claire North's Songs of Penelope trilogy - an exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before.
Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .
A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors - but Penelope recognises in him something terrible: her husband, Odysseus, returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors - vengeance that will spark a civil war - but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure?
The song of Penelope is ending, and the song of Odysseus must ring through Ithaca's halls. But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost . . .
Praise for the Songs of Penelope series:
'Darkly fascinating, raw and breathtaking' Jennifer Saint, author of Sunday Times bestseller Ariadne
'Richly poetic . . . This is an impassioned plea for the lost, disenfranchised queens of ancient Greece, a love letter to the silenced women of history' Booklist
'Everything I've wanted in a retelling: a vibrant cast, full of suspense, told with a phenomenal narrative voice - this is an absolute masterpiece' Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect Twin
'Penelope is proving to be an outstanding epic hero in her own right. The world building is sensational' Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den
'Conjures up a world in which women, abandoned by their men, must weave their own destinies' The Times
'Claire North has set a new standard for Ancient Greek retellings. Absolutely sublime' Hannah Lynn, author of Athena's Child
The Songs of Penelope series:
Ithaca
House of Odysseus
The Last Song of Penelope
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
North concludes her Ithaca trilogy (after House of Odysseus) with an intelligent revisionist portrayal of Odysseus's return. The story opens with a gloomy assessment of the wayward hero's island kingdom: "Everyone concurs that Ithaca is the pits.... Her inland forests are scraggy, wind-blasted things, her one city little more than a spider's town of twisted paths and leaning houses that seem to buckle and brace against some perpetual storm." Odysseus, who has finally come back, incognito, from the Trojan War, receives a similar scouring; he's depicted here as a "somewhat short man with a remarkably hairy back," who had performed "many vile and bitter deeds." His return sets in motion a violent showdown with the legion of suitors pursuing both his wife, Penelope, and his throne. North adds satisfying depth to the character of Penelope, whose loyalty to her kingdom takes precedence over devotion to her husband, whom she resents for disguising himself to gauge her faithfulness, and for failing to consider the "delicate political balance" she's worked to maintain. North closes out her saga on a high note.
