Aside from its gorgeous aesthetics screaming to me from the display at Waterstones, I knew that Higgins’ retellings were essential readings for me as a newcomer to the Greek retelling genre. There are scores of excellent retellings that I had my eye on, but I decided to listen to Higgins first and take a step into her world and words.
Each writer can retell the story of someone in hundreds of different ways, but Higgins hasn’t done me wrong yet. The retellings within this book helped form a basis of understanding for each character who appears across this genre, and their story never deviates from the general consensus in other novels.
Looking at other reviews for this novel, I was surprised by the statement of this book being a “feminist retelling”, as I personally did not feel that statement rang true across some of the retellings. I suppose in comparison to other great retellings within the genre, perhaps this book doesn’t hit the mark in the same way, but considering that this was one of the first collective retellings that I have read, I don’t exactly have much else to compare it to.
There were definitely segments that I felt “out of the loop” for, but I marked this down as me being completely new to everything included. Some reviewers slate this as being confusing for newcomers, but as a newcomer, I felt that this book did a fine job at easing me into certain myths and explaining it in a very coherent and engaging way.
Certain passages I adored, and while I entrusted myself to only a few myths a day so that I didn’t immediately forget what I had read (to no avail, I still forget who people are, but with time I think this shall be rectified), I didn’t want to put this book down. I never felt disinterested by the writing here, which to me defines an enjoyable reading experience.
Alongside the writing, I thought that the aesthetics were stunning; the illustrations were a very romantic touch here and of course, the cover is beautiful. It’s not always essential for a book to look good to be good, but in this case, it certainly helped!
While opinion on this book apparently deviates, I can say that I did genuinely love this book and will always praise it for its welcoming introductions to many characters. I’ve learned already to remember that writers interpret characters and stories in vastly different capacities, and to take certain approaches with a pinch of salt. One writer may adore Zeus, another might despise him, and that opinion can massively affect the way that their story is framed.
I think reading compilations of retellings like this can be useful, but you should always take caution for the bias embedded. By doing so, I think you can then engage with multiple interpretations without being misled or taken aback by other perhaps deviating retellings.
holly can read 