Were you familiar with any of the myths the author includes in the narrative? Which ones? How did the author’s versions compare to those you recall?
I’m familiar with most of them. I did have to do some research on the Three Graces. It was after reading the novel also that I did some internet research on Aphrodite. She has been supplanted by Venus. And that, of course, is the statue that I saw when reading the final pages.
I think that Bear and authors who write similarly bring these myths alive for how we experience life today. To read the myths as they have been communicated through time makes them seem distant, Bear brings Aphrodite into the present,
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Karen, I agree. I’ve really enjoyed the retellings out - Miller’s Circe and Son of Achilles helped those myths and the Trojan War come alive for me. I loved getting the opportunity to read and review Son of Nobody by Yann Martell recently. And I was surprised by how enjoyable the Broadway play (seen touring in Chicago) Hadestown was. I had difficulty when I was younger keeping everybody and all their names straight!
I had read Joseph Campbell years ago and discovered Nathalie Haynes recently. I can’t recall anything specific in the book that aligns with either author but in general, the narrative follows what I remember reading about the gods and goddesses. A Thousand Ships, Haynes’ book, matches up with the Trojan War elements in this book.