Greek Myths cover art

Greek Myths

A New Retelling, with drawings by Chris Ofili

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Greek Myths

By: Charlotte Higgins, Chris Ofili
Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
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About this listen

** SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 **

Brought to you by Penguin.

In this spellbinding new collection, Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of the most enduring stories of all time.

Here are myths of the creation, of Heracles and Theseus and Perseus, the Trojan war and its origins and aftermaths, tales of Thebes and Argos and Athens. There are stories of love and desire, adventure and magic, destructive gods, helpless humans, fantastical creatures, resourceful witches and the origins of birds and animals.This is a world of extremes, and one that resonates deeply with our own: mysterious diseases devastate cities; environmental disasters tear lives apart; women habitually suffer violence at the hands of men.

Unlike in many previous collected myths, female characters take centre stage - Athena, Helen, Circe, Penelope and others weave these stories into elaborate imagined tapestries. In Charlotte Higgins's thrilling new interpretation, their tales combine to form a dazzling, sweeping epic of storytelling, and a magnificent work of scholarship and imagination.

© Charlotte Higgins 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Ancient Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Magic World Literature Mythology Ancient Greece Greek Mythology Ancient History

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Critic reviews

Higgins is a wonderful scholar, and a great story teller. I've been loving these retellings, cleverly centered around the theme of myths told in tapestry. (Madeline Miller, author of THE SONG OF ACHILLES and CIRCE)
[Higgins] leads us through the labyrinth of interconnected stories in a startlingly fresh way. It throws radiant new light on their meanings... This excellent book should delight many generations of story lovers to come. (Edith Hall)
[An] erudite and exhilarating collection... luminous, astute retellings. (Hephzibah Anderson)
[A] scholarly, capacious reimagining... Higgins makes you feel for these tormented, accursed mortals afresh. (Claire Allfree)
We are in the hands of a fine, fluent storyteller... Higgins, like the bards who first unspooled these tales, creates the illusion of spontaneity and handles suspense brilliantly... Chris Ofili's drawings complement the lyricism of the prose descriptions. Higgins depicts art mediating life - the reason, I think, that we read books... I loved this book. (Sara Wheeler)
The feminism is subtle but persistent... This isn't about imposing modern values on ancient texts... her compendium deftly tracks the format of Ovid's Metamorphoses, one tale blurring into the next. But even readers who think they know their classics will discover some surprises. (Rachel Cunliffe)
Exceptionally well researched... The prose is almost neoclassical, in being limpid and allusive, clear and nebulous at one and the same time. (Stuart Kelly)
Charlotte Higgins captures the raw, magical originality of the Greek myths in this beguiling book, charmingly illustrated by Chris Ofili... She knows her classics - and her myths - inside out. (Harry Mount)
A gritty and exhilarating new version of the ancient stories in which the female characters take centre stage. (Katy Guest)

Higgins invests the tales with surprising new meanings... The command of Higgins herself, as the master weaver of myths, emerges forcefully....Ancient myths here acquire compelling modern form.
All stars
Most relevant
Different twist on the usual Greek rendition
Easy listening and captivating voices.
Worth a listen

Good

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I absolutely love the concept of this book, the way Charlotte Higgins went about these myths was fantastic. It’s a way of telling them that felt unique and they were beautiful read and written

Amazing retelling

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very thoughtful and reflective book about the vikings. Goes into the art, lifestyle, history and more.

The attention to detaila

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Which I don’t think it’s supposed to be! Not sure if it’s the narration or the very simplistic retelling or these well-known narratives. For a genuinely innovative retelling of Greek myths, read Madeleine Miller’s Song of Achilles or Circe instead; and even Stephen Fry’s Mythos is better.

Feels like it’s written for children

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Disliked the ordering of the myths, which seemed random. The narrator’s voice is childish and annoying.

Terrible Childish narration

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