Ithaka

By: Adele Geras

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Hardcover | 1 December 2005

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ITHAKA tells the story of the women left behind after the end of the Trojan War. While Odysseus is slowly making his way home, overcoming terrible obstacles sent by the gods, his wife Penelope does not know whether he's alive or dead. How long will she be able to withstand the pressure of the numerous suitors who seek her hand (and Ithaka) uaand will she remain as faithful as mythology states, or might she fall in love with one of them? The vivid colours of life on the abundant island of Ithaka are evoked with magic and warmth, as Penelope and those around her tell their own incredible stories. Interspersed with wonderful verse retellings of Odysseus' adventures, this is a thrilling novel with a contemporary feel.

Industry Reviews

A companion piece for the author's Troy (2001)-and another definitive example of storytelling so character-driven that nearly everything happens either offstage or within the hearts and minds of, mostly, the female characters. The dominant theme is "waiting beneath thickening clouds of doubt." As sad, gentle Penelope waits for her beloved Odysseus to return from Troy, her hot-headed son Telemachus waits to turn the age at which he can set out in search of his father, fuming at a crowd of leering, bestial suitors who wait impatiently for Penelope to choose a new husband. Even the dog Argos waits, his life unnaturally prolonged by one of the several gods and goddesses who wander freely in and out of view. Meanwhile, for the younger characters, there's plenty of growing up, of falling into both love and lust, of anger, tears, hand-wringing, intrigue and anguish-though it all seems distant, conveyed with almost ritualistic language in Geras's measured prose. Her attempts to counter the gathering monotony with occasional breaks into modern idiom (Telemachus: "These bastards can't be allowed to get away with stuff like that"), a gratuitous murder and even a secret, tender lover for Penelope are ineffective; not even the concluding bloodbath following Odysseus' eventual return dispels the inertia of this leaden take. (Fiction. YA) (Kirkus Reviews)

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