Our tale is told in a nearly omniscient, mostly third-person narration through the eyes of Hera, queen of the gods and patron on the Greek queens. She is also a character in her own right, seeking to aid Penelope’s cause as subtly as possible, without drawing the attention of any of the other gods. Especially her husband, Zeus. I loved the mirroring of Penelope’s story with the little we learn of Hera throughout the novel. While I loved Penelope, Hera was definitely the stand-out character here. I’ve always disliked Hera, but in the past year or so I’ve read multiple books that showcased facets of her I had never considered. She has become so much more sympathetic and interesting to me through these works, and I absolutely adored her in Ithaca. I was also fascinated by Hera’s love for Clytemnestra, Penelope’s cousin and queen of Mycenae and murderer of her own husband, King Agamemnon. These are stories that I know well, but North’s writing and characterizations brought them to life in new ways. On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power. Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home. In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace—a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra. Ithaca is the first book in The Songs Of Penelope series by award-winning, best-selling British author, Claire North. On Ithaca, Penelope, queen of the western isles, has already waited eighteen years for her husband, Odysseus to return from Troy. But that, and politely tolerating the hundred suitors vying for her hand (because surely Odysseus is dead?!) are not the only things on her mind. North brings a powerful, fresh, and unflinching voice to ancient myth. Breathtaking."— Jennifer Saint, author ofAriadne

If you cannot seem to find much online about Claire North, the reason is fairly obvious: Claire North is actually a pseudonym for Catherine Webb. While many an author creates a pseudonym to create distance between their personal lives and their literary efforts, Catherine Webb was already an acclaimed author before she created the Claire North Persona. Claire North is an award-winning author best known for the novel ‘The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August’. Forget the songs of Apollo, or the proud declarations of haughty Athena. Their poems only glorify themselves. Listen to my voice: I who have been stripped of honour, of power and of that fire that should be mine, I who have nothing to lose that the poets have not already taken from me, only I will tell you the truth. I, who part the veil of time, will tell those stories that only the women tell. So follow me to the western isles, to the halls of Odysseus, and listen. Follow me through the halls of the palace of Odysseus; follow to hear the stories that the men-poets of the greedy kings do not tell. A]ll the war, all the rage and hurt and loss and pain - had been for nothing. For what? For a single night of flame and a few kings taking the spoils? When the sun rose over the ashes of her city, the soldiers of Greece were still hurt, still bloody, still lost, only now there were no stories left, no poets to tell them that they were heroes. So instead they became beasts performing sacrilege upon the living and the dead, for their fathers had taught them no other way to be a man than to howl at the crimson sun.

Publication Order of Anthologies

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (as Claire North) nominated for the BSFA Award for Best Novel

On Ithaca, everyone watches everyone else, and there is no corner of the palace where intrigue does not reign . . . I know very little about killing, That is the men’s business. But it is the women who come to dress and wail at the corpses when the killing is done, no?"The men were driven by pride and a sense of superiority and it was so very nice to see them humbled - especially Agamemnon, Penelope’s most insistent suitor. Through Telemachus we see a young boy desperately trying to be ‘manly’ as his father would have wanted, and assert his importance, yet not knowing quite what it takes to be a warrior. Penelope, despite her son’s fault, despite his reluctance to treat his mother with any ounce of the respect she deserves, loves him nonetheless, which makes their relationship so heartbreaking. In fact North does a fantastic job of exploring motherhood throughout the novel. I who have nothing to lose that the poets have not already taken from me, only I will tell you the truth. I, who part the veil of time, will tell those stories that only the women tell.” Now Penelope faces a new threat. After providing a place of refuge for Elektra and her brother, Orestes, both children of the now dead Agamemnon killed by his wife Clytemnestra, Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother, catches wind that his niece and nephew may be hiding out in Ithaca. This time I find the characters most developed and fascinating, truth to be told, CN' Helen is the one that for so long I was looking forward to finding her in a retelling, Helen I always imagined in my mind, well down! I realise that what makes him king amongst the gods is less the thunderbolt he wields and simply that he believes himself set upon high."*