Greek Myths: A New Retelling, with drawings by Chris Ofili

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If you want a rundown of the general Greek myths without a lot of commentary, LAWD ALMIGHTY THIS IS NOT THE BOOK. For the momentous task of creating workable threads from tufts of wool, dyeing them, and labouring at huge looms was the responsibility of women. 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. When I first started this book, the “Athena” chapter was heavily influenced by Ovids Metamorphoses which I had just finished- so at these points my reading wasn’t super fast as the myths were already fresh in my mind.

Quite unobtrusively, she accessorizes Greek myths with motifs and effervescence that changes the entire bedrock upon which they are grounded. Theirs' are the hands which are responsible for piecing together the elaborate and imaginative tapestry that exists to make sense of the world. absolutely loved this beautiful retelling of a variety of different greek myths - i especially loved the weaving motif throughout the book and the highlighting of the often overlooked labour of women (not only for their craft and weaving abilities but also for their role in the successes of many heroes).

Athena, Alcithoë, Philomela, Arachne, and the Homeric weavers Andromache, Helen, Circe and Penelope function as Higgins’ quasi-narrators, except that the stories they tell are depicted on their looms’ warp and weft and described by the ninth Muse in this collection, Higgins herself. It was very interesting learning about some characters I’d heard of but didn’t know much about — I would say it’s incredibly useful to have everything neatly in one book, but because of that, it is a long read.

In this spellbinding new collection, Charlotte Higgins reinterprets some of Greek mythology’s most enduring stories. Oh, except a few times the men are given a pass for their terrible behaviour and attempts are made to cast them as good guys. This is a retelling that brings a wonderful, overdue female perspective to the world of the Greek myths. The trial wasn't even needed, you could've just left it at the murder as a lot of the stories get no closure.Higgins began her career in journalism on Vogue magazine in 1995 and moved to the Guardian in 1997, for which she has served as classical music editor and arts correspondent.