These classic tales of Greek mythology are turned into something new, with female-driven narratives and stories told through the lens of otherwise voiceless characters.
Greek Myths: A New Retelling by Charlotte Higgins
A brilliantly original, landmark retelling of Greek myths, recounted as if they were actual scenes being woven into textiles by the women who feature prominently in them including Athena, Helen, Circe and Penelope.
The Silence Of The Girls by Pat Barker
Here is the story of the Iliad as we've never heard it before: in the words of Briseis, Trojan queen and captive of Achilles.
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Hayne
Troy has fallen. From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
A retelling of Antigone. Two families' fates are inextricably, devastatingly entwined, in this searing novel that asks: What sacrifices will we make in the name of love?
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
The story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy, from her own point of view.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.
Oreo by Fran Ross
A playful, modernized parody of the classical odyssey of Theseus with a feminist twist, immersed in seventies pop culture. Oreo is raised by her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. Her black mother tours with a theatrical troupe, and her Jewish deadbeat dad disappeared when she was an infant, leaving behind a mysterious note that triggers her quest to find him.
Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood
Helen and Klytemnestra, Spartan princesses, are married off to foreign kings to give them an heir but each rebel against their husbands' neglect, cruelty and ambition and push the limits of society to make new lives for themselves.
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
When a fleet of Trojan ships sails up the Tiber, Lavinia decides to take her destiny into her own hands. And so she tells us what Vergil did not: the story of her life, and of the love of her life.
The Odyssey translated by Emily R. Wilson
An engrossing tale told in a compelling new voice that allows contemporary readers to luxuriate in Homer's magical descriptions and similes and to thrill at the tension and excitement of its hero's fantastical adventures, Wilson's Odyssey recaptures what is epic about this wellspring of world literature.
Dead Beautiful by Melanie Dugan
Dead Beautiful asks: what if Persephone, like many adolescent girls, didn’t tell her mother the whole truth? What if Hades didn’t abduct her? What if she made the decision to go with him? (She is, after all, 18 millennia old.)
