Stone Blind: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Love this, great fun to read. Written with tongue in cheek and very much a slightly different take on greek gods and legends, thinking about it the storyline made more sense than the usual telling.

Not my usual style of literature but it was recommended to me. It is beautifully written and based on some well-known Greek myths and legends. While the stories are not original, the feminist take on them is. I enjoyed it but I am unlikely to read another.

Excellent retelling of the Medusa myth by renowned classisist Haynes. Everything Miss Haynes does with regards to her subject (podcasts, fiction, non-fiction etc) is brilliant. She wears her expert knowledge lightly with her infectious enthusiasm. Highly recommend all her work.

I picked this up because the concept sounded fascinating, and there are some beautifully written passages throughout. The author's take on the familiar myth feels fresh in places, and there are moments that really make you stop and think.That said, I struggled to stay engaged with the pacing. Some chapters felt repetitive, and I never quite connected with the characters as much as I expected. It wasn't a bad read by any means, but it took me longer to finish than most books of a similar length.Overall, it's a well-written novel with an imaginative approach, but it didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping for. Worth trying if you enjoy mythological retellings, but it wasn't a standout for me.

Stand up comedian and classicist Haynes is SUCH a superlative writer, with, inevitably, a unique voice. I believe her accounts of the myths of the Hellenic world, and their Pantheon, stands equal to some other giant writers in this field – Mary Renault, Pat Barker, Madeleine Miller. What differentiates her from these others is her ‘stand-up’, comedic persona. Comedy is not really a territory one expects from the bloody, often horrific origins from the stories of those times. Of course, though, she is also in good company with her sources, as those Greek playwrights did use dark humour in their writing, to entertain as well as horrify and instruct.Here, she tells the story of Gorgon Medusa, whose glance could petrify – literally – and the story of how she came to be, how she came to be such a death star. It wasn’t her fault, though, in Haynes’ telling, she was just another victim of a rapacious god. In this case, Poseidon, god of the sea, raped Medusa, but because he did it in Athena’s temple, profaning the goddess of wisdom’s sacred space, who does Athena furiously punish. Why, the victim, of course. So – maybe the Monster wasn’t the monster, and she was just someone different from most of those around her. Here is where Haynes is so powerful. She doesn’t bludgeon her readers with the deeper meanings of her tellings or deconstructions, but she does inevitably make the reader think, not only about the deeper meaning then, but the long lessons coming down through time.And what of the ‘Hero’ here, the Gorgon-slayer Perseus. Haynes very firmly, very quickly, inserts herself as an overview authorial voice, saying ‘he no hero, he just another vicious thug’. I must admit I was shocked, as in my childhood and later readings of the Greek myths, he was, for sure, hero, just as Medusa was the monster. Haynes quite quickly shows how an early event in Perseus’ ‘heroic’ mission where he tricked another group of ‘monsters’, the Graeae, sisters to the Gorgons. The Graeae were decrepit and elderly with only one eye and one tooth between the three of them. Through twenty-first century vision, we might view the teenage Perseus a little differently.Mind you, he also didn’t have the best beginning. He’s a half god, one of Zeus’ many children, conceived by Zeus’ own serial predator, serial rapist actions, where he assumes fake identities and forces himself on unwilling women.The only reason I have dropped a half-star (and then rounded up) is because earlier this year I read Haynes’ A Thousand Ships’ her extraordinary telling of the whole background to the Greco-Trojan War, the history of the House of Atreus and the House of Aegisthus. Of course those jealous, vengeful, oh so like the worst of us gods were at the heart of all of this, but the inhabitation of this prime story of human propensity to conflict and war, and conflicts over land, identity, resources and who is the most powerful is a story still very much with us, right now, so its resonance is sharper. I recommend THAT book, with some urgency. And also this.

The author doesn’t mess around but this does sacrifice the attractiveness of the writing. Greek myth often lends itself to a poetic rhythm regardless of theme. That is missing here. The story moves quickly almost like a first draft. It’s funny, moving, and there’s one particularly horrifying scene (not hard to guess which one given the title). Great if you’re interested in Medusa for any reason whatsoever!

Bought on recommendation

Nice book, but I'm disappointed the first page has been printed upside down. The spear graphic should be shown on the red tab that protrudes from the front cover. I'm glad it wasn't a gift for someone. It was delivered quickly however, and the rest of it seems to be printed ok.

War ein Geschenk

Un retelling mitologico della storia di Medusa, che incrocia anche le vicende di altri personaggi.Un libro molto carino e scorrevole ma personalmente avrei preferito una maggiore profondità, soprattutto nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi. Il più esemplare fra tutti sotto questo punto di vista Perseo, rappresentato solamente come un ragazzino spregevole e privo di forza di volontà... Certo, abbiamo letto e riletto del Perseo eroe figlio di Zeus che uccide una creatura temibilissima diventando esempio per tutti, ma in una storia che pare avere così a cuore il punto di vista singolare di ciascuno dei personaggi avrei apprezzato che anche il suo fosse rispettato. Sicuramente la scelta dell'autrice è giustificata dal fatto che il narratore non predilige particolarmente questo personaggio, però essendo tutto il libro caratterizzato proprio da un desiderio di risaltare il punto di vista anche dei più biasimati mi sarebbe piaciuto leggere di un ragazzo che, sicuramente con dei difetti, aveva anche i suoi motivi.Il punto di vista che cambia ad ogni capitolo non è dei miei stili preferiti perché a mio avviso si vanno a perdere i tratti più interni dei personaggi, il che gioca un ruolo chiave nell'attaccamento che generano nel lettore; infatti credo che per questo sia una storia piacevole ma che non rimane nel cuore.In generale ho trovato altri libri dell'autrice molto più interessati all'esplorazione dei singoli contesti, mentre questo mi è sembrato troppo incentrato sul tema del mostro andando a perdere tutto ciò che lo circonda.

gostei do livro

Medusa only appears in few chapters when I thought the book is about her but not really.

I loved her book a thousand ships so bought this immediately when it came out loved it equally I will read it again and again I know already side note the audio book is just as good and because the author reads it you know it is read the way it was intended to be. I recommend both, should she ever read our reviews I hope one day you tackle Medea, or the trojan war again but from the opposite end there is so much story there to be told.