Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

19 reviews

angelofthetardis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The myth of Medusa is beautifully retold in this book by Natalie Haynes, turning the focus from the 'hero' Perseus to the woman with the deadly gaze. Abandoned by her divine parents and victimised over and over again through no fault of her own, this book poses the question of just who really is the monster in this tale?

The book is written from the point of view of several different characters (much like 'A Thousand Ships'), utilising both third and first person perspectives. And yet the book still flows really well and keeps you immersed. I particularly liked the chapters that 'break the fourth wall' and address the reader directly - you can definitely sense the author's own attitude and comedic prowess coming through in those pages.

Equally though, because of the constant shifting in perspectives it doesn't always feel like you're getting the depth you want; it is very much skimming the surface. The chapters are also quite short, so it is a lot of bouncing around - the story is linear, but it's hard to tell how much time is passing between chapters, sometimes due to the author's own phrasing. For example, we know that Perseus has two months to retrieve the head of a Gorgon and return home to save his mother from an unwanted marriage. But at one point, the author includes the line (paraphrasing) 'she could have been married and had three kids by now!' And yet he manages to return home with a day to spare? I know that time is immaterial to Gods and this is illustrated throughout, but there's just something about the way it's written that muddies the waters a bit for me.

I've been listening to Natalie Haynes a lot recently - both her audio version of 'A Thousand Ships' and her Radio 4 show 'Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics' on Spotify, so I feel like I'm getting a good grasp of the way she expresses herself. As a result, it was very easy to 'hear' her reading the words in my head and this gave the book an extra lift.

While I knew the story of Medusa, I didn't know the wider story of Perseus and how he came to pursue her nearly as well, so this was something of a reintroduction to me. Overall, while this book is about Medusa, the author very cleverly balances the other strands of the tale, both human and divine. If you aren't familiar with the story, there are a couple of moments earlier on which do throw the reader and make you wonder how a mortal queen with vanity issues links into the story, but everything weaves together seamlessly and all is revealed as you progress. However, this does also raise a criticism - there's just not quite enough Medusa for me!

This books also highlights some of the 'problems' with Greek myths generally. How many times must a mortal woman be punished for being the victim of a God forcing himself upon her? I love the stories of Ancient Greece, always have, but I don't think it's ever come across to me so starkly that the men (human and Gods) aren't always quite as heroic or divine as they might seem, and how vindictive the Goddesses can be, even when it should be obvious to all that they're taking their anger out on the wrong person. This is one of the reasons I love these feminist retellings though; some of the women involved absolutely deserve to be seen in a different light!

Clever, different and a good read.

Content Warnings

goblinbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I want to preface this by saying that I am a major Medusa fan (if you can say that), but I truly really loved this book.

The switching between many perspectives

(including her snakes and also some olive trees)

, made this ancient story still feel very fresh and interesting.

The author also took a holistic approach and investigated all the surrounding myths that all contributed to Medusa and Perceus. Haynes obviously deeply cares about the content of her stories and I can't wait to read more.

Content Warnings

javafenn's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was a great take on the story of Medusa and her sisters and how the various tales of the various Greek myths intertwined with her own, tragic story. I loved the authors interpretation and delicate care of Medusa’s story and she narrates the book herself! Though several parts are beyond tragic, she adds lightheartedness and levity to the situations.

Content Warnings

garnethalo's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'll never look at Perseus the same. With the switching veiwpoints, I understood Medusa, the gods, and Perseus better. And I definitely have favorites. A wonderful, captivating read.

Content Warnings

stellahadz's review

Go to review page

adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

"Who decides what is a monster?"

Aside from the final chapter, I wouldn't call this book a retelling so much as a reframing; the character of Medusa is given space to be a fully fleshed-out character as opposed to simply a monster. Haynes turns the idea of a "hero" on its head through the character of Perseus, who is portrayed as impulsive, bratty, and incompetent instead of brave and adventurous. The tone of the story is elegant and wise but not overly serious - as much as I enjoyed Madeline Miller's books, I found that they lacked levity. I appreciated that there was some humor in Stone Blind. It helps the book feel more modern, reinforcing the idea that its themes and topics are still relevant. I liked the multiple POVs and getting to see how the different aspects of the story tied together through different characters.

Overall a super enjoyable read. I'm often skeptical of Greek mythology retellings, but this one definitely exceeded my expectations and I'm very interested in reading more of Haynes's work.

Content Warnings