Stone Blind

I don't think I've ever conciously DNF'd something before, so this will be my very first DNF ever.

It probably isn't even as bad as it sounds, but it IS extremely boring and that is the reason I am not wasting another minute on it ... not even as an audiobook.
It's basically a lazy re-telling of the OG sagas so if you already know your way around them this will be very dull for you. The book switches between scenes and characters (gods and lesser) every chapter without making anything sound even remotely interesting.

Medusa is NOT the main character of this, not at all. If you're searching for a story with her, rather than touching her story here and there this is also not the place to find it.

Medusa who?

this book was about everyone but Medusa

I love retellings of and new takes on fairy tales, myths, etc., so Stone Blind was an easy choice for me. I was especially excited to read this one because although I’m somewhat familiar with greek mythology, I’ve never read much about Medusa beyond the standard stuff.

The description of Stone Blind is extremely Medusa-heavy, so I went into it thinking most of it was going to be all about Medusa. Her origins, life, how she was cursed, and Perseus and his quest. And that story was there, but it also kind of felt like Medusa was just in the background for a lot of the book. There wasn’t as much of a “Medusa is the Main Character” feeling as I expected and I do feel disappointed about that.

The story of Medusa and Perseus is there, but the book is also about all of these women and maybe more I can’t remember because I already returned the book to the library:

Metis, ex-wife of Zeus

Hera, wife of Zeus

Athene, daughter of Zeus

Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon

Stheno, one of Medusa’s sisters

Euryale, the other of Medusa’s sisters

Phorcys, mother of the three gorgons

Danae, mother of Perseus

Cassiope, queen of Ethiopia

Andromeda, princess of Ethiopia

Natalie Haynes tells their stories just as much as she tells the story of Medusa and Perseus if not more.

Because of that, Stone Blind feels a little all over the place. Each chapter follows a different character and there are <i>a lot</i> of characters. But for all jumping around, everything ended up coming together and making sense in the end.

Speaking of all these characters, it’s a little difficult to keep track of everyone at first. I think partly because it jumps around so much but also because there are so many people that Haynes had to include a list of some (not all) of them with descriptions of who they are in the front of the book. But surprisingly, it wasn’t actually as bad as I thought it would be, and each character is brought to life perfectly. Medusa and her sisters are instantly lovable, Athene is amazing, Zeus is a cranky mofo which is exactly how I always imagined he’d be, Perseus is… Perseus.

There are a lot of powerful women in Stone Blind and we get to see a lot of the sometimes inspiring, sometimes frustrating ways each one of them used that power. A blurb on the back of the book from Glamour (UK) says that it is “A fierce feminist exploration of female rage…” and, yes. This exploration is not subtle or gentle. It’s funny, it’s witty, it’s in-your-face, and I like that.

PS great ending A+

It wasn't as good as I thought it would be, as I put out on library hold with anticipation of a delicious read after hearing the author on a podcast. Perhaps part of my disappointment was in overly high expectations and not enough background in Greek mythology. Don't let this discourage you, though. I did enjoy it, and especially the alternative view of Medusa's legend the book gives us – it's hard not to like Medusa after this, despite what you learned long ago.

3.75 !

This was excellent! Sooo funny and well-written.

I really want the Waterstones Special Edition of this book. I'm not above buying books solely for the cover but liking the book is a bigger incentive. So I read the book.

This is the retelling of Medusa's origin story. There are multiple POVs. Perseus is dumb. The gods were and have always been messy and their way of getting back at one another is just sad. I'm sure they thought they were cool but they were S.A.D..

This was a fun read. I might actually re-read it again. The critiques are valid, though. Medusa's point of view is not really highlighted as much. It didn't feel like Medusa's story. It was everyone else's story and how Medusa's life was inconsequential and just a pawn that was used by absolutely everyone. Mind you, Medusa was beautiful and caring. She was just done completely wrong.

If you approach this read as a book on Greek gods or even a book of a series of unfortunate events then you might be less disappointed.

Good story about Greek mythology... However, Medusa is on like 2 pages of the entire book.

Incredibly beautiful retelling of Medusa's story. Natalie Haynes did a spectacular job of painting us a full picture of the events leading up to Medusa's birth, her life, unjust punishment, and her eventual, unwarranted, demise.

This book left me devastated and emotional in the best way; I could not put it down. I loved seeing the other perspectives in the world and how the choices of both gods and mortals were connected, both directly and indirectly. Medusa was a victim of immortal hubris and I am happy we got to see every angle of the story in this way. I will always recommend this book to anyone even slightly interested in mythology.

I've absolutely adored the author's A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar, especially her audiobook narration, so there was no doubt I was gonna read this book. But even when I got the ebook, I waited till I got the audio because I knew I had to listen to it. And I'm glad I waited.

This book is also very much told in the author's signature style - while it may be Medusa's story, we get many many POVs of gods and demigods and immortals and mortals and more, along with the author's ever present sarcastic humor which masks her anger at some of the proceedings. It makes for very entertaining reading, especially because I was also simultaneously listening to the audiobook and she is as always a very engaging narrator.

I really sympathized with Medusa and loved her relationship with her sisters but would have loved to see more of her POV, so that I could understand her feelings better. The disdain the gods feel for anyone who is not them is just hard to fathom and I can't say I liked any of them. Perseus and Athene are especially two I just couldn't stand because they could see nothing beyond themselves most of the time. And the author is again successful at highlighting how whoever the fault may lie with, it's ultimately the women who suffer, and they have no recourse. It's anger inducing and while the sufferings and conclusions of these women don't change in these retellings, it's still nice to put some blame on the actual people responsible and not the ones who didn't have any choice in the matter.

I'm conclusion, I'll definitely recommend this book if you enjoy Greek mythology retellings, but don't go in expecting only Medusa's story despite what it says on the cover. Audiobook will definitely make you appreciate it more because the author is a master at narration. And I'm already eager to see whose story the author will decide to tackle next.

 "Who are you to decide who is a monster?"

What it's about:
A retelling of the Medusa myth from a more female-centred perspective via multiple POVs of gods, mortals and demigods involved.

“I'm wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on what you think that word means. Monsters are, what? Ugly? Terrifying? Gorgons are both these things, certainly, although Medusa wasn't always. Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying? Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty.”

My thoughts:

• Not quite what I expected as it has a wider focus than just Medusa's story. Not a bad thing, just I was expecting more Medusa and less everyone else.
• As expected, female perspectives are given more time and prominence than in more traditional tellings.
• Shows how Medusa and other mortals are victims of the squabbles and disputes between the gods.
• I enjoyed the characterisation of the wide and varied cast. The author did a great job of giving them distinct personalities in very few words.

“Vengeful and cruel, always blaming women for what men do to them. She has always been like this. You know she has.” 

I was looking forward to this and I'm genuinely quite disappointed. I liked Haynes' ‘The Children of Jocasta' (though I had issues) and I really liked ‘A Thousand Ships'. I also enjoyed her Pandora's Jar collection of essays.

‘Stone Blind' was just so... dull.

For a book about Medusa, there was remarkably little Medusa. Multiple points of view worked in ‘A Thousand Ships', a novel discussing at length the experiences of women during the events of the Iliad. Here, it rings hollow, though some are somewhat creative with the Medusa's snakes' chapter being particularly memorable (though even this one ends on an eye-roll provoking unsubtle final exchange). There is Perseus, there is Poseidon, there is Andromeda and Athene, all featured here in cartoonishly one-dimensional roles. Yes, they all feature significantly in Perseus' story and so their actions impact her. But this is said to specifically be Medusa's story. Due to the unfocused nature of the narrative I never felt any kind of urgency to get back to her. To her, or anyone else for that matter. Perhaps an approach not dissimilar to Madeleine Miller's ‘Circe' would have been more fulfilling in that sense?

Yet even as it stands, as a more traditional re-telling, it feels stilted. There is very little introspection and the narrator often interjects and tells you exactly how to feel. Beats you over the head with it, in fact. While I like the concept of a very opinionated and completely unreliable narrator, I don't feel it is executed well here. The abundance of attempted witticisms didn't work for me either.

There are some good moments of tension and atmosphere built well: Poseidon and Medusa in Athene's temple, for example, or the previously mentioned Medusa's snakes chapter. Those from the perspective of an Olive branch and a crow were also quite unique. Unfortunately, these were few and far between, and not enough to make the book compelling. Overall, it falls flat.

2/5 stars.