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Overview
Many years have passed since the end of the Trojan War, and Penelope is still waiting for her husband, Odysseus, to return home. The city of Ithaka is overrun with uncouth suitors from the surrounding islands who are vying to win Penelope's hand in marriage, thereby gaining control of the land. When a naked, half-drowned man washes up on the beach, everything changes. . . .
Told through the eyes of Klymene, a young girl who is like a daughter to Penelope—and who longs for more than friendship from the young prince Telemachus—Ithaka captures the quiet strength and patience of a woman's enduring love for her husband and the ensuing chaos that threatens all as Penelope is pressured to remarry.
Synopsis
Everything you didn't know about Homer's Odyssey, as told by the women of Ithaka
Publishers Weekly
In this sequel to Troy, Geras once again shows her skill at fashioning multidimensional characters from mythological figures and making them accessible to a 21st-century audience. Set in Ithaka during the aftermath of the Trojan War, the story unfolds from the point of view of 14-year-old Klymene, faithful servant to Queen Penelope. While Penelope anxiously awaits her husband's return from battle, trouble arises as suitors, convinced that Odysseus is dead, invade the court demanding that the queen choose one of them to marry. Meanwhile, a new member of the household, beautiful and fickle Melantho, wins the heart of Penelope's son, Telemachus, whom Klymene secretly adores. Klymene's faith and courage are repeatedly tested as the suitors reek havoc in the palace and her chances of winning Telemachus' heart seem to grow dimmer each day. As in Troy, the Gods and Goddesses (including Pallas Athene, Poseidon and Eros, among others, flit in and out of Klymene's sight) play a key role in determining various characters' fates. Lovers of Greek mythology will appreciate the authentic flavor of this book, but readers need not be familiar with The Odyssey to follow the plot or to recognize themes of loyalty and unrequited love, which are brilliantly and movingly displayed throughout this ambitious, gripping novel. The author's feminist perspective once again adds a fresh, thought-provoking twist to the classic tale. Ages 14-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In this sequel to Troy, Geras once again shows her skill at fashioning multidimensional characters from mythological figures and making them accessible to a 21st-century audience. Set in Ithaka during the aftermath of the Trojan War, the story unfolds from the point of view of 14-year-old Klymene, faithful servant to Queen Penelope. While Penelope anxiously awaits her husband's return from battle, trouble arises as suitors, convinced that Odysseus is dead, invade the court demanding that the queen choose one of them to marry. Meanwhile, a new member of the household, beautiful and fickle Melantho, wins the heart of Penelope's son, Telemachus, whom Klymene secretly adores. Klymene's faith and courage are repeatedly tested as the suitors reek havoc in the palace and her chances of winning Telemachus' heart seem to grow dimmer each day. As in Troy, the Gods and Goddesses (including Pallas Athene, Poseidon and Eros, among others, flit in and out of Klymene's sight) play a key role in determining various characters' fates. Lovers of Greek mythology will appreciate the authentic flavor of this book, but readers need not be familiar with The Odyssey to follow the plot or to recognize themes of loyalty and unrequited love, which are brilliantly and movingly displayed throughout this ambitious, gripping novel. The author's feminist perspective once again adds a fresh, thought-provoking twist to the classic tale. Ages 14-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Rollie Welch
Author Adele Geras continues her version of Odysseus's epic journey by shifting sites from the battlefields of Troy, wonderfully described in this book's predecessor Troy, to Odysseus's home island of Ithaka. The intricate story of lust and betrayal is seen through the eyes of Klymere, a handmaiden to the island's queen. All is not well as the island inhabitants longingly await their king's return from war. Pressured to select a new husband from the cast of unsavory suitors lolling on the palace's grounds, Penelope wavers about remaining pure for her husband. But this is also a story about loyalty. Argos, Odysseus's dog, is the story's noblest character as the hound patiently waits for his master's return. Cameo appearances by the Gods, wielding control over the wretched humans, make this historical tale unique. It's recommended, but not necessary, to have read Troy to fully appreciate Ithaka.VOYA
This companion novel to Troy (Harcourt, 2001/VOYA June 2001), tells the story of how Penelope, her household, and Telemachus wait patiently for Odysseus's return to Ithaka. Tragedy envelops the lives of Penelope's handmaiden, Klymene, and her twin brother, Ikarios, after a treacherous young woman joins the household and everyone becomes increasingly subject to the menace of the ugly crowd of suitors that are now encamped around Penelope's palace. Meanwhile as years pass, Penelope heeds Pallas Athene's advice and continues to weave the stories that will bring Odysseus back home despite her growing love for the suitor, Leodes, and the pressure for her to remarry. Geras masterfully weaves her own story around those of Penelope, Klymene, and Telemachus while remaining true to the spirit of Homer's epic. Her text contains lovely poetic passages that reverberate with the rhythm of Penelope's loom as Penelope weaves in colored wools the scenes that tell of Odysseus's journey. The passing of time is marked movingly through the dreams of Argos, Odysseus's dog, who sleeps through endless seasons of waiting. The figures of Poseidon and Pallas Athene and other deities haunt the text as they do the text of The Odyssey. Geras's novel grows in power as her child protagonists grow into adolescence in pace with the growing violence of Penelope's suitors and with their eventual slaughter on Odysseus's return. This title, especially when read with Troy, can introduce young people to the power of story in Homer's epics as well as being a beautifully written story in its own right. VOYA CODES: 5Q 3P S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High,defined as grades 10 to 12). 2006, Harcourt, 368p., Ages 15 to 18.—Hilary S. Crew