Cassandra: A Novel and Four Essay by Christa Wolf |
In this book, the basic summary is that it's about Cassandra and the steps she takes towards her fate of death. There are many good sites that give good information on the book.
There are many different reviews on this book that I feel help give a further understanding of the story. There is also a New York Times article that talks about the book, as well at Christa Wolf. It gives some good background on Christa Wolf. Another good site that gives good information on Wolf is Britannica. Other reviews of Cassandra: - Review: Cassandra by Christa Wolf | (thebookbindersdaughter.com) - Cassandra by Christa Wolf – review | Fiction | The Guardian |
House of Names: A novel by Colm Tóibín |
House of Names is a rewrite of the first book we read, the Oresteia. It talks about the stories of Clytemnestra, the stories of Orestes, and the story of Electra. If you would like a summary of the Oresteia, check out my blog on the Oresteia!
As I was researching, I found a lot of reviews. These give good information on the book and the story. One specific review that I read was written by Heller Mcalpin of NPR. Another good review was by Kate Clanchy of The Guardian. Here is an article that gives some background on the author, Colm Tóibín. Here is an article of Tóibín |
The Lost Books of the Odyssey is a book literally about the lost books from the time period of the Odyssey! It includes 44 chapters or "books" reimagined by the author Zachary Mason. This book has many different events that took place during the Odyssey. So many characters are mentioned in the stories, making it interesting to read. There's so much to find out about the Odyssey that we don't already know. If you need a book review, check out this link. The author of the review does a good job going into detail and picking out their favorite parts. Here is a link on the author of the book, Zachary Mason. |
Circe is a book about a girl who is the daughter of the god of sun, Helios. It shows her struggles as she grows up and the events that happen as she grows up. Read more about the summary here, as well as a review. In this book, she discovers a secret power that she has. She uses that power to overcome being a misfit. She has an enemy which she has to come and face. She meets many different mythological figures and gods during her journey. Madeline Miller is an American writer, who first wrote the novel "The Song of Achilles" and won the Orange Award in 2012 for it. Here is more about the author Madeline Miller. |
The Penelopiad is a story about Penelope and her twelve Maids. The book is about Penelope's perspective of the Odyssey and her twelve Maids' perspective. Click here for more of the summary. During this book, Penelope narrates her own story about her life and her Maids have a separate commentary where they comment on her life as Penelope tells it. This book is an interesting read with a twist at the end. Here is a good book review by NPR for The Penelopiad. Margaret Atwood is a famous Canadian novelist, who is famous for her books including: Surfacing (1972), The Handmaid's Tale (1985), and Cat's Eye (1988). |