My Goodreads review: Stone Blind

[ankh_hpl]

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is one of the (many) times I'd like to have a 3.5 star rating option.

I've enjoyed Natalie Haynes' work in the past, and I was looking forward to listening to her read Stone Blind in her so-perfect voice for Greek mythology. I was ready for the multiple viewpoints and the quick cuts between them, although listening rather than reading does make it slightly harder to keep track of who is saying what. What I wasn't quite ready for, unfortunately, was the novel's very limited scope.

Although she devotes time to a remarkable number of gods, goddesses, mortals, & others involved in Medusa's story, there just isn't much forward motion in the plot. I'm guessing this was a considered choice. Medusa, after all, didn't live to a ripe old mythic age. She was also the victim of the deep-down pettiness of more than one Greek deity. Haynes does an excellent job of showing the reader exactly how petty they were, and of course provides the feminist viewpoint her readers came for. Her dry wit shines through time & again, and the ending is quite heartbreaking. The whole just did not work for me as well as, say, A Thousand Ships did, because there isn't nearly as much going on.

I'd still recommend this to readers/listeners looking for a deep dive into Greek mythology from the female viewpoint. I came away feeling as though I'd learned a great deal. I just didn't enjoy the journey quite as much as I'd hoped to. Also -- personal confession -- I've always liked Athena. And this novel, for good reasons, doesn't.








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