Release Date: February 1, 2010
In Greek mythology, Alcestis is known as the good wife; she loved her husband so much that she died to save his life and was sent to the underworld in his place. In this poetic and vividly imagined debut, Katharine Beutner gives voice to the woman behind the ideal, bringing to life the world of Mycenaean Greece, a world peopled by capricious gods, where royal women are confined to the palace grounds and passed as possessions from father to husband.
Alcestis tells of a childhood spent with her sisters in the bedchamber where her mother died giving birth to her and of her marriage at the age of fifteen to Admetus, the young king of Pherae, a man she barely knows, who is kind but whose heart belongs to a god. She also tells the part of the story that’s never been told: What happened to Alcestis in the three days she spent in the underworld before being rescued by Heracles? In the realm of the dead, Alcestis falls in love with the goddess Persephone and discovers the true horror and beauty of death.
Books that make you go hmmm....is a feature where I post about a novel I stumbled across that I'm not quite sure about - novels that can either be really great or really crappy.
What think you? Will you be reading this novel?
hhmmmmmmmmmmm......
Ooh...ahh..this looks excellent. Makes for a good "Waiting On" Wednesday post, if I do say so myself.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a really interesting premise! It is going on my list.
ReplyDeleteYes I will becausae I would like to read more things set in Ancient Rome, or cultures that I don't read too often. Thanks Amy!
ReplyDeleteIt could be good. I like alternate takes on mythology, although I'm not too sure about the "falling in love with Persephone" thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm going yes for this one, I love Greek mythology so sounds pretty good to me!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds interesting. I love reading about the Ancient Greeks. Karen Essex's book Stealing Athena is a good one for that.
ReplyDeleteI too love Greek mythology so I might have to give this oen a try
ReplyDeletehave you started Wolf Hall yet by the way? How are you liking it? I'm trying to read but its hard now that I'm pregnant and not feeling as well. I spend a lot of time alternating from bed o bathroom and don't have much time to sit and read for long periods yet so haven't put much of a dent into the book yet.
This book does look interesting to me. I am going to keep my eye out for this book when it's released and grab a copy. Thanks for the heads up on this, I probably wouldn't have seen it anywhere else.
ReplyDeletewowwwww! And that cover is equally good!
ReplyDeleteAh, hmmmm. The premise sounds... unique. You read it first and tell me what you think. ;)
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