An excellent retelling of the Oedipus myth, giving the spotlight to lesser known characters. This is an historical fiction retelling with no fantastical elements (gods, magic, etc) and it gives the story a very grounded feeling. We jump back and forth between two timelines of Jocasta getting married to her first husband and living her life in the palace, and then her children ruling after her death.

I was vaguely familiar with the Oedipus complex (about males loving their mothers) but not familiar with the mythological fable telling, so I went into this story with an open mind about the characters and the plot.

The story is told through two different timelines, one of Jocasta a young girl who is married off to King Laius of Thebes and a later story of her children running Thebes and the power struggles for control of the city, It took me a while to adjust to the twin narration and I was at times more interested in what was happening with Jocasta and her life than her children.

I enjoyed the story and the character development but I struggled with the pace of the story and the narrative seemed to slow down quite a lot in places. I found the story of how King Laius was killed interesting and the plague visitations to the city harrowing. I really liked the character of the tutor / guidance counsellor / physician and the role he played across all the stories.

I was vaguely familiar with the Oedipus complex (about males loving their mothers) but not familiar with the mythological fable telling, so I went into this story with an open mind about the characters and the plot.

The story is told through two different timelines, one of Jocasta a young girl who is married off to King Laius of Thebes and a later story of her children running Thebes and the power struggles for control of the city,

I enjoyed the story and the character development but I struggled with the pace of the story and the narrative seemed to slow down quite a lot in places. I found the story of how King Laius was killed interesting and the plague visitations to the city harrowing. I really liked the character of the tutor / guidance counsellor / physician and the role he played across all the stories.

After the first few chapters, I was somewhat confused what the POV of the story was, but I realized that it is supposed to be in the POV of a younger Jocasta and her children. I thought that was interesting, and it had me anticipate where in the story the lines might cross. I don’t think that Jocasta’s children are not named Eteo, Polyn, Ani, and Isy - so that was quite a choice by the author. In general, I enjoy Haynes’s style of writing - I’ve read other books by her and thought they were fine (wish they were more creative) - but for this one I thought there would be more room for storytelling.

The story centers on the women of Thebes, particularly Jocasta and her daughter Ismene, offering a fresh perspective on the well-trodden tales of Oedipus and Antigone. Haynes’ writing is elegant and insightful.

I loved how Haynes gave voice to characters that are often overshadowed in traditional narratives, adding layers of depth to their experiences. The pacing was mostly strong, but there were moments where the narrative felt a bit slow in exploring certain backstories.

Overall, this is a brilliantly woven tale that highlights the resilience of women in a patriarchal world, making it a must-read for anyone interested in mythology and strong character arcs.

This book was as beautiful as I have come to expect all of Haynes' books to be. She really excels at writing characters whose pain you can feel in every nerve of your body. One thing I love about her books is that she so beautifully transports her readers to a time and place in Greece like no author I have ever read. Haynes is an auto read author for me because, not only is she incredibly knowledgeable in the Greek myths, but she can write in a visceral way. If you are a fan of Haynes, this one will not let you down. If you've never read her before, this one is a great place to start, but don't stop here.

I enjoyed this re-telling of Oedipus from the viewpoint of Jocasta.
It has been awhile since I've read the original myth, but I did not feel lost throughout this story.
The writing was good and I enjoyed the story.
Would like to read more from this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

You probably know the story of Oedipus already: Jocasta has a baby boy. A prophesy says a son will kill his father, so the baby is sent to die on a hillside. A peasant finds the boy and raises him. The boy grows up, goes adventuring, unknowingly kills his bio-dad and marries his bio-mom. They have kids. This novel tells the story of Jocasta and those kids, and what happens to them after their parents learn who they are in relation to one another. It's ok. I wasn't blown away by any particularly original imagining of the people, and there are a number of draggy places that could be tightened up. I never really felt invested in the characters--they weren't very developed or deep.

I think that marketing this as a retelling of Oedipus is not accurate. From a mythology stand point this would have made for a great original story. I like Haynes writing and have always enjoyed the way that she spins a story. For me tho cutting what makes the Oedipus myth the story it is made for an expectation that wasn't met. That being said, I did enjoy the majority of the book and thought that the duel pov worked well for showing both the before and the aftermath.

🏺The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes [e-ARC Review]🏺

Genre: Greek mythology retelling
Length: 352 pages
Timelines: Dual
Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial Books for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions given are solely my own.

Synopsis:
This is the Greek mythology retelling of the classical story of Oedipus, but through the less considered perspective of Jocasta, his mother... and eventual wife. One timeline begins with Jocasta, beginning with her arranged marriage to the old king of Thebes at age 15. The second timeline is later and from her daughter Ismene's perspective. Both women suffer great tragedy and this story shares the myth from their eyes (no pun intended if you already know... 👀).

Opinion:
I always love a unique mythology retelling and this book definitely met the mark for me. I remember reading about Oedipus from the original Greek tragedy back in high school, but I loved this story from Jocasta's perspective. It is a tale of strength, love, motherhood, and loyalty, though it is of course, kind of eww if you recall that Oedipus falls in love and marries his mother. I suppose it is no wonder the gods cursed their family 😬... I thought this story was so well written and I really enjoyed the two timelines. Give this one a read!

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

The Children of Jocasta takes a slightly different take on the classic Oedipus story refocusing it on more of the female characters and grounding it in the historical context. I really appreciated the humanity that was brought into this story rather than the straight drama. Haynes balances the politics of this story in a way that I could easily picture on an HBO show. As always I'm excited to read whatever Haynes writes next.

Nope not for me. I like Greek mythology but this one tries to modernize a classic tale and missed the mark. I struggled through the entire book to finish and I skimmed through much of it. Too much narrative and not enough dialogue to for me. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Natalie Haynes is a marvel9us writer. Her style is sophisticated and intelligent,andherprose is a delight. I don't think I could ever take issue with her ability to tell a story well. That being said, I did not enjoy this novel as much as I had her previous works. While it is expectedthat a mythical retelling will have lots of flavor added by the author, I found this to have a few too many sour notes. The changes were rather extreme, from making Oedipus a mere child when he married Jocasta, to completely removing the pivotal role the incestuous relationship played. I feel like Haynes was trying to highlight how rumor can become fact through history, belief, and repetition-which I get. But strangely enough I'm most bothered by swapping the roles of the brothers. Why did she decided to brand Eteocles as the traitor in her story where it was Polyneices in the myth?

Haynes is one of my favorite authors of Greek myth retellings and I was excited to get this rerelease about the myths of Oedipus and Antigone but through the eyes of the women. Haynes definitely puts her own twist on this story but I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing them work through their family’s curse. The change in POVs worked well but I did gravitate towards Jocasta’s story more. Overall, another well written and interesting take on a famous myth.

I want to start off by saying that this book definitely was a twist on what I was expecting it to be and that’s not a bad thing.

I enjoyed the author’s writing and I applaud the wit of such an imaginative spin on a classic myth. Personally it feels better to describe this book almost as an alternative history over a retelling due to some of the bold choices regarding the original plot points. I was not upset by the take the author took and it’s okay to pay homage to a classic while still being creative. However, it was a little mystifying to find out some of the more well known tropes didn’t necessarily exist.

The story follows two main POV’s and I found myself favoring Jocasta’s over Isy’s, but that is just personal preference. I felt like Jocasta’s journey from girlhood, queen, to confident “basileia” was more entertaining while a little jumpy, whereas Isy’s pov maintained a more harmonious structure within her timeline. Overall, the book suggests a different narrative than the originals but I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read it.

I want to thank Harper Perennial and Netgalley for providing me access to this arc!

This is an interesting interpretation of Jocasta and her children but it changes the source material enough to have really removed me from the story.

It is not the book for me but I could appreciate a lot of the elements within the book.

The characters are well written and I love when women become the focus of typically male dominated stories.

The book was slow to hook me in.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Perennial Paperbacks for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great retelling and was very well written. This book was amazing and I really enjoyed it.

She has a nice flow to her actual writing, but I found the structure disjointed. The writing was somewhat modern and didn’t immerse me in the time period. However, my biggest complaint is the altering the story of Oedipus, omitting the incest which is the cornerstone to the family story. This wasn’t to my taste like her other books. Thank you to NetGalley and Mantle Main Market for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

3.5 stars. This is Haynes's retelling of the Oedipal and Antigone myths, but starring Jocasta, Oedipus' mother, and Ismene. daughter of Oedipus. And Jocasta. Granted, this retelling takes the incest out of the story. Which is very nice, however, the whole reason behind the TRAGEDY of it all, is the incest but somehow, Haynes makes it work.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perenial for this e-arc.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 22, 2024
“The Children of Jocasta” by Natalie Haynes is a sharp, clever retelling of the Greek stories of both Oedipus and Antigone, featuring the underrated and overlooked female characters.
Jocasta is fifteen years old and is forced to marry the King of Thebes, a much older man she has never met. Although her family will have some comfort knowing their daughter is safely married to the King, Jocasta knows that she herself will not know peace until her husband is dead. Then, a young Oedipus makes his way to the castle and Jocasta’s life is forever changed.
Ismene is an orphan, living in the palace with her siblings, under the guidance of her uncle. When she herself is fifteen, a gruesome event takes place that shocks her family and the entire kingdom, leaving Ismene to doubt everything and everyone she’s ever known and trusted.
A dual-timeline story told in alternating chapters by both Jocasta and her daughter, Ismene, “Jocasta” is a gripping fiction novel loosely based on the ancient Greeks. For those who are looking for a story that is true to the myth in every way, Haynes’ novel is not the place to start. However, “Jocasta” is a unique and creative retelling that highlights the question- what would have happened if the background characters (in this case, the overlooked wives and daughters) took centre stage?
“The Children of Jocasta” is heartbreaking and tragic, as is to be expected in a story based on a Greek tragedy, but it is superbly written. Jocasta and Ismene are powerful protagonists, who are easy to sympathize with and root for. Jocasta and Ismene’s stories intersect as the plot unravels, and all of the questions are answered by the final pages.
I am a fan of retellings (particularly Greek myths and fairy tales), but it takes a special talent in order to recreate such infamous stories and I believe that Haynes is one of those talents. “Jocasta” is well-researched, but the story is not simply a regurgitation of existing facts. Haynes adds her own level of imagination and creativity to the story, which allows modern readers to examine the story in a different way. Haynes “The Children of Jocasta” is a must-read for those who wonder about the other side of Greek myths, and question what would happen if the overlooked stepped out from the shadows to tell their own story.