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✨Book Review✨
The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes @nataliehaynesauthor

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢 is a captivating retelling of the Greek mythological story of Oedipus, but with a fresh and compelling perspective. Haynes shifts the narrative focus to the women at the heart of the myth, particularly Jocasta and Antigone (or Ismene in this book), giving them voice and depth beyond their traditional roles in the original myth.

While I think it helps to read the myth of Oedipus beforehand, this is equally enjoyable as I went into this blind. I had no idea on the myth of Oedipus. It was only after reading 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢 that I compared it to the original myth and I enjoyed the twists that this novel provides.

The novel alternates between the POVs of Jocasta and her daughter Ismene, drawing readers into their complex emotional lives. I love how Haynes is able to create multi-faceted characters in this, making them feel so much alive and nuanced. Personally, I love reading about Jocasta's POV more as she is portrayed as a strong female.

However, some parts do not work for me. While Jocasta is portrayed as a strong character, the way she talks sometimes proves otherwise. I am not a fan of the writing too in certain parts.

Haynes does an excellent job weaving together themes of destiny, trauma, revenge and personal gain, showing how each character attempts to exert control over their circumstances despite the weight of the prophecy that looms over them.

Overall, this is an enjoyable Greek myth retelling, filled with depth and sensitivity. Fans of Greek mythology, as well as those interested in strong, multidimensional female characters might love this. Haynes once succeeds in bringing new life to ancient stories, offering a feminist reimagining that enriches the original myth without losing its tragic power.
𝓜𝔂 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you Harper Perennial @harperperennial for sending me a copy of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢 my way

I devoured this story. Natalie Haynes did an amazing job crafting this book, her characters, plot, and setting were expertly written. The Children of Jocasta is split into two timelines. The first follows Jocasta from her marriage to King Laius at a young age through the rest of her life. The second follows her daughter, Ismene. If you're familiar with Sophocles" plays, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, many of these characters will be familiar to you. However, there's also a chance you won't enjoy the changes Haynes made to the stories, particularly one rather foundational aspect. I didn't have an issue with her changes, which might be due to my very minor knowledge of the myth.
I really enjoyed following Jocasta and Ismene through the story. I was never bored of either timeline, and was always eager to find out what happened next for both women. One aspect Haynes incorporated into the story was memory. Ismene is frequently remembering instances, particularly a traumatic die in her childhood. I loved learning a little bit of it from Ismene at the beginning then getting the day-of perspective from Jocasta and other characters. It made for great revelations throughout the story.
The story takes place in ancient Thebes. I've read myth retellings before, but I've never gotten the chance to truly explore an ancient city like we do in The Children of Jocasta. Since we follow members of the ruling family, we get details into the history and running of the city. I'm not an expert on ancient Greece, but Haynes' description of Thebes transported me there. I could picture the palace and the streets. Despite following a myth, this story felt so real.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Madeline Miller or other Greek retellings.
Thank you to Harper Perennial and Natalie Haynes via NetGalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

In this brilliant new reimagining of Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone, Natalie Haynes brings these Greek dramas to life from the perspectives of Jocasta and Ismene, alternating between the two as the two plays simultaneously unfold in this tragic turn of events. Starting with Jocasta’s marriage at just fifteen to the old king of Thebes and fifteen year-old Ismene when she is attacked in the palace, a decade after her parents’ deaths, readers discover how another new tragedy befalls the royal family of Thebes and Jocasta and Ismene’s roles in these events. Powerful and beautifully written, Haynes’ latest novel is another masterpiece that brings two dramatic narratives to life from the women’s perspectives, giving them the chance to shine and tell their overlooked stories. With so much tension, death, and drama in these pages, the suspense and confusion of the two stories is built up and handled incredibly well, and readers will love the sense of tension that Haynes ingrains in each page. Ismene and Jocasta are incredibly complex and flawed narrators, further adding to the suspense and confusion in this novel, and their narration, in combination with everything else, makes this a convoluted, dramatic, intense, and deeply enjoyable new addition to the Greek mythology retelling canon.

The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes is an intriguing retelling of the Oedipus myth, but I had mixed feelings about it. As someone who’s familiar with the original Greek myths, I found that the author took considerable liberties with the story, which may be off-putting for purists or Classicists who prefer a more faithful approach.

That said, the novel is still well-written and entertaining. Haynes brings a fresh perspective to the characters, particularly Jocasta and her children, exploring their emotions and struggles with depth. If you can set aside the deviations from the original myths, the story becomes an engaging and thought-provoking read.

Overall, while I wasn’t fully satisfied with the liberties taken, The Children of Jocasta is a compelling narrative with strong writing that will appeal to readers who enjoy reimaginings of classic tales.

The Greek tragedy of the Oedipus myth gets a unique and believable retelling.
Although this story is sad and tragic, Natalie Haynes does an amazing job of retelling this story in a relatable and believable way.
Unlike the origibal myth, the characters are fleshed out, being made sympathetic and relatable by Haynes. While the story remains a tragedy, i was more invested in the characters than the original telling, as Greek Myths and characters are often somewhat short and one dimensional.
I absolutely loved this book.
A big thanks to Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this ARC.

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!