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.

a true tragedy that gives a poignant voice to the forgotten women of the Trojan war. my thoughts will be lingering with this retelling as my heart reflects upon its heart rending themes of motherhood, manipulation, sacrifice and grief.

i struggled with disproportionate pacing in the two narratives and this sadly caused some impact on my engagement with the book. i also think it’s beneficial for readers to either be previously familiar with the myth of oedipus or do a quick prerequisite brush up before diving in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating.

I LOVE a mythology retelling, and Natalie Haynes is the queen of mythology. My experience with her writing has been more around nonfiction, so I'm pleased to see a foray into fiction! I think we all ready Antigone in high school, so it's fun to revisit the story later in life. If you're a fan of the original story, you might see holes in the retelling. However, if you're open to the story being a retelling, this book was amazing.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes is a mixed third and first person multi-POV multi-timeline grounded historical fantasy retelling of the story of Oedipus and Jocasta. Jocasta is married off to the king of Thebes, who has gone too long without an heir and is uninterested in marriage, children or his new wife. When he dies and Oedipus presents an opportunity for Jocasta to become the ruler of Thebes, she takes it and marries him just two months after her husband’s death.

The two main POV characters are Jocasta herself and Ismene, Jocasta and Oedipus’ younger daughter. Ismene’s POV takes place ten years after the death of both of her parents and during the games during the reign of her two brothers, the current kings of Thebes. We get a lot of glimpses into the life of Ancient Thebes through her eyes, particularly in relation to subtle court politics and sports. Jocasta, on the other hand, has a different kind of interiority, focusing mostly on her loss of her first son while married to her first husband and her new marriage to Oedpius.

I would call this a historical fantasy because it’s based on a Greek myth and uses these mythological characters, but there aren’t a lot of fantasy elements. The only truly fantastical element is the mentions of the Oracle of Delphi but that doesn’t necessarily mean Apollo exists or that the prophecies are accurate. The Oracle of Delphi did actually exist, so if someone were to read this and say it’s a historical and not a historical fantasy, I would find it difficult to argue with them. If a reader is looking for not only a character-driven retelling of one of the most famous Greek myths focused on mortals but one that is incredibly grounded in the setting and the gods may or may not exist and how reality can become myth, this book might satisfy exactly what they are looking for.

What I thought was really interesting was the different relationships shown on the page and the highlighting of sibling relationships in particular. Ismene is focused on her sister, Antigone, and her two brothers, with Antigone as her strongest relationship. There probably isn’t a single chapter from Ismene’s POV that doesn’t at least mention her sister. Jocasta’s younger brother, Creon, is worried around her marriage to Oedipus and has concerns in his own marriage, but as he was quite young when Jocasta was married the first time and Oedipus doesn’t care for him, there’s not much Creon can really do for his sister except be a listening ear when she needs it even if she tries to use him as counsel, but he does have some plans of his own.

I would recommend this to fans of Greek myth retellings that are more grounded in history and have less fantastical elements, readers looking for an Oedipus retelling that talks about the incestuous themes but instead focuses on the logistical improbability of Oedipus being Jocasta’s child, and those looking for an Ancient Greece-set family drama

I know very little of the original story of Oedipus and Antigone, and I would say if you're a fan of the original work, this story might not be for you as it is a very, very loose retelling, but I still found myself enjoying Hayne's vision in the version she tells.

In all honesty, the book was a bit slow, which isn't bad in this case, but I was not a fan of the back and forth happening every chapter. I was in a constant state of wanting to continue the story from one character but also being curious about the story from the other point of view and feeling mildly unsatisfied until I finally reached the end.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

I definitely went through a mythology obsession as a teen and it has been fun to get back into it as an adult. This book focuses on the female characters who are often set aside in the traditional stories. This book tells the story of Jocasta, the mother of Oedipus, and Ismene, Jocasta's youngest daughter. I think it helpful to have a foundational knowledge of Oedipus and the story of Antigone for this book.

I loved how the author gave depth to Jocasta and Ismene's characters and fleshed out the story. I actually really appreciated the changes to the storyline and the tension created by the different timelines of the story.

Something I struggled with in this book was that the author often "told" us what was happening instead of "depicting" in the story what was occurring. This might be a preference of mine, but I found myself skipping through some paragraphs when it was just the "telling" of events because it felt tedious to read. I overall enjoyed the story and feel like this is a really great retelling and reframing of a classing Greek tragedy.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC.