With a look that would turn men to stone, Medusa has earned her place in Greek mythology as the ruthless Gorgon, with a head of snakes.

The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Onto this island sails a young lad, Perseus, who is on a quest, also at the behest of his fickle elders. The words “text” and “textile” share a common Latin root, and throughout antiquity there was a persistent connection between the two.So often [Medusa’s] robbed of agency, turned into a monster, and used as a stepping stone for heroes. I’d been looking forward to this retelling of Medusa’s tale since it was announced and thankfully, Jessie Burton didn’t let me down. Well, I think it's easier being told you're a handsome boy than it is to be told you're a beautiful girl. The feminist spin on the myth is absolutely incredible, with every possible problematic thought being challenged directly. Just as enraged as Poseidon, Athena turns each and every strand of Medusa’s beautiful hair into a snake.

This was different to other retellings, combining elements from classic versions of the myth and offering something unique too. It’s true of not just her own luminous, astute retellings, but also of Burton’s bracing and powerful Medusa. She first fell under the spell of the myths when an older brother bought her a copy of Kenneth McLeish’s Children of the Gods.Burton’s interpretation of Medusa is not the stereotypical fixation of a monster deployed as an opponent in a hero’s golden quest. The prose is beautiful and unambiguous in keeping with the author’s intention to make this story accessible to a younger audience. Then again, what if this is a beautiful youth who offers word of outside, news, stories of the gods and then of his mother and Athena… Furthermore, what if she trusts him so that she might risk everything? Burton allows us to see and to believe that we contain multitudes, and that we can be the hero of our own story. But when the charmed and beautiful Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is blown apart, unleashing desire, love… and betrayal.

Jessie Burton’s retelling of the Medusa story turns several of the recognised elements about Medusa on its head. Your words, like your reviews, bring books to life and give them a voice before the front cover is even turned. Adapted from the hardback illustrated by Olivia Lomenech-Gill, this paperback edition is perfect for readers who loved Circe and Ariadne, as Medusa comes alive in a new version of the story that history set in stone long ago. The Miniaturist was also a New York Times bestseller, selling a million copies in its first year, and was adapted for television for BBC One. Medusa, in this version, is a lonely young girl , the victim of a horrific act of rape, exiled to a “half-life”, disfigured and insecure, fearful for her future, loved and protected by her sisters but seething with rage within.Una reflexión sobre cómo los dioses, reyes y hombres se han encargado de guiar las vidas de las mujeres a su gusto y convenio por el poder que la sociedad les ha dado. Medusa was a fourteen-year-old girl who had drawn the attention of Poseidon and Athena for the wrong reasons.