im a massive fan of greek mythology retellings, but this book made me realise my enjoyment is directly related to if i have read the original story first. i wasnt familiar with the stories of oedipus and antigone prior to reading this, and so i had nothing to compare it to. which means this mediocre rating is completely my fault.i think if i had had some background knowledge or a general idea of the story, i wouldnt have found this so boring. the writing is actually quite lovely (its actually th...

‘’When you have grown up as I have, there is no security in not knowing things. In avoiding the ugliest truths because they can’t be faced...Because that is what happened the last time, and that is why my siblings and I have grown up in a cursed house, children of cursed parents…’’ I admit I am always extremely apprehensive when I read the words ‘’overlooked’’ and ‘’silenced’’ when writers and blurbs refer to more obscure literary or legendary figures. ‘’Overlooked’’ by whom? Myths are exactl

I just didn’t enjoy this one, but like another reviewer has said, it wasn’t due to poor writing on Haynes’ part, more poor storytelling. From a linguistic point of view, Haynes writes well. The vocabulary she draws upon is clearly broad, and the writing style is mature. By that I mean it has sophisticated construction, as opposed to the narrower vocabulary and simpler sentence construction of books aimed at younger readers. Haynes’ writing does lack a certain imagination and creative flair when

No, a retelling of the Oedipus myth without the incest doesn't work. And it's unfair to say that it's merely a matter of turning off that part of your brain that disagrees with authorial changes to the myth as it came from Sophocles and Aeschylus and Euripides, as I've read in another review. It sounds condescending, and entirely ignores the fact that, whilst a retold version sure has the right to change all and any elements an author sees fit (and the Greek playwrights used to do it, too), it d...

An exemplary work of art. Classics geeks, rejoice! For others: Oedipus is a character much known by the public conscious (with dubious thanks to Freud?) so do give it a try. The novel steadfastly adheres to existing plot points in the associating tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides (with a clever nod to the Homeric Odyssey), yet the tale we assume we are familiar with morphs into something entirely spectacular. As female characters are blessed with life and agency, and in turn stand out from th...

In The Children of Jocasta, Natalie Haynes expertly brings to life the overlooked females in two well known Ancient Greek tragedies: Oedipus and Antigone.We follow Jocasta (Oedipus) and Ismene (Antigone) in alternating chapters as  Haynes weaves a wonderfully immersive and emotive story stripped of magic and focusses on rationalising these myths. Now while I admit that I knew the vague outline of the Oedipus tragedy (very, very vaguely - I certainly didn't know who Jocasta was) before reading, I...

This retelling of Oedipus Rex and Antigone centers Jocasta and Ismene as the protagonists, attempting to give both of them more of a voice in the story. Because I'm a professional dilettante and do everything backwards, it is likely I will be rereading Sophocles soon. Did you know that Polyneices and Eteocles kill each other???? It surprised me!!!The beginning of the book was really promising, particularly the opening scene where Ismene is attacked by an unknown assailant ((view spoiler)[I thoug...

I've been wanting to read more ancient Greek/myths retailings for a while. It seemed to be a popular thing to write about for a short while and I want more. At first while listening to this I didn't think it would be a four stars. While the writing is good it didn't cause any strong feelings but by the end I wad hooked on the story

I have never read the tragedy of Oedipus, but I have watched it as a play.Reading this retelling in the perspective of Jocasta and Ismene was poignant.The storytelling was well delivered and I was enticed by the characters.

The author said she was playing "fast and loose" with the myths.Understatement of the year.Not only she omits the core of the myth (the incest)-which renders all the rest meaningless-but she uses ridiculous nicknames noone with a basic knowledge of Greek would use and she blurs Antigone´s role and personality by pastiching them unto Ismene. There are anacronisms too,and the writing´s not that good.I liked A Thousand Ships,but this one is offensive and disrespectful.

5 Stars - Remarkable book I think it’s fair to say that retellings of Greek myths and literature where women are now at the main characters is now my favorite genre of books – is that a genre? Well, I’m making it one. Natalie Haynes took Jocasta from Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus and Ismene from Antigone and made them the main characters in stories in which they have a part but has been overlooked. The story flows well despite switching back and forth between Isy and Jocasta’s stories. A large par...

Everyone who knows me even a little bit will probably know that I am the biggest imaginable fan of the Oedipus and Antigone myths - and Ismene, Antigone's overlooked sister, has long been one of my favourite figures in Greek Mythology. So imagine how excited I was to spot this book on a display: it felt like the book I'd always needed in my life.Perhaps that's why this book didn't actually make a massive impression on me; I'm so attached to the myths and my own interpretations of them, that the

Loved this almost to the end. I think it helps to know the Oedipus story, although you can definitely go into this blind and experience the twists and turns, as all is revealed. For me, I fell a little out of love about 50 pages from the end. The plot took some turns I wasn't entirely on board with and some of the dialogue started to get a bit clunky, or at least I started to notice it. After reading Natalie Haynes' notes at the back of the book, on why she made particular decisions, I quickly f...

"But no one will remember me, the youngest daughter. I don't matter, do I?" In Sophocles's tragedies, Jocasta and Ismene don't matter. The Children of Jocasta aims to redeem these invisible women and reframe their tales so that not only do they matter, they are the focus of a story that has traditionally spotlighted the epic tragedies of Oedipus, Creon and Antigone and eschewed the subtlety of their less assertive family members.To some extent, this book succeeds. I can't deny that Natalie Ha