Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth (Illustrated Gift Edition)

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You could take away my arms and legs, my body and my breasts; you could cut off my head and still not end the myth. You will not find my answer in the puzzle of a stony foot, you will not find me in my snakes. You will not find me in my deeds, nor in poems written by long dead men. But you will find me when you need me, when the wind hears a woman’s cry and fills my sails forward. And I will whisper in the water that one must never fear the raised shield, the reflection caught in an office window, or the mirror in a bathroom. Another little irritant was that I found my reading experience hampered by the book itself. Its really heavy and cumbersome to hold and I just found myself irritated. Also, the pictures are pretty, but honestly I think they sometimes overpowered the text or didn't really fit the tone for me personally. Preston, Alex (5 July 2022). "The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton review – bold and thrilling sequel to The Miniaturist". The Guardian . Retrieved 18 August 2022.

I marvelled that we could fall for each other without meeting face to face, that the mortal mind was capable of such gymnastics when it wanted.” A modern, feminist reimaging of a Greek myth. Medusa’s narrative provides an in depth and descriptive account for how Medusa and her sisters came to be cursed as Gorgons by the goddess Athena. Readers discover the motivations behind why Perseus came to the island where Medusa lived and become familiar with a more human side of Medusa as they access her innermost thoughts and feelings.As your life unfurls, what makes you sure your reasons are the right ones? You don't ever know for sure. You're simply trying to survive.” The Medusa. What did he mean, the Medusa? My name was Medusa, and I was a girl. Perseus had made me sound like a mythical beast. I didn't want to be a myth. I wanted to be me.”

But all myths have to start somewhere. As did Medusa's. She was once a young woman, happy to sail along the shores of her land, fishing and enjoying her freedom along with her sisters. Oblivious to whether or not she was beautiful, until she was “accused” of being just that in the small village where she lived. It ailed her to think of people either adoring or being jealous of her for her beauty, as it seemed this was something that belonged to them, rather than to her. All she wanted was to float above the azure seas. Which is where she unfortunately caught the eye of the sea god Poseidon, who would not take no for an answer. As they spend their days talking, they realise the growing intimacy and the sense of companionship. They discuss many things and seem to be open and revealing about themselves. Although both still hide a secret. What is Perseus’s true mission, and why won’t Medusa give her real name. Could this be love, and will it survive if they tell each other their hidden secrets? it’s literally a retelling of the myth as in everything is kinda just…told to you. there’s not a lot of showing and, this is definitely due to my expectations, i was disappointed to find out it was just the myth as we know it but with feminism. Oh how I loved this book. I'm a huge fan of greek mythology and Medusa has always been one of my favourites but this beautiful retelling is unlike nothing I have read of her before. The feminist spin on the myth is absolutely incredible, with every possible problematic thought being challenged directly. I cannot wait to own a physical copy of this book so that I can annotate and highlight all of the beautiful and empowering quotes. Also, most of the book is told in conversation format. So a lot of the significant events in Medusa’s mythos don’t actually *happen* in this book - Medusa just talks about when they happened. It was an interesting stylistic choice, and perhaps it works for some, but not for me - it made me a little bored, to be honest. (Very literal example of someone TELLING and not SHOWING).

A YA Medusa retelling with beautiful illustrations is something that should sing to my soul. However, this just left me feeling a little cold. Jessie Burton can certainly write, but I don't think she's the writer for me. Her prose are a bit too flowery, a bit too meandering when all I wanted was for the story to get to the point. I liked the overall message of reclaiming control, how beauty for women often defines them and leads to destruction, but I just had no emotional connection to the story at all. I really appreciated the perspective on Medusa - finally giving her agency in her own story, finally not painting her as a villain, but as a victim, and as a survivor, as a teen girl subject to the whims of the gods. It’s the story I and so many others have wanted for a long time. I think the writing wasn’t bad either - just kind of insufferable at times - which feels crappy to say. You will not find me in my deeds,nor in poems written by long-dead men. But you will find me when you need me, when the wind hears a woman’s cry and fills my sails forward.” This story gives Medusa a lot more depth. She is a fleshed out, human character with a tragic past. I enjoyed spending time with her in this book. Most of Roald Dahl’s books made me want to write. He made it seem easy, to a child, and very fun. Matilda, Charlie, Fantastic Mr Fox, Danny – the stories he wrote for them felt more real to me than life. To believe that about stories is the writer’s curse.