The Sea, The Sea

Pat Barker has concluded her retelling of Homer's Iliad from the perspective of women with the recent publication of the third volume of her Trojan War series - The Voyage Home (2024). 

To briefly recap the series thus far... The Silence of the Girls (2018) was told from the perspective of Briseis, a young woman gifted to Achilles as a war trophy for his success at Lyrnessus. Briseis is determined to survive her ordeal and forges bonds with the other women in the warrior camp. Through her eyes we witness the great men of war - Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon - and their fates. The Women of Troy (2021) continues the story with Briseis, pregnant with Achilles' child, now supporting King Priam's family - Hecuba, Andromache and Cassandra - who have been taken by the Greeks as war prizes. The story ends with the Briseis being led to the ships to begin the journey back to Mycenae. 

I had expected the final instalment to continue with Briseis' narration, but the torch is passed to her friend Ritsa, a slave tasked with caring for Cassandra. The virgin priestess Cassandra was awarded to Agamemnon and now accompanies him on the voyage to his homeland Mycenae. They travel on a ship named Medusa, and Barker does a tremendous job of depicting the dank, claustrophobic quarters and rough seas.

In Mycenae, Queen Clytemnestra awaits the return of her husband. For ten years she has been plotting her revenge for his sacrificing their beloved daughter Iphigenia to the gods for a favourable wind. Her rage and grief have not subsided, and Cassandra has had a vision that she and Agamemnon will die on the day they return. While the reader knows what will eventuate, the way in which the events unfold is thrilling. 

It was wonderful to read another portrayal of Clytemnestra, sister of Helen of Troy. I greatly enjoyed Constanza Casati's Clytemnestra (2023), which gives a richly sympathetic background to this brave Queen. I particularly admired Barker's depiction of Ritsa - a rough and ready, streetwise woman who skilfully  navigates the treacherous company she keeps. As I read, I listened to Kristin Atherton's audiobook narration which elevated the story.

While Barker has concluded this wonderful trilogy, I remain hopeful that she will turn her attention to another mythological retelling. She is a master of the genre. 

As with my previous 

Want more myths?

I have written about other retellings of ancient myths on this blog, including:

• The Silence of the Girls (2019), The Women of Troy (2021) - Pat Barker
• Circe (2019), The Song of Achilles (2011), Galatea (2013) - Madeline Miller
• Atalanta (2023), Ariadne (2021) - Jennifer Saint
• Clytemnestra (2023) - Costanza Casati

Booker Prize Winner 2024

The winner of the 2024 Booker Prize for fiction was announced today, with British author Samantha Harvey receiving the £50,000 prize for the novel, Orbital. 

Orbital tells the story of six astronauts floating high above the Earth at a space station where they conduct experiments on an extended mission. As they orbit the Earth sixteen times a day, the astronauts consider the state of the planet and the fragility of human life.  Readers learn about each astronaut through their communications with their families and the personal effects they brought on their journey.  While they are so far from earth, they feel inextricably linked to and protective of their planet.

Samantha Harvey hails from Kent. She studied philosophy at the Universities of York and Sheffield.  Harvey has written five novels and  was previously longlisted for the Booker in 2009 for her debut novel The Wilderness.

Chair of the Judging panel, Edmund de Waal, said of Orbital:

'In an unforgettable year for fiction, a book about a wounded world. Sometimes you encounter a book and cannot work out how this miraculous event has happened. As judges we were determined to find a book that moved us, a book that had capaciousness and resonance, that we are compelled to share. We wanted everything. 

‘Orbital is our book. Samantha Harvey has written a novel propelled by the beauty of sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets. Everyone and no one is the subject, as six astronauts in the International Space Station circle the Earth observing the passages of weather across the fragility of borders and time zones. With her language of lyricism and acuity Harvey makes our world strange and new for us. 

‘All year we have celebrated fiction that inhabits ideas rather than declaiming on issues, not finding answers but changing the question of what we wanted to explore. Our unanimity about Orbital recognises its beauty and ambition. It reflects Harvey’s extraordinary intensity of attention to the precious and precarious world we share.’"

I must admit I was surprised by the choice of Harvey as winner.  I had expected the winner to be Percival Everett for James, but was secretly longing for Charlotte Wood to be acknowledged for Stone Yard Devotional.  But I have not read Orbital yet, so will have to move it up my to be read pile. 

If you missed it, here is the video of the announcement of Samantha Harvey as winner and her acceptance speech.

Summer Sojourn

In choosing this year's 'Novella in November', I selected a book I have long wanted to read: Claire Keegan's Foster (2010). This perfect gem of a story is only 88 pages long, but has the emotional depth of a much longer novel.

Foster begins on a Sunday after Mass. Instead of returning home, a man takes his daughter for a long drive through County Wexford. They arrive at Kinsella's farm, and are greeted by a man and his wife. This is the child's maternal family, but she does not know her Ma's people. Pa drives off, leaving his daughter at the farm without any belongings. The child has no idea when or if he may return to collect her. Over the course of the summer the girl, aged 8 or 9, is cared for by this couple and experiences a sense of belonging she does not know at home. We learn that the child is from a large family and that she was sent away to be cared for while her mother was in the final months of her latest pregnancy. We also learn that the Kinsellas long to give the child a home, and dread the day the girl has to be returned to her family.

Keegan tells the story from the child's perspective as she tries to understand what is happening around her.  The child is naive in many respects, but her time with the Kinsellas shows she is a keen observer. Keegan is masterful in her ability to use the quiet spaces to convey emotion, letting the void speak for itself. 

This is a beautiful story that can be read in an hour. Do yourself a favour - make a cup of tea and curl up with Foster. It is magnificent!

Foster was adapted into an Irish language feature film called The Quiet Girl (2022)

My review of Claire Keegan's wonderful novella Small Things Like These (2021) is also available on this blog. 

Medicine Woman

Despite my love of historical fiction, Lady Tan's Circle of Women (2023) by Lisa See, was not on my radar. Fortunately, it was recommended by a friend who loaned me a copy. As soon as I started reading, I became fully enthralled. 

It is the story of Tan Yunxian, born 1461 in the Ming Dynasty. Yunxian is sent at age eight to reside with her grandparents in the Mansion of Golden Light, when her mother dies after an infection in her bound feet. Her grandmother was a physician who taught Yunxian at her side, passing on treatments to support women.  Here she befriends Meiling Shi, the daughter of a midwife, the first and only friend she has. 

At age 15 she is married to Yang Maoren, the eldest son of wealthy silk merchants, and sent to live in the Garden of Fragrant Delights. Isolated from her family, and under the thumb of her husband's family, Yunxian's only role is to give birth to sons. Her mother-in-law, Lady Kuo, forbids her to practice medicine. Despite this, many women in the household know of Yunxian's skills and seek her wisdom.

During this time women were not permitted to practice medicine.  Doctor Wong would attend to his female patients by sitting behind a screen so he would not gaze upon them. Men did not understand the challenges women faced and were ill-equipped to support fertility issues, menopause, miscarriage, postnatal depression, and other concerns. Midwives, who were essential during childbirth, were viewed with distaste by the medical establishment and carried the burden of ensuring a safe delivery. 

Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a story about a lifelong female friendship, forged across class divides. But beyond Yunxian and Meiling, the circle includes daughters, sister, aunts and concubines. The social network was essential as the men were so often away. Life for women in this time was dangerous and strictly aligned to traditional gendered roles. While men could earn money, take exams and be appointed to positions of power, women existed for the pleasure or succession of men. 

The story follows Yunxian throughout her life, as she ages and becomes head of the household. Along the way there is plenty of intrigue as she travels to Beijing to the court of Empress Zhang, battles illnesses, and uncovers a dark secret. In later life she solidifies her legacy by publishing Miscellaneous Records of a Female Doctor, one of the earliest writings of a female doctor in China. It remains in print today. 

Author Lisa See weaves her extensive research into the novel. I was fascinated by how Yunxian would diagnose her patients, the inventive treatments she prescribed, and the way in which various terms were used ('child palace', 'heavenly flowers').  The descriptions of the courtyards, gowns, furnishing and scenery are vivid, transporting the reader to another time and place. Lisa See's website has a section where readers can step inside Lady Tan's world and learn more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this historical novel. Lisa See is probably best known for her novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005) but there are plenty of others including Peony in Love (2007), Shanghai Girls (2009), and The Island of Sea Women (2019) to name a few. I have no doubt that I will be exploring other novels by Lisa See in the future.