0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
Among the women of Greek mythology, the witch Medea may be the most despised. Known for the brutal act of killing her own children to exact vengeance on her deceitful husband, Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, Medea has carved out a singularly infamous niche in our histories.
But what if that isn't the full story?
The daughter of a sea nymph and the granddaughter of a Titan, Medea is a paradox. She is at once rendered compelling by virtue of the divinity that flows through her bloodline and made powerless by the fact of her being a woman. As a child, she intuitively submerges herself in witchcraft and sorcery but soon finds her skills may not be a match for the prophecies that hang over her entire family like a shroud.
As Medea comes into her own as a woman and a witch, she also faces the arrival of the hero Jason, preordained by the gods to be not only her husband but also her lifeline to escape her isolated existence. Medea travels the treacherous seas with the Argonauts, battles demons she has never imagined, and falls in love with the man who may ultimately be her downfall in this fresh and propulsive "must-have" (Library Journal, starred review) read in which you will finally hear Medea's side of the story through a fresh and feminist lens.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
February 13, 2024 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797171784
- File size: 333776 KB
- Duration: 11:35:21
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
November 13, 2023
With this complex and involving debut, Quin adds to the growing field of Greek myth retellings from the perspectives of monstrous women, probing here into the life of the filicidal heroine of Euripides’s play of the same name. Medea is the second born of an Oceanid and the half-human son of the Titan Helios. Her cruel father, believing himself to be heirless before the birth of Medea’s brother, Prince Phaethon, teaches Medea Pharmakon, the mystical art of “unlocking the secret powers of plants and flowering things.” After Phaethon’s birth, Medea’s mother returns to the sea, and Medea falls into a caretaker role for her younger brother. Her determination to protect Phaethon from a prophecy predicting his death leads her down a dark path into forbidden magic. Later, her relationship with the argonaut Jason takes her across the sea. As Medea’s familiar story unfolds, Quin allows for a great degree of moral complexity, but consistent throughout is her devotion to those she loves—including her eventual ill-fated children. Madeline Miller fans should snap this up. Agent: Jessica Spitz, WME. -
May 31, 2024
Debut author Quin pens a feminist retelling of the life of Medea, the sorceress of Greek lore who was reviled for murdering her children. Medea ranks up there with Medusa as far as despised and monstrous women go, but Quin asks whether there might be another side to the myth. Following Medea from girlhood to adulthood, Quin's account humanizes Medea and shows that she is more than a witch, murderess, and child-slayer. The daughter of the Oceanid nymph Idyia and the sorcerer-king Aeetes, a young Medea cares for her brother Phaethon after her mother returns to the sea. In her youth, she hears a devastating prophecy that Phaethon will be hacked to death. As a result, she dedicates her life to studying pharmakon, the magic associated with plants and flowers, and later learns witchcraft and necromancy as she tries to save her brother from his fate. Later, as the wife of Jason of the Argonauts, Medea travels across the sea, heading toward a horrific destiny that she can't outrun. The audio is brilliantly narrated by Gail Shalan, who embodies Medea's complex self and captures her heartache, intelligence, and resourcefulness. VERDICT Fans of Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint, and Natalie Haynes will devour this affecting feminist interpretation of Medea's mythology.--Erin Cataldi
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
Gail Shalan approaches this story of one of the most controversial figures in Greek mythology in a tone of hushed gravitas. When young Medea gains the favor of the goddess Athena, her path to notoriety paved in blood and magic is sealed. Shalan's vocal agility is undeniable; one minute she is Medea as a child, high-pitched and nave, and the next, she embodies Medea's father, the sorcerer king Aetes, who has the tone of one who has glimpsed a grim future. Particularly effective is Shalan's rendering of Medea's mother, Idyia, a sea nymph and oracle whose lilting voice--marked with surprising intensity during moments of prophecy--effectively renders her intimate yet distant relationship with her husband and children. E.E. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
-