Call number
FIC HAY
Collection
Genres
Publication
Harper (2023), 384 pages
Description
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 "Haynes is master of her trade . . . She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories."--Telegraph (UK) The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly perceptive take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman. They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster. The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know. When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge--on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude. Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . . In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman--injured by a powerful man--is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa's story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jillrhudy
These intense retellings are not just about Medusa, but center around every female in mythology connected to Perseus, who is not the good guy, as Haynes lets the reader know immediately. Her new feminist takes on old female characters, whose stories are thousands of years old, are incredibly
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refreshing. Haynes is the most gifted author to spin myths in a pro-woman direction since Margaret Atwood. At the risk of going all fan-girly I have gobbled up everything she has written and long for more! Show Less
LibraryThing member FlowerchildReads
Natalie Haynes previously brought us A Thousand Ships, a national bestseller and short-listed for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Now she’s back and coming in hot with Stone Blind.
This is the epic tale of how the mortal Medusa was abandoned as a baby with her sisters, the Gorgons. When she
I’m the first to admit my knowledge of mythology is lacking which put me at a slight disadvantage going in. Because I didn’t know the many players involved I experienced it as a series of short stories until I started to see the connections. This worked fine, and the payoff was really satisfying. It’s about how we view certain acts, or actors, as heroic when they are not. Haynes pulls back to a wider lens and points out what’s been glossed over, ignored. That ‘heroes’ can be self interested leaving a wake of destruction in their ‘good deeds’.
In the end, if I’m being picky, I would have loved to have seen more focus on Medusa, less on Perseus. This is simply splitting hairs on what is a fantastic book and reflects my desire to read about women so, consider the source.
I highly recommend for those who love mythology retellings, book clubs (highly discussable!), and fans of strong women’s stories!
Thank you so much to @harperbooks and @nataliehaynesauthor for the advanced reader copy.
This is the epic tale of how the mortal Medusa was abandoned as a baby with her sisters, the Gorgons. When she
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is violated by Poseidon in Athens temple the goddess takes her revenge not on Poseidon, but on Medusa. This is a story exploring women being labeled ‘difficult, crazy, unhinged’ when men behave badly.I’m the first to admit my knowledge of mythology is lacking which put me at a slight disadvantage going in. Because I didn’t know the many players involved I experienced it as a series of short stories until I started to see the connections. This worked fine, and the payoff was really satisfying. It’s about how we view certain acts, or actors, as heroic when they are not. Haynes pulls back to a wider lens and points out what’s been glossed over, ignored. That ‘heroes’ can be self interested leaving a wake of destruction in their ‘good deeds’.
In the end, if I’m being picky, I would have loved to have seen more focus on Medusa, less on Perseus. This is simply splitting hairs on what is a fantastic book and reflects my desire to read about women so, consider the source.
I highly recommend for those who love mythology retellings, book clubs (highly discussable!), and fans of strong women’s stories!
Thank you so much to @harperbooks and @nataliehaynesauthor for the advanced reader copy.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
fiction - Greek gods behaving badly; family drama.
Very readable, sort of a soap opera in which it's easy to forget why everyone is angry at each other because all the gods are self-centered and terrible in their own way. Medusa is cursed for doing something that was not her fault, and she and her
Very readable, sort of a soap opera in which it's easy to forget why everyone is angry at each other because all the gods are self-centered and terrible in their own way. Medusa is cursed for doing something that was not her fault, and she and her
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protective Gorgon sisters are the kindest and most likeable characters in the whole saga. Show Less
LibraryThing member Berly
Loved this take on the story of Medusa. Here she is not the angry, vengeful monster, but a charming young girl who is injured by a god, and then blamed and punished by a goddess for the assault, and killed on the whim of a king by a whiny, lost Perseus on his quest to find a Gorgon head. None of
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the gods or goddesses come off too well in this retelling, but I liked the twist it took and the wonderful sense of humor. The story is seen from many sides and it brought the whole thing together in ways I had not seen before. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member japaul22
I really like [[Natalie Haynes]]'s Greek myth retellings. No one quite lives up to [[Madeline Miller]] for me, but hers are still very good. [Stone Blind] is, of course, about Medusa, but Haynes tells the whole back story, starting with her as a practically human child living with her Gorgon
I really liked this and I'll keep reading Haynes's books. I find them smart and entertaining, and it's fun to discover the Greek myths, which I mainly know from how they've become a part of pop culture. I'm sure I'm not the best person to comment on how she conforms or departs from the standard tellings, but it's enjoyable to me nonetheless.
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sisters. Athene and Hermes feature prominently in this book, helping Perseus on his quest for a Gorgon head. Haynes does a great job of drawing a lot of stories together into one story line. She writes with a lot of humor and makes the gods relatable while still keeping them apart from the humans they help (or hinder). I really liked this and I'll keep reading Haynes's books. I find them smart and entertaining, and it's fun to discover the Greek myths, which I mainly know from how they've become a part of pop culture. I'm sure I'm not the best person to comment on how she conforms or departs from the standard tellings, but it's enjoyable to me nonetheless.
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LibraryThing member Helenliz
This is good, like very good. Retells the Medusa myth, but frames it from the female perspective. We hear from Medusa herself, Athene, Danae, Andromeda, the Nereids, Medusa's snakes, a crow and an Olive grove. It works remarkably well, the cast each telling their little bit of the story. They do it
If I'm honest I enjoyed her earlier novel A Thousand Ships more, but I wonder if that is as I knew that story slightly better. This works, it works very well and I will certainly be looking out whatever she writes next.
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with charm and humour but they are also not at all afraid to call a spade a spade - there's no sugar coating here. The male characters are made to appear less than they are in the stories handed down to us, so that when they are being vindictive, stupid or selfish, they are called out as it. Rape is called exactly that. Perseus comes out no better than any of the others, the first person appeal to the reader being the only element that jarred slightly, breaking the 4th wall. If I'm honest I enjoyed her earlier novel A Thousand Ships more, but I wonder if that is as I knew that story slightly better. This works, it works very well and I will certainly be looking out whatever she writes next.
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LibraryThing member Andy5185
My first memory of falling in love with mythology was being a young girl watching the Clash of the Titans film from 1981. If you are familiar with this film you know that it tracks the story of Perseus (although it takes MANY liberties with the story) and is filled with creatures galore: the
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Kraken, Calibos, and of course, the big star of the gorgons: Medusa. As a kid, I was completely enraptured by Medusa's head of moving snakes and her eyes that turn living things to stone. It was one of those instances where I was scared but just couldn't look away. Natalie Haynes's version of Medusa is radically different from that film and is absolutely magnificent. Stunning questions are pondered such as: "Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying? Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty." I loved that the book is written in chapters that alternate the first person perspective from character to character, including even a chapter where Elaia, an olive grove contributes its perspective acting as a Chorus of sorts. Vivid and awesome in the truest sense of the word, this book was such a joy. Show Less
LibraryThing member jo_lafaith
‘Stone Blind’ is a telling of the Medusa myth, by the incredible Natalie Haynes. It was Long Listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction for 2023, and one of my personal 23 Books to Read in 2023 picks. I love Greek Myth and their retellings. Because of this, I’ve read a LOT of them. In fact I
One of the first notes I took was that it reminded me of Ovid’s ‘Metamorphosis’. It’s funny, and full of characters from the mythological cannon, but because it is so well written and even irreverent it never feels overwhelming. It has a nice flow. I found ‘Metamorphosis’ to be quite readable, but — undoubtedly — Natalie Haynes has written something even more accessible to modern readers. But it has that same sharpness, bite and epic feeling.
There are chapters in the book from the POV of the “Gorgoneion” which are exceptionally frank and interesting. The first time this POV appears I audibly said “OKay!” It’s an angry, triumphant and assured POV that we grow to understand more fully as the story unfolds. The POVs are awesome, all around. There is even a chapter from the snakes which was wonderfully crafted and moving. I should also point out that Claire North released ‘Ithaca’ last year (in the US) and something I loved about it (it was also a five star) was that it shared this kind of frivolous, mean-spirited, and cutting narrative voice that had moments of sympathy. It was something I hadn’t read and don’t often encounter in retellings. I thought this did a wonderful job of balancing that type of POV with more soft, lyrical and odd POVs.
You’ve got a book that is wrought with themes of sisterhood, power dynamics, sexual assault, the unpacking of a “hero” story and it holds accountable the ways we interpret mythological characters. Medusa is a character from classic myth that did not, originally, get to speak on her own behalf, and while her chapter POVs are sparse in this novel, they are effective, and the more liberal POVs connected to her add a level of depth and complexity to her narrative that honors her, as a character.
Rich, immersive and requiring no prior knowledge of the myths, this is a winner. In fact, I dare say if all you know of Medusa is a monstrous woman with snakes for hair— pick this up, and let yourself experience the complexity of her story. Another five star read from the Long List, for me, and one I can recommend in confidence.
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read a Medusa myth retelling last year, and loved it. So because of this love of myth/retellings I find many of them to be good but not great, and even of the great ones, I often find them to be of similar tone and style. ‘Stone Blind’ is a refreshing novel, one that immediately stood out to me.One of the first notes I took was that it reminded me of Ovid’s ‘Metamorphosis’. It’s funny, and full of characters from the mythological cannon, but because it is so well written and even irreverent it never feels overwhelming. It has a nice flow. I found ‘Metamorphosis’ to be quite readable, but — undoubtedly — Natalie Haynes has written something even more accessible to modern readers. But it has that same sharpness, bite and epic feeling.
There are chapters in the book from the POV of the “Gorgoneion” which are exceptionally frank and interesting. The first time this POV appears I audibly said “OKay!” It’s an angry, triumphant and assured POV that we grow to understand more fully as the story unfolds. The POVs are awesome, all around. There is even a chapter from the snakes which was wonderfully crafted and moving. I should also point out that Claire North released ‘Ithaca’ last year (in the US) and something I loved about it (it was also a five star) was that it shared this kind of frivolous, mean-spirited, and cutting narrative voice that had moments of sympathy. It was something I hadn’t read and don’t often encounter in retellings. I thought this did a wonderful job of balancing that type of POV with more soft, lyrical and odd POVs.
You’ve got a book that is wrought with themes of sisterhood, power dynamics, sexual assault, the unpacking of a “hero” story and it holds accountable the ways we interpret mythological characters. Medusa is a character from classic myth that did not, originally, get to speak on her own behalf, and while her chapter POVs are sparse in this novel, they are effective, and the more liberal POVs connected to her add a level of depth and complexity to her narrative that honors her, as a character.
Rich, immersive and requiring no prior knowledge of the myths, this is a winner. In fact, I dare say if all you know of Medusa is a monstrous woman with snakes for hair— pick this up, and let yourself experience the complexity of her story. Another five star read from the Long List, for me, and one I can recommend in confidence.
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LibraryThing member srms.reads
Longlisted for The 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction!
“I’m wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on what you think that word means. Monsters are, what? Ugly? Terrifying? Gorgons are both these things, certainly, although Medusa wasn’t always. Can a monster be
The mortal daughter of the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, Medusa is raised by her Gorgon sisters, Sthenno, who treats her as if she were her own child, and Euryale who loves her no less. (”we are one, but we are many”). She leads a sheltered life under the loving care of her sisters for sixteen years until she becomes the object of desire of Poseidon who violates her in the temple of Athene. Athene’s rage manifests in the form of a curse. Overnight, Medusa transforms into a Gorgon – anguished not only by the painful physical transformation but also unable to look at any living creature without it turning to stone. Her transformation into a Gorgon also seals her fate. Perseus is on a quest to capture the head of a Gorgon, not without the assistance of Goddess Athene, Hermes, and others who arm him with whatever he would require to complete his quest successfully.
Multiple characters (gods, demigods, nymphs, mortals and even a talkative crow) take us through the events that lead to Perseus’ encounter with the Gorgons and beyond. My only complaint is we don’t get much of Medusa’s own voice telling her story (which is what I was expecting.) Though Medusa or rather Medusa’s head does share her PoV, her voice felt overshadowed by that of Athene. I loved how the author describes Medusa’s childhood years and her relationship with her sisters. Medusa’s story is a sad one. She did not deserve the treatment she received from Poseidon, Athene or Perseus. Not only does Natalie Haynes do a brilliant job in voicing her innocence, helplessness and fear as a wronged young girl-turned-Gorgon but she also packs a powerful punch in voicing her rage after being decapitated when her head takes over Medusa’s narrative. Natalie Haynes balances the tragic element of the story with her signature sardonic humor and wit. I enjoyed the stories of the gods and their insecurities and pettiness (Hera and Zeus never fail to entertain!). We also get to know the story of Athene’s origins, the Gigantomachy and the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Much of the narrative focuses on Perseus (his conception, his quest and the aftermath). In keeping with the strong feminist overtones of Natalie Haynes’ mythological retellings, the author holds nothing back in her portrayal of Perseus “as arrogant and spoiled”.
“He is a vicious little thug and the sooner you grasp that, and stop thinking of him as a brave boy hero, the closer you’ll be to understanding what actually happened.”
Despite the multiple perspectives, the narrative is well structured, flows seamlessly and the pacing is consistent. The author provides a list of characters at the beginning of the book which makes it easy to place the characters, the varying timelines and the role they play in Medusa’s story. Those who follow Greek mythology might be a tad disappointed that the author chose to leave out a few details from Medusa’s story, which would have added a bit of depth to Medusa’s narrative but overall this is an absorbing read. Natalie Haynes is a masterful storyteller and her prose is exquisite. Having enjoyed both Pandora’s Jar and A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes I could not wait to pick up her latest offering. I was thrilled when I found out that her new novel would be based on Medusa, a character whose story has always fascinated me. I promptly pre-ordered my copy of Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story from the UK and I must mention that this beautiful edition is a worthy addition to my personal collection!
“I’m wondering if you still think of her as a monster. I suppose it depends on what you think that word means. Monsters are, what? Ugly? Terrifying? Gorgons are both these things, certainly, although Medusa wasn’t always. Can a monster be
Show More
beautiful if it is still terrifying? Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty.”The mortal daughter of the sea god Phorcys and Ceto, Medusa is raised by her Gorgon sisters, Sthenno, who treats her as if she were her own child, and Euryale who loves her no less. (”we are one, but we are many”). She leads a sheltered life under the loving care of her sisters for sixteen years until she becomes the object of desire of Poseidon who violates her in the temple of Athene. Athene’s rage manifests in the form of a curse. Overnight, Medusa transforms into a Gorgon – anguished not only by the painful physical transformation but also unable to look at any living creature without it turning to stone. Her transformation into a Gorgon also seals her fate. Perseus is on a quest to capture the head of a Gorgon, not without the assistance of Goddess Athene, Hermes, and others who arm him with whatever he would require to complete his quest successfully.
Multiple characters (gods, demigods, nymphs, mortals and even a talkative crow) take us through the events that lead to Perseus’ encounter with the Gorgons and beyond. My only complaint is we don’t get much of Medusa’s own voice telling her story (which is what I was expecting.) Though Medusa or rather Medusa’s head does share her PoV, her voice felt overshadowed by that of Athene. I loved how the author describes Medusa’s childhood years and her relationship with her sisters. Medusa’s story is a sad one. She did not deserve the treatment she received from Poseidon, Athene or Perseus. Not only does Natalie Haynes do a brilliant job in voicing her innocence, helplessness and fear as a wronged young girl-turned-Gorgon but she also packs a powerful punch in voicing her rage after being decapitated when her head takes over Medusa’s narrative. Natalie Haynes balances the tragic element of the story with her signature sardonic humor and wit. I enjoyed the stories of the gods and their insecurities and pettiness (Hera and Zeus never fail to entertain!). We also get to know the story of Athene’s origins, the Gigantomachy and the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Much of the narrative focuses on Perseus (his conception, his quest and the aftermath). In keeping with the strong feminist overtones of Natalie Haynes’ mythological retellings, the author holds nothing back in her portrayal of Perseus “as arrogant and spoiled”.
“He is a vicious little thug and the sooner you grasp that, and stop thinking of him as a brave boy hero, the closer you’ll be to understanding what actually happened.”
Despite the multiple perspectives, the narrative is well structured, flows seamlessly and the pacing is consistent. The author provides a list of characters at the beginning of the book which makes it easy to place the characters, the varying timelines and the role they play in Medusa’s story. Those who follow Greek mythology might be a tad disappointed that the author chose to leave out a few details from Medusa’s story, which would have added a bit of depth to Medusa’s narrative but overall this is an absorbing read. Natalie Haynes is a masterful storyteller and her prose is exquisite. Having enjoyed both Pandora’s Jar and A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes I could not wait to pick up her latest offering. I was thrilled when I found out that her new novel would be based on Medusa, a character whose story has always fascinated me. I promptly pre-ordered my copy of Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story from the UK and I must mention that this beautiful edition is a worthy addition to my personal collection!
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LibraryThing member Gwendydd
This is a retelling of the legend of Medusa and Perseus. It is sympathetic to Medusa, and portrays Perseus as a privileged blundering idiot. In fact, all of the gods are portrayed as selfish idiots. As much as the book is a feminist critique of the legend, and as much as it is full of deeply tragic
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moments, it's actually pretty funny, because the gods are just so petty and dumb. I listened to the audiobook, which is skillfully read by the author, and there are times when she is practically shouting in her frustration at how stupid the gods are. It's a generally entertaining and engaging read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tip44
Didn't finish. Medusa's story was good, but there is a mismatch of other myths thrown in throughout the narrative that make it very disjointed. The changes from first person to narrator do the same thing. Adding them together just throws me out of the story too much.
LibraryThing member libraryhead
Enjoyed this for the snark. Not a fan of gods or heros.
Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2023)
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2023)
Pages
384
ISBN
0063258390 / 9780063258396