There are few historical fiction novels that tempt me reread my Greek Classics texts from college. Beutner’s unique take on the Greek myth of Alcestis swayed me towards my packed away college books to learn more about Alcestis—which isn’t much. For a figure known as the ideal wife, there is very little about this character. Consequently, Beutner’s retelling of the myth creatively fills in the gaps on a little known character in Greek mythology. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of daily life, particularly how people perceived the gods, as well as the landscape of the underworld. The gods were certainly a wily and promiscuous bunch. There were some points that demonstrated a need for further editing, such as the parts with Alcestis constantly describing her sister, looking for her sister, bemoaning about her sister—I get it, she misses her sister. Despite that issue, Beutner crafted a fantastic retelling of the myth. If she applies the same creative writing style with some editing for redundancies in her next book, Beutner will have a really well-written piece of work. I look forward to her forthcoming book. Loved this - mythology taken as truth and then expounded upon, painting the realities of what it might be like to live in a world where gods exist, and they are frighteningly not like you. And still, they affect every part of your life. I found the entire tale tragic, haunting, and poignant -- both the living and the dead portions -- and it twisted around itself deftly, wrapping the two halves into a seamless whole. Lots of little interesting things tucked in about women's voice, especially in literature.
What do You think about Alcestis (2010)?
This was amazing! Really captivating, I can't believe it's her first novel!
—lilmiss
