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

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But when you look into the sources, there’s just so little about her, who she was, and why she was turned into a monster or gorgon. In Stone Blind, gone is the predator we've understood her as and instead we bare witness to her as prey not just to Perseus but a pawn in a larger political game of the Gods. I’m sure this format is one that would entice younger readers to read (whether mythology or other stories). Gorgeous hand-drawn illustrations of Medusa reinforce the lyrical text, which states that “you cannot break up a myth or wedge it on top of a cliff. At times it felt like it was trying too hard to be poetic and literary, in a way that didn't feel natural, and just felt weird.

Jessie Burton’s Medusa is a dazzling, engrossing retelling of a classic that’s delivered with a profound feminist twist. Perseus and “Merina” (the name she uses with Perseus) share their stories and initially, Medusa is unaware of Perseus’s real intentions behind his journey to her island just as he is unaware of her true identity.But betrayal swoops in the wake of desire, and all-too familiar mechanisms of patriarchy come into play with ferocity.

Perhaps she has overimagined or misunderstood Athena’s curse – “Woe betide any man fool enough to look upon you now! While they undoubtedly beautify an already alluring object, the deeper Higgins leads the reader into her forest of tales, the less necessary they feel. Jessie Burton’s fiery feminist re-telling of the Greek myth of Medusa blazes with intrigue and beauty courtesy of author’s elegant style and Olivia Lomenech Gill’s fabulously evocative colour illustrations. Internationally bestselling author Jessie Burton flips the script in this astonishing retelling of Greek myth, illuminating the woman behind the legend at last. That, yes, Perseus plays a part, but it’s really about Medusa’s view of herself, which she gradually bolsters, to survive and move forward to enjoy her life.The book is an illustrated version, with remarkable drawings from Olivia Lomenech Gill, that fit perfectly with the theme of Greek mythology and ancient history.