Phaedra / Laura Shepperson.
Available copies
- 1 of 2 copies available at LARL/NWRL Consortium.
- 1 of 2 copies available at Lake Agassiz Regional Library. (Show preferred library)
Current holds
0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bagley Public Library | SHE (Text) | 33500013737010 | New | Available | - |
Barnesville Public Library | SHE (Text) | 33500013737028 | New | Checked out | 02/16/2023 |
Record details
- ISBN: 9781639101535
- ISBN: 1639101535
- Physical Description: 326 pages ; 21 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : Alcove Press, 2023.
Content descriptions
General Note: | Includes discussion questions. |
Summary, etc.: | "Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naïve, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus's control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus. When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra's world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. When Phaedra publicly accuses Hippolytus of rape, she sparks an overdue reckoning. The men of Athens gather to determine the truth. Meanwhile, the women of the city, who have no vote, are gathering in the shadows. The women know truth is a slippery thing in the hands of men. There are two sides to every story, and theirs has gone unheard. Until now"-- Provided by publisher. |
Reviews
Author Notes
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2022 November #2
*Starred Review* The half-sister of the legendary Minotaur gets her due in Shepperson's debut. Phaedra is younger than the infamous Ariadne, and she's devastated when Ariadne helps Theseus find and slay the Minotaur, who is not a monster but their disfigured brother. When Ariadne allegedly leaves Theseus for the god Dionysus on the journey back from Crete to Athens, Theseus comes to claim Phaedra as a bride. She agrees, thinking she can get revenge on Theseus for the murder of her brother. But when Phaedra arrives in Athens, she finds Theseus wants little to do with her, and his teenage son, Hippolytus, just a few years younger than Pheadra, is both fixated on and repulsed by her. When Phaedra discovers that Hippolytus' friends are ravaging the women in the castle, she seeks him out in an attempt to put an end to the rampant sexual violence, only to find herself a victim of it when her stepson brutally rapes her. Left pregnant with her rapist's baby, Phaedra decides to fight back. With a pointed examination of the plight of women in ancient Greece, this powerful and compulsively readable tale should appeal to fans of Jennifer Saint's Ariadne (2021) and Madeline Miller's Circe (2018). Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.
Laura Shepperson has been fascinated by myths and myth retellings since studying Classical Studies at university, and her current novel updates the story of Phaedra, sister of the Minotaur. In 2017 she was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize for Fiction. Laura holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. She is trying to learn Ancient Greek. Laura lives outside London with her husband and children.
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Phaedra (Greek mythological character) > Fiction. Trials (Rape) > Fiction. Rape victims > Fiction. Truth > Fiction. Athens (Greece) > History > Fiction. Mythology, Greek > Fiction. |
Genre: | Fantasy fiction. Fantasy fiction. |