The Midas touch

Solid gold mythological reads

CIRCE by Madeline Miller (Bloomsbury)

Arguably the book that cemented the genre of contemporary mythology. Circe is banished to a remote island for practising witchcraft. Of course, her island of exile, Aiaia, doesn’t stay remote for long – many gods and heroes stop by, meaning that Circe isn’t just hugely entertaining, it acts as a primer for many other stories in Greek mythology.

THE SILENCE OF

THE GIRLS by Pat Barker (Penguin) No stranger to writing about the costs of war, here Pat Barker focuses on the women who suffered during the Trojan War. The figure at the centre of her unflinching and graphic novel is Briseis, concubine to Achilles and battle prize to Agamemnon. It’s her fate (and their petty squabbling) that ultimately determines the outcome of the war.

THE ODYSSEY by Emily Wilson

(W W Norton & Company) If you’re looking for something a little different, try Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s three-millennium-old poem. It’s written in iambic pentameter, which actually helps make the text feel more accessible than the original. And, if you prefer to listen, the audiobook is read by Claire Danes.

GREEK MYTHS: A NEW RETELLING by Charlotte Higgins (Vintage)

Rather than just focusing on one tale, Charlotte Higgins’ book is a collection of myths, narrated by women, weaving depictions of the various stories onto elaborate tapestries (with beautiful illustrations by Chris Ofili throughout).

“It’s really cleverly and elegantly constructed,” says Jennifer Saint. “The tapestry is a metaphor for storytelling. It’s a great way in.”*