Olympus, Texas
- Downloads：2423
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-21 02:31:10
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Stacey Swann
- ISBN：0385545215
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Suellen
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• ModernMrsDarcy。com 2021 Summer Reading Guide #MMDSummerReading
Brittany
，
This is my favorite fiction book （so far） of 2021！ I love a family drama but the overlay of Greek mythology took it even farther and made it even more interesting！ It’s just so clever。 Despite the characters having deep flaws you are still rooting for them individually and as a family。 The author worked on this book for 15 years and the writing is just SO SO SO GOOD！ Run！ Don’t walk to get this one on your hands！
Katie
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I read this book after reading a positive NYT review last week。 I was not disappointed。 This book covers a week of high melodrama involving a family in a small town near Houston。 （I'd give it an extra half star for the location。） I found the characters interesting， their interactions among one another were mostly reasonable， and I thought the ending was believable and earned。 I would love to read a second book to see what happens next in the Briscoe family。 I read this book after reading a positive NYT review last week。 I was not disappointed。 This book covers a week of high melodrama involving a family in a small town near Houston。 （I'd give it an extra half star for the location。） I found the characters interesting， their interactions among one another were mostly reasonable， and I thought the ending was believable and earned。 I would love to read a second book to see what happens next in the Briscoe family。 。。。more
Erin
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Did not love this。 All the characters seemed flat and just awful but not in an interesting way that difficult characters can sometimes be。 There was so much brokenness but without really fleshing out where the brokenness came from。
Sosha
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4。5 ⭐️- one of my favorite books of the rear so far
Mary Parrish
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Couldn’t put this one down！ Never have I read a novel with so much complicated family drama， what a ride。 Great character growth in this one。
Sherri Puzey
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72 // “Being family just means we don’t have the safety of fences between us。”OLYMPUS， TEXAS is a dysfunctional family saga set in the small town of Olympus， Texas。 the Briscoe family has more drama and complicated history than any one family should have， which makes for a very entertaining read。 the book also examines the complexities of love and forgiveness and family dynamics。 if you enjoyed the family dysfunction and small town drama of ALL ADULTS HERE like I did， this book is perfect for yo 72 // “Being family just means we don’t have the safety of fences between us。”OLYMPUS， TEXAS is a dysfunctional family saga set in the small town of Olympus， Texas。 the Briscoe family has more drama and complicated history than any one family should have， which makes for a very entertaining read。 the book also examines the complexities of love and forgiveness and family dynamics。 if you enjoyed the family dysfunction and small town drama of ALL ADULTS HERE like I did， this book is perfect for you。 this is a great @gmabookclub pick， and I can’t wait to see what @staceyrswann writes next。 4。5/5⭐️—I really liked it！ 。。。more
Katie Whitt
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was so good！ Initially I wasn't drawn in by the opening chapter， but I'm so glad I continued because this book is such a great example of a novel that has drama but isn't soapy or over the top。 The emotional grounding that Swann puts into this story is so great， but also devastating。 I really could understand why Artie and Arlo did what they did and why Artie just shot at Ryan without knowing what he was。 Also the revelation about Vera and Hap， and how he was actually mocking her inste This book was so good！ Initially I wasn't drawn in by the opening chapter， but I'm so glad I continued because this book is such a great example of a novel that has drama but isn't soapy or over the top。 The emotional grounding that Swann puts into this story is so great， but also devastating。 I really could understand why Artie and Arlo did what they did and why Artie just shot at Ryan without knowing what he was。 Also the revelation about Vera and Hap， and how he was actually mocking her instead of understanding her was such a gut punch。 Also as someone who is not close with their family and moves all over all the time， I really enjoy stories about well established families in little towns where everyone knows your business。 This book was so great and I can't wait to read more from this author。 。。。more
Daniel
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This might have just claimed the front runner spot for favorite book of the year！I feel like I may need more time to adequately put my thoughts on this high-drama Texas epic inspired by Greek mythology but the storytelling is sublime， the characters are all complicated and richly drawn out， and the DRAMA。。。the number of times I clutched my pearls while reading。。。imagine if Carson McCullers co-wrote an episode of Dallas with William Faulkner and you have Olympus Texas Where the only thing stronge This might have just claimed the front runner spot for favorite book of the year！I feel like I may need more time to adequately put my thoughts on this high-drama Texas epic inspired by Greek mythology but the storytelling is sublime， the characters are all complicated and richly drawn out， and the DRAMA。。。the number of times I clutched my pearls while reading。。。imagine if Carson McCullers co-wrote an episode of Dallas with William Faulkner and you have Olympus Texas Where the only thing stronger than the patriarchy are the women scorned by it。 It’s just bloody brilliant， and a book I think should become a classic and taught as part of American Literature courses。 I have a million thoughts racing through my head as I have just finished it and I feel exhausted， like I ran a marathon （or binged an entire season of a high quality television soap opera）。 I pray this gets made into a tv show。 It is the perfect source material。 But， nothing will compare to this book。 Astounding。 （And it’s a debut novel？？？？？ Get outta here！） 。。。more
Cheri
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A family drama based on people with character traits like Greek gods？ Yes， please。 This was a fun ride with great writing and some interesting insight into human nature。 I liked it。
Anjali
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In general， I don't enjoy books about dysfunctional families with no real likable characters。 Which is why I'm glad I picked this up already knowing it was a contemporary nod to classical mythology。 The Briscoe family is a hot mess。 Over the years， patriarch Peter has fathered three children outside his marriage to the long-suffering June。 Peter and June's youngest son， March， is newly back in town after being banished for two years following his affair with his brother Hap's wife Vera。 Much dr In general， I don't enjoy books about dysfunctional families with no real likable characters。 Which is why I'm glad I picked this up already knowing it was a contemporary nod to classical mythology。 The Briscoe family is a hot mess。 Over the years， patriarch Peter has fathered three children outside his marriage to the long-suffering June。 Peter and June's youngest son， March， is newly back in town after being banished for two years following his affair with his brother Hap's wife Vera。 Much drama ensues， and there is other tragic drama that plays out with twins Artie and Arlo， two of Peter's other children。 Despite everyone behaving badly （to put it mildly）， this is a really fun read and an impressive debut。 The characters are colorful and perhaps even more interesting than their mythological inspirations。 。。。more
Debra Monroe
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I read a review of this and the review made it sound like a complicated rehash of Greek mythology。 No！ It's a stunningly insightful story about the way family trouble divides and unites us。 （No one knows how crazy our family is except the crazy people in it。） The characters are so real。 The Greeks-gods conceit seems to exist to emphasize that the mortal， contemporary version of angry， unpredictable Greek gods can be described realistically， e。g。， in one case by using a psychological syndrome cal I read a review of this and the review made it sound like a complicated rehash of Greek mythology。 No！ It's a stunningly insightful story about the way family trouble divides and unites us。 （No one knows how crazy our family is except the crazy people in it。） The characters are so real。 The Greeks-gods conceit seems to exist to emphasize that the mortal， contemporary version of angry， unpredictable Greek gods can be described realistically， e。g。， in one case by using a psychological syndrome called "intermittent explosive disorder" （caused by both nature and nurture， it turns out）。 One other fabulous thing about this book is the velvety texture of the prose。 Not beautiful in a flaunting itself way （which would be distracting）。 But from the first sentence， I was entering a fully realized world while taking almost subliminal pleasure in the words and phrases and sentence rhythms。 It's pretty rare to read a book that has a fast-moving plot and constant effortless style。 There are moments that will take your breath away。 Definitely a great book。 。。。more
Matthew
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I’ve never been one to subscribe to the mantra “forgive and forget。” Mostly because I think it’s bullshit， a weak approach at amending one’s transgressions without actually doing so。 People are more apt to brush aside the heart of a matter in favor of a cutesy colloquialism and think said matter is all but resolved。 I’d argue it makes things worse。 The same can be said about the idea that “time heals all wounds。” Once again， it’s bullshit。 Sure， arbitrary injuries such as paper cuts might heal w I’ve never been one to subscribe to the mantra “forgive and forget。” Mostly because I think it’s bullshit， a weak approach at amending one’s transgressions without actually doing so。 People are more apt to brush aside the heart of a matter in favor of a cutesy colloquialism and think said matter is all but resolved。 I’d argue it makes things worse。 The same can be said about the idea that “time heals all wounds。” Once again， it’s bullshit。 Sure， arbitrary injuries such as paper cuts might heal with time （and a band aid， as well as some Neosporin） but what about pain less arbitrary， pain that is deep rooted？ Do you really believe if something so callous as， say， adultery or murder or verbal and/or physical abuse can be simply healed through the passing of time？ Hey， sorry about fooling around with the Mrs， bro， but no worries！ A few years from now it’ll be like it never happened！Life doesn’t work that way， or at least it shouldn’t。 But we are of a society that fears confrontation as much as we fear culpability。 It’s toxic – so why do we continue living as though it weren’t？ Why can’t we accept our own fuckups？ Don’t get me wrong， I am not about to go all self-righteous on you and claim that I haven’t been guilty of this myself。 Nor am I about to proclaim that this was an intrinsic trait， that my parents are to blame because they too were – and continue to be – true believers of such “logic。” What I will say， however， is that we cannot truly evolve as humans until we start owning up to our wrongdoings。 I don’t mean just admitting our faults but learning from them so that they can be either avoided altogether in the future， or at the very least handled more appropriately。 Suffice to say I’m not terribly hopeful this will ever be achieved; after all， it’s been mythologized since ancient times。 One needn’t be a scholar in Greek mythology to understand the parallels which Stacey Swann has drawn to the brooding brood which centers her impressive， sprawling family saga， Olympus， Texas。 For all one has to be skilled in is， well， humanity itself in order to comprehend the issues of which the novel raises – most notably that time most certainly does not heal all wounds。 And – perhaps even more notably – when family is involved， forgiveness is possible but forgetting is anything but。 That’s not to say the Briscoe family is even capable of proper forgiveness。 Psychologist Dr。 Jennifer J。 Freyd， a professor at the University of Oregon and editor of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation， states that “forgiveness can be incredibly beneficial under the right circumstances， but truth is a necessary precondition to reconciliation。” Better still， Dr。 Freyd asserts that such benefit is possible “only after there has been some kind of accountability and truthfulness。 The problem is without accountability， there are conditions for bad things to happen again。” That last line？ Yeah， that pretty well sums up Swann’s flawed family。 And that’s precisely what makes Olympus， Texas so damn fun。 Sad， too。 And while we’re at it， infuriating。 How could one family beget so many spiteful， despicable characters？ To be fair Swann warns us， writing “The Briscoes brought out the worst in each other。” That said， such behavior starts at the very top vis a vis family patriarch Peter Briscoe， a man who doesn’t just own seemingly most of the small Texas town’s properties but has sired seemingly most of its residents。 Okay， so maybe the latter part of that statement is a touch hyperbolic， but it’s not without Peter’s own trying: three of his six children （March， Hap and Thea） come by way of his longtime better half， June; two （Arlo and Artie） are a set of twins， the byproducts of an affair; another also the result of Peter’s philandering， born mere months apart from Thea （and， curiously enough， mostly unmentioned throughout the novel）。 Clearly Peter got around， and in a small town like Olympus， so too did word regarding his sexcapades。 Which is to say June became aware of Peter’s misdoings quite a while back; yet her devotion to him remains up until present day。 But why？ It’s impossible not to question the steadfast loyalty to which she demonstrates at the onset of the novel。 But this does not make her incapable of resentment; hers has simply been smoldering for decades， in need of something to spark it to flames。 It comes in the form of her youngest son， March， returning to Olympus after all but fleeing its confines after an affair he’d had two years prior。 Upon learning of his return， June is hardly excited to see him; she’s not angered so much by his indiscretions as whom they were with: Hap’s wife， Vera。 And yet June’s fire isn’t the only one stoked by March’s return， as it sets forth a series of calamities most other families would find out of the ordinary。Per chapter Swann shifts the focus on a different family member （or members） and their respective tragedy。 We witness June’s slow boil as it pertains to her own husband’s infidelities as the impact of her son’s discretions cause a ripple effect throughout town。 What’s more， the introduction of a new large animal vet （Cole） brings June an excitement she hadn’t experienced since long before Peter’s affairs。 Artie has started a secret relationship with a townie with a bad reputation （Ryan， whose mother has a sordid history with the Briscoes）; she fears telling her moderately famous musician twin brother when he suddenly returns home from touring。 And then of course there’s March， whose return unsurprisingly brings a maelstrom of anger， desire， rivalry， and repudiation。 As aforementioned Stacey Swann mirrors both her ensemble and plot with classic Greek mythology， some of which is obvious， others which I was not privy to until doing a bit of research myself。 It neither makes or breaks the novel – I would’ve found it just as enjoyable regardless of my knowledge （or lack thereof） – but does add an additional layer of complexity to the already complicated saga that is the Briscoes。 Swann chooses not to focus so much on Peter – the catalyst of many， if not all， of the family’s tragedies – and instead places it on those most affected by his wrongdoings。 It was a choice I found interesting and impactful， though I would’ve liked to have known more about him other than that he is a charismatic adulterer。 June is perhaps the novel’s most fully formed character， yet her burgeoning relationship with Cole felt a little contrived at times; too often was she pouring her heart out to a man she’s known for all of a couple of days。 Is she that desperate to connect with someone？ It’s likely she is， but I still found many of their conversations to be compulsory。 Artie and Arlo’s story is one which questions their loyalty to one another， perpetuated by a tragic event （no spoilers！） that effects not only them， but the entire town。 The same can be said about the soap operatic love triangle that is March， Hap and Vera; Olympus was abuzz when it happened the first time around and March’s return further propagates this。 If this sounds like a cast of miscreants， it’s by design。 These are not people who deserve our empathy; I’d argue they deserve nothing but one another。 For the Briscoes and their immediate extensions are unwilling of anything resembling culpability; they’re but a family of forgivers and forgetters， believers that time will heal all of their wounds。 In families， such thinking isn’t just common， it’s oftentimes considered – wrongly， mind you – to be effective。 So much so it becomes everlasting to the point of no return。 Ironically， it’s a family member’s return home which pushes the Briscoes even closer to that point; are they capable of learning from their own mistakes to save themselves？ Or are they too far gone， a lost cause？ Whether or not Stacey Swann answers these questions is beside the point of her remarkable debut。 It’s not without its flaws but then again， Swann’s characters are rife with their own。 Olympus， Texas’s mistakes are both forgivable and forgettable， but it’s the novel’s timelessness which will make it a lasting and important portrait of family and all of the faults that come with them。 。。。more
Christy
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3。5 stars
MaryBeth's Bookshelf
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MIND。 BLOWN。We are only in May and have a lot of books to go， but I have no doubt that Olympus， Texas will be in my Top 10 of 2021。 The cover is beyond stunning， the writing flawless， the story is incredibly creative， and the characters are unforgettable。 I urge to go to your local bookstore or library and get this one today。The Briscoe family has had their share of struggles and family drama。 The patriarch of the family， Peter， has had multiple affairs throughout his marriage to June。 His infid MIND。 BLOWN。We are only in May and have a lot of books to go， but I have no doubt that Olympus， Texas will be in my Top 10 of 2021。 The cover is beyond stunning， the writing flawless， the story is incredibly creative， and the characters are unforgettable。 I urge to go to your local bookstore or library and get this one today。The Briscoe family has had their share of struggles and family drama。 The patriarch of the family， Peter， has had multiple affairs throughout his marriage to June。 His infidelity not only tests their relationship， but those with and between their children。 When Peter and June's son， March， returns to town the drama really begins。This book took me over a week to read， which is not like me。 I felt like this one sucked me in and I couldn't breathe。 I had to take it slow， to take in the full enormity of this family， their pain， and their trials。 About 1/3 of the way into the book you will be blown away。 You literally will not see it coming when it hits you。 。。。more
Lily
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2-2。5*s at best， I know I'm in the minority here with this book getting big reviews and lots of hype on IG。 This was one of my most anticipated May releases but I felt like the entire time I was reading it （especially the last 2/3rds after the death） I was only still reading because I expected a big revelation or interesting ending。 The whole thing fell incredibly flat- while beautifully written it was a real snooze。 Peter is a man who loves with deliberation， but his lust is not so orderly。Pete 2-2。5*s at best， I know I'm in the minority here with this book getting big reviews and lots of hype on IG。 This was one of my most anticipated May releases but I felt like the entire time I was reading it （especially the last 2/3rds after the death） I was only still reading because I expected a big revelation or interesting ending。 The whole thing fell incredibly flat- while beautifully written it was a real snooze。 Peter is a man who loves with deliberation， but his lust is not so orderly。Peter has no confidence in the truth of any of those statements， knows too well how long his wife's grudges can run， but there's no harm in optimism。 He doesn't enjoy being。。。 a man with a heart so damaged it schemes against him for its own protection， only feeling safe when alone。 {Arlo} 。。。more
Claire
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3。5 This book is very well written。 The prose and dialogue are beautiful and believable （respectively）。 However， its a slow burn and a lot of the book is backstory and character introductions。 If that is your jam， then this book is for you。 Me？ I did start to get a little bored with it about 3/4 of the way through。
Lynsie Wilson
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Greek mythology with a Texas twang， written by a Texan so it’s not cringe （*cough* Stephen King’s ‘The Outsider’ *cough*）Set in the fictional small town of Olympus， Texas， we follow the Briscoe family。 Peter and June， parents to Thea， Hap， and March are the leaders of this super dysfunctional family。 Oh， and Peter has 3 other children outside of his marriage: Burke， and the twins Arlo and Artie。 All were born while Peter is married to June。 Basic math there。。。。March comes home after being gone f Greek mythology with a Texas twang， written by a Texan so it’s not cringe （*cough* Stephen King’s ‘The Outsider’ *cough*）Set in the fictional small town of Olympus， Texas， we follow the Briscoe family。 Peter and June， parents to Thea， Hap， and March are the leaders of this super dysfunctional family。 Oh， and Peter has 3 other children outside of his marriage: Burke， and the twins Arlo and Artie。 All were born while Peter is married to June。 Basic math there。。。。March comes home after being gone for years （He was basically exiled for sleeping with his brother Hap’s wife Vera） and it is not a warm welcome。 While adjusting to this， and some interesting family dynamics， there’s a murder。 It sounds like a lot but trust me it’s great。The characters are amazing。 Almost every character gets their own development arc。 My favorite character is definitely March。 He’s the biggest asshole of the bunch but he’s just so like-able at the same time。 It’s like a real family in that they’re all pieces to the puzzle that don’t quite mesh with each other。 The story progresses at a good pace， and it’s an extremely easy read。 Not simple， but not complex。 Perfect beach （or river！） read。 If you like Greek mythology and family dramas， this is the book for you。Gods eluded to: Zeus， Hera， Hebe， Hephaestus， Ares， Apollo， ArtemisThere are also mentions of Orion and some other non-god peoples。 。。。more
Linden
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 There was a lot to like about this book。 Strong， rich， complex， and emotional characters。 Family ties and divides。 Small town Texas living。 Great dialogue。 Extramarital affairs abound and each character is fraught with flaws big and small。 But this keeps you on the edge of your seat。 You won't be bored。 And you won't be disappointed。 I would love to see more from this author！ There was a lot to like about this book。 Strong， rich， complex， and emotional characters。 Family ties and divides。 Small town Texas living。 Great dialogue。 Extramarital affairs abound and each character is fraught with flaws big and small。 But this keeps you on the edge of your seat。 You won't be bored。 And you won't be disappointed。 I would love to see more from this author！ 。。。more
Joseph K Garves
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Great storytelljngVery well written。 Stacey knows how to write and fully engage her audience。 I feel like this family lives next door。 I could enjoy being friends。
Susie | Novel Visits
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Rounded up form 4。5 stars。 Review to follow。
Amy
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So-so family drama set in present-day Texas but with characters based on the Greek gods of Mount Olympus。 March （Mars/Ares） returns home after years of exile for sleeping with his brother Hap's （Hephaestus'） wife Vera （Venus/Aphrodite）。 Their mother June （Juno/Hera） is beginning to have doubts about staying in her marriage to Peter （Jupiter/Zeus） despite his infidelities and illegitimate offspring， including twins Artie （Artemis） and Arlo （Apollo）。 A tragedy ensues involving Artie's boyfriend Ry So-so family drama set in present-day Texas but with characters based on the Greek gods of Mount Olympus。 March （Mars/Ares） returns home after years of exile for sleeping with his brother Hap's （Hephaestus'） wife Vera （Venus/Aphrodite）。 Their mother June （Juno/Hera） is beginning to have doubts about staying in her marriage to Peter （Jupiter/Zeus） despite his infidelities and illegitimate offspring， including twins Artie （Artemis） and Arlo （Apollo）。 A tragedy ensues involving Artie's boyfriend Ryan （Orion）， and the family members have a series of ungodlike heart-to-heart chats promising to try to do better and resolve their differences。 It was kind of fun refreshing my memory of the Greek pantheon to figure out who's who， but generally I found this to be pointlessly gimmicky （a strip club called Terpsichore？？）。 。。。more
debra
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Diane S wrote a perfect review。
Theresa
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3。5
Lexy
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Maybe my expectations were too high for this book。 I loved the concept and found the characters nods to mythology to be very clever， but it still fell short。 It’s difficult to read a book with so many unredeemable characters， and I wish there had been more to the plot。
Mary
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Family saga/ tragedy cleverly represented by characters fashioned on the Gods and Goddesses of Mt。 Olympus。 “ Being family just means we don’t have the safety of fences between us。” Outstanding debut。
Margaret
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Pros: The family members in this book are not likeable， so I didn’t “care” what happened to them。 However， I was very interested in what happened to them！Cons: I think I missed a bit of the depth of this book because I am not well-versed in Greek mythology。
Lori
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4。5/5 - so evidently this ultimate dysfunctional family saga set in small town Texas has all kinds of parallels to Greek mythology。 Even though that wasn't my personal draw， I found it to be an impressive debut novel。 4。5/5 - so evidently this ultimate dysfunctional family saga set in small town Texas has all kinds of parallels to Greek mythology。 Even though that wasn't my personal draw， I found it to be an impressive debut novel。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Y'all， I am a native Texan and I can tell you that Olympus， Texas is full of some Texas sized family drama and I am here for it！！ I went into this one expecting some Dynasty/soap opera like theatrics and while it was not so OVER THE TOP as Dynasty， this book did not disappoint in the drama department and I ended up preferring it to some caricature version of the same。 This book is a reimagining of the Greek Gods and is centered around the scandalous Briscoe family and their hometown， Olympus。 （ Y'all， I am a native Texan and I can tell you that Olympus， Texas is full of some Texas sized family drama and I am here for it！！ I went into this one expecting some Dynasty/soap opera like theatrics and while it was not so OVER THE TOP as Dynasty， this book did not disappoint in the drama department and I ended up preferring it to some caricature version of the same。 This book is a reimagining of the Greek Gods and is centered around the scandalous Briscoe family and their hometown， Olympus。 （Disclaimer: I don't think you need to know or care much about the Greek gods in order to read/like this book， it's just a fun little tid bit of info）。 Peter （Zues） is the philandering patriarch， who despite his ways loves his wife， June （Hera）。 June is the matriarch who， in the hopes of keeping their family together， decided long ago to forgive Peter for his multiple affairs and out of wedlock children。 Their youngest son March （Ares/Mars） has just returned home two years after leaving town when it was discovered he was sleeping with Vera （Aphrodite）…his older brother （Hephaestus/Vulcan） Hap’s wife。 Let's just say his homecoming is not warmly received by his family。 Soon thereafter tragedy occurs down by the Brazos river， when Peter's illegitimate children， Artie and Arlo （Artemis and Apollo） make a mistake that affects the entire family and other members of the town。 The remainder of the book is focused on the fall out while interweaving small tales of how everyone got there。 By the end of the book marriages will have been tested， relationships will have fallen apart， and some characters will never be the same。 Ain't family grand y'all！This one took a little bit to get really invested in， but once I was there。。。。I was all in。 I can hardly believe that this is Stacey Swann's debut novel。 I look forward to seeing what else she does in the future， but in the meantime I am happy to recommend this book to people who like enjoy books focused on family drama and family dynamics。 Side note， I love it when a publisher's blurb is spot on and this one is just that。。。。I couldn't say it any better myself: "。。。elements of classical mythology into a thoroughly modern family saga， rich in drama and psychological complexity。" 。。。more
Pat
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