Stone Blind: Medusa's Story
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- Create Date：2022-09-15 00:52:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Natalie Haynes
- ISBN：1529061474
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Summary
'There is one question that devours me still。 Why didn’t I close my eyes？'
Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods。 Growing up with her sisters， she quickly realizes that she is the only one who gets older， experiences change， feels weakness。 Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know。
When desire pushes a God to commit the unforgivable， Medusa’s mortal life is changed forever。 Her punishment is to be turned into a Gorgon: sharp teeth， snakes for hair， and a gaze that will turn any living creature to stone。 Appalled by her own reflection， Medusa can no longer look upon anything she loves without destroying it。 She condemns herself to a life of solitude in the shadows to limit her murderous range。
That is， until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon 。 。 。
This is the story of how a young woman became a monster。 And how she was never really a monster at all。
Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods。 Growing up with her sisters， she quickly realizes that she is the only one who gets older， experiences change， feels weakness。 Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know。
When desire pushes a God to commit the unforgivable， Medusa’s mortal life is changed forever。 Her punishment is to be turned into a Gorgon: sharp teeth， snakes for hair， and a gaze that will turn any living creature to stone。 Appalled by her own reflection， Medusa can no longer look upon anything she loves without destroying it。 She condemns herself to a life of solitude in the shadows to limit her murderous range。
That is， until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon 。 。 。
This is the story of how a young woman became a monster。 And how she was never really a monster at all。
Reviews
Jane Dolman
，
I approached this book with some trepidation and worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype surrounding its release。 However I need not of worried。 This is the story of Medusa but also all the characters surrounding her story and how she became cursed – one of the chapters is even told the true point of the snakes！ Medusa in this retelling is not a monster as usually portrayed but an unwitting victim of infighting between the gods。 I laughed at how unlikeable and weak Perseus became in this re I approached this book with some trepidation and worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype surrounding its release。 However I need not of worried。 This is the story of Medusa but also all the characters surrounding her story and how she became cursed – one of the chapters is even told the true point of the snakes！ Medusa in this retelling is not a monster as usually portrayed but an unwitting victim of infighting between the gods。 I laughed at how unlikeable and weak Perseus became in this retelling and how I loved the petulant infighting of the gods。 A thoroughly enjoyable read once I got to grips with all the characters and one which I hope will introduce the world of Greek myths to a whole new audience。 Many thanks to NetGalley， the publisher and author for giving me an advance copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
travelsalongmybookshelf
，
Told with a fiercely feminist voice - do you think you know Medusa？Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods。 Growing up with her Gorgon sisters， she realises that she is the only one who experiences change， or can be hurt。 When the sea god Poseidon commits an unforgivable act in the temple of Athene， the goddess takes her revenge and Medusa is changed forever。 Writhing snakes replace her hair， and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone。 The power cannot be controlled: Medusa can Told with a fiercely feminist voice - do you think you know Medusa？Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods。 Growing up with her Gorgon sisters， she realises that she is the only one who experiences change， or can be hurt。 When the sea god Poseidon commits an unforgivable act in the temple of Athene， the goddess takes her revenge and Medusa is changed forever。 Writhing snakes replace her hair， and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone。 The power cannot be controlled: Medusa can look at nothing without destroying it。 She is condemned to a life of shadows and darkness。 Until Perseus embarks upon a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon 。 。 。‘You’re the one who thinks anything that doesn’t look like you must be a monster。’You just know sometimes when you read a book it’s going to be huge。 I am a big Natalie Haynes fan anyway but this story is fabulous。 ‘She screamed until her voice was gone。It changed nothing。’Medusa is a real person， not a myth or a monster。 She feels， she hurts and her story is flipped on it’s head and told with wit and empathy。 The portrayal of her Gorgon sisters and their developing care and love for Medusa was one of the most touching parts of the book for me and as for Perseus - well， not impressed with him！ He is definitely not the golden boy we all thought he was。‘He is a vicious little thug and the sooner you grasp that， and stop thinking of him as a brave boy hero， the closer you’ll be to understanding what actually happened。It really made me consider the myths as we know them - predominantly told by men， changing with retellings and woven into our psyche and culture。 Here Haynes has made this classic myth relevant to us today， told with a fiercely feminist voice， and with passion。 This is a story that still resonates down the ages but told for a new generation。‘And the monster？ Who is she？ She is what happens when someone cannot be saved。’This is a gripping story， masterfully woven by the Queen of Greek Mythology， retelling Medusa’s story for today。 This is going to be big…HUGE！ My forever copy is on it’s way All the stars 。。。more
Clare Read
，
In 'Stone Blind'， Natalie Haynes retells the story of Medusa， who through Poseidon's assault and Athene's revenge turned from a kind mortal sister of the Gorgons to a monster capable of turning people to stone。 Told from many different perspectives， including Gods， Naiads， Nymphs， and mortals， Haynes describes how Perseus went from trying to protect his mother Danae from a marriage she didn't want， to becoming a cold-blooded killer。 As Hayne's writes at the beginning "。。。the hero isn't the one w In 'Stone Blind'， Natalie Haynes retells the story of Medusa， who through Poseidon's assault and Athene's revenge turned from a kind mortal sister of the Gorgons to a monster capable of turning people to stone。 Told from many different perspectives， including Gods， Naiads， Nymphs， and mortals， Haynes describes how Perseus went from trying to protect his mother Danae from a marriage she didn't want， to becoming a cold-blooded killer。 As Hayne's writes at the beginning "。。。the hero isn't the one who's kind or brave or loyal。。。this particular monster is assaulted， abused and vilified。 And yet， as the story is always told， she is the one you should fear。。。We'll see about that。"Feminist retellings of Greek myths have over the last few years become very popular。 Within them there is certainly a huge amount of misogyny and rape to deconstruct。 Hayne's is more qualified than most in this area and has written a number of books about Greek myths and has presented a radio 4 programme。 While the number of characters can at times feel overwhelming， Hayne's brings all of the events together brilliantly。 She presents a medusa who is kind and loving until she is forced to become a monster。 Whilst Perseus is certainly no hero， she shows how he is also turned into a monster through a more powerful man's determination to take his mother， and the setting of what， without the Gods interference， would have been an impossible quest。 This is a very enjoyable read that I'd certainly recommend。 。。。more
Amanda
，
From monster to hero。 The Medusa myth revisited。 Raped by Poseidon， for which she is punished by Athena， Medusa’s fate lies in the burnished shield of Perseus。Classics scholar Haynes puts the record straight on the Medusa myth。 A fascinating story which asks the reader to re-think the idea of the hero， and questions society’s habit of monstering women。My thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan UK for the ARC。
Shari Bull
，
Stone Blind is another wonderful retelling of Greek myth from the female perspective by Natalie Haynes。 Engaging， witty and informative it reexamines the hero/villain dichotomy， and unveils the real monsters。 Thank you to #Netgalley for the advance copy。
Gillian Lucas
，
‘Who decides what is a monster？’ ‘I don’t know，’ said Medusa。 ‘Men， I suppose。’ ‘So to mortal men， we are monsters。 Because of our teeth， our flight， our strength。 They fear us， so they call us monsters。’ ‘But they don’t know who you are。’‘Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying？ Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty。’The retelling of the story of Medusa but so much more with the background stories of the other gods & goddesses & how Perseus came to set out ‘Who decides what is a monster？’ ‘I don’t know，’ said Medusa。 ‘Men， I suppose。’ ‘So to mortal men， we are monsters。 Because of our teeth， our flight， our strength。 They fear us， so they call us monsters。’ ‘But they don’t know who you are。’‘Can a monster be beautiful if it is still terrifying？ Perhaps it depends on how you experience fear and judge beauty。’The retelling of the story of Medusa but so much more with the background stories of the other gods & goddesses & how Perseus came to set out on his journey。I loved the sympathy you felt for the Gorgons （usually portrayed as monsters）， the snivelling Perseus， reduced to a petulant teenager， the bored & omnipotent gods & goddesses！One of fondest memories of reading the Greek myths at primary school was the picture I drew of Perseus saving Andromeda who was savagely tied to trees trunks on a boulder at sea！ I’m not sure what ten year old me would have made of this version！ If you like the retelling of Greek myths then you’ll love this book。 。。。more
Isobel Radakovic
，
I was quite excited about this book going into it， as I appreciated Medusa's story being retold because she has always been typecast as the villain， and mainly in stories written by men who love to portray her as a spiteful man-hater。 However， I do feel that Stone Blind is slightly false advertising， because while Medusa's story is told， it is interwoven with the tales of lots of other Greek figures， to the point where I actually felt that Medusa's story got lost in the mix to be honest， which w I was quite excited about this book going into it， as I appreciated Medusa's story being retold because she has always been typecast as the villain， and mainly in stories written by men who love to portray her as a spiteful man-hater。 However， I do feel that Stone Blind is slightly false advertising， because while Medusa's story is told， it is interwoven with the tales of lots of other Greek figures， to the point where I actually felt that Medusa's story got lost in the mix to be honest， which was disappointing。 I did enjoy Haynes' writing style， as I find that I can sometimes be overwhelmed by the Greek myths and in keeping track of all the characters， but this felt informative without being oversimplified， and it reminded me of how much I do really enjoy reading about the Greek Gods and Goddesses。 。。。more
Jesika
，
In this book， the readers is plunged into the world of Greek myths。 There is a lot going on - it does a great job of showing the ways in which lots and lots of seperate stories interconnect， overlap and outright disagree with each other。 In an age of chronological storytelling and copyright laws will are used to an author telling a story and it standing seperate from other stories。 The stories of Greek Mythology were， in the society they were originally for， a living， changeable thing。 This book In this book， the readers is plunged into the world of Greek myths。 There is a lot going on - it does a great job of showing the ways in which lots and lots of seperate stories interconnect， overlap and outright disagree with each other。 In an age of chronological storytelling and copyright laws will are used to an author telling a story and it standing seperate from other stories。 The stories of Greek Mythology were， in the society they were originally for， a living， changeable thing。 This book really showcases how complex that is when trying to seperate a story out of this original context。There are also moments of reflection throught this book on what makes a monster， why we assume certain behaviour makes a hero， why we consider a hero morally good。 These moments are frustratingly fleeting。The book is delivered through many points of view。 If you are looking for a large cast， this book will deliver。 Each point of view is telling their story。 I know mythology quite well， I knew how they were all going to eventually link up。 I'm not sure every reader would enjoy the though， particularly because the narrative doesnt feel like it's veering towards one overarching storyline as you read。Ultimately， this book is not Medusa's story。 It doesnt centre her。 It doesn't give her voice and experience any more space than she has ever had。 Its disappointing as this is really what the book is billed as。 Instead， I would say that if you went into this book expecting something more along the lines of a narrative that explains a certain portion of Greek Mythology stories， from the time period in which Medusa was around。 。。。more
Librow0rm Christine
，
Thank you so much Pan MacMillan and NetGalley fir the arc of Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes in exchange for my honest and unbiased review。I’ve read a couple of Greek myth retellings this year， and I have enjoyed them， but Natalie Haynes takes a lighter， witty approach to this Medusa retelling that came across brilliantly。Medusa has been wronged by the gods， deserted by her parents， raped by Poseidon and cursed by Athene。 This book retells her story， from her perspective， ensconced within the worl Thank you so much Pan MacMillan and NetGalley fir the arc of Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes in exchange for my honest and unbiased review。I’ve read a couple of Greek myth retellings this year， and I have enjoyed them， but Natalie Haynes takes a lighter， witty approach to this Medusa retelling that came across brilliantly。Medusa has been wronged by the gods， deserted by her parents， raped by Poseidon and cursed by Athene。 This book retells her story， from her perspective， ensconced within the world if the gods and the numerous politicking and infighting amongst them。I absolutely adored Medusa’s perspective on Perseus。 Definitely told from the wronged female’s perspective。 If you love myths， legends， gods， goddesses， with voracious appetites and little care for mortals， then definitely dive in。 3。5 stars 。。。more
Librow0rm Christine
，
Thank you so much Pan MacMillan and NetGalley fir the arc of Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes in exchange for my honest and unbiased review。I’ve read a couple of Greek myth retellings this year， and I have enjoyed them， but Natalie Haynes takes a lighter， witty approach to this Medusa retelling that came across brilliantly。Medusa has been wronged by the gods， deserted by her parents， raped by Poseidon and cursed by Athene。 This book retells her story， from her perspective， ensconced within the worl Thank you so much Pan MacMillan and NetGalley fir the arc of Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes in exchange for my honest and unbiased review。I’ve read a couple of Greek myth retellings this year， and I have enjoyed them， but Natalie Haynes takes a lighter， witty approach to this Medusa retelling that came across brilliantly。Medusa has been wronged by the gods， deserted by her parents， raped by Poseidon and cursed by Athene。 This book retells her story， from her perspective， ensconced within the world if the gods and the numerous politicking and infighting amongst them。I absolutely adored Medusa’s perspective on Perseus。 Definitely told from the wronged female’s perspective。 If you love myths， legends， gods， goddesses， with voracious appetites and little care for mortals， then definitely dive in。 。。。more
Ciska
，
thank you so so much to NetGalley and Panmacmillan for an advance review copy of this book - I feel very lucky！ I absolutely loved this。 medusa has been one of my favourite greek mythological figures for a long time （I even have a tattoo of her）， so to be able to read a retelling of her story was so wonderful。 Natalie Haynes is so so gifted in weaving together the perspectives of so many characters to build a full picture， without it ever feeling confusing or over complicated。 she brilliantly sh thank you so so much to NetGalley and Panmacmillan for an advance review copy of this book - I feel very lucky！ I absolutely loved this。 medusa has been one of my favourite greek mythological figures for a long time （I even have a tattoo of her）， so to be able to read a retelling of her story was so wonderful。 Natalie Haynes is so so gifted in weaving together the perspectives of so many characters to build a full picture， without it ever feeling confusing or over complicated。 she brilliantly shows the way that women have been misrepresented， how their stories have been pushed to the side to make way for the traditional， male ‘heroes’， and she does so with wry humour and intelligence。 pub date is 15th september so not long to wait to get your hands on this！！ 。。。more
Molly K
，
‘Stone Blind’ is a retelling of the tale of Medusa - the Greek mythology tale of the girl with snakes for hair and the ability to turn you into stone with a single glance。 Haynes attempts to spin her tale in a new light， with multiple perspectives from each character involved in her well-told tale。~I was really disappointed by this to be honest。 I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology re-tellings， having read several in the past year - I eagerly anticipated this。 But it just felt clunky， awkward and t ‘Stone Blind’ is a retelling of the tale of Medusa - the Greek mythology tale of the girl with snakes for hair and the ability to turn you into stone with a single glance。 Haynes attempts to spin her tale in a new light， with multiple perspectives from each character involved in her well-told tale。~I was really disappointed by this to be honest。 I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology re-tellings， having read several in the past year - I eagerly anticipated this。 But it just felt clunky， awkward and tricky to keep up with - for a story centred around Medusa， it felt as though she had hardly any page time。 It seemed to be everybody else’s story but hers， and even the other tales that were being told were incredibly difficult to keep up with due to the sheer volume of them。Additionally， the dialogue really let the novel down。 In an attempt to make Classics accessible to a Young Adult audience， the Greek gods essentially speak like modern day teenagers - it really took you out of the story and the setting。Thanks to NetGalley and the team at Macmillan for the ARC。 。。。more
Sarah Benjamin
，
I’m woefully ignorant about Greek myths I think I must have moved schools when these were taught 。Some of my education has now been partially completed by reading this novel The author has an amusing light hearted take on the stories and I very much enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book 。For me I started to loose the plot a bit towards the end when more and more characters were introduced and I couldn’t keepUp with the speed they were arriving 。I think I might have enjoyed the novel moor if the auth I’m woefully ignorant about Greek myths I think I must have moved schools when these were taught 。Some of my education has now been partially completed by reading this novel The author has an amusing light hearted take on the stories and I very much enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book 。For me I started to loose the plot a bit towards the end when more and more characters were introduced and I couldn’t keepUp with the speed they were arriving 。I think I might have enjoyed the novel moor if the author had stuckTo just the Medusa story rather than adding the complex side plots I suppose one way to describe the book would be Bridgerton for Greek myths all but with slightly less sex or significantly less as Gods appeared to procreate rather carelessly by spilling their seed which was picked up by mortals and lady Gods 。I read an copy on NetGalley Uk the book was published 15th September by Pan MacMillan 。。。more
Kayleigh Kehoe
，
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Stone Blind𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫（𝐬）: Natalie Haynes𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mythology𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 15th September 2022𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4。5/5TW: Rape， sexual assault， murder”Men will tell you that Gorgons are monsters， but men are fools。 They cannot comprehend any beauty beyond what they can see。 And what they see is a tiny part of what there is。”This feminist retelling of Medusa shows us that Medusa， the infamous Gorgon， was never the evil that typical mythology portrays her as。 In fact， she was more g — 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Stone Blind𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫（𝐬）: Natalie Haynes𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mythology𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 15th September 2022𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4。5/5TW: Rape， sexual assault， murder”Men will tell you that Gorgons are monsters， but men are fools。 They cannot comprehend any beauty beyond what they can see。 And what they see is a tiny part of what there is。”This feminist retelling of Medusa shows us that Medusa， the infamous Gorgon， was never the evil that typical mythology portrays her as。 In fact， she was more girl than monster。 Also， what is a monster， anyway？ Something that people deem as ‘scary’ because they don’t understand the way something looks？ I can’t get over how gut-wrenchingly heart-breaking this was。 This story has the ability to touch a soul and it did exactly that with mine， and squeezed。 I enjoyed the writing immensely， there were points of view that I didn’t expect， there was lots of humour， and literally all of it was incredibly engaging。 I’ve had Natalie Haynes books on my wish list for years and now I’m desperate to read more。This is just one of those books that make you feel so strongly and really see how much devastation and destruction was caused at the whims of the Gods。 I wish I could stab Poseidon with his own trident， I wish I could chop off Perseus’ head。 Most of all， I wish women didn’t have to relate to this story so strongly。 🧚🏻♀️♡ my bookstagram • my twitter ♡↑ follow my socials for more bookish content。 ↑ 。。。more
Aria Harlow
，
I love retellings and one of my favourite myths to read retellings of is Medusa and so I loved this book。 It is well written with a fantastic storyline and well developed characters that felt like they were jumping off the page and playing out the story right in front of my eyes。 I loved it。
Sarah
，
Medusa got such a raw deal in the stories。 She was r*ped by a god， punished for it by another， and then labelled a 'monster'。 Well， now it's time we get to hear her side of the story。I think this is more of a 3。5 for me。 I like the premise， it's really well-written， but there just wasn't enough to the main story to get a whole book out of it， so we also see a lot of Perseus' backstory， and Andromeda， and a whole pile of petulant gods。 I didn't really *like* anyone。 Ymmv， of course， and if this s Medusa got such a raw deal in the stories。 She was r*ped by a god， punished for it by another， and then labelled a 'monster'。 Well， now it's time we get to hear her side of the story。I think this is more of a 3。5 for me。 I like the premise， it's really well-written， but there just wasn't enough to the main story to get a whole book out of it， so we also see a lot of Perseus' backstory， and Andromeda， and a whole pile of petulant gods。 I didn't really *like* anyone。 Ymmv， of course， and if this sounds interesting it's definitely not a bad read in the slightest。You can read my full review on my blog， LittleFrogScribbles。 。。。more
Emsal
，
Medusa is up there with my favourite Greek influence。 Her story is absolutely fascinating and her character is one that is deeply misunderstood and misrepresented in mythological retellings。 Therefore， this book was right up my alley and I wanted to see for myself a retelling of her and the facts laid bare。 The beginning was brilliant， and I adored the inclusion of Metis， another favourite of mine， and the insipid nature of the gods， their possessive and testosterone in-fuelled indulgence。 I lef Medusa is up there with my favourite Greek influence。 Her story is absolutely fascinating and her character is one that is deeply misunderstood and misrepresented in mythological retellings。 Therefore， this book was right up my alley and I wanted to see for myself a retelling of her and the facts laid bare。 The beginning was brilliant， and I adored the inclusion of Metis， another favourite of mine， and the insipid nature of the gods， their possessive and testosterone in-fuelled indulgence。 I left the book hating every single male that was referenced。 Not sure that that was the intent but it’s how I felt all the same。 I was kind of glad at what happened to Athena at the end… she truly deserved it！ Unfortunately， this one sort of missed the five star mark for me as I felt like Medusa’s story was yet again overshadowed。 We get so many points of views here that I felt like her voice got lost。 I wanted more of her and her internal dialogue and inner battles， wanted more of Medusa when she became bejewelled with snakes for her hair。 Thank you to Netgalley and Mantle for the approval of my request to review。 。。。more
Tanya
，
Medusa is dead， I am dead。 But I'm still the best narrator for this part of the story， because I was there for all of it， and because I am not a lying deceitful hateful vicious murderer。 [loc。 2567] This novel is subtitled 'Medusa's Story'， but at first it seems like a complex interweaving of the stories of wronged women from Greek mythology: Zeus' first wife Metis; Andromeda， staked out as a sacrifice to Poseidon; Danaë imprisoned in the dark; Hera and Amphitrite， wronged wives。 （Hera， 'a goddes Medusa is dead， I am dead。 But I'm still the best narrator for this part of the story， because I was there for all of it， and because I am not a lying deceitful hateful vicious murderer。 [loc。 2567] This novel is subtitled 'Medusa's Story'， but at first it seems like a complex interweaving of the stories of wronged women from Greek mythology: Zeus' first wife Metis; Andromeda， staked out as a sacrifice to Poseidon; Danaë imprisoned in the dark; Hera and Amphitrite， wronged wives。 （Hera， 'a goddess with an almost limitless supply of spite， could barely keep up with the number of women， goddesses， nymphs and mewling infants she needed to persecute'。 [loc。 77]） Yet it all circles back to Medusa's story， and the implacable hatred of Athene -- 'vengeful and cruel， always blaming women for what men do to them' [loc。 1209] -- whose curse transforms Medusa after Poseidon rapes her in Athene's temple。 Does Athene make Medusa into a monster， though？ Is Medusa truly the hideous， unlovable horror sought by Perseus？ The great hero is an unlikeable and incompetent teenager in this account， constantly whining to Athene and Hermes about the appalling hardships of his quest for a Gorgon's head。 Athene does not have much time for him， and in this one thing I am wholly in agreement with her。 It's not all grim。 The love between mortal Medusa and her immortal Gorgon sisters， Euryale and Sthenno， is deep and heartfelt: it's the opposite of monstrosity， the epithet levelled at the Gorgons by both Poseidon and Perseus。 Hermes， one of the few male characters who behaves decently in the pages of Stone Blind， asks of Perseus 'who are you to decide who is a monster？'。 And Medusa tells Poseidon that beauty is more than skin-deep: she sees it in the loving care of her sisters， and she submits to Poseidon to save a （more） mortal girl。 Haynes plays with voices here: it's not only Medusa's story， but a multitude of voices making a mosaic of misogyny， abuse， privilege and trickery。 There are chapters told from choruses of entities: a bickering slither of snakes， an olive grove， the Hespereides。 There are so many wronged women， their voices distinct but their experiences alike。 I'd love to hear this read aloud， as a dramatic performance。。。 One voice is absent: Medusa's mother Ceto， who dwells in the depths of the ocean。 But Haynes weaves her into the story， in a way that is both tragic and elegant。 So many connections I hadn't recognised: so many commonalities of experience。 Stone Blind isn't always an easy read， but it is a rewarding one: I am reminded that I have several of Haynes' other mythology-based novels， and am encouraged to read them sooner rather than later。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy。 UK publication date is 15 SEP 2022， and there's a virtual launch at the British Library。 。。。more
Keeley Dibb
，
I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange of an honest review 。This book comes with trigger warnings。 This Medusa retelling follows the myths of ancient Greece， where the divine ruled over man and man ruled over women。 Was Medusa a monster or was she just made to be？ In this story Medusa is given a voice， a home and a family。 We love her， we see her and we see ourselves in her。 This heart-breaking read should be on every woman's TBR ; how many times have you found yourselves been consider I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange of an honest review 。This book comes with trigger warnings。 This Medusa retelling follows the myths of ancient Greece， where the divine ruled over man and man ruled over women。 Was Medusa a monster or was she just made to be？ In this story Medusa is given a voice， a home and a family。 We love her， we see her and we see ourselves in her。 This heart-breaking read should be on every woman's TBR ; how many times have you found yourselves been considered the monster？ 'Men are fools。 They cannot comprehend any beauty beyond what they can see。 'Natalie Hayes writing style is beautiful， captivating and completely necessary。 Her ability to transform the Greek myths into a compelling read with scarily current parallels are breath-taking。 She engulfs the reader into the world of ancient Greece and takes them away in her melodic writing style to a place not so different from our own。 。。。more
Jill Westerman
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this reworking of the Medusa story which begins with Medusa as a baby， abandoned and found by two Gorgon sisters。 It challenges our （and Perseus'！） notion of what makes a monster - is it a word we use for something simply different from us？ Medusa emerges as a loving and sympathetic young woman; meanwhile the petulant and childish gods squabble amongst themselves， play with human lives whilst despising and being puzzled by them。 Zeus asserts himself as King of the gods， whil I thoroughly enjoyed this reworking of the Medusa story which begins with Medusa as a baby， abandoned and found by two Gorgon sisters。 It challenges our （and Perseus'！） notion of what makes a monster - is it a word we use for something simply different from us？ Medusa emerges as a loving and sympathetic young woman; meanwhile the petulant and childish gods squabble amongst themselves， play with human lives whilst despising and being puzzled by them。 Zeus asserts himself as King of the gods， whilst being also rather cowed by his wife Hera and several other myths are woven into the story - like the birth of Aphrodite。 A sardonic narrator fills in gaps for us and the whole thing is very funny， whilst also being quite sad。 Definitely recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy。 。。。more
Iphigen
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*Thanks to Pan Macmillan for my advanced review copy* I was beyond excited for this book， and surely I could see Natalie Haynes' trademark wit all over the pages。 However， it didn't quite meet the extremely high bar she has set herself previously。 Stone Blind was supposed to be the story of how a young woman became a monster and how she was never really a monster at all。 It should have been Medusa’s story， but， in a lot of ways， it wasn't really hers。 I normally enjoy books with multiple POVS， b *Thanks to Pan Macmillan for my advanced review copy* I was beyond excited for this book， and surely I could see Natalie Haynes' trademark wit all over the pages。 However， it didn't quite meet the extremely high bar she has set herself previously。 Stone Blind was supposed to be the story of how a young woman became a monster and how she was never really a monster at all。 It should have been Medusa’s story， but， in a lot of ways， it wasn't really hers。 I normally enjoy books with multiple POVS， but in this case I felt robbed。 Nevertheless， I felt most compelled when reading about Medusa and her sisters。 Stheno and Euryale are beautifully portrayed ， and I adored every scene they were in。 They're also the first characters to introduce the concept of beauty and monstrosity as learned behavior - a recurring theme throughout the book which never tires to show how ideas of what is monstrous are culturally conditioned， predicated on fear of the unknown。 Sadly， they're the only ones to prove that it can be unlearned too。 。。。more
Lucy
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4-4。5****”We know who it was，” Euryale said。 “Vengeful and cruel， always blaming women for what men do to them。 She has always been like this。 You know she has。”I feel a plethora of emotions whenever I read a story based on Medusa: this includes Rosie Hewlitt’s Medusa and the graphic novel by Jessie Burton。In this story， as with others， Medusa is the mortal child of Ceto and Phorcys。 Gifted to her immortal sisters- the Gorgons， Sthenno and Euryale become her caregivers。 It was so cute to see lit 4-4。5****”We know who it was，” Euryale said。 “Vengeful and cruel， always blaming women for what men do to them。 She has always been like this。 You know she has。”I feel a plethora of emotions whenever I read a story based on Medusa: this includes Rosie Hewlitt’s Medusa and the graphic novel by Jessie Burton。In this story， as with others， Medusa is the mortal child of Ceto and Phorcys。 Gifted to her immortal sisters- the Gorgons， Sthenno and Euryale become her caregivers。 It was so cute to see little Medusa and her growing up！ Especially as Sthenno and Euryale had to adapt to take care of their younger sister。 As Medusa grows up with only her sisters for company and the wide ocean， her version of beauty is different to others- kindness and love， no matter on looks， are her standards of love。While loving the beginning， I knew the horror of what was to become of Medusa。 Every time I read Medusas story my stomach just churns- I feel anger， despair and pity for what is to happen to her。 Since learning from previous stories of what Athene does to Medusa- I have a severe hatred and anger for the goddess。In addition， this book also includes the story for which Medusa is famous for: her snake hair， the statues， and Perseus’ vicious murder of her。 Natalie Haynes really delves into Medusas unjustifiable curse by Athene， and horrific murder by Perseus。 I， again， at this stage of Medusa’s story， become deeply distressed and sad over her murder。 Natalie Haynes does so well to delve into the characters emotions of these horrific events。 Natalie Haynes also expands on Medusa’s power and includes her into other parts of myth: she recounts a brilliant involvement of Medusa’s head and the tale of Atlas。 This book did not just focus on Medusa （which is what I was expecting） but of numerous characters: Hera， the Nereids， Perseus， Andromeda， etc。 which was interesting to read but I think I just wanted more Medusa， as I love the Gorgons！Natalie Haynes does great in portraying the Gods like absolute petulant and annoying children （which they do sound like in myth）， and the Hero for what he is like- being generally awful。 She very much examines the script of hero and villain in Greek myth and takes on her own re-telling。”The goddess- to whom I have done nothing and who has gone out of her way to torture me and conspire in my murder- is right here and all I can think of is: of course she is。 Why stop now？”My anger at Athene， Poseidon and Perseus， as well as my upset and stomach clenching at Medusa’s curse and horrible murder。 It was just so good， and this is the quickest I have read a book in a while！！ 。。。more
Jess
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Noooo！ I wanted to love this。The glaring issue here is that this is not Medusa’s story。 This is the story of Medusa， reincarnated in modern language with some imaginative embellishments and only a smidge more sympathy for the titular character than the original Greek myth affords。This title is mentioned in the same breath as any antecedent in the recent retelling renaissance， most notably Circe。 But what Miller achieved was exactly what Haynes failed at: Circe did not fall into the tradition tha Noooo！ I wanted to love this。The glaring issue here is that this is not Medusa’s story。 This is the story of Medusa， reincarnated in modern language with some imaginative embellishments and only a smidge more sympathy for the titular character than the original Greek myth affords。This title is mentioned in the same breath as any antecedent in the recent retelling renaissance， most notably Circe。 But what Miller achieved was exactly what Haynes failed at: Circe did not fall into the tradition that it was clearly aiming to subvert。 What I mean by this is that Miller committed entirely to Circe’s perspective; it was her story， and hers only。 Medusa appears in Stone Blind as something as a minor character， and in the brief interludes we are privy to her perspective， she doesn’t have much agency or complexity。 I’d go so far as to say that the main character， really， was Athene – who， if you know how the myth goes， isn’t a character you want to spend much time with。 Major grievance aside， I found this book dull， really dull。 It doesn’t offer anything particularly fresh or exciting if you already know the myth （although there is a chapter narrated by a crow， and another by Medusa’s snakes， hence the additional star）。 The writing is rather anaemic， the characters have no real depth， and the dialogue is stilted。 （I think this is another unfortunate case where perhaps the author had a word-count to hit， and just used repetitive speech to do so。 Also， it tries to be funny， but doesn’t quite get there。） I found myself skim reading from the halfway mark。I have a great deal of respect for what this set out to do， in terms of reinstating another the female figure of myth who has been （effectively） demonised for literally millennia now。 Sadly， it just did not deliver。With thanks （but no thanks） to the publisher for the review copy。 。。。more
Michaela
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（Arc）Natalie Haynes is a talent。 She didn't shy away from the original myths and her writing style shines through in this whole story。 'Stone Blind' is a perfect Mythology books， up there with the greats - Pat Barker and Stephen Fry。 （Arc）Natalie Haynes is a talent。 She didn't shy away from the original myths and her writing style shines through in this whole story。 'Stone Blind' is a perfect Mythology books， up there with the greats - Pat Barker and Stephen Fry。 。。。more
Eleni Kontou
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TW: rape， sexual assaultStone Blind forces us to stare into Medusa’s eyes and confront the stories that we have been told through a different lens， at points making us wish to be ‘monsters’。Natalie Haynes’ novel Stone Blind is a disturbingly devastating read with a suspense that never seems to end。 Haynes’ most recent novel adds to Haynes’ growing reputation for writing feministic mythological novels。 This time however， Stone Blind focuses on one of the most well known ‘monsters’ throughout hist TW: rape， sexual assaultStone Blind forces us to stare into Medusa’s eyes and confront the stories that we have been told through a different lens， at points making us wish to be ‘monsters’。Natalie Haynes’ novel Stone Blind is a disturbingly devastating read with a suspense that never seems to end。 Haynes’ most recent novel adds to Haynes’ growing reputation for writing feministic mythological novels。 This time however， Stone Blind focuses on one of the most well known ‘monsters’ throughout history - the story of Medusa。 We all know of Medusa， but her origin story is one that is often unknown or forgotten。 Stone Blind is the origin story of Medusa and follows her on her devastating journey to become the snake haired gorgon。 The book doesn’t just stop there though， it also dives into what happens after Medusa becomes a ‘monster’。 This feminist retelling has left me feeling saddened， which is in itself a result of Haynes’ incredible talent。 The truth is， if you’re looking to pick up a copy of Stone Blind as a bit of fun， light reading， this isn’t the book for you。 It is a difficult read with traumatic scenes That insinuate rape and sexual assault。 I have to say， each page had me feeling more and more frustrated。 I went into this knowing Medusa’s origin story， so I did expect an emotional read。 Haynes cleverly forges a connection between our modern world and the mythological one - making this an even more daunting read。 The differences between our world and that of myth may seem large， but Stone Blind focuses on the similarities between the two by diverting our gaze to Medusa。 However， the novel does not only focus on Medusa。 Medusa and all the other women featured in the novel are living in an escapable world where they either fear the men in their lives， or live under their shadows。 While the actions of the men around them go unpunished， the women in the novel bear the brutal and barbaric consequences for the men and their decisions。 The switching of perspectives throughout the novel were difficult for me to come to terms with at first。 I was very much set on reading a novel about Medusa， and I must admit that if I were to give one criticism of Stone Blind， it is that I wish it focused more on Medusa’s story。 That being said， I do understand that Haynes was forming a solidarity amongst women by showing that although all the women in the story were born into very different lives， even goddesses found themselves losing to sexism and inner misogyny。I can’t write this review without mentioning Stheno and Euryale， Medusa’s immortal gorgon sisters。 The love between the sisters is beautiful and brings some temporary relief from the dark themes embedded in the story。 The narrator’s sarcastic humour is also a relief from the darkness at times， and the revealing of the narrator’s identity toward the end made me appreciate the storytelling even more。 Haynes’ including a domestic setting between Medusa and her sisters intensifies the novel with the impending fate of Medusa。 Their island life may appear solitary due to the fear that the humans have of them， but this only brings comfort to the sisters and strengthens their love for one another。 Perhaps there is a weird safety that comes with being deemed a ‘monster’。 Something that Haynes loves to explore thoroughly in the novel。 Overall， Haynes does well to portray the anguish and frustration that women feel。 But also the constant fear and lack of feeling safe。 Although Stone Blind is a gut wrenching and fearful read， it is a thought provoking and necessary one that highlights the seemingly impossible escape that women face daily and have done forever。 However， as mentioned before， I would have liked more of a focus on Medusa。 That being said， Haynes does well to bring perspective to Medusa’s famous tale， by perceiving Perseus as a useless and scared fool， and also by highlighting Athene’s own struggle with the patriarchy and her conditioning to abide by it。 I highly recommend this book to fans of Ariadne and Elektra by Jennifer Saint， and also for fans of Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy。 However， I think most fans of Greek mythological retellings will want to get their hands on this novel。Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Grace
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Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of Stone Blind。I really enjoy Natalie Haynes writing and in Stone Blind her normally wry humour carries a real edge - and no wonder， any tale involving the Gods wreaking their boredom， revenge， lust， lustful revenge on mere mortals is bound to raise an eyebrow or two。 Their vanity， carelessness with mortal life and bodies， doesn’t really always reflect well upon them and so is the case here。Haynes succeeds in bringing to life the tragedy of the creation of Medus Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of Stone Blind。I really enjoy Natalie Haynes writing and in Stone Blind her normally wry humour carries a real edge - and no wonder， any tale involving the Gods wreaking their boredom， revenge， lust， lustful revenge on mere mortals is bound to raise an eyebrow or two。 Their vanity， carelessness with mortal life and bodies， doesn’t really always reflect well upon them and so is the case here。Haynes succeeds in bringing to life the tragedy of the creation of Medusa， for some slight for which she’s not even to blame。 The story of her life until she is blinded is touching and you feel the tragedy of her being blinded， so much more。 Medusa - and her sisters - are made real。 The main men are often weak， petty and pretty useless， step forward Zeus （anything for a quiet life）， Hermes （so annoying） and Perseus…。erm， mortal son of Zeus， loves his mum， pretty useless hero becomes a mortal monster。 Even the worst of the women look good next to these guys。At times， I found the story unfolded less than smoothly and I wasn’t always sure how it was tying together but tie together it does。 There is a certain amount of back and forth in time which adds to the confusion but actually， given that a century feels like an hour to the Gods， it’s really not worth fretting over， go with the flow and it all comes good in the end。 Well， I say good…it’s not exactly a story with a happy ending for many of the characters and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Medusa in particular， doesn’t have the happiest of endings。 Unless you are really up on your mythology， it’s not always easy to tell when Haynes blends ‘fact’ with fiction。 Yes， of course the Gods are not a fact in that sense but there are collected stories that largely make up a known narrative and as always Haynes makes use of the fact that nothing should get in the way of a good story。 She did this with good effect in The Children of Jocasta， and makes good use of it here too。 This is a great story told from a different point of view to that which we are used to - instead of Medusa being a monster， she is revealed as far from it。 We hear her side of herstory， instead of the men who toy with her or hunt her。 And it’s a great story， even after she is hunted。If you have any interest in Greek mythology， this is a must read。 。。。more
Sydney
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Who decides who and what a monster is？ Stone Blind took me about 20 pages to get really get invested but once I got past that， I was completely hooked and read the remainder in one sitting。 Stone Blind follows the story of Medusa， from being a baby abandoned to her sisters all the way to the end we all （think） we know。 Other gods and goddesses make appearances throughout the story and help to weave a broader narrative and set the tone of what is to follow。 Themes of sisterhood， family and obliga Who decides who and what a monster is？ Stone Blind took me about 20 pages to get really get invested but once I got past that， I was completely hooked and read the remainder in one sitting。 Stone Blind follows the story of Medusa， from being a baby abandoned to her sisters all the way to the end we all （think） we know。 Other gods and goddesses make appearances throughout the story and help to weave a broader narrative and set the tone of what is to follow。 Themes of sisterhood， family and obligation are beautifully crafted in this novel as well as a very strong feminist lens on what happened and how we should look more critically at the stories we have been told （and why we have been told only those stories）。 If you're at all interested in mythology and have been looking for a novel that can sweep you away but also make you question your history/classics lessons then this one is for you。 。。。more
Svea
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I have this very deep-seated urge to read every mythological retelling I can get my hands on， especially the ones taking a closer and more modern look at the women of ancient tales that are often forgotten。 Medusa is a prime example of one such woman - all I knew about her when growing up and learning about Greek mythology is that she was a monster， slain by the great hero Perseus。 That she is so much more than that， and that her story is a lot more tragic and cruel than one might think at first I have this very deep-seated urge to read every mythological retelling I can get my hands on， especially the ones taking a closer and more modern look at the women of ancient tales that are often forgotten。 Medusa is a prime example of one such woman - all I knew about her when growing up and learning about Greek mythology is that she was a monster， slain by the great hero Perseus。 That she is so much more than that， and that her story is a lot more tragic and cruel than one might think at first glance， is something I found out much later when I delved deeper into the myths and their various interpretations。 Obviously， I was very excited to read Haynes' take on Medusa， and I've enjoyed the author's previous retellings a lot。"Stone Blind" is， though， not entirely focused on Medusa at all。 Even more so， it's Athene's story with her perspective being the dominant one especially in the first half of the book。 There are a lot of povs， and while they are all connected to Medusa in some ways， they rarely focus entirely on her。 That does lead to Medusa， as a character， not being as rich and deep as she could have been portrayed， but it fits with the overall way the story is told。 This is not a character study， it focuses more on all the circumstances that lead to Medusa's death and shines a light on a very different， much more critically viewed version of Perseus。 I really quite loved it。 I do admit I was at first a little disappointed at the lack of Medusa because the description of the book very much makes it out to be， well， a book about Medusa， and I would have loved more focus on her。 But for what it is - a loose retelling of Perseus' "hero" tale focusing on the women in his story - it's very good。The writing is gorgeous and the story is masterfully crafted， at no point was I bored or confused by the multitude of characters。 The pacing is perfect， the ending absolutely spectacular。 This really is a great book - just don't go into it expecting a story solely focused on Medusa。Many many thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the arc！ 。。。more
milliereadsalot
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4。5 starsThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review！After being disappointed by the last Greek mythology retelling I read， I was nervous going into this one， but it reaffirmed my love for Greek mythology stories！ It told the origin story of Medusa in such a unique way， forcing the reader to question who the true villain is of that myth。 It doesn't focus exclusively on Medusa， which I was a little confused about at first， but by the 4。5 starsThank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review！After being disappointed by the last Greek mythology retelling I read， I was nervous going into this one， but it reaffirmed my love for Greek mythology stories！ It told the origin story of Medusa in such a unique way， forcing the reader to question who the true villain is of that myth。 It doesn't focus exclusively on Medusa， which I was a little confused about at first， but by the end I saw that it could not have been done any other way， because all of these myths and stories hinge upon the outcomes of other myths and stories。 It was emotional and devastating， but there was also a lot of humour with the perspective of the narrator， whose identity you don't find out until right near the end， which I thought was a great storytelling choice。This was my first Natalie Haynes book， but it certainly won't be my last！ 。。。more
Annelies - In Another Era
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