Iokaste: The Novel of the Mother-Wife of Oedipus

Rating:
Summary: "Many A Man Before This Has In Dreams Lain With His Mother"
Review: "Iokaste: The Novel Of The Mother/Wife Of Oedipus" by Grossack and Underwood tackles a great greek myth with gusto exposing a woman/wife/mother's point of view to which the likes of Bulfinch & Hamilton would thoroughly appreciate!

The prologue of the novel is set 40 years into Iokaste's reign as Queen Of Thebes on the impending dawn of the day of her demise for her "unspeakable acts". She is questioned by her youngest daughter, Ismene if the "talk of Thebes" is true and Iokaste must answer in the affirmative.

While Iokaste seats her daughter beside her, she tells her child the family story from her beginnings - Iokaste's prophetic betrothal and royal destiny at the tender age of 14 through the present day tumultuous Thebes...

There is little that is written about Queen Iokaste/Jocasta/Epikatse (depending on your preferred or precise translation) and this historical/mythological novel is an authoritative, entertaining and wonderful retelling of one of the most powerful Greek stories in history!

If you enjoy mythology of ANY kind, you will really appreciate this novel as I did!

Happy Reading!



Rating:
Summary: absolutely compelling
Review: although this is based on greek tragedy, this is not the same resentful lament that we see in Oedipus Rex. very strong story: what is free will? what is even incest? what matters in life and what choices do you make? and besides all this, iokasta is a great read!

Rating:
Summary: Most Enjoyable Book Read This Year!
Review: Aside from years of evident research and the telling of one of history's most controversial stories, the authors have created a truly enjoyable and educational book for the ages! A must read for all; YOU WILL WANT ANOTHER BOOK FROM THESE AUTHORS!!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book - great for SCA folks, great for everyone!
Review: First, I have to admit that I don't like the story itself, but then it is a story from Greek mythology and most of those tend to have very strange twists and often end badly. Regardless of the story, I loved the book. I've been recommending it to friends. I put off reading it for a over a week after returning home with it. Then I picked it up because I had a little spare time before leaving for work. I was late - very late - for work, and I picked it up again shortly after returning home. I finished it that night - couldn't put it down. This from a guy who *never* has any problem falling asleep (narcolepsy has that one benefit). The writing is superb. I really cannot speak to character development because I was carried along with the story and didn't focus on such details - perhaps I should reread it and be a bit more technically minded. The narration was detailed enough that I could see everything in my mind's eye without being burdensome. That's a very fine line to walk, and the authors walked it masterfully. Since I do the SCA thing (www.sca.org), I will praise the book at each event I attend. I look forward to the authors' next book!

Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: I didn't expect this book to be that interesting, for who would care about Oedipus's passive wife, best known for wanting to avoid the truth and hanging herself? But Iokaste (not Jocasta!) is a really good read, snaring me with the first words of the prologue. Grossack and Underwood take a bit character and give her a voice, and I was impressed with the variety and the arcs of the other characters: Kreon, Laius, the different forms of the Tiresias, Niobe, Menoeceus and Antigone. I had a little trouble relating to Oedipus and the Sphinx; on the other hand, the riddle contest with Oedipus and the Sphinx was compelling, so maybe my judgment is somehow skewed. I can't hope for the continuing adventures of Iokaste - the poor woman is dead! - but I hope the authors will bring us back to Thebes.

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Summary: from the over 50 and under 20 group:
Review: I have not thought much about the Oedipus story in 35 years, but do remember that it was pushed down my throat in school, as many of today's students may feel. However, there is not a dull page in this book, and no lineage charts or maps to make reading it seem like work. All the info is there, though, deftly incorporated in the text. The book is pure pleasure, and as they say, is so enjoyable that you learn without realizing it. I loved the book, as did my daughter who read it along with her Oedipus studies in school.

There's the great advantage too, to the woman's perspective in the book. For example, we see the teenage Iokaste physically restrained by two different men within a short passage and hear her thoughts express a wide range of feelings, all of which a growing American girl will grapple with today. Also, she shows us the upbringing of a daughter of nobility -from the time when she is displayed as a possible bride choice, through the taking away of her infant son due to fear of the prophecy, to her growth into her duties as queen. This is a truly multi-layered character.

I question the birth scene, only because I suspect that young women of the time had infinitely more knowledge and support about the natural birthing process than young mothers do today, and did not experience it in as painful a way as we do. But I have a home-birth mom's perspective and who knows what was the case?

Rating:
Summary: Iokaste
Review: I was taken into the time, the place, the mind of Iokaste from the first pages that I read. I read the book in 1 sitting because it was impossible for me to leave the story. The authors have a beautiful talent of bringing together culture, history, time and greek mythology into the modern day readers imagination of what life could have been in those days. I look forward to their second book - hurry up!

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Summary: Iokaste- a book worth getting lost in!
Review: It all started with a friend's sudden announcement that she would get married in two days... in Las Vegas. So off I went, and as I was leaving I grabbed my recently acquired copy of Iokaste to read on the plane. I settled in with my peanuts and tonic water and immersed myself into the delightful world of ancient Greek myths and legends. I barely took my first look at Las Vegas when we landed, my mind too distracted with the story and what was going to happen next to the heroine, Iokaste. I spent the day at the marriage ceremony and at various Las Vegas attractions and while these were quite enjoyable, I found myself looking forward to my flight back to the Bay Area that evening just so I could try to finish reading Iokaste. That's how much this masterful weaving together of an ancient and well-known tale with a new perspective and sympathetic character had succeeded in completely sucking me into Iokaste's world and experiences.
The unique angle that co-authors Victoria Grossack and Alice Underwood so successfully undertook in their first book was to describe the ancient Greek story of Oedipus from the point of view of his wife and mother - Iokaste. They have created a heroine within whom readers can empathize and become invested in as the story unfolds. We begin to worry about Iokaste's plight and are allowed to understand the motivations behind many of her decisions and actions, drawing us further into her experiences. There were times at which I logically disagreed with Iokaste and yet emotionally wanted so fiercely to be able to defend her from her inescapable fate.
Another very unique aspect of Iokaste that contributes so significantly to its richness is the exquisite detail and description of the world it portrays, from the flavors and smells of the food that was eaten to the clothing that was worn and the social structure that the characters lived in. The combination of a plot designed to keep us wanting to turn the pages with such a realistic portrayal of the setting paint a vivid picture of what it may have been like to be alive in ancient Greece. In addition, somehow Grossack and Underwood effortlessly turn magical supernatural aspects of the ancient legend into reasonable interpretations and incorporate them easily into their tale. In the end they have created a passionate heroine and a lifelike world that together allow readers to live through every turn in the plot as one of Greek mythology's great tragedies unfolds.
I highly recommend this book to anyone fascinated with ancient Greece or who just want to read a well-written page turner and completely forget about the real world for a while! Excellent!

Rating:
Summary: A pleasure to read
Review: Reading Iokaste was a pleasure. The structural irony was handled seamlessly, and the two authors and first-time novel authorship were not noticeable. The shift to Iokaste's perspective and the consequent release of information was flawlessly managed and made a technically difficult task all but invisible to the reader.

Their approach to the myth was interesting, with the central protagonist's affair with her son appearing largely to be the result of other characters' machinations, with a large twist of fate. Iokaste's relations seem untouched by the Freudian "Oedipus Complex" of her son. It is interesting to compare the approach in their work with the attitudes adopted in Freud and D.H.Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, where the mother-child relations are less a product of human construct, and more physically organic. Comparison with Sophocles and other versions of the myth will be instructive too.


Rating:
Summary: Great telling of old tale
Review: Really a very pleasant surprize, engaging and colorfully written. Reminded me of books some of my all time favorites such as To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust or Lord of Light by Rodger Zelzany.

The ladies have hit a home run their first time at bat, hopefully we can look forward to much more in the future.