Medusa

By: Jessie Burton

Narrated by: Alisha Bailey

Bloomsbury presents Medusa by Jessie Burton, read by Alisha Bailey.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL
_______________

'A beautiful and profound retelling' – Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles and Circe
'Gives the serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity' – Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Elektra
_______________

If I told you that I’d killed a man with a glance, would you wait to hear the rest? The why, the how, what happened next?

Monster. Man-hater. Murderess. Forget everything you’ve been told about Medusa.
Internationally bestselling author Jessie Burton flips the script in this astonishing retelling of Greek myth, illuminating the woman behind the legend at last.

Exiled to a far-flung island after being abused by powerful Gods, Medusa has little company other than the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. Haunted by the memories of a life before everything was stolen from her, she has no choice but to make peace with her present: Medusa the Monster. But when the charmed and beautiful Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is blown apart, unleashing desire, love... and betrayal.

Perfect for listeners who loved Circe and Ariadne, as Medusa comes alive in a new version of the story that history set in stone long ago.
_________________

'… a must-read for women of all ages' – Red magazine
'Utterly transporting' – Guardian Books of the Year
'… an impressive addition to the shelves of feminist retellings, balancing rage with beautiful storytelling' – Irish Times

©2021 Jessie Burton (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Short but Sweet

From the point of view of Medusa. Jesse dared to end the story in a different way. Hooray for Jessie.

Medusa

A beautiful retelling- felt very powerful to read and is an excellent retelling of Greek myth

A deep heartfelt thanks…

For putting Medusa‘s sorry and wisdom into writing or in this case spoken. What a brilliant, lovely, and powerful story for a time like this. A time where many women are healing deep wounds and affecting their way to step into their power. I appreciate so you’re heart touching metaphors and truth piercing sentences.
Medusa has been coming to me and then here I find this book. Thank you, thank you for bringing her to life in such a beautiful way. Helping her tell her story. And helping us see ourselves in it.

Enjoyed this book

It was interesting to hear this story from Medusa’s point of view; I truly felt sorry for her.

Good but short

I liked it but knew how it would go pretty early on. Good story, fairly predictable, great archetypes.

Good listen

Very good listen, a bit shorter than I would have liked, but overall worth the purchase.

Creative feminist retelling

I loved this updated, feminist retelling of Medusa’s story. Myths transform over time and reflect the ages they live in and this version is perfect for our times. Even though I’m familiar with the details of the story, I was still at the edge of my seat waiting for the big reveal, which is impressive! I loved the imaginative descriptions and the narrator was just perfect.

Wonderful and empowering.

I absolutely loved this telling of Medusa's story. She deserves such. Her story so resonates with many experiences that are too often forced on women. And as a trans woman, it resonates with others making you out to be a monster - that your are certainly not - and then coming for your head. Everything about this little book is a win.

Fantastic and spell binding

Loved everything about this story, the characters the narrator. The passion in her voice. The energy is infectious

Loved

Empowering. My goddess, as one person put it”short & sweet”..might I add powerful. You can’t help but gaze into the mirror of your own reflection..like she does in the book. She is me. She is my daughter. She is every woman who has carried the weight of societal judgment & damnation by at times simply existing. This book will be an old friend I revisit …💚