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"Ithaka" tells the story of the women, left behind after the end of the Trojan War. While Odysseus is slowly making his way home, overcoming terrible obstacles sent by the gods, his wife Penelope does not know whether he's alive or dead. How long will she be able to withstand the pressure of the numerous suitors, who seek her hand (and Ithaka) - and will she remain as faithful as mythology states, or might she fall in love with one of them? The vivid colours of life on the abundant island of Ithaka are evoked with magic and warmth, as Penelope and those around her, tell their own incredible stories. Interspersed with wonderful verse retellings of Odysseus' adventures, this is a thrilling novel with a contemporary feel.
From the Inside Flap
The white owl comes to rest on a fig tree that grows below Penelope's chamber. This is the only room in the palace where a light is still burning. This is where she is needed.
Penelope, faithful and devoted wife of Odysseus, has been waiting for more than ten years for her husband to return to their home, Ithaka, a beautiful island set in the blue waters of the Ionion Sea. There has been no word from him since the end of the war in Troy and she has no idea whether he survived the sack of the city.
Klymene is a young handmaiden, and when the peace of Ithaka is shattered by the arrival of strangers ambitious for the hand of her mistress, Penelope, she too becomes caught up in passions inspired by the gods...
This powerfully imagined novel is not a retelling of Homer's Odyssey - it is the story of the woman left behind, waiting for Odysseua to return to his beloved island.
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