Medea: A Delphic Woman Novel (Delphic Women Series)
Between 1995 and 1997, Greenwood, the Australian creator of Phryne Fisher and (later) Corinna Chapman, wrote three novels under the umbrella title Delphic Women, retelling stories from Greek mythology from new angles. Medea, published in 1997 in Australia, was the third of the books, but it’s the first to see publication in the U.S. The author explores the legend of Medea—betrayed wife of the adventurer Jason and murderer of her own children—from a modern-day perspective. The story is told by two narrators: Nauplios, one of Jason’s Argonauts, and Medea herself, thus allowing Greenwood to relate events that are separated by vast physical distances in their chronological order. The prose is a bit clunky, but the story is compelling. The main conceit, that these ancient mythological creatures and events were actually real, is risky, but Greenwood makes us believe in centaurs, golden fleeces, and whatnot. She also makes us believe that Medea might have been mistreated by history, that the true story of the woman is perhaps even more astounding than the myth. Compared to Greenwood’s more well-known fiction, this book is a bit of a curiosity, but it’s definitely worth checking out. --David Pitt--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.