Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth (Illustrated Gift Edition)

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In this haunting reimagining of the myth of Medusa and Perseus . . . Burton's take on the traditional adversaries humanizes both characters, blurring boundaries between hero and monster. Lomenech Gill's (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) angular, full-color illustrations add another layer of depth to the story.”— Publishers Weekly, starred review The Medusa. What did he mean, the Medusa? My name was Medusa, and I was a girl. Perseus had made me sound like a mythical beast. I didn't want to be a myth. I wanted to be me.” A dazzling, lyrical YA retelling of Greek myth, from Jessie Burton, internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse.

A] beguiling, lyrical, but also relatable retelling of the myth of Medusa ... [that] reclaims her both as an ordinary teenage girl who was exploited, brutalised then punished and also as a feminist icon who refuses to be a victim when she can be a proud survivor ... Medusa is a must read for women of all ages Utterly transporting ... This dynamic feminist retelling is illustrated with stunning, polychromatic power' - Guardian Books of the YearSiri Hustvedt’s What I Loved. This is such a beautiful novel, about family, art, love, loss, grief, damage and renewal. It was given to me when I was 25, as a gift after a performance of a play I was in, and has remained special to me over the years. Amy Key’s Arrangements in Blue, a unique, intimate memoir about building a beautiful life without prioritising romantic love, or focusing on received ideas of success. But there's also more to Medusa's story than the terrible things she has suffered. In her retelling, Burton takes things a step further, and allows Medusa to grow from a place of loathing the way she looks, her internalised victim blaming, of believing that who she is isn't good enough, and that only through Perseus getting to know her without seeing her, will Perseus ever love her. In this story learns self-acceptance, self-worth, and self-love. That not only is this who she is now, but who she wants to be, snakes and all, and that should be good enough for Perseus, because it's definitely good enough for her. A fiercely feminist undercurrent fuels Medusa's unflinching voice. . . . An 18-year-old Medusa wrests control of her own story in this necessary reimagining of the Greek myth for YA readers." - Shelf Awareness, starred review

To know I was treasured, adored and celebrated; to be allowed, encouraged to shine, to feel perfect in the majestic mirror of someone else's gaze - could such a life ever be mine?” You see, remembering's a blessing and a curse. You can't erase your bad memories, but a life without regrets is a life unlived. What you remember and how you remember: it makes you who you are. Maybe you have a choice about that, maybe you don't.” an impressive addition to the shelves of feminist retellings, balancing rage with beautiful storytelling' - Irish TimesExiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love and betrayal... Burton's story is a very feminist retelling. She has written the story in a way that makes it very related to the world we live in today; a world of impossible beauty standards, where a lot of a woman's worth is dependent on how attractive she is, a world where being too beautiful can lead to jealousy and abuse. It also shines a light on rape culture and victim blaming. With Jessie Burton's characteristic lyrical and beautiful writing matched by stunning illustrations, I loved this story of survival, healing and bravery of all kinds. A moving retelling that will hold so much appeal for teens but also captivate adult readers of Circe and Ariadne - Amy McCulloch This glorious retelling of Medusa will stay with me for a very long time. The writing is stunning, as one might expect with Jessie Burton, and the story feels searingly, heartbreakingly relevant for the world we live in. It's a work of art - Louise O'Neill

Dad would read Winnie-the-Pooh to me, doing all the voices. He did a particularly excellent Rabbit. It's the hardest thing in the world to explain yourself, to tell your story clearly. We are all of us such complicated creatures, whether we have snakes for hair or not. Who we are, and why we are like that I do not think there is a soul this side of Mount Olympus who can effortlessly explain the twists and turns their life has taken, why they might prefer a fig cake over a honey one, why they fell in love with that man rather than his friend, why they cry at night, or cry at beauty, or cry for no reason at all. But still. It's all we can do.”

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. The voice of a master: her detail, her humour, the beauty, the love of language. This book is talismanic to me, and it inspired me to keep going with the drafts of my debut, The Miniaturist. When I am anxious or sad, I reach for it. Not just because it’s a good story, but because it is a piece of work so palpably suffused with love, dedication and self-knowledge. I owe Hilary Mantel a great debt. Internationally bestselling author Jessie Burton flips the script in this astonishing retelling of Greek myth, illuminating the woman behind the legend at last. Retellings of Greek Mythology have taken the YA scene by storm recently. With authors like Madeleine Miller and her bestselling Song of Achilles, it’s no wonder the genre has become so popular (especially with the help of TikTok). With its stunning illustrations, Medusa is a unique addition to this popular sub-genre of YA historical fiction. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.

Filled with glorious full-colour illustrations by award-winning Olivia Lomenech Gill, this astonishing retelling of Greek myth is perfect for readers of Circe and The Silence of the Girls. Illuminating the girl behind the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation. From Goodreads. But, as anyone who knows even a little about Greek myths will tell you, these legends are dark and fierce and unremittingly punishing. The stuff of living nightmares, the story telling tradition of the ancients is, according to Freud himself, an examination of the human unconscious itself: laid bare, in all its bloody and mysterious symbolism. Jessie Burton’s version of Medusa – which is perhaps the most fearful myth of all – is, for all its inventiveness and verve, simply too tame to fill the ancient footsteps in which she treads. In prose that is, for the most part, plain and functional, the author tells us the tale – but fails to instil in her reader the wonder and awe that makes these epic stories so compelling and unforgettable.Something that sets Medusa apart from similar books is the stunning illustrations from Olivia Lomenech Gill, who previously worked on J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Gill blends the fantastic, legendary elements of Greek myth with raw, evocative imagery to create utterly mesmerising illustrations that capture Medusa’s journey. Gives the serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Elektra An enchanting short story from Madeline Miller that boldly reimagines the myth of Galatea and Pygmalion, now in hardcover for the first time A beautiful and compassionate retelling that gives the serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity ... Medusa's vulnerability, strength and journey of self-acceptance is one that will stay with me