The gray-eyed goddess

Mary Pope Osborne

Book - 2003

Retells a part of the Odyssey in which Ithaca, his wife, Penelope, and their son, Telemachus, are desperately warding off the men who want to marry her. Then a visit from a mysterious stranger gives Telemachus the courage to confront the suitors, and to search for his long-lost father.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Hyperion Books for Children c2003.
Language
English
Main Author
Mary Pope Osborne (-)
Other Authors
Homer (-)
Edition
1st ed
Item Description
Illustrations on lining papers.
Physical Description
105 p. : ill., map ; 19 cm
ISBN
9780786807734
9780786809318
  • Prologue
  • Odysseus and Penelope
  • Son of Odysseus
  • Gray-eyed goddess
  • Setting sail
  • Search
  • Old man of the sea
  • Calypso's island
  • Voyage
  • Epilogue
  • About Homer and the Odyssey
  • Gods and goddesses of ancient Greece
  • Main gods and goddesses: and pronunciation of their names
  • Pronunciation guide: to other proper names
  • Note on the sources
  • About the author.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-The fourth volume in this adaptation of Homer's epic details the end of Odysseus's captivity on Calypso's island, his wife Penelope's confrontations with prospective suitors at home in Ithaca, and his son Telemachus's journey to find him. Osborne combines different sections of the original to present a more linear story and pulls together various examples of how Athena helps both father and son. While there's plenty of action here, the characters and their motivations remain a bit distant, which suits the tale's mythic nature. Those unfamiliar with Greek myths will appreciate the appended descriptions of the gods and goddesses, pronunciation guide, and source notes, while the large print will attract newly independent readers. A map and labeled sketches of the deities appear on the endpapers. Osborne's occasional use of formal Homeric language (e.g., "wine-dark" waves, "prized heifer," and the dawn's "rosy fingers") allows her to stay true to the original tone, but it may be confusing for her audience. Purchase this where the series is popular.-Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

In accessible, easy language, with the text kept to a minimum per page, Osborne retells the [cf2]Odyssey[cf1] scenes in which Penelope and her son Telemachus fend off the suitors in Ithaca. The story has been arranged to help young readers follow along, although the illustrations (a map, portraits of the gods, and a chapter-head ornament) are disappointingly meager. Pronunciation guides are included. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.