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No Friend to This House

A Gripping Feminist Retelling of Greek Myth From the Bestselling Author of Stone Blind

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No Friend to This House

By: Natalie Haynes
Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
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Summary

No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea, written and read by the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.

'Haynes is the modern embodiment of the best of Homer' – Radio Times

This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .

Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.

Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king – has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?

Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe.

Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you've never seen her before . . .

Praise for Natalie Haynes:

‘Witty, gripping, ruthless’ – Margaret Atwood on Stone Blind

‘Fiercely feminist . . . A many-layered delight’ – The Guardian on A Thousand Ships

‘Passionate and gripping’ – Madeline Miller on The Children of Jocasta

 Ancient Dragons & Mythical Creatures Family Life Fantasy Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Mythology Heartfelt Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Royalty Magic Users Ancient Greece
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Critic reviews

It's superb: sharp, funny, inventive, powerfully humane (Katherine Rundell, bestselling author of Impossible Creatures)
An illuminating and often thrilling work of feminist reclamation
Natalie Haynes . . . offers an extraordinary feminist reimagining of the myth of Medea, cementing her place in a female pantheon of classical interpreters with Pat Barker, Madeleine Miller and Margaret Atwood
One of my all-time favourite writers (Nikita Gill, bestselling author of Hekate)
Haynes’ Medea is especially striking – both fearless witch and desperate lover – capturing all the facets and contradictions of the character in the ancient sources . . . Another masterpiece from Haynes. (Costanza Casati, author of Babylonia)
[A] wry, witty and ruthless retelling of Euripides' play
Natalie Haynes is a once-in-a-generation storyteller, and No Friend to This House is her masterpiece. Haynes does not so much retell the myth of Medea as excavate it, layer by devastating layer, for truths both timeless and timely. This is a stunning novel that cuts to the bone. (Dr. Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana)
An incredible feat of storytelling, bringing to life all the strands of the divine and human which led to one of the most fascinating myths of all time - Medea (Martha Kearney)
A stunning, slowburning tale full of passion and vengeance
The myth of Medea captivatingly retold (complete with the most beautifully foil-tipped pages) will completely reset your commute
If there is one thing Natalie Haynes knows how to do, it is reposition the classics. And her latest offering, No Friend to This House, raises the bar even more . . . In the world of Greek tragedy, Medea is often considered one of the most complex and divisive characters. But Haynes’ No Friend To This House gives readers more to consider about her
Witty, gripping, ruthless (Margaret Atwood, bestselling author of The Testaments, on Stone Blind)
An exceptionally powerful retelling of Medusa's story, an emotional gut punch of a novel . . . It is a dazzling achievement (Elodie Harper, bestselling author of The Wolf Den Trilogy, on Stone Blind)
Inventive and playful . . . [and] very funny (The Times on Stone Blind)
With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War (Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe, on A Thousand Ships)
Absorbing and fiercely feminist . . . A many-layered delight (The Guardian on A Thousand Ships)
A sparkling narrative . . . A Thousand Ships blows the dust off the classics (The Washington Post on A Thousand Ships)
Haynes balances a fresh take on the material . . . giving new voice to the often-overlooked but fascinating Jocasta and Ismene (Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe, on The Children of Jocasta)
All stars
Most relevant
Having recently finished Rosie Hewlet’s Medea I almost didn’t get this one. I have loved every single previous Natalie Haynes book though so i thought I’d give it a go.
I am so glad I did - Natalie’s reading is just pitch perfect, at times laugh out loud, sometimes so sad, Natalie captures it all.
The story was fascinating, brilliantly told and widely drafted covering so many other characters.
Highly recommend!

Another superb book and reading

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Brilliant rewriting of the ancient Greek myth. A refugee, a stranger in a strange land. Medeas story in her own words.

Medea

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I rather resent the label ‘feminist retelling’. This suggests that Natalie Haynes has wantonly reimagined the ancient myths to put women in the forefront. In fact she has gone back to the original Ancient Greek plays and found that, as with all myths, there are various versions. She has found the women who were there originally but who were later written out, and returned them into the story. As a person who grew up on ‘Jason and the Argonauts’, it came as a surprise to find out how little Jason actually achieved for himself, and how much he was reliant on the help Medea. Also, it’s not a feminist whitewash. Medea did some truly awful things, but then, so did Jason. The only difference is that history has been much kinder to Jason. The film comes to an end before we find what a duplicitous little sh*t he really is and never mentions an engagement he manages to forget, and a marriage he thought didn’t count.

The story is fascinating and the humour and sarcasm is a joy. The book is read beautifully by the author and I came away both educated. And entertained.

Fascinating, entertaining and educational story.

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A well written and performed version of this story that brings new points of view and characters to the forefront. Loved it

Gripping retelling with brilliant mix of characters

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I loved this.

The engaging story of Medea and Jason as told by the women who encounter them - their voices are variously humorous, venomous, distraught, afraid, weary, mocking, sorrowful & loving - but above all direct - we understand all of them (and sympathise with almost all of them!) The focus changes throughout - sometimes close in on Medea and her thoughts, then shifting to how her (or Jason's) actions have impacted the woman/goddess in question. This moves the action on at pace.

In this book, the great golden hero of myth is not the charming but faithless Jason, but the golden ram itself - we hear his backstory on our way to all the excitement and tragedy of Medea's lot.

Natalie Haynes is a talented narrator as well as classical scholar, stand up comedian and superb writer. This is well worth listening to.

I am about to read the glorious hardback edition that just arrived.

P.S If you haven't read Stone Blind (Retelling of Medusa myth) by the same author do yourself a favour, its a belter too!

Beautifully written and read by the author

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