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Alcestis Audiobook
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Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE EDMUND WHITE DEBUT FICTION AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY ASSOCIATION'S LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION
AWARD
A fiercely feminist retelling of a little-known Greek myth: the ultimate story of
sacrifice and forbidden desire
In Greek myth, Alcestis is known as the ideal wife; she loved her husband so much
that she died and went to the underworld in his place. But who was Alcestis
before she was married? Other than her love for Admetus, what circumstances
led her to make this ultimate sacrifice? And what happened to her in the three
days she spent in the underworld?
Katharine Beutner’s lush, emotionally devastating debut explores the magical
reality of ancient Greece, where gods attend weddings and the underworld is just
a river away. As Alcestis goes from sheltered princess to wise savior, she redefines
love and discovers her own power—a poignant heroine’s journey that resonates
more than ever today. Giving an achingly beautiful voice to the most
misunderstood wives of Greek mythology, Alcestis reveals the underworld as
you’ve never seen it before.
“Beutner helps us re-see the familiar … Alcestis is nobody’s celebratory gayed-up
Greek myth (for that, try Ovid). Instead, Beutner’s retelling is resolutely queer:
strange, beautiful, ambivalent, sexually fluid, full of human complexity and godly
simplicity.”—Andrea Lawlor, Lambda Literary
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Author Bio
Narrator Bio
© Print Copyright
©2010 by Katharine Beutner
? Audio Copyright
?2024 by Recorded Books
Cover Design
Artwork Credits
Cover art: Cristina Bencina
Arrangement
Recorded by arrangement with Soho Press, Inc.
ISBNs
C084629 5062607 9798891783164 Alcestis
Z20737 5062607 9798891783171 Alcestis
DG16918 5062607 9798891783188 Alcestis
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Alcestis
Title
Alcestis
Subtitle
Series
Author
Katharine Beutner
Narrator
Eva Kaminsky
Copy
WINNER OF THE EDMUND WHITE DEBUT FICTION AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE LAMBDA LITERARY ASSOCIATION'S LESBIAN DEBUT FICTION
AWARD
A fiercely feminist retelling of a little-known Greek myth: the ultimate story of
sacrifice and forbidden desire
In Greek myth, Alcestis is known as the ideal wife; she loved her husband so much
that she died and went to the underworld in his place. But who was Alcestis
before she was married? Other than her love for Admetus, what circumstances
led her to make this ultimate sacrifice? And what happened to her in the three
days she spent in the underworld?
Katharine Beutner’s lush, emotionally devastating debut explores the magical
reality of ancient Greece, where gods attend weddings and the underworld is just
a river away. As Alcestis goes from sheltered princess to wise savior, she redefines
love and discovers her own power—a poignant heroine’s journey that resonates
more than ever today. Giving an achingly beautiful voice to the most
misunderstood wives of Greek mythology, Alcestis reveals the underworld as
you’ve never seen it before.
“Beutner helps us re-see the familiar … Alcestis is nobody’s celebratory gayed-up
Greek myth (for that, try Ovid). Instead, Beutner’s retelling is resolutely queer:
strange, beautiful, ambivalent, sexually fluid, full of human complexity and godly
simplicity.”—Andrea Lawlor, Lambda Literary
Download and start listening now!
"Amazing and very well-written story of Alcestis of Greek legend and her journey to the Underworld where she meets the goddess Persephone and from there the story moves well away from the traditional Greek telling. Excellent book!"
— Anita (5 out of 5 stars)
Alcestis Listener Reviews
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" It was "meh". Interesting and engaging enough, but overall, rather forgettable. I think my main problem is that I wanted to enjoy more than I actually enjoyed it. I feel like it took too long for anything to actually happen, and then when it did, I sat there in disbelief, like "this is it?". I do/did really appreciate that someone wanted to breathe life into this mythological character and make her into a real person. "
— Kat, 2/17/2014 -
" Could have been tighter, but it made me want to ponder the way it talks about sexuality, in a good way...complex and pre-modern. "
— Megan, 2/13/2014 -
" I LOVED Beutner's imaginative way to explain not only (/b)why(/b), but also (/b) how (b/) Alcestis went to the Underworld. This book has renewed my once - loved interest in myths and legends. "
— Hope, 2/11/2014 -
" This book was really lovely, and probably will be for anyone who has a love for Greek Mythology. The writing was fantastic and the story was a nice twist on an old tale. "
— Kylie, 1/16/2014 -
" I tried but just couldn't make myself read past the first couple of pages. Not my genre but thought I might enjoy it anyway. Not saying its not a good book for somebody that enjoys mythology. "
— Paula, 1/9/2014 -
" It started off well, and then just got unfortunate during the underworld part. Another novel about history vicitmizing women. "
— Erika, 11/19/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this. Its not a greek myth I remember but found it so interesting And for a debut I was really impressed! "
— Tara, 9/21/2013 -
" Okay, I didn't complete this book, but I that's because I didn't like it. Gross. "
— Ashley, 7/27/2012 -
" Here's a review I wrote at Lambda... "
— Andrea, 3/20/2012 -
" It started off great, but it turned into something like a soap opera half way through... "
— Mandy, 9/1/2011 -
" I thought the descriptions were vivid and the characters interesting. This wisp of Apollos cloak or the pallor of the souls in the field were superb. This is a book for mythology buffs. "
— Joan, 6/2/2011 -
" I LOVED Beutner's imaginative way to explain not only (/b)why(/b), but also (/b) how (b/) Alcestis went to the Underworld. This book has renewed my once - loved interest in myths and legends. "
— Hope, 3/21/2011 -
" It started off well, and then just got unfortunate during the underworld part. Another novel about history vicitmizing women. "
— Erika, 12/27/2010 -
" Profound. Beutner shows what it might really be like to be loved by a god. "
— Grey, 7/2/2010 -
" Could have been tighter, but it made me want to ponder the way it talks about sexuality, in a good way...complex and pre-modern. "
— Megan, 6/13/2010
About Samara Naeymi
Samara Naeymi is a voiceover artist who has lent her talents to commercial radio, cartoons, video games, and audiobooks. Her voice can be heard in television shows such as Pokemon and World of Winx and video games such as “Modern Combat Versus.”