In the many retellings of the Greek myths, the focus is generally on gods and heroes, but Natalie Haynes refocuses our gaze on the remarkable women at the centre of these ancient stories.
Natalie Haynes Books
Natalie Haynes turns to classical themes and myths, bringing them into the modern world with sharp wit and keen observation. Her works often explore lesser-known characters and perspectives from ancient tales, breathing life into forgotten voices and offering fresh takes on familiar legends. She masterfully blends scholarship with humor, crafting narratives that are both intelligent and entertaining. Haynes's approach to literature is refreshing, inviting readers to engage with timeless themes through compelling, contemporary storytelling.







This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of all of them…In the middle of the night, Creusa wakes to find her beloved Troy engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of brutal conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over, and the Greeks are victorious. Over the next few hours, the only life she has ever known will turn to ash...The devastating consequences of the fall of Troy stretch from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida, from the citadel of Troy to the distant Greek islands, and across oceans and sky in between. These are the stories of the women embroiled in that legendary war and its terrible aftermath, as well as the feud and the fatal decisions that started it all…Powerfully told from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships gives voices to the women, girls and goddesses who, for so long, have been silent.
Children of Jocasta
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
When you have grown up as I have, there is no security in not knowing things, in avoiding the ugliest truths because they can't be faced . . . Because that is what happened the last time, and that is why my siblings and I have grown up in a cursed house, children of cursed parents . . . Jocasta is just fifteen when she is told that she must marry the King of Thebes, an old man she has never met. Her life has never been her own, and nor will it be, unless she outlives her strange, absent husband. Ismene is the same age when she is attacked in the palace she calls home. Since the day of her parents' tragic deaths a decade earlier, she has always longed to feel safe with the family she still has. But with a single act of violence, all that is about to change. With the turn of these two events, a tragedy is set in motion. But not as you know it. In Children of Jocasta, Natalie Haynes reimagines the Oedipus and Antigone stories from the perspectives of two of the women who have often been overlooked; retelling the myth to reveal a new side of an ancient story.
Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
We meet Hera, who, whilst most often known for enacting vicious, creative revenge on the women – mortal or otherwise – who catch the wandering eye of her husband Zeus, turns out not to be such a villain after all. We meet Demeter, a mother who will go to any lengths, no matter the cost, to retrieve her daughter Persephone from Hades’ clutches. We’ll be introduced to The Furies, three women who will literally go to the ends of the earth to enact bloody vengeance but who, surprisingly, are the goddesses who can teach us the most about the way we live now. Examining the role of these goddesses and more, Divine Might will change everything you thought you knew about our most ancient stories. Full of fire, fury and devotion, Natalie Haynes brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age.
The Ancient Guide to Modern Life
- 275 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Our lives are infinitely richer if we take the time to look at what the Greeks and Romans have given us in politics and law, religion and philosophy and education, and to learn how people really lived in Athens, Rome, Sparta and Alexandria. This book shows how we are living very much like people did 2,000 or more years ago.
A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime's legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors. This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie's Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery. · Naomi Alderman · Leigh Bardugo · Alyssa Cole · Lucy Foley · Elly Griffiths · Natalie Haynes · Jean Kwok · Val McDermid · Karen M. McManus · Dreda Say Mitchell · Kate Mosse · Ruth Ware Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930's The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie's last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.
Stone Blind
- 371 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Natalie Haynes brings life to the infamous myth of Medusa with a feminist, heartbreaking retelling unlike any other . . .
No Friend to This House: A Gripping Feminist Retelling of Greek Myth From the Bestselling Author of Stone Blind
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
In Beijing coma, Dai Wei riflette sulla sua vita nella Cina comunista. Come attivista controvoglia, viene colpito e finisce in un profondo coma. Sebbene per il mondo esterno sembri ridotto a un vegetale, tutto arriva a lui: la cura incondizionata di sua madre e anche l'ipocrisia di alcuni amici. Con grande attenzione ai dettagli, l'autore crea un mondo che offre al lettore un'immagine onesta e talvolta sgradevole della Cina. Beijing coma è un epico racconto sulla Cina, ma ancor di più sul popolo cinese. Wei è qualcuno che desidera semplicemente condurre la propria vita e diventa così simbolo della lotta per la libertà.
Tradita dal suo fidanzato, Takako lascia il lavoro e cade in una spirale di sonno per sfuggire al dolore. Un giorno, una telefonata da parte di uno zio, che non vede da dieci anni, la risveglia da questo torpore. Takako accetta di aiutare lo zio a gestire una libreria per un pomeriggio, solo per compiacere la madre. Ma ciò che la attende è la vecchia libreria Morisaki, un mondo di migliaia di libri che racchiudono tempo e storia. I libri guariscono le ferite nel suo cuore. E, ancor di più, Takako scopre tante cose nuove e affascinanti che non aveva mai conosciuto prima. Una storia leggera ma profonda, soprattutto per chi ama collezionare libri antichi.
Kater Max hat sieben Leben. Und er wird jedes einzelne davon brauchen … Wenn ein Kater sprechen könnte, dann würde er wahrscheinlich genauso klingen wie Max. Max kommt aus Belgien, und irgendjemand hat ihn gekidnappt und in ein Tierversuchslabor gebracht. Warum? Wieso? Wozu? Eins nach dem anderen, erst einmal muss er da weg! Auf der Flucht begegnet Max der zwölfjährigen Millie, Tierschützerin aus Überzeugung. Klar, dass sie dem Kater hilft. Aber das ist doch ziemlich gefährlich, oder? Wird es den beiden gelingen, Max' Katzenfreunde aus dem Labor zu befreien?
Amberwoede - druk 4
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
Om niet steeds herinnerd te worden aan een persoonlijke tragedie in Londen accepteert een jonge vrouw een baan als leerkracht aan een school voor onhandelbare leerlingen in Edinbugh, maar hier voltrekt zich een nieuwe tragedie.





