Review: Gods Behaving Badly

Gods Behaving Badly, by Marie Phillips



Need a good laugh? Look no further, especially if you retained any of the Greek mythology you were taught in college. Author Marie Phillips has given us the gods of Olympus all over again and this time, you'll never again forget just who was the god of what.

That's right, the gods of ancient Greece are alive and well (sort-of) and currently residing in a dilapidated house in the suburbs of London. That's right. London.

The good news is that they've evolved with the times. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is putting her skills to good use as a phone-sex operator.

Remember Apollo, god of the sun? He still does the sun trick everyday (for the most part), but his stunning good looks and vanity have led him to a modern day career as an actor. Well, a failed actor, but still....

Eros, the god of love, has converted to Christianity, while Dionysus, the god of wine, runs a hip nightclub and contributes to all sorts of societal degeneration. Artemis, Hera, Hermes and even Zeus all make appearances and manage to contribute to the mayhem.

The bad news, though, is that their power is fading fast and they need to find a way to avoid dying off all together. Through two perfectly ordinary, endearing mortals into the mix and you have the makings of a riotous tale!

Raunchy behavior and language abound, so don't say you weren't warned, but aside from that Marie Phillips has written a thoroughly delightful tale that evokes both laughter and fond memories of your humanities professor. Enjoy!


Title: Gods Behaving Badly
Author: Marie Phillips
ISBN-13: 978-0316067638
320 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition
Date: December 9, 2008


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Review: Helen of Troy

Helen of Troy by Margaret George

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book Origination: Purchased at local bookstore


Remember your college Greek mythology classes? If your memory is a little fuzzy, it will all come flooding back to you when you read Margaret George's Helen of Troy. Ms. George recreates the story from Helen's point of view and beginning with Helen's childhood, she paints a fairly vivid picture of Helen's family, her home of Sparta, and the circumstances that led to her sad marriage to Menelaus. When Paris enters the picture, as I'm sure you remember, it's pretty much game-over and the beautiful Helen is spirited off to Troy, leading to the infamous Trojan War.


Peripheral characters make the novel quite enjoyable: Priam, Agamemnon, Cytemnestra, Odysseus and Hector, amongst others, all make a good showing and are quite developed, character-wise, for a novel this length. (I'm sure 638 pages seems like a lot, but for the legend this encompasses, Ms. George had to condense quite a bit here.)


Now for my reaction: I never quite developed any sympathy for Helen and Paris. Their utter selfishness came across as irritating, as opposed to uncontrollable fate. I continually felt the need to give Helen a slap and tell her to "buck up." Paris came across as immature - not a man to fall in love with, but a boy who feels entitled to whatever he wants, at any cost. The supporting cast is delightful, however, and made the story worth a read.


This isn't a so-called "heavy read" by any means. It rather strikes me as something that might be classified as a summer beach novel. Fun, but not serious historical fiction. For those of us who are certifiably obsessed with historical fiction, this novel is a nice break from 16th and 17th Century England and if you can find a good copy at a used book store, it's worth the purchase.


Title: Helen of Troy
Author: Margaret George
ISBN: 978-0-14-303899-3 (pbk.)
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publish Date: 2006