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Stone Blind

the breathtaking Sunday Times bestseller

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Stone Blind

By: Natalie Haynes
Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
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Summary

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023.

This audio edition is read by the author, Natalie Haynes.

In Stone Blind, the instant Sunday Times bestseller, Natalie Haynes brings the infamous Medusa to life as you have never seen her before.

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' – Margaret Atwood via X (Twitter)

‘So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters’

Medusa is the sole mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her Gorgon sisters, she begins to realize that she is the only one who experiences change, the only one who can be hurt.

When Poseidon commits an unforgiveable act against Medusa in the temple of Athene, the goddess takes her revenge where she can: on his victim. Medusa is changed forever – writhing snakes for hair and her gaze now turns any living creature to stone. She can look at nothing without destroying it.

Desperate to protect her beloved sisters, Medusa condemns herself to a life of shadows. Until Perseus embarks upon a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .

‘A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy’ – Glamour

'Natalie Haynes energizes the melodrama of ancient Greek gods with a divine level of storyteller’s flair . . . Listeners who enjoy transformative retellings of Greek myths will find much to relish in this production' - AudioFile

 Ancient Dragons & Mythical Creatures Family Life Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Magic Mythology Funny Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Witty Greek Mythology Ancient Greece
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Critic reviews

Witty, gripping, ruthless (Margaret Atwood via X (Twitter))
The rollicking narrative voice that energises Stone Blind . . . is a voice that feels at once bitingly (post)modern and filled with old wisdom . . . The Gorgon’s head will take on a new and powerful resonance as a symbol of the way stories can be warped by time. Stone Blind acts as a brilliant and compellingly readable corrective.
Stone Blind is an exceptionally powerful retelling of Medusa's story, an emotional gut punch of a novel. Haynes brilliantly pulls off the feat of seamlessly alternating humour and heartbreak, creating characters that stay with you long after the novel's end. It is a dazzling achievement (Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den trilogy)
With this, her third novel based on ancient myth, [Haynes] has found a way of using all her classical erudition and her vivid sense of the ambiguous potency of the ancient stories, while being simultaneously very, very funny
A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy. Haynes makes the classics brutally relevant, and we reckon this one is going to be huge
It is no exaggeration to say that Haynes is the modern embodiment of the best of Homer. She is a proper, classic storyteller, whose linguistic skills and wit will have you hanging on every word
Stone Blind is inventive and playful . . . [and] very funny (Antonia Senior)
Pat Barker, Margaret Atwood and Madeline Miller have all successfully picked at the seams of the traditionally male take on these fantastic tales. But Natalie Haynes’s genius, this time with Stone Blind, her third Greek myth novel, is to not just focus on the female experience of Greek myth but also to add zest, humour and more than a little mischief . . . The ride is gripping, funny and heartbreaking. Love, sorrow, adventure and humour - Stone Blind has it all
What makes a monster is the central question in Natalie Haynes’ wry, spry feminist take on the Medusa myth . . . an earthy, playful yet rage-filled upending of the Greek hero trope
With wit, humanity and extraordinary imagination, Haynes breathes life and meaning into myths as she has done so brilliantly before (most famously with A Thousand Ships). She also shows that monsters can be divine or mortal. Not all heroes wear capes – and not all villains have snakes
Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance (Sarra Manning)
Natalie Haynes has made a contemporary classic out of a classic . . . and it should win prizes (Monique Roffey, author of The Mermaid of Black Conch)
There’s real tenderness in Haynes’s portrait of Medusa, a mortal abomination born into a family of divinities, and the efforts of her immortal Gorgon sisters to protect her from herself (Daisy Dunn)
All stars
Most relevant
Very well written and extremely well performed/narrated by the author herself. Full of witt, humor and emotions.
You'll most likely be a Mudesa fan and not be too keen on the legendary Perseus after this Lol.

Well recommend for fans of the ancient Greek myths.

A Different Perspective

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Great story, but would have preferred a voice actor (I want to say Cate Blanchett). But great still, though I’d say buy the book instead if you can.

Loved the different take on Greek Mythology.

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This story is utterly captivating. I absolutely loved it. Natalie Haynes is a fantastic storyteller and a perfect narrator.
I would urge anyone to listen to this.
I don't want to mention a word about the story, for fear of spoiling the tiniest morsel; you should just listen, and be captivated yourself

My new favourite author

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Amazing book and amazing writing. Such an amazing story and it’s represented so well from a female perspective.

Love it

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This is by far the best Audible book I've listen to in a while. A refreshing angle on Medusa from someone who grew up with Clash of the Titans (1981) as their main reference to these stories :). I do hope this gets made into a film or series. Superbly crafted and well narrated, I didn't want it to end. If you enjoyed Circe ( Madeline Miller) or Norse Mythology ( Neil Gaiman) then this is for you.

Superb, thoroughly enjoyable

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