{"product_id":"orphia-and-eurydicius-1","title":"Orphia And Eurydicius","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe stunning, gender-flipped novel about love, creativity and the power of speaking out - perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Poetic and evocative ... this story will thrill readers' PIP WILLIAMS, bestselling author of \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Dictionary of \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLost Words\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTheir love transcends every boundary. Can it cheat death?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrphia dreams of something more than the warrior crafts she's been forced to learn. Hidden away on a far-flung island, her blood sings with poetry and her words can move flowers to bloom and forests to grow ... but her father, the sun god Apollo, has forbidden her this art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA chance meeting with a young shield-maker, Eurydicius, gives her the courage to use her voice. After wielding all her gifts to defeat one final champion, Orphia draws the scrutiny of the gods. Performing her poetry, she wins the protection of the goddesses of the arts: the powerful Muses, who welcome her to their sanctuary on Mount Parnassus. Orphia learns to hone her talents, crafting words of magic infused with history, love and tragedy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Eurydicius joins her, Orphia struggles with her desire for fame and her budding love. As her bond with the gentle shield-maker grows, she joins the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece. Facing dragons, sirens and ruthless warriors on the voyage, Orphia earns unparalleled fame, but she longs to return to Eurydicius.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet she has a darker journey to make - one which will see her fight for her love with all the power of her poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eOrphia and Eurydicius\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'As I read, I imagined the muses beside Elyse John, focusing her mind and guiding her hand. The writing is poetic and evocative, and the story will thrill readers who have long suspected something is missing from the classics of Greek myth.' \u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 1em; letter-spacing: 0em;\"\u003ePIP WILLIAMS, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Dictionary of Lost Word\u003c\/em\u003es and \u003cem\u003eThe Bookbinder of Jericho\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Spins a bewitching tale of courage, love, and defiance, giving voice and agency to the women in Greek tales who are so often defined by the men they are associated with. Orphia's poetry may bring the gods to tears; John's words have the same effect on us mere mortals. Tragic and triumphant, a must-read!' \u003cstrong\u003eANDREA STEWART, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Bone Shard Daughter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Elyse John's deft language lays bare the exquisite intimacies of human connection, from the brutal - yet seductive - exercise of power over another, to the moments of tenderness and vulnerability between lovers.' \u003cstrong\u003eSHELLEY PARKER-CHAN, author of \u003cem\u003eShe Who Became the Sun\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Elyse John's \u003cem\u003eOrphia and Eurydicius\u003c\/em\u003e stunning retelling deftly explores Orphia's beginnings, her poetic ambitions, and her searing chemistry with Eurydicius, all of which challenge the gender dynamics of the time and death itself. A highly original read.' \u003cstrong\u003eSTACEY THOMAS, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Revels\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Bold yet beautiful ... I was glued to the page, compelled by the story of Lady Orphia and her love, the gentle shieldmaker Eurydicius. \u003cem\u003eOrphia and Eurydicius\u003c\/em\u003e is a thoughtful consideration as to what it means to be a man, a woman, a hero, a human being. I loved this retelling and couldn't stop thinking about it: Lady Orphia has my heart.' \u003cstrong\u003eLAURA SHEPPERSON, \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Heroines\u003c\/em\u003e (UK), \u003cem\u003ePhaedra\u003c\/em\u003e (US)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A cleverly conceived and lyrically crafted reimagining. John deftly weaves a compelling and insightful narrative that interrogates not only patriarchy but the gendered dynamics of love, romance and the role of artist and muse. It is a story about the importance of having a voice, and a delightful subversion of myth' \u003cstrong\u003eBEA FITZGERALD, \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eGirl, Goddess, Queen\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'I found myself crying at the power of Elyse John's glittering, lyrical prose and the relationship at the heart of the novel. This is an excellent example of the power of mythological retellings as the novel makes us re-examine gender, heteronormativity and what makes a hero. I fell head over heels for this warrior-poet and gentle shieldmaker' \u003cstrong\u003eRANI SELVARAJAH, author of \u003cem\u003eSavage Beasts\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eOrphia and Eurydicius\u003c\/em\u003e is a Greek retelling which stands out in an age of reiterations. The language is lyrical, the plot, enchanting. John is a writer who has clearly done the work, one whose courage aligns with her brave, protagonists, outliers in their own right. I find myself enamoured of both artist and novel; the tender yearning, the fierce desire, the sorrow and sacrifice. This book consumed three months of my life and yet, I want to give more. It will be hard to return to real life. (If I cannot have this type of love, I'd rather have none at all). \u003cem\u003eOrphia and Eurydicius\u003c\/em\u003e is worthy of the greats.' \u003cstrong\u003eCHỊKỌDỊLỊ EMELỤMADỤ\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e, author of\u003cem style=\"font-size: 1em; letter-spacing: 0em;\"\u003e Dazzling\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A gorgeous, sweeping tale that both evokes the feeling of classic mythology and intelligent and modern insight, this is a story of the boundaries we put on love and grief - I dare you to be unmoved by it.'\u003cstrong\u003e SAM HAWKE, author of \u003cem\u003eCity of Lies\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A beautiful, poetic ode to Greek myth, love, and the sheer power of women's art and women's voices.' \u003cstrong\u003eTASHA SURI, author of the \u003cem\u003eBurning Kingdoms\u003c\/em\u003e series\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A powerful ode to female creativity and ambition, a poignant exploration of grief, and a testament to the power of art and love to transcend death. Lyrical, luminous, and brimming with passion.' \u003cstrong\u003eH.G. PARRY, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Magician's Daughter\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A fresh and enchanting retelling of the Orpheus myth, in which Ancient Greece's greatest poet becomes a bold, powerful woman, and her muse an artistic, gentle man. John astutely explores and tests the gendered stereotypes of classical myth and elevates women's voices and stories to craft a beautiful, beguiling modern myth about the value of creativity, the strength of non-conformity and the power of love.' \u003cstrong\u003eNIKKI MARMERY, author of \u003cem\u003eLilith\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Beautiful, beguiling and at times heartbreaking,\u003cem\u003e Orphia and Eurydiciu\u003c\/em\u003es is a novel to be savoured and cherished. Rich in detail with characters that leap off the page, it kept me reading well into the night with my heart in my mouth. John has created a world that is both visceral and sumptuous, with prose that is as razor-sharp as it is lyrical. Gripping, poetic and enthralling, this novel is a testament to Elyse John's astonishing talent. Fans of Greek mythology are in for a treat!' \u003cstrong\u003eAWAIS KHAN, author of \u003cem\u003eSomeone Like Her\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'An absolutely beautiful book, both mythic and achingly human. Elyse John crafts an incisive yet graceful inversion of myth, told in deft and evocative prose.' \u003cstrong\u003eROWENNA MILLER, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Distilling the essence of poetry and the meaning of honesty, \u003cem\u003eOrphia and Eurydicius\u003c\/em\u003e is sharp as a spear tip and precise as a lover's wound. A story to be re-read and luxuriated in, asserting strength in a woman's spirit, the need for expression, and the fight to stay true to oneself.' \u003cstrong\u003eKRITIKA H. RAO, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Surviving Sky\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A swoonworthy, breathtakingly exquisite, poignant masterpiece' \u003cstrong\u003eBETTER READING\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Like all enchanted books, the story of Elyse Johns' Orphia and Eurydicius is vivid, consuming, potent, and poetic. This gender-flipping, feminist retelling is not just a love story for the ages, but a moving, magical ode to the power of using our voices, and of being who we are in the world.' \u003cstrong\u003eHOLLY RINGLAND, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Seven Skins of Esther Wilding\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'This book hooked me from its opening lines ... Music and poetry, art and magic are woven together in this dazzling fable which ultimately asks: how far are we willing to go for the ones we love? Elyse John has taken one of the most beautiful and tragic love stories ever told and infused it with a modern sensibility. Readers will swoon.' \u003cstrong\u003eLAUREN CHATER, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Winter Dress\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A timeless story told in rich, poetic language ... a book for lovers of myth, passion and transporting historical fiction. John brilliantly reimagines the past while crafting a moving tale of love that challenges outdated gender roles, and of grief drawn from the depths of experience. The mesmerising landscapes, the journeys of sea and fire, encircle this very human story in the evocative realm of legend.' \u003cstrong\u003eKATHERINE BRABON, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Shut Ins\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Highly polished and luminous ... A wonderfully ambitious, richly imagined tale of star-crossed lovers. Brimming with passion, wit and poetry Orphia and Eurydicius is a story of, and for, the ages. One that not only stands as a paeon to love, courage and acceptance but to every woman's desire, and right, to be heard. A triumph.' \u003cstrong\u003eLYN HUGHES, author of \u003cem\u003eMr Carver's Whale\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A delectable concoction at once ancient and modern, comfortingly familiar and yet very much her own ... A thrilling tale of epic love and epic ambition spun with a Homeric sense of adventure and storytelling flair. It's also a hymn to the pleasures of sensuality, nature and creativity, and to the courage of being yourself rather than the person others want you to be.' \u003cstrong\u003eLEE KOFMAN, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Writer Laid Bare\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Elyse John has written that rare novel, one that has heart and wisdom, adventure and poetry, and all the while it pulses with a great political purpose. It's a marvel.' \u003cstrong\u003eNIGEL FEATHERSTONE, author of \u003cem\u003eMy Heart is a Little Wild Thing\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'An intoxicating story about a woman fighting to live a life of creativity and love, on her own terms. This is a powerful epic about the collective power of women set in the mythical past that feels incredibly relevant today. John's gilded romance about breaking boundaries to live and love is transportative.' \u003cstrong\u003eSTEPH VIZARD, winner of the 2022 HarperCollins Banjo Prize for \u003cem\u003eThe Love Contract\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46611070484690,"sku":"9781460763049","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/1_6732202e-72ab-4d98-bcb0-a5257522d0ff.jpg?v=1763679626","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/products\/orphia-and-eurydicius-1","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}