Ithaka

"Yes, as I am a children’s writer, I thought it was nice to put something in of that nature. Adele is one of my favourite writers for children and teenagers. Ithaka is part of a loose trilogy based on the Odyssey , the Iliad and the Aeneid . She wrote one book called Troy , then there’s Ithaka and there’s Dido as well. That goes into the Aeneid : it’s about Dido and Aeneas, about the Trojan side, the ones who escaped. Yes, she’s waiting and waiting and waiting and having to fend off all those damned suitors with one excuse or another. Some of them are rather importunate and absolutely wanting her to make up her mind and there’s the whole politics of the situation. I just like the fact it was told from the woman’s point of view. I think if you wanted to get a teenager into the whole Greek myth thing again — having done it at school earlier — perhaps this book would be a good way in."