LAUREN J. A. BEAR was born in Boston and raised in Long Beach. After studying English at UCLA and education at LMU, she taught middle-school humanities for over a decade—and survived! She is a teaching fellow for the Holocaust Center for Humanity and lives in Seattle with her husband and three young children. She likes crossword puzzles and being on or near the water without getting wet.
“Medusa's Sisters totally destroyed me. A moving tale of sisterhood
and heartbreak. . . . this book had its claws in me from the very
first page - pun intended.”—Genevieve Gornichec, author of The
Witch's Heart
“Medusa’s two almost-forgotten sisters--- Stheno and Euryale---come
to enchanting life, telling their own stories, bound to Medusa yet
separate and fiercely free to make their own destiny. Medusa’s
Sisters gives us an intimate look at what it means be an immortal
yet walk and live among human beings. Lyrical, exquisitely
detailed, and poignant.”—Margaret George, New York Times
bestselling author of Helen of Troy and The Confessions of Young
Nero
“With stunningly beautiful prose, Lauren J.A. Bear has deftly
tugged on myths of old to weave a fresh and feminist modern legend
from the dusty references of Medusa’s once-forgotten sisters.
Perfect for fans of Circe, this is easily one of the best books
I’ve read this year. Prepare to be enthralled!”—Stephanie Marie
Thornton, USA Today bestselling author of Her Lost Words
“Medusa’s Sisters is a wonderful, powerful story that totally
absorbed me. Clothed in Greek mythology, it explores the loyalties
and conflicts of family—especially the relationship between sisters
who are bound together at birth but also need the independence to
claim a life of their own. It is a compliment to Ms. Bear’s writing
that I never saw monsters, only sisters.” —Anne Bishop, New York
Times bestselling author of The Queen’s Price and Crowbones
“Medusa’s Sisters is a stunning debut. Lauren Bear writes with
lyrical elegance, her gorgeous prose illuminating the fierce power
of women, the bonds of sisterhood, and the enduring strength of
myths and legends. A gloriously feminist novel that achieves both
historical richness and modern relevance. As thought-provoking as
it is entertaining. I couldn’t put it down.” –Mimi Matthews, USA
Today bestselling author of The Siren of Sussex
“Lyrical, brilliant, and deeply moving, MEDUSA’S SISTERS connects
the stars—the myths you thought you knew—in startling new ways.
Prepare to be devastated.”—Mary McMyne, author of The Book of
Gothel
"Alive with soaring poetry and myth, Medusa's Sisters sparkles as a
delightfully feminist subversion of the maligned and forgotten
Gorgon women, reframing and bringing their shadowy legend
fiercely, vengefully, into the light. A bold and beautiful tale
about sisterhood, motherhood, and what it truly means to be a
woman."—Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the
Tsar
“A gorgeously crafted retelling of Greek mythology, Medusa’s
Sisters is a celebration of the many faces love can wear.”
—BookPage (starred review)
“In giving a voice to those long silenced, Medusa's Sisters brings
the cosmology of ancient Greece to vivid life, writhing and
seething with numinous possibility. It is a story of monsters and
mortals, and the gods who use them both with careless
cruelty.”—Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of
Kushiel's Dart and Cassiel's Servant
"Bold, beautiful, and brilliantly subversive, Bear's incredible
debut is engrossing from the very first page. With her ambitious
storytelling, Bear breathes life to characters often reduced to the
shadows, and has proven herself as a talent to watch!"—Claire M.
Andrews, author of the Daughter of Sparta trilogy
"A must-read for Greek mythology fans seeking new depth in their
tales and those who enjoyed Madeline Miller’s Circe or Pat Barker’s
The Silence of the Girls."—Library Journal (starred review)
"Debut novelist Bear has artfully fashioned an entrancing tale that
not only perfectly captures in poetic prose both the fabled glories
and gritty realities of ancient Greece, but also features a trio of
sisters, who, despite being mythological beings, seem all-too real
and relatable by virtue of Bear’s gift for incisive
characterization."—Booklist
“Bear handles the different voices of Stheno and Euryale with
masterful skill and wit… With stellar writing and her focus on
Medusa’s forgotten sisters, Bear’s contribution to the sub-genre of
mythic retellings is not to be missed. Highly
recommended.”—Historical Novels Review
"Captivating."—Ms. Magazine
“Fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe will want to check
out Medusa’s Sisters, a feminist take on the infamous Gorgon
and her siblings Stheno and Euryale. Like the best mythological
tales, Medusa’s Sisters is about more than gods and monsters,
exploring the bonds of sisterhood and the quest to leave a lasting
legacy.”—Parade
“Lauren J. A. Bear puts a new twist on Greek
mythology.”—PopSugar
“Bear never softens her unsparing vision of an ancient world
dominated by male violence and Olympian capriciousness. But she
empowers female figures demonized through the ages to voice their
own ideas about who they are and about the merciless forces that
have determined their destinies. ‘Medusa’s Sisters’ offers a
compelling alternate version that brings new depth to a familiar
myth.”—Boston Globe
"Bear’s writing is pure poetry. Not in the way that you would
imagine with depictions of a hazy blue ancient Greece, but with
words that are encased in wanting and need. Honesty that is so real
it is almost brutal. And most of all, the raw desire to understand
yourself and your place in the world. It is a story about
overcoming, perseverance and unconditional love." —The Student
(Edinburgh)
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