2 of 2 copies available
For Artemis (goddess of hunting, professional dog walker), Aphrodite (goddess of beauty, telephone sex operator), and Apollo (god of the sun, TV psychic), there’s no way out–until a meek cleaner, Alice, and her would-be boyfriend, Neil, turn their world literally upside down. When what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills, Alice and Neil are caught in the cross fire, and they must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed–but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?
GODS BEHAVING BADLY is that rare thing: a charming, funny, utterly original first novel that satisfies the head and the heart.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
December 11, 2007 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415947425
- File size: 267637 KB
- Duration: 09:17:34
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Wouldn't you act badly if you were one of a group of forgotten Greek gods now trying to make a living and maintain a dilapidated flat in London? Rosalyn Landor gives each god the respect he deserves and endows them all with varying shades of arrogance. Apollo, star of a TV show on psychics, is furious at the injustice of being spurned by Alice, a mortal, and of being robbed of his power by the other gods. Artemis, a dog walker who is well heeled, haughty, and judgmental, turns Neil, a mere mortal, into a hero. In addition to creating convincing portraits, Landor projects the author's considerable gift for irony. Her reading captures the humorous details that bridge the ancient past and the bizarre present. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine -
August 27, 2007
British blogger Phillips's delightful debut finds the Greek gods and goddesses living in a tumbledown house in modern-day London and facing a very serious problem: their powers are waning, and immortality does not seem guaranteed. In between looking for work and keeping house, the ancient family is still up to its oldest pursuit: crossing and double-crossing each other. Apollo, who has been cosmically bored for centuries, has been appearing as a television psychic in a bid for stardom. His aunt Aphrodite, a phone-sex worker, sabotages him by having her son Eros shoot him with an arrow of love, making him fall for a very ordinary mortal—a cleaning woman named Alice, who happens to be in love with Neil, another nice, retiring mortal. When Artemis—the goddess of the moon, chastity and the hunt, who has been working as a dog walker—hires Alice to tidy up, the household is set to combust, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Fanciful, humorous and charming, this satire is as sweet as nectar. -
Phillips's wildly funny romantic caper stars Greek gods who are living in a run-down townhouse in London, barely making a living and losing their powers. Apollo falls in love with Alice, a cleaning woman, who is in love with Neil, an engineer. Apollo and Neil face off, Alice is killed by lightening, and Apollo falls into a coma, turning the sun off and threatening mankind's existence. Neil makes a perilous journey to the underworld to rescue Alice and bring Apollo back to life. Tom Sellwood undertakes an enormous cast of characters--from sexy, deep-throated goddesses to the whiny Apollo and an assortment of Londoners. The abridgment is flawless, keeping a high-energy pace and offering a barrel of laughs. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
-
January 28, 2008
With a bit of sibling rivalry, some incestuous Greek gods, and good ol' contemporary London, Phillips puts together an amusing epic journey with perhaps a bit less pizzazz than Homer. Jealous of Neil, a mortal, because Alice loves him, Apollo schemes to bring about Alice's demise, but his sister Artemis won't let dead mortals lie. Needing a hero for a journey, she enlists the timid Neil to go into Hades and recover Alice (and save the world while he's at it). Phillips's tale is a delightful flight of fancy into the world of “what would the Greek gods do” that is adequately abridged, though listeners may want to hear the full extent of the characters' exploits. Tom Sellwood delivers in an English accent that works well with the setting. He ably projects the various gods' and goddesses' personas through their dialogue, so Apollo's arrogance is heard as well as Ares' more aggressive personality. Sellwood is at his best as Neil, the dry and mild-mannered engineer who gets caught up in the games of the gods. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 27).
-