Goddess of Buttercups & Daisies: A Novel

by Martin Millar

Overview

Aristophanes is inconsolable—his rival playwrights are hogging all the local attention, a pesky young wannabe poet won’t leave him alone, his actors can’t remember their lines, and his own festival sponsor seems to be conspiring against him, withholding direly needed funds for set design and, most importantly, giant phallus props. O woe, how can his latest comedy convince Athenian citizens to vote down another ten years of war against Sparta if they’re too busy scoffing at the diminutive phalluses? And why does everyone in the city-state seem to be losing their minds?

Wallowing in one inconvenience after another, Aristophanes is unaware that the Spartan and Athenian generals have unleashed Laet, the spirit of foolishness and bad decisions, to inspire chaos and war-mongering in Athens. To counteract Laet’s influence, Athena sends Bremusa, an Amazon warrior, and Metris, an endearingly airheaded nymph (their first choice was her mother Metricia, but she grew tired of all the fighting and changed back into a river).

Dashing between fantastical scenes of moody and meddlesome gods, ever-applicable political debates in the senate, backstage scrambling for the play, and glimpses of life in Ancient Greece, Martin Millar delivers another witty and comical romp for readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593766054
Publisher:	Catapult
Publication date:	05/12/2015
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Martin Millar was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but has lived in London, England, for a long time. He has written a lot of things—novels and plays and short stories and articles. His newest novel is Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me, and it's set in Glasgow. Millar has written six other novels: Love and Peace with Melody Paradise; Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation; Lux the Poet; The Good Fairies of New York; Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving and Ruby; and The Stone Age Diet. Millar likes Jane Austen novels, and wrote a stage play of Emma. He even wrote the novelization of the Tank Girl movie. Last, but not least, as Martin Scott, Millar writes the Thraxas series of books. There are five so far, and he won the World Fantasy Award for the first one. When he's not writing, Millar likes to watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer, read history books, especially if they're about ancient Greece, and play the flute.

Editorial Reviews

03/30/2015
Millar’s lively comic novel centers on the frantic efforts of Greek playwright Aristophanes to finally earn the respect that eluded him throughout his career. The year is 421 B.C.E., and Aristophanes hopes to wow his rowdy audience and the critics at the annual Dionysian theater festival, by combining his trademark bawdy humor with an underlying serious message about peace. Not only are there the familiar setbacks plaguing the production, which he entitles Peace, but there’s divine intervention, as well. This appears in the form of Laet, a spirit of discord summoned by the Athenians’ archenemies, the Spartans, with the assistance of a priestess called Kleonike. In response, the goddess Athena sends two ambassadors from Mount Olympus to help Aristophanes. The alluring but dim nymph Metris and the Amazon Bremusa are sent to counteract the efforts of Laet. Also stirring the pot is a pesky poet named Luxos, continually harassing Aristophanes for a slot in his production, as a lyricist or preshow performer or both. Millar’s (Lonely Werewolf Girl) plot and characters border on the cartoonish, but he packs the narrative with interesting information about the era and Greek drama. Very short chapters, from the various perspectives of the main characters, keep the novel moving at an appropriately manic pace. Smart escapist reading. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Through glimpses of each character's story the reader gains a humorous view of actual figures of ancient history as well as the gods they believed meddled in their lives. VERDICT A madcap tale reminiscent of the complex, riotous comedies Aristophanes wrote, the newest novel from Millar (The Good Fairies of New York) is complete with quirky characters, multiple perspectives, and romance and drama to boot. Recommended for Greek comedy or mythology fans who are open to some laughter with their classics."—Library Journal

Praise for Martin Millar

“Undeniably brilliant.” —Guardian

“The funniest writer in Britain today.” —GQ

“Martin Millar writes like Kurt Vonnegut might have written, if he’d been born fifty years later in a different country and hung around with entirely the wrong sort of people.” —Neil Gaiman

“Imagine Kurt Vonnegut reading Marvel Comics with The Clash thrashing in the background. For the deceptively simple poetry of the everyday, nobody does it better.” —List

“The master of urban angst.” —i-D Magazine

From the Publisher

03/15/2015
Renowned comedic playwright Aristophanes is desperate to win the first prize at the Dionysia festival with his new play, Peace. Yet his production is plagued with problems, including phallus prop malfunctions, struggling actors, lack of funding, and a lowly poet desperate for attention. Many begin to believe that Aristophanes's peaceful communication will actually end the war between Athens and Sparta, a result that generals on both sides are desperate to prevent (they love fighting too much). Enter Laet, spirit of poor choices and confusion, to throw things into a real tailspin. Luckily Athena sends Aristophanes aid in the form of an immortal Amazonian and a mostly powerless nymph. Through glimpses of each character's story the reader gains a humorous view of actual figures of ancient history as well as the gods they believed meddled in their lives. VERDICT A madcap tale reminiscent of the complex, riotous comedies Aristophanes wrote, the newest novel from Millar (The Good Fairies of New York) is complete with quirky characters, multiple perspectives, and romance and drama to boot. Recommended for Greek comedy or mythology fans who are open to some laughter with their classics.—Katie Lawrence, Chicago

Library Journal