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Ecstasy
A deliciously dark horror reimagining of a Greek tragedy, by Ivy Pochoda, winner of the LA Times Book Prize.
Lena wants her life back. Her wealthy, controlling, humorless husband has just died, and now she contends with her controlling, humorless son, Drew. Lena lands in Naxos with her best friend in tow for the unveiling of her son's, pet project--the luxurious Agape Villas.
Years of marriage amongst the wealthy elite has whittled Lena's spirit into rope and sinew, smothered by tasteful cocktail dresses and unending small talk. On Naxos she yearns to rediscover her true nature, remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was, but Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel, demanding that she fall in line.
Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night, hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether Lena will join them, and what it will cost her.
Ecstasy is a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them.
Lena wants her life back. Her wealthy, controlling, humorless husband has just died, and now she contends with her controlling, humorless son, Drew. Lena lands in Naxos with her best friend in tow for the unveiling of her son's, pet project--the luxurious Agape Villas.
Years of marriage amongst the wealthy elite has whittled Lena's spirit into rope and sinew, smothered by tasteful cocktail dresses and unending small talk. On Naxos she yearns to rediscover her true nature, remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was, but Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel, demanding that she fall in line.
Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night, hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether Lena will join them, and what it will cost her.
Ecstasy is a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 2025
37 people are currently reading
10973 people want to read
About the author
Ivy Pochoda
14 books728 followersIvy Pochoda is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Visitation Street published by Ecco / Dennis Lehane Books. Visitation Street was chosen as an Amazon Best Book of the Month, Amazon Best Book of 2013, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Huffington Post, Self, and House & Garden. Her first novel The Art of Disappearing, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2009. She has a BA from Harvard College in Classical Greek and an MFA from Bennington College in fiction. Ivy grew up in Brooklyn, NY and currently lives in downtown Los Angeles with her husband Justin Nowell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
January 6, 2025
ARC for review. To be published June 17, 2025.
2 stars.
Lena’s wealthy, controlling husband has died but she still has to deal with another man trying to control her, her adult son Drew who has taken over the family business. She, Drew, Drew’s wife, Jordan and Lena’s close friend Hady travel to Naxos for the opening of Drew’s new project, the Agape Villas (cringe at the name.)
Lena tries to use the trip to discover the real her, but Drew keeps her on a tight leash, especially when she beckons mes fascinated by a group of women living rough on the beach in front of the Villa and their night music moves Lena. Who are they?
This is one of those “women who howl at the moon” stories. Why Lena never just kicked Drew’s ass is beyond me. And no one really cares too much about Hady, including Lena, in the end. I just didn’t get this one. Not for me.
2 stars.
Lena’s wealthy, controlling husband has died but she still has to deal with another man trying to control her, her adult son Drew who has taken over the family business. She, Drew, Drew’s wife, Jordan and Lena’s close friend Hady travel to Naxos for the opening of Drew’s new project, the Agape Villas (cringe at the name.)
Lena tries to use the trip to discover the real her, but Drew keeps her on a tight leash, especially when she beckons mes fascinated by a group of women living rough on the beach in front of the Villa and their night music moves Lena. Who are they?
This is one of those “women who howl at the moon” stories. Why Lena never just kicked Drew’s ass is beyond me. And no one really cares too much about Hady, including Lena, in the end. I just didn’t get this one. Not for me.
June 12, 2025
This book is a mashup of a midlife crisis and a turf war between an ecstasy dealer and a God. It’s a fever dream of visuals and atmosphere. I’m not sure it’s really horror except for the very last bit, but I enjoyed it.
I am an elder millennial who went to college in Miami in the early aughts. Ecstasy was huge and the club scene was massive. Festivals were small and intimate.
Then, much to Peter Pans chagrin, I grew up and have four kids. A real job.
This book was probably written by someone like me, for someone like me.
It was philosophical, mystical, and fun. However, the characters were impossible to like and not at all relatable. Except maybe Hedy. She was cool.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking to reminisce on their youth who also likes gore.
I am an elder millennial who went to college in Miami in the early aughts. Ecstasy was huge and the club scene was massive. Festivals were small and intimate.
Then, much to Peter Pans chagrin, I grew up and have four kids. A real job.
This book was probably written by someone like me, for someone like me.
It was philosophical, mystical, and fun. However, the characters were impossible to like and not at all relatable. Except maybe Hedy. She was cool.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking to reminisce on their youth who also likes gore.
June 19, 2025
Lena was married to a controlling man and, after his untimely death, finds herself still being controlled by her adult son. They have come to Greece for the planned opening of the family's latest luxury resort. The only problem is a bunch of women are camping on the beach! They have wild and crazy parties every night and the local police are dragging their feet about getting rid of them. Lena is strangely attracted to these women, their wild freedom, and especially to one woman named Luz.
The story is a retelling of a Greek tragedy involving an ancient god and is quite the gory horror story. A little too weird for me. I'm not sure I gleaned anything from this tale except maybe that women are filled with rage and really don't want to be controlled and held back anymore.
I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
The story is a retelling of a Greek tragedy involving an ancient god and is quite the gory horror story. A little too weird for me. I'm not sure I gleaned anything from this tale except maybe that women are filled with rage and really don't want to be controlled and held back anymore.
I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
May 1, 2025
After Lena’s husband dies, her best friend, son, and pregnant daughter in-law, go on a “family business-trip”, as her son opens a new hotel. But, a group of women living in tents on the beach pull Lena into their madness.
“Ecstasy” by Ivy Pochoda felt exactly like a hallucinogenic bad dream. Primarily consisting of flashes of images, which made for a speedy read, but severely lacked depth. The characters were one-dimensional and there wasn’t much to sink your teeth into besides the primary storyline. It felt like watching a trippy episode of “White Lotus,” except “White Lotus” has more to explore.
The prose was fascinating at first, but as time went on the novel seemed to drag. Pochoda wrote chapters from different character perspectives, however, most of the characters’ chapters are told in third-person, which seemed pointless, except for when it jumped to first person. For example, a single scene will occasionally jump perspective 5 or so times, but offers nothing new as they are all told in third-person. If you removed the chapter breaks and titles, it would read as one on-going scene. Which made me wonder… Why not just tell the entire story in third-person, but jump to first-person when needed? The needless perspective jumping felt clunky and slowed momentum dramatically.
While I hit some bumps, it was a quick read that felt like watching a movie. It was a lot of: what we see visually is what we know and there isn’t much beyond that. We can make interpretations and assumptions, but for the most part, what you see is what you get.
This book overall had a fascinating concept, but the lack of depth in character motivations and the overall conflict was a bump for me. I am okay with intentional vagueness, but “Ecstasy” took that to an extreme. The poetic language was beautiful and there were some stunning visuals (along with some horror-centric scenes that genuinely made me feel nauseous, which I appreciated). But, overall, it fell flat.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!
“Ecstasy” by Ivy Pochoda felt exactly like a hallucinogenic bad dream. Primarily consisting of flashes of images, which made for a speedy read, but severely lacked depth. The characters were one-dimensional and there wasn’t much to sink your teeth into besides the primary storyline. It felt like watching a trippy episode of “White Lotus,” except “White Lotus” has more to explore.
The prose was fascinating at first, but as time went on the novel seemed to drag. Pochoda wrote chapters from different character perspectives, however, most of the characters’ chapters are told in third-person, which seemed pointless, except for when it jumped to first person. For example, a single scene will occasionally jump perspective 5 or so times, but offers nothing new as they are all told in third-person. If you removed the chapter breaks and titles, it would read as one on-going scene. Which made me wonder… Why not just tell the entire story in third-person, but jump to first-person when needed? The needless perspective jumping felt clunky and slowed momentum dramatically.
While I hit some bumps, it was a quick read that felt like watching a movie. It was a lot of: what we see visually is what we know and there isn’t much beyond that. We can make interpretations and assumptions, but for the most part, what you see is what you get.
This book overall had a fascinating concept, but the lack of depth in character motivations and the overall conflict was a bump for me. I am okay with intentional vagueness, but “Ecstasy” took that to an extreme. The poetic language was beautiful and there were some stunning visuals (along with some horror-centric scenes that genuinely made me feel nauseous, which I appreciated). But, overall, it fell flat.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!
April 4, 2025
3.75⭐️
This was a fun and short read that I inhaled in one sitting. I really loved the focus surrounding how women are often viewed, discounted, and controlled through the different lenses of several generations and classes of women. Now, more than ever, this felt extremely relevant, powerful, authentic, honest, and extremely cathartic.
There were themes of motherhood, autonomy, choice, grief, aging, and the pressure to center the men around them instead of their own needs and wants. We saw this several times through Drew as he casually and cruelly picked apart his mother’s decisions and desires. As soon as the women around him start centering themselves instead of him, they are deemed “crazy”, “wild”, and “unstable. This is one of the greatest frustrations in our society for women, where independence and indulgence are frowned upon and attacked as some malady or something that needs to be controlled and contained. I felt that frustration with the women in this book, and felt the ending was cathartic and satisfying.
I think I just wanted more substance, and I got lost at times with how the book flows. I had a hard time connecting with Luz at times, not completely understanding what her motivations were or really knowing very much about her.
Also, this was labeled as horror so I think I was expecting more on the horror front, but that is completely personal to me and not a criticism of the book at all. I just caution people like myself who read a lot of horror to not expect to not go into Ecstasy expecting a lot of horror elements.
I saw someone refer to this book as a “feminist fever dream” which is so so accurate. Overall I do recommend this and will be telling the women in my life about it, but I recognize it definitely won’t be for everyone.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own
This was a fun and short read that I inhaled in one sitting. I really loved the focus surrounding how women are often viewed, discounted, and controlled through the different lenses of several generations and classes of women. Now, more than ever, this felt extremely relevant, powerful, authentic, honest, and extremely cathartic.
There were themes of motherhood, autonomy, choice, grief, aging, and the pressure to center the men around them instead of their own needs and wants. We saw this several times through Drew as he casually and cruelly picked apart his mother’s decisions and desires. As soon as the women around him start centering themselves instead of him, they are deemed “crazy”, “wild”, and “unstable. This is one of the greatest frustrations in our society for women, where independence and indulgence are frowned upon and attacked as some malady or something that needs to be controlled and contained. I felt that frustration with the women in this book, and felt the ending was cathartic and satisfying.
I think I just wanted more substance, and I got lost at times with how the book flows. I had a hard time connecting with Luz at times, not completely understanding what her motivations were or really knowing very much about her.
Also, this was labeled as horror so I think I was expecting more on the horror front, but that is completely personal to me and not a criticism of the book at all. I just caution people like myself who read a lot of horror to not expect to not go into Ecstasy expecting a lot of horror elements.
I saw someone refer to this book as a “feminist fever dream” which is so so accurate. Overall I do recommend this and will be telling the women in my life about it, but I recognize it definitely won’t be for everyone.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own
April 8, 2025
“Ecstasy” is a wild reimagining of a Dionysian bacchanal, complete with a golden god, rage fueled maenads, hedonism, and debauchery galore.
Pochoda has a distinctive way of writing that despite its descriptiveness, doesn’t come across as obnoxious purple prose, but rather prose that has been elevated. Where it sometimes felt out of place in her novel “These Women”, it works exceptionally well here.
There are quite a few repetitious words/phrases that could have been revamped a bit, but nothing major to pull you out of the story. The only thing that really bothered me was Lena asking, “can you still get on pointe?” Any former professional dancer knows it’s en pointe, not on.
On a personal note, as a former professional dancer myself who had to stop due to my body betraying me, this story resonated deeply with me. Aside from decades of traditional dance, I also danced professionally at raves and festivals working alongside some well known DJs and performance artists, so both worlds are extremely familiar to me.
Pochoda did a wonderful job writing about rave culture, especially the underbelly of the rave scene where it’s not always about PLUR: peace, love, unity, respect.
Having a character with macular degeneration also hit home for me as it runs in my family. I could completely empathize with Hedy and I wished there was a little more from her POV, especially near the end of the book as it seemed like everyone forgot about her.
I really, REALLY wanted to punch Drew. He is absolutely atrocious and incredibly ableist to boot. I know he’s supposed to be unlikable, but Pochoda did such a good job that it made reading difficult for me at times because he bothered me so much.
There are some sections that might rub people the wrong way; in particular, the comments made by privileged characters about others they feel are beneath them, (ie: stay at home moms, professional dancers, anyone who “marries up”). These aren’t throwaway comments though and are necessary to the character development, but I can just imagine some people complaining about them anyway.
Ecstasy is a wonderful fever dream of feminism, rage, angst, hubris, and shadow work. It makes you think and question your own life choices well after you’ve finished reading. 4.5 stars rounded up.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, however this review is completely my own unbiased personal opinion, left of my own volition.
Pochoda has a distinctive way of writing that despite its descriptiveness, doesn’t come across as obnoxious purple prose, but rather prose that has been elevated. Where it sometimes felt out of place in her novel “These Women”, it works exceptionally well here.
There are quite a few repetitious words/phrases that could have been revamped a bit, but nothing major to pull you out of the story. The only thing that really bothered me was Lena asking, “can you still get on pointe?” Any former professional dancer knows it’s en pointe, not on.
On a personal note, as a former professional dancer myself who had to stop due to my body betraying me, this story resonated deeply with me. Aside from decades of traditional dance, I also danced professionally at raves and festivals working alongside some well known DJs and performance artists, so both worlds are extremely familiar to me.
Pochoda did a wonderful job writing about rave culture, especially the underbelly of the rave scene where it’s not always about PLUR: peace, love, unity, respect.
Having a character with macular degeneration also hit home for me as it runs in my family. I could completely empathize with Hedy and I wished there was a little more from her POV, especially near the end of the book as it seemed like everyone forgot about her.
I really, REALLY wanted to punch Drew. He is absolutely atrocious and incredibly ableist to boot. I know he’s supposed to be unlikable, but Pochoda did such a good job that it made reading difficult for me at times because he bothered me so much.
There are some sections that might rub people the wrong way; in particular, the comments made by privileged characters about others they feel are beneath them, (ie: stay at home moms, professional dancers, anyone who “marries up”). These aren’t throwaway comments though and are necessary to the character development, but I can just imagine some people complaining about them anyway.
Ecstasy is a wonderful fever dream of feminism, rage, angst, hubris, and shadow work. It makes you think and question your own life choices well after you’ve finished reading. 4.5 stars rounded up.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons, however this review is completely my own unbiased personal opinion, left of my own volition.
April 20, 2025
Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda is a wild, dark, and fiercely liberating ride. This book dives headfirst into the complexities of female autonomy, desire, and identity—with zero apologies.
Loosely inspired by the Greek myth of the Bacchae, it spins a modern, feminist take through multiple perspectives that are sharp, bold, and brilliantly developed. The pacing? Smooth and steady. The characters? Complex, layered, and unforgettable.
It’s a short read, but it hits hard—equal parts fun, feral, and thought-provoking. If you’re into stories that unravel the chaos and beauty of womanhood while flipping the patriarchy the bird, this one’s for you.
Loosely inspired by the Greek myth of the Bacchae, it spins a modern, feminist take through multiple perspectives that are sharp, bold, and brilliantly developed. The pacing? Smooth and steady. The characters? Complex, layered, and unforgettable.
It’s a short read, but it hits hard—equal parts fun, feral, and thought-provoking. If you’re into stories that unravel the chaos and beauty of womanhood while flipping the patriarchy the bird, this one’s for you.
June 20, 2025
3.5 stars
In Ecstasy, our main character is going through a mid-life crisis. Her husband recently died and she’s starting to realize the rich, uptight, and sheltered life she lived isn’t the life she truly wanted. Her son is a controlling asshole, just like her husband was. She longs for her younger, wilder days, when she danced all night and was free. Things take a sharp turn when she joins a group of women on the beach and from there, the story spirals into a fever dream. You’re never quite sure what’s real.
Lena definitely annoyed me at times because she often acted out like a rebellious teenager, but it was also understandable given the life she’s led up to this point. There are some interesting side characters too, like her best friend and her son’s wife, who added depth to the story.
Apparently, this book is a retelling of Euripides’ The Bacchae, which I wasn’t familiar with going in, so I had no idea what to expect. And wow, that ending was wild but also inevitable. Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read. If you’re into Greek mythology, especially reimaginings with a modern twist, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
In Ecstasy, our main character is going through a mid-life crisis. Her husband recently died and she’s starting to realize the rich, uptight, and sheltered life she lived isn’t the life she truly wanted. Her son is a controlling asshole, just like her husband was. She longs for her younger, wilder days, when she danced all night and was free. Things take a sharp turn when she joins a group of women on the beach and from there, the story spirals into a fever dream. You’re never quite sure what’s real.
Lena definitely annoyed me at times because she often acted out like a rebellious teenager, but it was also understandable given the life she’s led up to this point. There are some interesting side characters too, like her best friend and her son’s wife, who added depth to the story.
Apparently, this book is a retelling of Euripides’ The Bacchae, which I wasn’t familiar with going in, so I had no idea what to expect. And wow, that ending was wild but also inevitable. Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read. If you’re into Greek mythology, especially reimaginings with a modern twist, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
June 23, 2025
This book made me roll my eyes so hard I took a glimpse of the goblin controlling my brain and even she rolled her eyes.
Badly written retelling of the Bacchae, somehow managed to make the characters both one dimensional and totally despicable, repetitive writing (if I hear once more about the beating and thrum of techno I'llliterally scream) and the supposed "hierophant" of Dionysus was an unhinged pick-me ("you wouldn't believe I'm a WOMAN and a MOTHER, look at me I'm so BAAAAAD") drug dealer who sounded like a 2000s teenager dealing mj at schools. Come on.
Good news, I'm always glad to find authors I don't like, it means their upcoming or older books are immediately ticked off my never ending tbr 🙃
Badly written retelling of the Bacchae, somehow managed to make the characters both one dimensional and totally despicable, repetitive writing (if I hear once more about the beating and thrum of techno I'llliterally scream) and the supposed "hierophant" of Dionysus was an unhinged pick-me ("you wouldn't believe I'm a WOMAN and a MOTHER, look at me I'm so BAAAAAD") drug dealer who sounded like a 2000s teenager dealing mj at schools. Come on.
Good news, I'm always glad to find authors I don't like, it means their upcoming or older books are immediately ticked off my never ending tbr 🙃
June 19, 2025
One sentence summary: Woman who let a man control what she does decides to let another man control what she does, until she lets other women decide what she does. Lena was barely a character. She was just a sock puppet floating through the story letting things happen to her. I didn't care where she ended up by the end.
April 11, 2025
Ecstasy is a dark, feminist fever-dream that is based loosely around the Greek myth of the Bacchae. It explores themes motherhood and autonomy, female empowerment, and the damaging effects of catering to the male figures in ones life over the self.
This was a fairly fast read, and super fun.
I am not a partier. Never been to a rave, never actually even been to a house party. But Pochoda does an incredible, visceral job setting the dance/rave scene. The writing is poetical and unsettling and perfect for this style of story.
The book shifts perspectives amongst several different characters: Lena, a former dancer who's controlling husband has just died, being the central narrative; her son Drew, as equally cruel and domineering as his father; his wife, the calculating and serious Jordan; Lena's besfriend Hedy who faces macular degeneration; and the mysterious figure Luz who sets the plot underway.
Important note: Fuck Drew. That guy sucks. I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth every time we got a chapter from his POV. But I guess that is the entire point of him.
I enjoyed this sort of modern reimagining of maenads, drunk on freedom and rage. And the ending is so damn cathartic. I wanted just a little more substance.
Luz was still a bit of a mystery, I wish we got more of her background and motivations. Also, it felt like Hedy was completely forgotten about until the very end.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam, NetGalley, and the author forbthis arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fairly fast read, and super fun.
I am not a partier. Never been to a rave, never actually even been to a house party. But Pochoda does an incredible, visceral job setting the dance/rave scene. The writing is poetical and unsettling and perfect for this style of story.
The book shifts perspectives amongst several different characters: Lena, a former dancer who's controlling husband has just died, being the central narrative; her son Drew, as equally cruel and domineering as his father; his wife, the calculating and serious Jordan; Lena's besfriend Hedy who faces macular degeneration; and the mysterious figure Luz who sets the plot underway.
Important note: Fuck Drew. That guy sucks. I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth every time we got a chapter from his POV. But I guess that is the entire point of him.
I enjoyed this sort of modern reimagining of maenads, drunk on freedom and rage. And the ending is so damn cathartic. I wanted just a little more substance.
Luz was still a bit of a mystery, I wish we got more of her background and motivations. Also, it felt like Hedy was completely forgotten about until the very end.
Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam, NetGalley, and the author forbthis arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 22, 2025
This book is such an intriguing concept. Euripides has always been my favorite play write, and a modern day reimaging of the Bacchae that explores power dynamics, privilege, and delirium was something I didn't know I needed.
This book is written very poetically, and explores the experiences of Lena, a woman who has been recently widowed, Hedy, Lena's eccentric friend from her dancing days, Drew, Lena's son and heir to his father's hotel chain, and Jordan, Drew's 'perfect' wife, as they travel to Naxos (yes, Ariadne's island) for the opening of the new hotel. Lena is intrigued by the women who dance in the firelight on the beach, and soon, Hedy, Lena, and Jordan are swept up in a frenzy. At the end of this novel, no one is left unchanged. If you've read the Bacchae, you can probably guess the direction of the story early, but I loved this modern spin on the ancient play.
Typically, I'm not one for modern retellings, but the author's poetic way of relaying the story really drug me in. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the chance to read and review this book!
This book is written very poetically, and explores the experiences of Lena, a woman who has been recently widowed, Hedy, Lena's eccentric friend from her dancing days, Drew, Lena's son and heir to his father's hotel chain, and Jordan, Drew's 'perfect' wife, as they travel to Naxos (yes, Ariadne's island) for the opening of the new hotel. Lena is intrigued by the women who dance in the firelight on the beach, and soon, Hedy, Lena, and Jordan are swept up in a frenzy. At the end of this novel, no one is left unchanged. If you've read the Bacchae, you can probably guess the direction of the story early, but I loved this modern spin on the ancient play.
Typically, I'm not one for modern retellings, but the author's poetic way of relaying the story really drug me in. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the chance to read and review this book!
June 25, 2025
3.5 stars
This was a super fun novel! It kind of gave me White Lotus vibes and Sirens (from Netflix) vibes too! It’s very much inspired by Greek mythology, which I always love. There are multiple POVs in this book, it follows a 50 something widow named Lena, her son Drew and his wife Jordan, Lena’s best friend Hedy, and a mysterious woman named Luz. It revolves around their trip to Naxos, Greece to open a hotel in the wake of the death of Lena’s husband. The siren song of Lena and Hedy’s youth comes back to lure them back to their “glory days.” Will they choose to shirk the responsibilities of their normal lives, or will they leave behind their desires to uphold duty?
This was a super fun novel! It kind of gave me White Lotus vibes and Sirens (from Netflix) vibes too! It’s very much inspired by Greek mythology, which I always love. There are multiple POVs in this book, it follows a 50 something widow named Lena, her son Drew and his wife Jordan, Lena’s best friend Hedy, and a mysterious woman named Luz. It revolves around their trip to Naxos, Greece to open a hotel in the wake of the death of Lena’s husband. The siren song of Lena and Hedy’s youth comes back to lure them back to their “glory days.” Will they choose to shirk the responsibilities of their normal lives, or will they leave behind their desires to uphold duty?
April 19, 2025
I found this book to be both dark and liberating. I loved that it was a fresh take on a Greek classic of the Bacchae, but also with a more feminist twist to the story. In the classic, the tragedy is more blamed on the FMC whereas with Pochoda's approach, there is more of a feminine freedom. Even through fury and madness, the women found liberation from the shackles of their lives.
I inhaled this book in a day. The pacing was great and consistent. The scenery was beautifully written and like the story, made you question reality (in a good way). I really enjoyed this read.
I inhaled this book in a day. The pacing was great and consistent. The scenery was beautifully written and like the story, made you question reality (in a good way). I really enjoyed this read.
April 28, 2025
ECSTASY
BY: IVY POCHODA
When I say that IVY POCHODA is absolutely one of my FAVORITE AUTHORS, I mean that she is at the very top lifetime writers who I fell in love with her writing style many years ago. I have read and loved everything she has ever written. When I saw that she has this new book out I moved it ahead to the top of my queue. To experience her style of writing is to make me feel deeply emotionally moved by how I simultaneously inhabit her characters. since they are so stunningly well developed, and this one was no different the way I felt it had a strong finish. It was my immediate reaction to it until I sat down to write this review, and I know it's only fiction, and I still felt something bothered me about the ending that just saddens me that knowing that this is the first time I can't give this five stars, like I've awarded every single book she's written prior to this. It's not that it's violent. I will disclose why further in the last part of the review why, but for now let me just say that I don't think that if she ever gave birth or raised a child that she would have the same amount of empathy, but furthermore her huge heart that she evokes in her other works towards feminist content that have given me this impression. I could be wrong since I'm only going on instinct, but since most of her other themes reflect back to me a selfless, but brilliant author whose work is related towards raising awareness towards the plight of less fortunate women and girls in the largest part of her body of work, although dark and heartbreaking was realistic and authentic. She also expertly weaves throughout her very unique narratives a fast paced, and suspenseful plot. Few writers can manage to achieve that aspect and do it as well as she does. Her novels are ones that I look forward to and I love how she captures marginalized women for the most part with the ability to captivate my attention from the very beginning and like a sorceress she's able to keep my attention with her magic within her craft. I never check the page count, but I don't even think about anything while reading her spell binding storytelling in one sitting. She packs so much content relating to the atmospheric driven work.
It's a huge coincidence this time with her newest spellbinding novel called, "ECSTASY,:" since I'm always sad to realize that I've finished the ARC, and in this one my best advice is for readers to get to the explosive ending where it strikes a chord. The coincidence is one of my graduate majors was in the Classics so I noticed in her Acknowledgements that she thanked people who work in the book industry that she collaborated with "ECSTASY," for the encouragement for making this story more developed in furthering the sensation of ""edge" in her plot, and characters.. I say that because as I was reading this I kept saying to myself this feels very "edgy.." I think that struck me to have read that she succeeded in her device and original style that I caught on that feeling thinking exactly my exact word was identical to hers which is worth noting..
This was definitely a change from her last two books "Sing Her Down," and "These Women,", in that those which capture the realistic rawness with authenticity that they are on my favorite shelf on Good Reads. This one the imagery was more allegorical with either fantasy or magical realism when the writing seemed to veer off in that direction in its grand finale. The three former books had a lesson, or were written to inform that way of life is a reality that most of us don't face, but It hit me hard with a lasting impact that I've never forgotten. It really made me admire Ivy Pochoda's intentions to remind me that way of life is hauntingly real, and I felt so empathetic towards the characters in those novels since her spotlight on them brought them to life in her spare prose so vivid;y, and tragic. The writing was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. This one felt very different in that she is still illuminating her point, but I felt her message was less implicit, and much more explicit in her newest, ECSTASY.". I don't want to give spoilers, but she has always managed to achieve getting her message across in all her novels.. She is a writer's novelist who is at the top of her game that this one i took the time to pay attention to why her sensuous skill in delivering a story that packs such a punch in what always h left me wanting more each time I reach the end. There's always a feeling of in my opinion that at least in her last three in which I feel are more fresh in my memory that exude powerful themes are done within an economical shorter feel as if it ends too soon. In other words, she says so much in far less pages than most any other writer I'm aware of. I feel that I've read a novella even though it's a novel. She makes every word count and I confess that she ramps up the momentum so the pace increases never having less than one hundred percent of my attention. This one is written also through the feminist lenses but showcases both upper class and those with less and it is so masterfully written that it took my breath away. It is with reflection that has left me wondering if this author would have gone in the same direction towards the ending if she had given birth herself and experienced how profound we love our children no matter how they disappoint us, it's a bond that most mothers would die in order to protect their child.. My intuition is that even though it's a brilliant novel, that it wouldn't exist if she raised children and I don't even know whether she has experienced it first hand. So since as much as I loved this, and I know that from reading her former three novels how she champions the plight of those women's circumstances from her three former books by their content they gave me the impression that she has a huge heart. Those three previous novels content informed me both with her devotion to teaching, and empowering those without the resources that most of us take for granted to the themes in her two former novels have made me an even bigger fan, since they say a lot about her character. Even though I admire her compassion and extreme empathy in especially, "THESE WOMEN," which stole my heart, I can't deny that as much as this one is masterfully written that everyone will not see it's true literary merits, because most mothers even though we must suspend disbelief will be left feeling the lack of authenticity in Lena's character by what she did to her son.. It is flawless in every other aspect and even though her son was an unlikable character, there are children that take on characteristics that differ from us mothers values that we don't agree with. This work is showing multi- dimensional growth, but subconsciously it will go over many readers heads, since I think no matter what our children do most mothers will find its ending unjustifiable. I read the Acknowledgements and it's just hard to believe that nobody suggested changing Lena's actions towards her son. I would suggest that I know Euripides nineteen surviving plays show important innovations in the way he handled traditional myths. I know that he portrayed abnormal, and irrational states of mind. I remember his introduction of feminine psychology, and his more well known works include Electra, Medea, Hippolytus, Trojan Women, and that this is written with an interest into feminine psychology like the former two books. Keep in mind that Medea was one of the most hated women and I know that this is a modern day interpretation mirroring Euripides Bacchae. That's evident from the first few pages before the story starts. What I want to stress is that Euripides was also innovative in his 92 or 93 plays there was an EMPHASIS ON REALISM, and that's why as a mother who has lived long enough to have had the life experience to feel that no matter what my kids have done I wouln't imagine that I ever could feel thoughts of harming them, EVER.
without
This book's is poetic in her cadence with her undeniable talent in the delivery of her prose. As a reader trained decades ago in both the Classics, and a MFA graduate I recognized the rhythm infused in each line that pulled me into this novel so refined that I read it in one sitting. I recognized the growth of her voice as this novel's line by line stopped me to repeat them in amazement of her command of the language. It was more evident in this one than any other novel she's written.. I think I saw only one novel of this SPECTACULAR AUTHOR''S novels that I haven't read, which surprised me., I plan on devouring that one immediately after I finish this review. I drew some parallels with Greek mythology in the end between mother and son that reminded me of Orpheus's with her symbolism, but it's only half of the myth, and the one doling out the punishment and inflicting it upon Orpheus isn't a godess, but it came to mind that it was done with the same kind of resentment that Luz had for her son who seemed more than capable of equal vengeance towards her son for his betrayal of her. Perhaps that's why Luz was able to do what she did, or more significant how this author conceived her character. Again, as a mother and a reader who was trained in the Classics, if my sons did to me what was done to her I feel my love for them would not change, and I wouldn't do the things that she did as a result. That is realism and honesty which is the point of granting ARCS to early readers. I really thought that it reminded me even more of Medea.. I'm repeating myself since it is already stated above from my studies that it's definitely Euripides Bachcchae with a modern retelling,, but since it's emphasis on feminine psychology, my hopes are for this to succeed, and I think it will most likely resonate with younger females, who can't even imagine how it feels to how deep a mother falls in love when she has just given birth, and looks at her baby for the first time. It's a love that transcends most women's lives that makes Lena, Jordan, and Luz characters from what their actions do will alienate most women is my gut reaction to this latest work. As I finish this review I have taken a step back, and.I changed my mind towards awarding it the full five stars as a work of art that's a stunning accomplishment for Ivy Pochoda. I overall, do predict that it won't be for everyone which is sadly my honest opinion,
Publication Date:: June 17, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley, Ivy Pochoda, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam--G P Putnam's Sons for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.
#Ecstasy #IvyPochoda #PenguinGroupPutnamGPPutnamsSons #NetGalley
BY: IVY POCHODA
When I say that IVY POCHODA is absolutely one of my FAVORITE AUTHORS, I mean that she is at the very top lifetime writers who I fell in love with her writing style many years ago. I have read and loved everything she has ever written. When I saw that she has this new book out I moved it ahead to the top of my queue. To experience her style of writing is to make me feel deeply emotionally moved by how I simultaneously inhabit her characters. since they are so stunningly well developed, and this one was no different the way I felt it had a strong finish. It was my immediate reaction to it until I sat down to write this review, and I know it's only fiction, and I still felt something bothered me about the ending that just saddens me that knowing that this is the first time I can't give this five stars, like I've awarded every single book she's written prior to this. It's not that it's violent. I will disclose why further in the last part of the review why, but for now let me just say that I don't think that if she ever gave birth or raised a child that she would have the same amount of empathy, but furthermore her huge heart that she evokes in her other works towards feminist content that have given me this impression. I could be wrong since I'm only going on instinct, but since most of her other themes reflect back to me a selfless, but brilliant author whose work is related towards raising awareness towards the plight of less fortunate women and girls in the largest part of her body of work, although dark and heartbreaking was realistic and authentic. She also expertly weaves throughout her very unique narratives a fast paced, and suspenseful plot. Few writers can manage to achieve that aspect and do it as well as she does. Her novels are ones that I look forward to and I love how she captures marginalized women for the most part with the ability to captivate my attention from the very beginning and like a sorceress she's able to keep my attention with her magic within her craft. I never check the page count, but I don't even think about anything while reading her spell binding storytelling in one sitting. She packs so much content relating to the atmospheric driven work.
It's a huge coincidence this time with her newest spellbinding novel called, "ECSTASY,:" since I'm always sad to realize that I've finished the ARC, and in this one my best advice is for readers to get to the explosive ending where it strikes a chord. The coincidence is one of my graduate majors was in the Classics so I noticed in her Acknowledgements that she thanked people who work in the book industry that she collaborated with "ECSTASY," for the encouragement for making this story more developed in furthering the sensation of ""edge" in her plot, and characters.. I say that because as I was reading this I kept saying to myself this feels very "edgy.." I think that struck me to have read that she succeeded in her device and original style that I caught on that feeling thinking exactly my exact word was identical to hers which is worth noting..
This was definitely a change from her last two books "Sing Her Down," and "These Women,", in that those which capture the realistic rawness with authenticity that they are on my favorite shelf on Good Reads. This one the imagery was more allegorical with either fantasy or magical realism when the writing seemed to veer off in that direction in its grand finale. The three former books had a lesson, or were written to inform that way of life is a reality that most of us don't face, but It hit me hard with a lasting impact that I've never forgotten. It really made me admire Ivy Pochoda's intentions to remind me that way of life is hauntingly real, and I felt so empathetic towards the characters in those novels since her spotlight on them brought them to life in her spare prose so vivid;y, and tragic. The writing was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. This one felt very different in that she is still illuminating her point, but I felt her message was less implicit, and much more explicit in her newest, ECSTASY.". I don't want to give spoilers, but she has always managed to achieve getting her message across in all her novels.. She is a writer's novelist who is at the top of her game that this one i took the time to pay attention to why her sensuous skill in delivering a story that packs such a punch in what always h left me wanting more each time I reach the end. There's always a feeling of in my opinion that at least in her last three in which I feel are more fresh in my memory that exude powerful themes are done within an economical shorter feel as if it ends too soon. In other words, she says so much in far less pages than most any other writer I'm aware of. I feel that I've read a novella even though it's a novel. She makes every word count and I confess that she ramps up the momentum so the pace increases never having less than one hundred percent of my attention. This one is written also through the feminist lenses but showcases both upper class and those with less and it is so masterfully written that it took my breath away. It is with reflection that has left me wondering if this author would have gone in the same direction towards the ending if she had given birth herself and experienced how profound we love our children no matter how they disappoint us, it's a bond that most mothers would die in order to protect their child.. My intuition is that even though it's a brilliant novel, that it wouldn't exist if she raised children and I don't even know whether she has experienced it first hand. So since as much as I loved this, and I know that from reading her former three novels how she champions the plight of those women's circumstances from her three former books by their content they gave me the impression that she has a huge heart. Those three previous novels content informed me both with her devotion to teaching, and empowering those without the resources that most of us take for granted to the themes in her two former novels have made me an even bigger fan, since they say a lot about her character. Even though I admire her compassion and extreme empathy in especially, "THESE WOMEN," which stole my heart, I can't deny that as much as this one is masterfully written that everyone will not see it's true literary merits, because most mothers even though we must suspend disbelief will be left feeling the lack of authenticity in Lena's character by what she did to her son.. It is flawless in every other aspect and even though her son was an unlikable character, there are children that take on characteristics that differ from us mothers values that we don't agree with. This work is showing multi- dimensional growth, but subconsciously it will go over many readers heads, since I think no matter what our children do most mothers will find its ending unjustifiable. I read the Acknowledgements and it's just hard to believe that nobody suggested changing Lena's actions towards her son. I would suggest that I know Euripides nineteen surviving plays show important innovations in the way he handled traditional myths. I know that he portrayed abnormal, and irrational states of mind. I remember his introduction of feminine psychology, and his more well known works include Electra, Medea, Hippolytus, Trojan Women, and that this is written with an interest into feminine psychology like the former two books. Keep in mind that Medea was one of the most hated women and I know that this is a modern day interpretation mirroring Euripides Bacchae. That's evident from the first few pages before the story starts. What I want to stress is that Euripides was also innovative in his 92 or 93 plays there was an EMPHASIS ON REALISM, and that's why as a mother who has lived long enough to have had the life experience to feel that no matter what my kids have done I wouln't imagine that I ever could feel thoughts of harming them, EVER.
without
This book's is poetic in her cadence with her undeniable talent in the delivery of her prose. As a reader trained decades ago in both the Classics, and a MFA graduate I recognized the rhythm infused in each line that pulled me into this novel so refined that I read it in one sitting. I recognized the growth of her voice as this novel's line by line stopped me to repeat them in amazement of her command of the language. It was more evident in this one than any other novel she's written.. I think I saw only one novel of this SPECTACULAR AUTHOR''S novels that I haven't read, which surprised me., I plan on devouring that one immediately after I finish this review. I drew some parallels with Greek mythology in the end between mother and son that reminded me of Orpheus's with her symbolism, but it's only half of the myth, and the one doling out the punishment and inflicting it upon Orpheus isn't a godess, but it came to mind that it was done with the same kind of resentment that Luz had for her son who seemed more than capable of equal vengeance towards her son for his betrayal of her. Perhaps that's why Luz was able to do what she did, or more significant how this author conceived her character. Again, as a mother and a reader who was trained in the Classics, if my sons did to me what was done to her I feel my love for them would not change, and I wouldn't do the things that she did as a result. That is realism and honesty which is the point of granting ARCS to early readers. I really thought that it reminded me even more of Medea.. I'm repeating myself since it is already stated above from my studies that it's definitely Euripides Bachcchae with a modern retelling,, but since it's emphasis on feminine psychology, my hopes are for this to succeed, and I think it will most likely resonate with younger females, who can't even imagine how it feels to how deep a mother falls in love when she has just given birth, and looks at her baby for the first time. It's a love that transcends most women's lives that makes Lena, Jordan, and Luz characters from what their actions do will alienate most women is my gut reaction to this latest work. As I finish this review I have taken a step back, and.I changed my mind towards awarding it the full five stars as a work of art that's a stunning accomplishment for Ivy Pochoda. I overall, do predict that it won't be for everyone which is sadly my honest opinion,
Publication Date:: June 17, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley, Ivy Pochoda, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam--G P Putnam's Sons for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.
#Ecstasy #IvyPochoda #PenguinGroupPutnamGPPutnamsSons #NetGalley
June 4, 2025
"What are we good for if not speeding up our own demise?" p. 201
"Pick your salvation and your downfall." p. 208
AHHH!! I did not want to put this down! A Dionysian bacchanal made modern via drug and rave culture. A darkly eloquent and poetic fever dream of a read that combines feminist rage, angst, hubris, and social commentary into one trippy tale. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year - and the cover is gorgeous too!
"Pick your salvation and your downfall." p. 208
AHHH!! I did not want to put this down! A Dionysian bacchanal made modern via drug and rave culture. A darkly eloquent and poetic fever dream of a read that combines feminist rage, angst, hubris, and social commentary into one trippy tale. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year - and the cover is gorgeous too!
April 19, 2025
This was an ARC. Thank you.
Many symbolisms, especially related to life as a woman. The internal struggles these women go through are relatable. Drew has to be one of the most unlikable characters I’ve ever read. There were times though that the flow of the story lost me. Other than that it was a good quick read if you enjoy the genre.
Many symbolisms, especially related to life as a woman. The internal struggles these women go through are relatable. Drew has to be one of the most unlikable characters I’ve ever read. There were times though that the flow of the story lost me. Other than that it was a good quick read if you enjoy the genre.
March 30, 2025
I got an advanced copy of this book from the Penguin Random House booth at Emerald City Comic Con. Thanks to PRH for being there and providing copies of interesting books I might not otherwise pick up.
I just finished this one and I'm honestly not sure how to talk about it. I probably should've waited to write a review until I'd fully processed my feelings about it, but at the same time I also felt like I had to get my thoughts out right away. The book was inspired by the play the Bacchae by Euripedes, and if you know the plot of that work you'll know where things might be headed from page one.
Ecstasy begins as the story of Lena, who was once a ballet dancer, then married a very rich man and then lived a life for thirty years where everything was decided for her, where she had to be a certain way all the time. Her husband has recently died, and she thought that maybe this meant she would be able to free herself from the sterile, lonely, planned out life she was living. Yes, she is incredibly wealthy, but she hasn't been allowed to do what she wants how she wants.
However, she's just as trapped as ever, because her son has taken over the role of her husband and he's pretty much the worst. The sort of man who never listens, only assumes, who believes he knows best for everyone around him (especially the women) and either ignores when something doesn't fit his very specific vision of what it should be or browbeats the thing into submission until it does what he wants. He will then pat himself on the back for having been right the whole time and gives whatever (or whoever) he was browbeating credit for having recognized his genius. Men like this don't have to be rich (some men just think this way period), but when they're rich it makes it a lot worse. Drew, the son, honestly believes that everyone will be better off if they just conform to what he wants.
They are vacationing on Naxos in Greece, but not really so they can enjoy the sun and the beach and the authentic Greek life, but so they can stay in the sterile, curated ultra luxury resort that Drew's father started building and which Drew wants to be his first triumph without his father. The only sticking point is that there are a group of women camping on the beach, having wild bonfires and dancing all night and Drew wants them gone.
Lena gets involved with these women, who show her a side of herself she thought was dead, and who also appeal to the other women who came with them, Hedy (Lena's best friend from her days before marrying rich and fellow former party girl) and Jordan, Drew's seemingly ultra competent and "perfect" (to him) wife.
The writing is evocative and visceral, and the story explores all the ways in which Lena has shut herself off from her true self over the years, and how much she wants to be let go. There are chapters from Drew's point of view, where he proves himself to be the type of person who sees things as important only if they're important to him, and summarily dismisses anyone else's view (these were hard to get through). Jordan also has chapters where she wonders if she's making the same mistakes previous generations of women have made, and reflects on what the baby she's currently pregnant with means.
The book touches on the nature of motherhood, on how the children we bring into the world can ultimately end up stifling or betraying us, and on what re-connecting with the primal parts of oneself can cost someone. Lena wants desperately to reconnect with who she used to be, and on the whole, allowing herself to let go seems like it would be a good thing, but there's a darker side to the beach party and the bonfire and the camp full of seemingly free and wild women there.
The other part of the book is from the point of view of the woman who is seemingly directing the party on the beach, and as her story is revealed, it's clear that there is more to the seeming freedom Lena is experiencing than meets the eye.
I'm all for a narrative that touches on all the ways women, even rich ones, even ones who seemingly have it all together, are controlled by society and the men around them, and how terrified society and the men around them are of these women finding the freedom they might want, and taking control, coming into power that they didn't know they could have.
I can see why the book would not be for everyone. I'm sure there will be some who will take issue with the thing sit has to say about motherhood, and how some people believe that woman should just, as a matter of course, a) want children and b) want more children if they already have one. Especially those who have nothing to do with actually having to carry the child in the first place (Drew certainly has definite opinions about his being an only child and about how many children his wife will want, opinions he certainly doesn't bother confirming with either of the women in question). Others may also not particularly enjoy the ending. I personally had no issues with either of these things (especially the motherhood discussion; I find honest discussions about how women have been made to believe it's their obligation to society to have lots of kids interesting and relevant) but just know that they might not appeal to everyone.
I thought there were parts of the book that could've been fleshed out a bit, but for the most part the more compact narrative worked, helping to build the tension towards the confrontation that ends the book.
The book will definitely stick with me for a while. It has good insight into the issues its exploring and I always like when someone uses Greek mythology as a starting point. As someone who loves Greek mythology but recognizes its more problematic aspects, it's always fascinating to see modern takes on the old stories, and this story does some interesting things with the mythological aspects of the original.
(and definitely another one I probably wouldn't have picked up if not for the PRH booth, so thanks again!)
I just finished this one and I'm honestly not sure how to talk about it. I probably should've waited to write a review until I'd fully processed my feelings about it, but at the same time I also felt like I had to get my thoughts out right away. The book was inspired by the play the Bacchae by Euripedes, and if you know the plot of that work you'll know where things might be headed from page one.
Ecstasy begins as the story of Lena, who was once a ballet dancer, then married a very rich man and then lived a life for thirty years where everything was decided for her, where she had to be a certain way all the time. Her husband has recently died, and she thought that maybe this meant she would be able to free herself from the sterile, lonely, planned out life she was living. Yes, she is incredibly wealthy, but she hasn't been allowed to do what she wants how she wants.
However, she's just as trapped as ever, because her son has taken over the role of her husband and he's pretty much the worst. The sort of man who never listens, only assumes, who believes he knows best for everyone around him (especially the women) and either ignores when something doesn't fit his very specific vision of what it should be or browbeats the thing into submission until it does what he wants. He will then pat himself on the back for having been right the whole time and gives whatever (or whoever) he was browbeating credit for having recognized his genius. Men like this don't have to be rich (some men just think this way period), but when they're rich it makes it a lot worse. Drew, the son, honestly believes that everyone will be better off if they just conform to what he wants.
They are vacationing on Naxos in Greece, but not really so they can enjoy the sun and the beach and the authentic Greek life, but so they can stay in the sterile, curated ultra luxury resort that Drew's father started building and which Drew wants to be his first triumph without his father. The only sticking point is that there are a group of women camping on the beach, having wild bonfires and dancing all night and Drew wants them gone.
Lena gets involved with these women, who show her a side of herself she thought was dead, and who also appeal to the other women who came with them, Hedy (Lena's best friend from her days before marrying rich and fellow former party girl) and Jordan, Drew's seemingly ultra competent and "perfect" (to him) wife.
The writing is evocative and visceral, and the story explores all the ways in which Lena has shut herself off from her true self over the years, and how much she wants to be let go. There are chapters from Drew's point of view, where he proves himself to be the type of person who sees things as important only if they're important to him, and summarily dismisses anyone else's view (these were hard to get through). Jordan also has chapters where she wonders if she's making the same mistakes previous generations of women have made, and reflects on what the baby she's currently pregnant with means.
The book touches on the nature of motherhood, on how the children we bring into the world can ultimately end up stifling or betraying us, and on what re-connecting with the primal parts of oneself can cost someone. Lena wants desperately to reconnect with who she used to be, and on the whole, allowing herself to let go seems like it would be a good thing, but there's a darker side to the beach party and the bonfire and the camp full of seemingly free and wild women there.
The other part of the book is from the point of view of the woman who is seemingly directing the party on the beach, and as her story is revealed, it's clear that there is more to the seeming freedom Lena is experiencing than meets the eye.
I'm all for a narrative that touches on all the ways women, even rich ones, even ones who seemingly have it all together, are controlled by society and the men around them, and how terrified society and the men around them are of these women finding the freedom they might want, and taking control, coming into power that they didn't know they could have.
I can see why the book would not be for everyone. I'm sure there will be some who will take issue with the thing sit has to say about motherhood, and how some people believe that woman should just, as a matter of course, a) want children and b) want more children if they already have one. Especially those who have nothing to do with actually having to carry the child in the first place (Drew certainly has definite opinions about his being an only child and about how many children his wife will want, opinions he certainly doesn't bother confirming with either of the women in question). Others may also not particularly enjoy the ending. I personally had no issues with either of these things (especially the motherhood discussion; I find honest discussions about how women have been made to believe it's their obligation to society to have lots of kids interesting and relevant) but just know that they might not appeal to everyone.
I thought there were parts of the book that could've been fleshed out a bit, but for the most part the more compact narrative worked, helping to build the tension towards the confrontation that ends the book.
The book will definitely stick with me for a while. It has good insight into the issues its exploring and I always like when someone uses Greek mythology as a starting point. As someone who loves Greek mythology but recognizes its more problematic aspects, it's always fascinating to see modern takes on the old stories, and this story does some interesting things with the mythological aspects of the original.
(and definitely another one I probably wouldn't have picked up if not for the PRH booth, so thanks again!)
April 6, 2025
Ecstasy | Ivy Pochoda
🖤🖤🖤🖤/ 5
"Ecstasy" by Ivy Pochoda hits you like those summer nights where the air is heavy with possibility and danger. It's intoxicating and unsettling in equal measure (which makes the perfect combo, if you ask me).
In this deliciously dark reimagining of Euripides' The Bacchae, we meet Lena, who thought her wealthy husband's death would finally free her from her sterile, curated existence. Instead, her controlling son Drew has simply stepped into the role of dictator of her life. When they travel to Naxos, Greece for the unveiling of Drew's luxury resort project, Lena becomes entranced by a group of wild women camping on the beach, hosting bonfires and dancing under the stars.
What follows is a visceral exploration of female autonomy, the expectations of motherhood, and what happens when women reject the suffocating roles society assigns them. When Lena begins spending time with these women, she reconnects with parts of herself she thought were long buried - the dancer, the party girl, the woman with desires of her own.
The narrative alternates perspectives, showing us Drew's insufferable entitlement (these chapters had me gripping my highlighter like a weapon), his pregnant wife Jordan's growing doubts about her choices, longtime BFF Hedy's helplessness in her physical decline, and the mysterious leader of the beach women whose own story reveals darker undercurrents beneath the surface freedom Lena is experiencing.
When women decide to center themselves instead of the men around them, they're labeled "unstable" or "wild", which is a frustration that resonates deeply with me. Thankfully, the women in this story set that frustrating reality ablaze. Pochoda's writing is evocative and raw, building tension toward an explosive ending that might not be for everyone, but is definitely FOR ME. It’s truly cathartic in its boldness; a feast of female empowerment that I ate to my heart's content. Like the glutton I am, I do wish certain elements had been given more room to breathe - particularly Luz's character and motivations.
Tropes!
🎭 Greek mythology retelling
🧠 Psychological horror
😡 Feminine rage/revenge
👭 Found Sisterhood
💪🏽 Self discovery/empowerment
🏖️ Idyllic vacation goes wrong
🤯 Blurring of reality
If you're expecting traditional horror elements, adjust your expectations. This is psychological horror that infects your mind and festers under your skin rather than jumps out at you. A captivating one-sitting read that will leave you thinking for days. If you enjoy dark feminist tales with mythological roots, read on, ghouls.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read an early e-copy of this book.
🖤🖤🖤🖤/ 5
"Ecstasy" by Ivy Pochoda hits you like those summer nights where the air is heavy with possibility and danger. It's intoxicating and unsettling in equal measure (which makes the perfect combo, if you ask me).
In this deliciously dark reimagining of Euripides' The Bacchae, we meet Lena, who thought her wealthy husband's death would finally free her from her sterile, curated existence. Instead, her controlling son Drew has simply stepped into the role of dictator of her life. When they travel to Naxos, Greece for the unveiling of Drew's luxury resort project, Lena becomes entranced by a group of wild women camping on the beach, hosting bonfires and dancing under the stars.
What follows is a visceral exploration of female autonomy, the expectations of motherhood, and what happens when women reject the suffocating roles society assigns them. When Lena begins spending time with these women, she reconnects with parts of herself she thought were long buried - the dancer, the party girl, the woman with desires of her own.
The narrative alternates perspectives, showing us Drew's insufferable entitlement (these chapters had me gripping my highlighter like a weapon), his pregnant wife Jordan's growing doubts about her choices, longtime BFF Hedy's helplessness in her physical decline, and the mysterious leader of the beach women whose own story reveals darker undercurrents beneath the surface freedom Lena is experiencing.
When women decide to center themselves instead of the men around them, they're labeled "unstable" or "wild", which is a frustration that resonates deeply with me. Thankfully, the women in this story set that frustrating reality ablaze. Pochoda's writing is evocative and raw, building tension toward an explosive ending that might not be for everyone, but is definitely FOR ME. It’s truly cathartic in its boldness; a feast of female empowerment that I ate to my heart's content. Like the glutton I am, I do wish certain elements had been given more room to breathe - particularly Luz's character and motivations.
Tropes!
🎭 Greek mythology retelling
🧠 Psychological horror
😡 Feminine rage/revenge
👭 Found Sisterhood
💪🏽 Self discovery/empowerment
🏖️ Idyllic vacation goes wrong
🤯 Blurring of reality
If you're expecting traditional horror elements, adjust your expectations. This is psychological horror that infects your mind and festers under your skin rather than jumps out at you. A captivating one-sitting read that will leave you thinking for days. If you enjoy dark feminist tales with mythological roots, read on, ghouls.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read an early e-copy of this book.
June 20, 2025
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.
I had the highest of expectations for this book, because (a) it sounded fantastic, (b) I love retellings of ancient Greek stories and I was always especially fascinated by Bacchus and the Maenads, and (c) I loved .
But the endless sentence fragments, and odd insistence on second person POV, combined with unlikeable characters and glacial plot pace, wore me down fast. Lena and Drew were both unbearable, and I could not understand why she passively put up with her son treating her like that. Jordan was okay, the best out of the four of them, and poor Hedy, why was Hedy even there? She was an afterthought, even to her supposed best friend, Lena.
The premise will be obvious to anyone who has studied ancient Greek beliefs, and perhaps a bit of a surprise to everyone else: the ancient god Bacchus, he who leads the wild Bacchanalian rituals, is now a party DJ named BaXXus. And he's still inspiring women to dance. Luz, a drug dealer and ex-con, crosses paths with BaXXus, and she does not like him one bit. Lena's son Drew, who is a self-centered asshole, has the very bad luck to end up butting heads with both BaXXus and Luz. This does not bode well for Drew. If you know about the Bacchanalia, you know what will happen.
The sentence fragments left me feeling VERY punchy. And there's just NO REASON for Lena to be so unbearably passive around Drew. She is his mother for god's sakes, stand up and tell him what's what. At times I wanted to punch this book in the throat. At first, it appears that Lena is the heart of this book, and it took a long time getting around to revealing that Luz is the actual heart of this book. This book really is about Luz, and what she does. But the book takes its sweet time getting there.
At the 30% mark suddenly Luz, a completely new character POV, was introduced, which was jarring and confusing and brought the pace to a screeching halt while I gathered myself up again.. Who the fuck is Luz and why do I care? At this point, I realized the story is told in multiple POVs. And I didn't like being in any of their heads. I started angry-skimming the book to try to get to the point.
I guess this is Pochoda's attempt at a feminist retelling of the Bacchus myth, and well done to her for trying. This could have been fantastic. It's a shame her writing style in this book was so annoying. She was probably trying for a "fever dream" type of atmosphere, but instead I was just irritated.
I had the highest of expectations for this book, because (a) it sounded fantastic, (b) I love retellings of ancient Greek stories and I was always especially fascinated by Bacchus and the Maenads, and (c) I loved .
But the endless sentence fragments, and odd insistence on second person POV, combined with unlikeable characters and glacial plot pace, wore me down fast. Lena and Drew were both unbearable, and I could not understand why she passively put up with her son treating her like that. Jordan was okay, the best out of the four of them, and poor Hedy, why was Hedy even there? She was an afterthought, even to her supposed best friend, Lena.
The premise will be obvious to anyone who has studied ancient Greek beliefs, and perhaps a bit of a surprise to everyone else: the ancient god Bacchus, he who leads the wild Bacchanalian rituals, is now a party DJ named BaXXus. And he's still inspiring women to dance. Luz, a drug dealer and ex-con, crosses paths with BaXXus, and she does not like him one bit. Lena's son Drew, who is a self-centered asshole, has the very bad luck to end up butting heads with both BaXXus and Luz. This does not bode well for Drew. If you know about the Bacchanalia, you know what will happen.
The sentence fragments left me feeling VERY punchy. And there's just NO REASON for Lena to be so unbearably passive around Drew. She is his mother for god's sakes, stand up and tell him what's what. At times I wanted to punch this book in the throat. At first, it appears that Lena is the heart of this book, and it took a long time getting around to revealing that Luz is the actual heart of this book. This book really is about Luz, and what she does. But the book takes its sweet time getting there.
At the 30% mark suddenly Luz, a completely new character POV, was introduced, which was jarring and confusing and brought the pace to a screeching halt while I gathered myself up again.. Who the fuck is Luz and why do I care? At this point, I realized the story is told in multiple POVs. And I didn't like being in any of their heads. I started angry-skimming the book to try to get to the point.
I guess this is Pochoda's attempt at a feminist retelling of the Bacchus myth, and well done to her for trying. This could have been fantastic. It's a shame her writing style in this book was so annoying. She was probably trying for a "fever dream" type of atmosphere, but instead I was just irritated.
June 29, 2025
ECSTASY by Ivy Pochoda reads like a deconstructed Greek tragedy told through a feminist lens and full of relentlessly unsettling moments that will shake even the staunchest reader. This fever dream of a story is short and can be consumed easily in one sitting.
Lena’s wealthy husband has just passed away. She is now dealing with her son, Drew, who is all business without much of a personality or sense of wonder. He has designs to use the family fortune to support his latest pet project: the luxurious Agape Villas in Naxos, Greece.
The two arrive in Naxos with Drew’s wife, Jordan, and Lena’s best friend, Hedy. For some reason initially unknown to her, Lena is affected by the area --- particularly the beach --- and begins to hark back to her time as a dancer and wild party girl. Hedy is like-minded with Lena, and this sets the stage for a mysterious adventure that threatens to consume them.
Prior to the foursome arriving in Naxos, we hear from an entity that refers to itself as Mama Ghost. This being is a specter, a vampire, a night creature. The unsuspecting group will soon collide with Mama Ghost and her legion of female followers on the beach outside the Agape Villas. The results will be psychedelic, dizzying and deadly.
The story is told in chapters shared by a handful of different characters, including Luz, who is a big part of the hallucinogenic iconography that has taken over the area and nearly the entirety of the beach. The swarm of women there are beguiled by a male figure, a golden-skinned god named BaXXus, whose allure is undeniable and impossible to resist. Hedy soon will find herself drawn to this group, while Lena tries in vain to resist the temptation to dance wildly once again as she did in her youth.
Drew is directly threatened by what he does not understand, and this includes the women who even the local police are unable to make move from their encampment on the beach. When Jordan begins to feel the pull towards the wild temptations of the feminine pack, the reality of this highly unreal situation will smack Drew in the face before he is able to stop it.
Jordan is made promises from the thing that is calling to her --- promises that would free her from life with a man who seeks to control her every movement. Lena is the only possible answer to salvaging the unexpected change that is overwhelming the events on the beach, but she is also powerless against the strength that may be coming from Dionysus himself.
ECSTASY is a quick and powerful novel that shows off Ivy Pochoda’s gifts as a writer who knows how to get under readers’ skin.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
Lena’s wealthy husband has just passed away. She is now dealing with her son, Drew, who is all business without much of a personality or sense of wonder. He has designs to use the family fortune to support his latest pet project: the luxurious Agape Villas in Naxos, Greece.
The two arrive in Naxos with Drew’s wife, Jordan, and Lena’s best friend, Hedy. For some reason initially unknown to her, Lena is affected by the area --- particularly the beach --- and begins to hark back to her time as a dancer and wild party girl. Hedy is like-minded with Lena, and this sets the stage for a mysterious adventure that threatens to consume them.
Prior to the foursome arriving in Naxos, we hear from an entity that refers to itself as Mama Ghost. This being is a specter, a vampire, a night creature. The unsuspecting group will soon collide with Mama Ghost and her legion of female followers on the beach outside the Agape Villas. The results will be psychedelic, dizzying and deadly.
The story is told in chapters shared by a handful of different characters, including Luz, who is a big part of the hallucinogenic iconography that has taken over the area and nearly the entirety of the beach. The swarm of women there are beguiled by a male figure, a golden-skinned god named BaXXus, whose allure is undeniable and impossible to resist. Hedy soon will find herself drawn to this group, while Lena tries in vain to resist the temptation to dance wildly once again as she did in her youth.
Drew is directly threatened by what he does not understand, and this includes the women who even the local police are unable to make move from their encampment on the beach. When Jordan begins to feel the pull towards the wild temptations of the feminine pack, the reality of this highly unreal situation will smack Drew in the face before he is able to stop it.
Jordan is made promises from the thing that is calling to her --- promises that would free her from life with a man who seeks to control her every movement. Lena is the only possible answer to salvaging the unexpected change that is overwhelming the events on the beach, but she is also powerless against the strength that may be coming from Dionysus himself.
ECSTASY is a quick and powerful novel that shows off Ivy Pochoda’s gifts as a writer who knows how to get under readers’ skin.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
June 28, 2025
ECSTASY from Ivy Pochoda reads like a deconstructed Greek tragedy told through a feminist lens and full of relentlessly unsettling moments that will shake even the staunchest reader. This fever dream of a story is short, almost at novella length, and can easily be consumed in one sitting.
Lena is a recent widow whose wealthy husband has passed. She is now dealing with her son, Drew, is all business without much of a personality or sense of wonder. He has designs to use the family fortune to support his latest project, a luxurious set of Agape Villas set within Naxos, Greece.
They all arrive in Naxos with their foursome being rounded out by Drew’s wife Jordan and Lena’s best friend Hedy. For some reason initially unknown to her, Lena is affected by the area --- particularly the beach --- and begins to harken back to her time as a dancer and wild party girl. Hedy is like-minded with Lena, and this sets the stage for an unknown and mysterious adventure that will all but consume them.
Prior to the foursome arriving in Naxos, we hear from an entity that refers to itself as Mama Ghost. This female being is a specter; a vampire; a night creature. The unsuspecting group will soon collide with Mama Ghost and her legion of female followers on the beaches outside the Agape Villas and the results will be psychedelic, dizzying, and deadly.
The story is told in chapters shared by a handful of different characters including a woman named Luz who is a big part of the hallucinogenic iconography that has taken over the area and nearly the entirety of the beach. The swarm of women there are beguiled by a male figure, a golden-skinned god named BaXXus, whose allure is undeniable and impossible to resist. Hedy will soon find herself drawn to this group while Lena tries in vain to resist the temptation to dance wildly once again as she did in her youth, without abandonment and filled with external enticements that want the dance to never end.
Drew is directly threatened by what he does not understand, and this includes the wild group of women who even the local police are unable to make move from their encampment on the beach. When his very own wife, Jordan, begins to feel the pull towards the wild temptations of the feminine pack, the reality of this highly unreal situation will smack Drew in the face before he is able to stop it.
Jordan is made promises from the thing that is calling to her, promises that would free her from life with a man who seeks to control her every movement. Lena is the only possible answer to salvaging the unexpected change that is overwhelming the situation at Naxos beach, but she is also powerless against the strength that may be coming from Dionysus himself. ECSTASY is a quick and powerful read which shows off Ivy Pochoda’s gifts as a writer who knows how to get under readers’ skin.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
Lena is a recent widow whose wealthy husband has passed. She is now dealing with her son, Drew, is all business without much of a personality or sense of wonder. He has designs to use the family fortune to support his latest project, a luxurious set of Agape Villas set within Naxos, Greece.
They all arrive in Naxos with their foursome being rounded out by Drew’s wife Jordan and Lena’s best friend Hedy. For some reason initially unknown to her, Lena is affected by the area --- particularly the beach --- and begins to harken back to her time as a dancer and wild party girl. Hedy is like-minded with Lena, and this sets the stage for an unknown and mysterious adventure that will all but consume them.
Prior to the foursome arriving in Naxos, we hear from an entity that refers to itself as Mama Ghost. This female being is a specter; a vampire; a night creature. The unsuspecting group will soon collide with Mama Ghost and her legion of female followers on the beaches outside the Agape Villas and the results will be psychedelic, dizzying, and deadly.
The story is told in chapters shared by a handful of different characters including a woman named Luz who is a big part of the hallucinogenic iconography that has taken over the area and nearly the entirety of the beach. The swarm of women there are beguiled by a male figure, a golden-skinned god named BaXXus, whose allure is undeniable and impossible to resist. Hedy will soon find herself drawn to this group while Lena tries in vain to resist the temptation to dance wildly once again as she did in her youth, without abandonment and filled with external enticements that want the dance to never end.
Drew is directly threatened by what he does not understand, and this includes the wild group of women who even the local police are unable to make move from their encampment on the beach. When his very own wife, Jordan, begins to feel the pull towards the wild temptations of the feminine pack, the reality of this highly unreal situation will smack Drew in the face before he is able to stop it.
Jordan is made promises from the thing that is calling to her, promises that would free her from life with a man who seeks to control her every movement. Lena is the only possible answer to salvaging the unexpected change that is overwhelming the situation at Naxos beach, but she is also powerless against the strength that may be coming from Dionysus himself. ECSTASY is a quick and powerful read which shows off Ivy Pochoda’s gifts as a writer who knows how to get under readers’ skin.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
April 12, 2025
Can we just collectively agree that Drew is the most insufferable character known to man? The depths of hatred that arises from the pit of my soul when he speaks is a testament to how much Ivy Pochoda made me feel in 220 short pages.
Let's back up a bit. The story follows Lena, a wealthy, middle-aged, former ballerina/party girl after the death of her narcissistic and mentally abusive husband of 30ish years. Lena, her deteriorating best friend Hady, her son Drew, and Drew's wife Jordan are vacationing in Greece to inspect the family's latest luxury hotel and potentially open it's doors to the pubic. Drew, having watched his father marginalize and degrade his mother for his entire life, takes it upon himself to fill that role in his father's absence. Lena hopes to have a nice trip, but Drew doesn't care what she thinks. In fact, he's unconcerned about anyone's fun or happiness except his own. The deplorable man-baby, bulldozer, and gas lighter spends his time bossing people around and making every woman around him feel worthless. Lena indulges him with only a minimal amount of backtalk, which in and of itself is infuriating. The toxic boy mom vibes almost made me wanna quit. But as the book progresses, you start to see Lena blossom. She's making decisions. She's defying the "rules." She's seeing herself return from who she was before marriage and children.
In this process, she becomes infatuated with what is seemingly a harmless group of gypsy-like women who dance on the beach every night, but it's soon revealed that something much darker is at play
If you know the story of The Bacchae, you know you're going into a pretty messy and tragic retell. If you don't know the story, I suggest you do a quick wiki to get the gist, it will make this make more sense. The story is nothing short of a fever dream of revenge and violence combined with the most extravagant episode of "Snapped" you've ever seen. The god's are cruel. The women are wild and nothing about this is warm and fuzzy. If you love a pitch black ending. If you love a story about brutal revenge. If you love greek mythology, I think you'll love Ecstasy.
Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Let's back up a bit. The story follows Lena, a wealthy, middle-aged, former ballerina/party girl after the death of her narcissistic and mentally abusive husband of 30ish years. Lena, her deteriorating best friend Hady, her son Drew, and Drew's wife Jordan are vacationing in Greece to inspect the family's latest luxury hotel and potentially open it's doors to the pubic. Drew, having watched his father marginalize and degrade his mother for his entire life, takes it upon himself to fill that role in his father's absence. Lena hopes to have a nice trip, but Drew doesn't care what she thinks. In fact, he's unconcerned about anyone's fun or happiness except his own. The deplorable man-baby, bulldozer, and gas lighter spends his time bossing people around and making every woman around him feel worthless. Lena indulges him with only a minimal amount of backtalk, which in and of itself is infuriating. The toxic boy mom vibes almost made me wanna quit. But as the book progresses, you start to see Lena blossom. She's making decisions. She's defying the "rules." She's seeing herself return from who she was before marriage and children.
In this process, she becomes infatuated with what is seemingly a harmless group of gypsy-like women who dance on the beach every night, but it's soon revealed that something much darker is at play
If you know the story of The Bacchae, you know you're going into a pretty messy and tragic retell. If you don't know the story, I suggest you do a quick wiki to get the gist, it will make this make more sense. The story is nothing short of a fever dream of revenge and violence combined with the most extravagant episode of "Snapped" you've ever seen. The god's are cruel. The women are wild and nothing about this is warm and fuzzy. If you love a pitch black ending. If you love a story about brutal revenge. If you love greek mythology, I think you'll love Ecstasy.
Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 13, 2025
Thanks to partners NetGalley and Penguin for the digital ARC of Ivy Pochoda’s Ecstasy.
I’ve seen many reviewers calling Ivy Pochoda’s Ecstasy a fever dream, and that feels exactly right. This loose retelling of The Bacchae (which I’ve read about but haven’t read) immerses the reader in a world of entitlement and luxury and oppression, in a battle between masculine and feminine forces, in a power struggle whose fate feels pre-determined. It was a one-sitting read for me.
The book begins with a quartet of travelers (not “vacationers”—they’re too cultured to “vacation”) to the island of Naxos where Lena, her best friend Hedy, Lena’s son Drew, and Drew’s pregnant wife Jordan will stay at the family’s luxe hotel, which is in the last stages before its grand opening.
Some of the dynamics become immediately clear. Lena and Hedy were dancers together until Lena married Stavros, who swept her away from the excitement of that life into an existence driven by an obsession with class and wealth and putting forth the right facade. It’s a world centered on Stavros in which Lena is a type of prop.
Drew has clearly taken it upon himself to continue the dominant role of his father, who recently died on the island’s beach.
When the group arrives, they find that there’s a major hiccup with the preparations: there’s a group of women who are refusing to leave the beach. They assert that it’s a cultural and historical landmark that belongs to the island, not to the hotel. Drew, of course, disagrees and is willing to do whatever it takes to eject them from the property. Legally, though, that’s a more complex proposition than he’s willing to accept.
That’s the setup. What seems a fairly straightforward tale of class and misogyny quickly, however, shifts because of Luz, the leader of the women on the beach. As Lena is drawn into her circle—into drugs and dancing and unfettered self-expression—she begins to push back against the relationship dynamics that have controlled her life for so long.
So much about this book worked for me. I appreciated the shifts in narrative perspective, which allow the reader a glimpse into the group’s slow immersion into surreality, and Pochoda’s writing is undeniably gorgeous. I thought that the changing group dynamics beautifully illuminated the messages of the book: the despicable Drew’s entitled, brought about by his wealth and his gender; the ways that Hedy served as a grounding influence for Lena; Jordan’s attempts to maintain her own agency in the face of Drew’s micromanaging and close-mindedness. I did wish, however, that parts of the book’s message were more subtle, some of the plot elements less predictable. Still, Ecstasy is an absorbing tale that is compelling and thought provoking.
I’ve seen many reviewers calling Ivy Pochoda’s Ecstasy a fever dream, and that feels exactly right. This loose retelling of The Bacchae (which I’ve read about but haven’t read) immerses the reader in a world of entitlement and luxury and oppression, in a battle between masculine and feminine forces, in a power struggle whose fate feels pre-determined. It was a one-sitting read for me.
The book begins with a quartet of travelers (not “vacationers”—they’re too cultured to “vacation”) to the island of Naxos where Lena, her best friend Hedy, Lena’s son Drew, and Drew’s pregnant wife Jordan will stay at the family’s luxe hotel, which is in the last stages before its grand opening.
Some of the dynamics become immediately clear. Lena and Hedy were dancers together until Lena married Stavros, who swept her away from the excitement of that life into an existence driven by an obsession with class and wealth and putting forth the right facade. It’s a world centered on Stavros in which Lena is a type of prop.
Drew has clearly taken it upon himself to continue the dominant role of his father, who recently died on the island’s beach.
When the group arrives, they find that there’s a major hiccup with the preparations: there’s a group of women who are refusing to leave the beach. They assert that it’s a cultural and historical landmark that belongs to the island, not to the hotel. Drew, of course, disagrees and is willing to do whatever it takes to eject them from the property. Legally, though, that’s a more complex proposition than he’s willing to accept.
That’s the setup. What seems a fairly straightforward tale of class and misogyny quickly, however, shifts because of Luz, the leader of the women on the beach. As Lena is drawn into her circle—into drugs and dancing and unfettered self-expression—she begins to push back against the relationship dynamics that have controlled her life for so long.
So much about this book worked for me. I appreciated the shifts in narrative perspective, which allow the reader a glimpse into the group’s slow immersion into surreality, and Pochoda’s writing is undeniably gorgeous. I thought that the changing group dynamics beautifully illuminated the messages of the book: the despicable Drew’s entitled, brought about by his wealth and his gender; the ways that Hedy served as a grounding influence for Lena; Jordan’s attempts to maintain her own agency in the face of Drew’s micromanaging and close-mindedness. I did wish, however, that parts of the book’s message were more subtle, some of the plot elements less predictable. Still, Ecstasy is an absorbing tale that is compelling and thought provoking.
June 4, 2025
A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam - G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC of this book!
Ecstasy is one of those books that you could describe as 'artsy'. It's very experimental in its prose and some sequences, switching back and forth between Lena, our main character, the nebulous presence of "Before", and an enigmatic character named Luz. It's short and succinct, clocking in at 160 pages, so if you're looking for a novella to break your reading slump, I'd recommend it.
I have mixed feelings about it. I liked this book in places - the beginning hooked me, with the intrigue of Lena's past life and her current life of being a rich widow hounded by her overbearing son, but the ending felt more like a cutoff point for the author rather than a natural conclusion to the story. I'm not entirely familiar with the story it's based off of (The Bacchae), and maybe I would've enjoyed it more had I known the play. I liked how Bacchus was alluded to in the story as a rave DJ -it's a cute little nod.
The 'feminist' aspect of the book is a little flimsy - I saw one review where someone pointed out that despite its nods to patriarchy and male entitlement, the conflicts plaguing the women throughout the book are resolved with karma, outside influence and supernatural circumstances rather than by the women themselves. I think the beige prose also got redundant after a while - it kind of got to the point where pages were just short bursts of '[Pronoun] [Verbed]' sentence structures that were very loosely connected, even with the inner thoughts of the characters. The characters aren't super endearing or sympathetic, but I didn't mind - it's honestly fun to read trashy people do trashy things and mess up their lives.
I haven't read anything else by this author, so I don't know if it's a reoccurring thing in her work. I do want to check out more of her stuff, though, and will be looking for the other books she's written!
Ecstasy is one of those books that you could describe as 'artsy'. It's very experimental in its prose and some sequences, switching back and forth between Lena, our main character, the nebulous presence of "Before", and an enigmatic character named Luz. It's short and succinct, clocking in at 160 pages, so if you're looking for a novella to break your reading slump, I'd recommend it.
I have mixed feelings about it. I liked this book in places - the beginning hooked me, with the intrigue of Lena's past life and her current life of being a rich widow hounded by her overbearing son, but the ending felt more like a cutoff point for the author rather than a natural conclusion to the story. I'm not entirely familiar with the story it's based off of (The Bacchae), and maybe I would've enjoyed it more had I known the play. I liked how Bacchus was alluded to in the story as a rave DJ -it's a cute little nod.
The 'feminist' aspect of the book is a little flimsy - I saw one review where someone pointed out that despite its nods to patriarchy and male entitlement, the conflicts plaguing the women throughout the book are resolved with karma, outside influence and supernatural circumstances rather than by the women themselves. I think the beige prose also got redundant after a while - it kind of got to the point where pages were just short bursts of '[Pronoun] [Verbed]' sentence structures that were very loosely connected, even with the inner thoughts of the characters. The characters aren't super endearing or sympathetic, but I didn't mind - it's honestly fun to read trashy people do trashy things and mess up their lives.
I haven't read anything else by this author, so I don't know if it's a reoccurring thing in her work. I do want to check out more of her stuff, though, and will be looking for the other books she's written!
June 7, 2025
4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!
Years of marriage amongst the wealthy elite has whittled Lena's spirit into rope and sinew, smothered by tasteful cocktail dresses and unending small talk. On Naxos she yearns to rediscover her true nature, remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was, but Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel, demanding that she fall in line. Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night, hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether Lena will join them, and what it will cost her.
I can see why people didn't care for this one, but I found it intriguing with the themes of motherhood, grief, bodily autonomy, and the pressure of society, particularly the pressure of men. When women are trapped in marriages or families where they're every move is controlled by the men in their lives, the moment they experience some sort of freedom outside of that feels like a drug-fueled dance party where nothing is as it seems. You lose yourself. Drew, Lena's controlling son she had with her equally controlling husband, tries his damndest to continue keeping his mother, his wife Jordan, and family friend Hedy in line while they're on Naxos. He sees these women as "crazy" and "out of control" the moment they step out of line. There were times where I, like Luz, wanted to reach out and grab them and take them away from this man.
I liked that not only did the narrative change POV, but it changed tense as well. Third person for our main characters and first person for some mysterious unknown. It got kind of confusing at times, which is why I knocked the rating down a star.
Otherwise, this was such a quick read, I felt like I read it TOO fast.
Years of marriage amongst the wealthy elite has whittled Lena's spirit into rope and sinew, smothered by tasteful cocktail dresses and unending small talk. On Naxos she yearns to rediscover her true nature, remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was, but Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel, demanding that she fall in line. Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night, hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether Lena will join them, and what it will cost her.
I can see why people didn't care for this one, but I found it intriguing with the themes of motherhood, grief, bodily autonomy, and the pressure of society, particularly the pressure of men. When women are trapped in marriages or families where they're every move is controlled by the men in their lives, the moment they experience some sort of freedom outside of that feels like a drug-fueled dance party where nothing is as it seems. You lose yourself. Drew, Lena's controlling son she had with her equally controlling husband, tries his damndest to continue keeping his mother, his wife Jordan, and family friend Hedy in line while they're on Naxos. He sees these women as "crazy" and "out of control" the moment they step out of line. There were times where I, like Luz, wanted to reach out and grab them and take them away from this man.
I liked that not only did the narrative change POV, but it changed tense as well. Third person for our main characters and first person for some mysterious unknown. It got kind of confusing at times, which is why I knocked the rating down a star.
Otherwise, this was such a quick read, I felt like I read it TOO fast.
June 24, 2025
This was a book I thought I'd devour in one sitting, and ended up taking a few days to truly let the concept sit with me as I read. At first I didn't quite gel with the writing style and the story, but once Luz was properly introduced the connection was immediate and electric.
I can understand that this book and this story isn't for everyone, but it definitely was for me. This is a powerful story of the holds we allow ourselves to be taken in by, whether it's substances, beliefs, or something deeper. It's a story of survival, and a story that celebrates the power and fury of women and the desperate hold we try to use to wield power when and where we can, as it's all too often we aren't afforded any at all.
I think the horror in this book is deeper than just the occasional gory description, it's subtle and creeping but it's found in the helplessness that Lena and Hedy and Jordan feel, and the underlying question of how much of this horror is under their control versus something they're helpless to. I wish we had more of Jordan's POV, as I resonated so deeply with her story and the arc it took. Lena and Hedy broke my heart with all they'd had to endure, and I just wished I could've saved them from the worst of it. Luz I feel you're meant to question the entire time if you're supposed to love or hate her, and I still don't know the answer to that. Drew sucks and is so representative of stereotypical male arrogance and entitlement and I was viciously happy with how his story played out.
Again, this story definitely isn't for everyone; but if you've ever chased the night to hold onto a slight feeling of eternity, if you've ever been tempted by the call of a beat that is ensnaring your soul, and especially if you've ever used any kind of substance to beat away unwanted feelings, this book will resonate deeply with you.
Thank you truly to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title!!
I can understand that this book and this story isn't for everyone, but it definitely was for me. This is a powerful story of the holds we allow ourselves to be taken in by, whether it's substances, beliefs, or something deeper. It's a story of survival, and a story that celebrates the power and fury of women and the desperate hold we try to use to wield power when and where we can, as it's all too often we aren't afforded any at all.
I think the horror in this book is deeper than just the occasional gory description, it's subtle and creeping but it's found in the helplessness that Lena and Hedy and Jordan feel, and the underlying question of how much of this horror is under their control versus something they're helpless to. I wish we had more of Jordan's POV, as I resonated so deeply with her story and the arc it took. Lena and Hedy broke my heart with all they'd had to endure, and I just wished I could've saved them from the worst of it. Luz I feel you're meant to question the entire time if you're supposed to love or hate her, and I still don't know the answer to that. Drew sucks and is so representative of stereotypical male arrogance and entitlement and I was viciously happy with how his story played out.
Again, this story definitely isn't for everyone; but if you've ever chased the night to hold onto a slight feeling of eternity, if you've ever been tempted by the call of a beat that is ensnaring your soul, and especially if you've ever used any kind of substance to beat away unwanted feelings, this book will resonate deeply with you.
Thank you truly to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title!!
April 6, 2025
This book is a strange beautifully written novel based loosely on a Greek myth set in the present. It challenges the predetermined role women often have forced upon them and does so in a brutal trippy fashion.
Lena and Hedy are two middle aged women who were once ballet dancers. Lena gave up her dream to marry a wealthy man while Hedy is going blind but wishes to remain free and wild.
Drew is Lena's son and heir of his father's real estate empire. A luxury hotel on a Greek island is his way of cementing his legacy. He, Lena, Hedy, and his wife Jordan will stay there for a week before opening, having every conceivable luxury at their beck and call.
But there's a group of squatters on the beach. A group of seemingly wild women who soon entice Lena, Hedy, and Jordan. And as their backstory is revealed, we'll find out that there's something much more to this group.
This shorter novel is told from a few perspectives and it's great to see the arrogance and misogyny of Drew being challenged by Lena as he tries to control her every move. This relationship is the catalyst for the horrific events to happen later.
But this is clearly about female empowerment and breaking the chains of sex and gender roles especially for women of a certain age. Drew's insistence that his mother has no right to be a bonfire party on the beach because of her age is a stark reminder of how women are viewed especially as they age, and the terrifying consequences of breaking out of those boxes.
This book is effectively a dark tale with a fairy tale like quality and some truly horrifying scenes. I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
Lena and Hedy are two middle aged women who were once ballet dancers. Lena gave up her dream to marry a wealthy man while Hedy is going blind but wishes to remain free and wild.
Drew is Lena's son and heir of his father's real estate empire. A luxury hotel on a Greek island is his way of cementing his legacy. He, Lena, Hedy, and his wife Jordan will stay there for a week before opening, having every conceivable luxury at their beck and call.
But there's a group of squatters on the beach. A group of seemingly wild women who soon entice Lena, Hedy, and Jordan. And as their backstory is revealed, we'll find out that there's something much more to this group.
This shorter novel is told from a few perspectives and it's great to see the arrogance and misogyny of Drew being challenged by Lena as he tries to control her every move. This relationship is the catalyst for the horrific events to happen later.
But this is clearly about female empowerment and breaking the chains of sex and gender roles especially for women of a certain age. Drew's insistence that his mother has no right to be a bonfire party on the beach because of her age is a stark reminder of how women are viewed especially as they age, and the terrifying consequences of breaking out of those boxes.
This book is effectively a dark tale with a fairy tale like quality and some truly horrifying scenes. I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.
May 21, 2025
Ecstasy by Ivy Pochoda was an interesting story written in a rather poetic prose.
Luna, a recently widowed woman, goes on a trip with her best friend Hedy, her son Drew, and Drew’s wife Jordan to Naxos, Greece, to open up a new luxury hotel that Luna’s husband was last working on before his death. Drew has taken over the family business of luxury hotels. When they arrive, they find a group of women, camped on their private hotel beach, who appear to be big into partying as they play music and dance around a fire. Lena was seemingly controlled by her husband as the story indicated she never spoke out on what she wanted, and this story is about getting her voice back. But, Drew seemingly takes after his father and tries to control Lena and his wife Jordan. Lena is very interested in the woman on the beach and sneaks away to see what they are doing.
While the writing was clearly a poetic style, I found it difficult to get used to and I almost didn’t get past the beginning of the book. About 25% in I started to enjoy it more and stuck with it. Overall I found the story interesting and entertaining but I did find it hard to follow at times between the poetry and switching from third to first person unexpectedly. I also felt the character growth wasn’t quite there and Lena’s best friend Hedy seemed a bit unnecessary to the story. While I did read it in a few days, I did find the story to be a bit of a slow paced novel. Overall I did find it interesting and do think the right people for this writing style would enjoy it, but I don’t think the style is for everyone.
I’d like to that NetGalley, Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the author, Ivy Pochoda, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Luna, a recently widowed woman, goes on a trip with her best friend Hedy, her son Drew, and Drew’s wife Jordan to Naxos, Greece, to open up a new luxury hotel that Luna’s husband was last working on before his death. Drew has taken over the family business of luxury hotels. When they arrive, they find a group of women, camped on their private hotel beach, who appear to be big into partying as they play music and dance around a fire. Lena was seemingly controlled by her husband as the story indicated she never spoke out on what she wanted, and this story is about getting her voice back. But, Drew seemingly takes after his father and tries to control Lena and his wife Jordan. Lena is very interested in the woman on the beach and sneaks away to see what they are doing.
While the writing was clearly a poetic style, I found it difficult to get used to and I almost didn’t get past the beginning of the book. About 25% in I started to enjoy it more and stuck with it. Overall I found the story interesting and entertaining but I did find it hard to follow at times between the poetry and switching from third to first person unexpectedly. I also felt the character growth wasn’t quite there and Lena’s best friend Hedy seemed a bit unnecessary to the story. While I did read it in a few days, I did find the story to be a bit of a slow paced novel. Overall I did find it interesting and do think the right people for this writing style would enjoy it, but I don’t think the style is for everyone.
I’d like to that NetGalley, Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the author, Ivy Pochoda, for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 22, 2025
3.5⭐️
There is just…. so much to unpack here. Let me start with the premise. A rich widow accompanies her heir of a son to a brand new resort hotel in Greece, along with her aging best friend and her son’s newly pregnant wife. While there, the beach in front of the resort has been taken over by a hoard of raving madwomen who suck in each of the women in their own strange, twisted way. There is the influence of a powerful Greek god, a suggestion of illicit drugs, and a DJ who has the power to keep women dancing for days on end. There are murders, arson, prison time, and so much more. And all of it happens in about 200 pages.
While the plot was fascinating if not so strange that it was inaccessible, I didn’t like the writing style. Pochoda writes primarily in fragments, which is a pet peeve of mine as an English teacher, and as a reader who enjoys descriptive prose. While I understand that the choice could’ve been made to mimic a drug-induced effect, I found it overall to be unnecessary and stifled. The point of view throughout the book was also strange. Each chapter focused on a different person, which is a fine choice in itself, but the narrative shifted between first and third person for multiple characters. I know that it is nitpicky, but it still bothered me that there was a lack of consistency. It felt like a missed opportunity to add an omnipresent layer to only one of the character’s points of view.
While I had these issues with the writing style, I flew through this book, propelled by the strangeness and originality of the plot. Because I don’t really know how I felt about it overall, I gave it a solid, middle-of-the-road rating.
There is just…. so much to unpack here. Let me start with the premise. A rich widow accompanies her heir of a son to a brand new resort hotel in Greece, along with her aging best friend and her son’s newly pregnant wife. While there, the beach in front of the resort has been taken over by a hoard of raving madwomen who suck in each of the women in their own strange, twisted way. There is the influence of a powerful Greek god, a suggestion of illicit drugs, and a DJ who has the power to keep women dancing for days on end. There are murders, arson, prison time, and so much more. And all of it happens in about 200 pages.
While the plot was fascinating if not so strange that it was inaccessible, I didn’t like the writing style. Pochoda writes primarily in fragments, which is a pet peeve of mine as an English teacher, and as a reader who enjoys descriptive prose. While I understand that the choice could’ve been made to mimic a drug-induced effect, I found it overall to be unnecessary and stifled. The point of view throughout the book was also strange. Each chapter focused on a different person, which is a fine choice in itself, but the narrative shifted between first and third person for multiple characters. I know that it is nitpicky, but it still bothered me that there was a lack of consistency. It felt like a missed opportunity to add an omnipresent layer to only one of the character’s points of view.
While I had these issues with the writing style, I flew through this book, propelled by the strangeness and originality of the plot. Because I don’t really know how I felt about it overall, I gave it a solid, middle-of-the-road rating.
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