Olympus, Texas: A GMA Book Club Pick

A Novel

By: Stacey Swann

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! • A bighearted novel with technicolor characters, plenty of Texas swagger, and a powder keg of a plot in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare, and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythology.

For fans of Madeline Miller's Circe: "The Iliad meets Friday Night Lights in this muscular, captivating debut" (Oprah Daily).

The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.

An expansive tour de force, Olympus, Texas cleverly weaves elements of classical mythology into a thoroughly modern family saga, rich in drama and psychological complexity. After all, at some point, don't we all wonder: What good is this destructive force we call love?

Loved It

It was family drama like no other The love of family and it's complexedies just reeled me in. It was absolutely enthralled.

Simple truths slowly revealed

I loved the voice of the narrator, perfectly matched to the story, a simple yet complex telling of family dynamics, frailties, and realizations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I rarely rate an audible book with 5 stars in all categories.

Good family and rural Texas drama with interesting storyline.

Good family and rural Texas drama with interesting storyline. I didn’t like the voice of the reader as she did not have a good rural Texas drawl, and she had the same voice for all female and male characters! Would have been a lot more interesting with that.

Based on Roman mythology

The characters of the book are based on gods from Roman mythology. I really enjoyed matching the characters with their god. This is in part by the characters’ name, and by their actions.

I find myself in the minority.

This book got lots of hype all over the various social media platforms,
but I was thoroughly disappointed. It dragged on, the characters
all melded together for me, and I had an awfully tricky time
keeping everyone straight.
I also found that I didn't much care what happened to them,
and that is rare for me, I can usually find something redeeming
in a character.
Sad I wasted a credit on this one.