La déesse des marguerites et des boutons d'or

by Martin Millar

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

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

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

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Mythology, Historical, Retellings

281 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 2, 2015

About the author

Martin Millar is a critically acclaimed Scottish writer from Glasgow, now resident in London. He also writes the Thraxas series of fantasy novels under the pseudonym Martin Scott.

The novels he writes as Martin Millar dwell on urban decay and British sub-cultures, and the impact this has on a range of characters, both realistic and supernatural. There are elements of magical realism, and the feeling that the boundary between real life and the supernatural is not very thick. Most of them are set in Brixton, Millar's one-time place of residence. Many are at least semi-autobiographical, and Love and Peace with Melody Paradise and Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me both feature Millar himself as a character.

As Martin Scott his Thraxas novels are a fusion of traditional high fantasy and pulp noir thrillers.

In 2000, he won the World Fantasy Award for best novel for Thraxas.

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book, feelgood reading, not only for students of classical Greek, but funny, very human, good subject. For those who know about ancient Greece lots of inside jokes, for those who don't just fun reading.

[Fergus Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Martin Millar for a long time, and he's on good form here. It's a lighter read than perhaps any of his other books, and that's saying something. For all its cheerfulness and the sometimes air-headed optimism of a couple of the main characters, though, it's by no means a stupid book. It deals with big themes like war and propaganda sharply but with good humour, and the details of the setting make it obvious the author has a real history-geek love of the period.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martin Millar is on form for this one, if you've ever read any of his before you will know what to expect.

It's set in ancient Greece during the festival of Dionysus. War has been raging for 10 years. Aristophanes is rehearsing his comedy 'Peace' while the pro war faction are trying to sabotage it with a lack of funds and Phallus malfunctions. Socrates is wandering around being wise, Luxos The Poet is trying to get his poetry heard. (A past life of Lux the Poet). A wood (or river) nymph whose main power is the creation of Buttercups and Daisies is helping Bremusa, an Amazon sent by Athena to try and restore peace by thwarting Laet a Goddess of discord, sent to ruin the peace talks. The usual chaos ensues.

Brilliant.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the beginning of this book i felt there was something familiar about it. About half way through the book i realized to reminded me of Terry Pratchett, that being a good thing. The pace, style of writing and overall positive feeling through out the work. I enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to reading more from the author.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Alister Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book from Martin Millar, I even learned a bit about Greek drama although it is not every book that can be spoiled by looking up Aristophanes on wikipedia. I may begin to worship the goddess Athena.

[Saffron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy reading, light weight comedy with a deeper meaning included.

Aristophanes the famous ancient Greek playwright, is having a hell of a time getting his latest piece of work called 'Peace' ready in time for the finale of the festival of Dionysia. War has been raging for over a decade and funds are short. The Goddess Athena cannot by Zeus' decree leave Mount Olympus, so sends her Amazonian handmaiden and enlists a River Nymph, who has unfortunately left town, to help. So Metis the nymphs daughter has to help instead. Off they go down to help the peace talks, hampered by the Goddess of discord Laet.

This is an amusing romp through Ancient Greece, many famous names crop up from the time, which are amusing knowing their eventual fate. The writing is snappy and amusing, I found myself giggling openly to myself a number of times.

The whole premise of trying to achieve peace through humour is a strong one, the lengths that war mongers go to, to continue a war for personal gain is still exceedingly valid. So even though I enjoyed this as a comedy, I was still moved by the serious message included.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account of the staging of Aristophanes' play Peace c421 BC may not be exactly how it went down, but it's an engaging comic novel. Aristophanes is having trouble putting on a play about peace in a warlike climate, eternally hopeful lyric poet Luxos is trying to get a break, shady generals and weapons manufacturers want the upcoming peace talks to fail, a deity is sowing discord throughout Athens, and into the middle of all this walk am Amazon and a wood nymph whose powers are not quite as advertised....

Millar writes simply and clearly, and there is a fairytale quality to his writing which makes the next thing to happen seem like the only thing that could have. This is a good read, and a decent depiction of ancient Athens and her dramatic festivals. Long time fans of his work will also be glad to know that this one has two happy endings - it's just that one of them is only halfway through and for a different book that's twenty odd years old and set thousands of years later.

[Angie Lisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern spin on the ancient world showing parallels of human nature between then and now.

Set in Athens of Ancient Greece during the City Dionysia (the festival of Dionysus) after 10-years of war with Sparta.

The story is told through multiple POVs. Some characters are fictional; some, like Luxos the poet and Metris the demi-goddess, are figments of Millar's imagination but a few characters, like Athena and Bremusa, are borrowed from mythology. And a couple characters, like Aristophanes and Socrates, are based on real historical figures.

I'm sure I missed some of the puns - it's been years since I studied Greece and this book does require some acquaintance with the ancient world to maximize enjoyment. Even so, it was still a fun, quick read that provided a nice break from the world.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fan of Martin's Kalix series, I was initially distracted by the similarities between some of the characters in this book and those in the Kalix series. That combined with a slow start made it easy to stop reading. At least in the beginning.

Once I got past those stumbling blocks, it was a delightful read, especially the scenes involving the bubbly wood nymph, Metris.

Compared with the books of the Kalix series, this book is a little shorter and has a much simpler plot, free of the multitude of subplots Kalix has been criticized for.

The elements of history and ancient greek mythology included in this book make it a more interesting read than it might otherwise have been.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this, very entertaining and an easy read. The tale hops between the dealings of various characters in ancient Athens as they attempt to bring an end to the decade-old war with Sparta. Not only do we have the historical saga of Aristophanes the playwright, but the dealings of goddesses, nymphs and near-immortal Amazons interweaving into a world that might have been and definitely should have been (and, I personally suspect, still pretty is).
Recommended to all lovers of Classical mythology and a bit of mildly romantic historical romp.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read other Millar books, but I don't think I've fallen in love with his other characters like I did with Metris and Luxos. Presented in different voices like the tragedies and comedies it's modeled on. Quick, fun read.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are few authors I enjoy as much as Martin Millar. I love his marriage of scattered, madcap plot and sympathetic, human characters.

[Jack Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Martin Millar.

This one's set in Ancient Greece - the plot reminded me very vaguely of Crown of Violet by Geoffrey Trease, because it's about writing plays for the festival, and because Socrates is a character. Other than that it's the usual Millaresque fare, where people are foiled in their attempts to achieve their aims partly by their own personalities and partly by interference from external forces, in this case the goddess Athena and sundry other Olympians as well as citizens who would prefer the war with Sparta to continue.

Fans of Lux the Poet are in for a treat. (I wondered why not all Millar's books are listed in the front of this, seems a bit odd to only list some of them.)

[Luca Morandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non sapevo esattamente cosa aspettarmi da questo libro ma gli ho voluto dare una chance. E devo dire che non mi sono pentito.
Il libro è scritto bene e ti coinvolge, molte cose sono molto divertenti e mi ha lasciato sensazioni buone.
L'unico problema è che seguiamo una narrazione quasi corale di tanti personaggi diversi dovendo ricordarci chi era chi

[T.K. Flor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Goddess Of Buttercups And Daisies is based on historical events and famous figures in Athens circa 421BC. The character of playwright Aristophanes, the peace talks between Athena and Sparta, and the comedy competition during the Spring Festival are entwined in a story that combines adventure, political intrigues and characters from Greek mythology. The writing is seamless and allows one to get totally immersed – it felt like I stood right beside Aristophanes when he labored to stage his comedy, agonizing about sabotage and the better funding that his competitors were receiving. Characters from Greek Mythology take active part in the adventure. I especially liked the talkative nymph and the eight-hundred-years-old Amazon, who came to Athens to save the peace talks and to counter the bad influence of another immortal character and her formidable bodyguard. Millar's storytelling is captivating.
Highly recommended to those who enjoy a mix of adventure and wit, sword fights and the interaction between the immortals and humans.

[Elena Gaillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable romp through ancient Athens in Millar's usual comic satirical style. Athena, now confined to Mount Olympus, does what she can to guide her favorite cities towards peace using some rather imperfect tools -- that is, minor deities and longtime companions -- amidst the lengthy and draining Athens-Sparta war.

Aristophanes is a major viewpoint character, and other distinguished names from history make little Easter-egg appearances. The female characters are very much in the forefront however: Athena, Bremusa the Amazon, Metris the nymph, Laet the spirit of bad decisions, and a leading haetera drive much of the action.

[Russell Uresti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Martin Millar's work - his humor and subject matter are often unlike anything you'd see from other authors. Goddess of Buttercups & Daisies is quite a bit more PG than his other books (which are often filled with copious amounts of drug use, violence, sex, and other deviant behaviors), but the mockery in it all is quite fun.

I feel like this story may be more enjoyable if you've read Lux The Poet first (as Luxos is meant to be a past life of his), but it's still fun even if you haven't (but, honestly, if you haven't - go read it).

[Ry Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an Athens on the brink of ruin after ten years with war with Sparta, a cranky Aristophanes attempts to stage his play Peace, while dark forces attempt to disrupt both the performance and the diplomatic talks to end the war. This book is somewhat slight, but amusing enough. There are a lot of enjoyable references for people at least somewhat familiar with the period, but it can certainly still be read and liked by someone with no such familiarity.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, farcical comedy. Very witty & silly with a little romance thrown in. Smartly written.
I laughed out loud at the zaniness that happens to Aristophanes while trying to put on his play.
The characters are engaging.

Recommended for those who liked the classic greek & roman plays, books, and stories about the Greek gods.
Or those who want an amusingly witty laugh after a long, dull day at work.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Millar has a gift for great characters and unconventional stories. I have read most of his work and appreciate them all, but my favorites are this book and Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and me because he doesn't force his protagonists to have disturbing, but realistic faults. This makes his other work more interesting, but less of a delight.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, charming read. This book would be good for anyone who would enjoy a light comedy based on Greek history and Greek mythology. The characters were unique and I liked following their struggles and development throughout the story.

[scarlettraces · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5) Oh my, Martin Millar on form is a wondrous thing. Every time I have a run of stupidbrain now, I'm going to assume Laet the Goddess of Bad Decision-making is in the vicinity.

[Naia Sterne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oggi iniziamo la settimana con la recenqualcosa del libro che ha impiegato più tempo e vissuto le più strane peripezie prima di riuscire a giungere finalmente in Casa Sterne. Ha compiuto letteralmente un viaggio epico, più che indicato vista la sua natura di retelling mitologico che ci trasporta nell'Antica Grecia laddove gli eroi che compivano viaggi ed imprese erano stati la quotidianità. Lo stile di Millar è accattivante, cosa che non sempre è così comune in un fantasy storico, semplice e fluida la sua scrittura ci trasporta fra dei e poeti, fra guerra e commedia, etere e ninfe. Insomma, un viaggio che ci riporta alla mente la meraviglia della mitologia.

Ci troviamo ad Atene nel 421 a.C., dove Aristofane cerca di terminare la propria commedia sebbene non abbia i fondi necessari, Luxos cerca di attirare l'attenzione del commediografo per poter avere l'occasione di far conoscere le proprie poesie. Atena vuole aiutare Atene e Sparta, massacrate dalla guerra a raggiungere la pace, per questo incarico sceglie Bremusa, amazzone che partecipò alla guerra di Troia da cui la Dea la salvò. Insieme a Bremusa Atene intende mandare una ninfa che possa aiutare l'amazzone a placare la controparte inviata per alimentare la guerra, Laet. Peccato che la ninfa se ne sia andata e abbia lasciato solamente una delle figlie, beh, piuttosto che niente è meglio piuttosto non è vero?

Bremusa e Metris, la ninfa, arrivano ad Atene, dove la situazione sembra irrisolvibile, un po' come i peni per il coro di Aristofane che non può concepire di vedersi rubare il primo posto alle Dionise per una seconda volta e si vede sabotare a ogni angolo. Fra i politici di Atene c'è chi, specialmente se ha uno stretto legame con le armi, non vuole assolutamente vedere l guerra terminare e la commedia di Aristofane intitola "La Pace" potrebbe far pendere l'ago dell'assemblea verso la risoluzione del conflitto. Assolutamente inconcepibile. Peccato che il finanziatore della sua commedia sia proprio fra coloro che non vuole il termine della guerra e per di più sia ancora offeso per le battute che Aristofne gli ha dedicato.

IN un Atene sull'orlo della crisi, i personaggi di Millar si intrecciano perfettamente, facendo si che le loro storie portino avanti una narrazione unica di cui sarebbe impossibile perdere ogni punto di vista. Ogni personaggio ha la propria prospettiva della vita, del conflitto che imperversa fra le città e del modo in cui risolvere i propri problemi. Ognuno di loro s'inserisce perfettamente nel coro narrativo e ognuno di loro prima della fine del volume dovrà fare i conti con i propri desideri e i propri doveri. Un viaggio non solo nella commedia greca ma anche nell'animo di coloro che la animano.

Non posso proseguire ancora, perché qualsiasi piccolo accenno su questo o quel personaggio vi darebbe uno spoiler, sebbene non esplicito, sarebbe un assist che vi permetterebbe di comprendere dove x o y stiano andando, rovinandovi la narrazione durante la lettura. I difetti dei personaggi, nel senso i loro difetti caratteriali non di scrittura, sono quello che ci permette di apprezzarli al meglio, permettendo loro di sfondare la barriera della carta.

Sicuramente un volume che consiglio a tutti i coloro che in un certo punto della loro vita si sono trovati ad amare la Grecia, perché in fin dei conti, chi di noi ha mai smesso di amare e rifugiarsi nella mitologia?

[Marika Schiavone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pronti a viaggiare indietro nel tempo? Si torna ad Atene, Grecia, nel 421 a.C. La guerra fra Atene e Sparta dura oramai da dieci lunghi anni e la città dell'Attica è quasi allo stremo delle sue forze. Non tutti, però, vogliono che questo secolare scontro finisca. Nel frattempo, la festa delle Dionisie si sta avvicinare e le commedie devono andare in scena a ogni costo. Aristofane, il più grande commediografo di Atene, deve fare l'impossibile con le pochissime risorse a sua disposizione. Come se ciò non bastasse, ci si mette anche Luxos, aspirante poeta di umili origini, a tormentare Aristofane per dargli un'occasione e poter finalmente dimostrare il suo valore. Cosa accadrà in questa potente e caotica città greca?
Non racconterò altro riguardo la sinossi perché questo racconto merita di essere letto. Quando si tratta di libri di storia o mitologia greca proprio non riesco a controllarmi: devo assolutamente leggere e scoprire nuove storie o rielaborazioni stesse delle vicende della storia che più mi affascina. Per questo romanzo ringrazio di cuore Plesio Editore per la fiducia e la copia cartacea. La dea dei ranuncoli e delle margherite è un romanzo splendido e piacevolissimo. La penna di Martin Millar è delicata, a tratti ironica, coinvolgente e diretta, non si perde in fronzoli o dettagli superflui. Grazie alla sua narrazione ho viaggiato indietro nel tempo per ritrovarmi al fianco di Aristofane, Luxos, Nicia, persino Socrate! E tanti altri personaggi. Ammetto di essermi affezionata tanto sia ad Aristofane che a Luxos, mi sono innamorata di Socrate, della sua saggezza e compostezza. Spesso mi sono indignata e avrei voluto tanto difendere il commediografo e aiutarlo a ottenere ciò che merita. Infatti, l'autore ha compiuto un ottimo lavoro nel rendere la società ateniese dell'epoca, dove tradimenti e corruzione, sabotaggi e scontri per ragioni politiche erano all'ordine del giorno. Leggere questo romanzo è stato meraviglioso, personalmente mi è piaciuto tantissimo. Anche l'intreccio narrativo, nonostante sia un'opera di fantasia, è contestualizzato perfettamente nel periodo storico con elementi veri e fatti realmente accaduti. Sono stata coinvolta in tutto e per tutto, proprio perché narrato in modo tale da sembrare una vera e propria rappresentazione teatrale. Infatti, è stato come ricostruire un puzzle, pezzo dopo pezzo, in cui i personaggi prendono parola a capitoli alterni e raccontano la loro parte di storia, fino a unire tutto il racconto. Semplicemente imperdibile, ideale per tutti gli amanti della storia e mitologia greca. La dea dei ranuncoli e delle margherite si aggiunge alla mia collezione di cartacei dello stesso genere e tra le migliori letture del 2024.
Per me 5 stelle.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Goddess of Buttercups & Daisies was a fun, quick read (even though it took me a long time to finish: school got in the way).

Admittedly, it felt a little disappointing. I was a huge fan of Millar's Good Fairies of New York and really liked Lonely Werewolf Girl, and I held this book against the yardstick of Millar's previous work. It fell a little short. The characters felt a little too flat, and the plot a little too convenient. Still, the characters were likable, and Millar is excellent with world building and converging several different threads into a fully realized story.

At the end of the book (after the story) there was a little blurb talking about how Goddess was written trying to emulate old Greek plays and stories, which made everything click for me a little better. I wish that blurb had been at the beginning of the story rather than the end.

Goddess isn't a bad and would make for a great beach book. However, I would definitely recommend his other works first.

[Jeff D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Millar is one of those writers where you never know what you are going to get, but you can be sure it will be entertaining. This novel takes place in Ancient Greece, of all places, and is focused on attempts (by men and gods) to end (or extend) a long running war between Athens and Sparta. The main character is a (heavily) fictionalized version of the very real playwright Aristophanes, who is trying to put on a pro-peace play that is being undermined at every turn. At the same time, an unlikely pair (a nymph and a thousand year old Amazon) show up, charged by the goddess Athena with making sure peace prevails. Millar also throws in a poet seeking his big break, who is smitten with the nymph, and a goddess of chaos (and her evil bodyguard) charged with keeping the war going. This doesn’t feel as epic or boundary-pushing as Millar’s Wolfgirl series (which I really liked) but he does an admirable job depicting his version of the ancient world and he can really write humor. A truly solid effort.

3.5 stars

[Emanuele Corsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il solito Millar delle fate di New York ci accompagna in un divertente spaccato della realtà ateniese ai tempi della guerra con Sparta, immaginando le pene (in tutti i sensi!!!) di Aristofane nell'allestire una commedia che sbaragli la concorrenza e trasmetta al tempo stesso un messaggio di pace. Se non ci fosse anche lo zampino delle creature dell'Olimpo magari le cose andrebbero anche lisce.
Si sorride, si salta da un personaggio all'altro capitolo per capitolo, si imparano cose interessanti (e all'apparenza assurde!) sulle usanze della Grecia classica, il tutto con grande leggerezza alla maniera di Millar.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars but rounded it up to 3. I was really interested in the premise of this book, but actually picking it up to finish it proved a struggle. Maybe it was the multiple person perspectives that made it hard for me to get into the story? It doesn't usually affect how quickly or easily I read a book but there were so many POVs, and quite a lot of them were only half a page or page long, which to me, made the story judder instead of flowing. I bumped the rating up to 3 stars instead of rounding it down to 2 because of the overall enjoyable plot-line and because it felt well researched. I would be open to trying another of this author's books in the future too.

[Matthaeus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The word that keeps springing to mind is pleasant. Not exceptional, unfortunately. A well constructed plot guides us through ancient Athens, picking up pace and excitement as it approaches the final act. It's amusing rather than funny, and there's only so far you can stretch a constantly repeating joke about the size and supply of comedy phalluses. Sometimes the writing is a little simplistic, and it seems as if the author would rather be addressing a young audience. Plenty of knowledge and facts stud the text, but they can come across like a history lesson, rather than being fully integrated into the narrative. There is some character development, even if it is quite basic, and we're carried along in likeable fashion. But we're always pottering about on the light-hearted surface of Athens life, despite some of the dark motives involved. I felt a longing to be dragged into the raw underbelly of ancient Greece. Overall, a pleasantly diverting experience.

[Wendelle]

The goddess Athena is worried that her favorite city, Athens, has spent itself wrangling a decade-long war with Sparta, and is furthermore plunging in the wrong direction as warmongering demagogues seek to extend the conflict for their own gains. She sends the Amazon Bremusa and the nymph Metris to spar with the creature of Discord, Laet, and save Athens' fate by stoking talks of peace, especially through the public comedies of Aristophanes. But plans go awry, especially when a hapless lyric poet named Laxor comes into the scene. A brief light novel of Ancient Greece