Reviews with content warning for War - A Thousand Ships

I was NOT expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I assumed (something that I should never do) after reading Song of Achilles and Circe that this was a hanger-on, following a fashionable trend of novels taking place in ancient times, so my expectations were not high. I could not have been more wrong.

This book is GREAT. The women in the ancient Greek stories are given short shrift, and in this work, Natalie Haynes brings them front and center in a series of short narratives and tells their stories from any and all perspectives: winner, loser, god, mortal. She plays on every emotion: the fickleness and fragile ego of the gods, the humiliation of defeat, sorrow and mourning, celebration and triumph. There's even comedy relief in the form of Penelope's sarcastic and mocking frustration with the ridiculous extended adventures of her "heroic" husband Odysseus. I remember reading The Odyssey in high school. Oh, what hero Homer made him out to be. Under closer scrutiny, Penelope makes him sound like a bit of an asshole, and it's hilarious. The audiobook, narrated by the author, perfectly captures the emotional tone of each tale.

This was one of those books where I wish it didn't end. 5 stars.

Content Warnings

cclift1114's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m a sucker for anything Greek Mythology related, especially for things surrounding the Trojan War, and then Haynes does a retelling from the perspective of the women in the war? You bet I was all in. Haynes does a great job of jumping from one woman or group of women to the next, while still weaving a coherent and flowing tapestry of their stories. While the majority of the tales are centered around the immediate aftermath of the war, you still get perspectives from before, during and well after the war. Haynes also does not limit herself to mortal women, but also includes the goddesses, and her chapters from their perspectives do even better at highlighting their childishness than the original myths. Haynes shows in this book that while often the focus in mythology, in particular around the Trojan War, is the heroism of the men, the women demonstrate just as much bravery and strength.

Content Warnings

violarosa's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Genius retelling of the war of troy with focus on the different women, their battles, their heroism, their pride, their experiences and suffering. With all the war in the world right now, this is more current than ever, showing how the innocent suffer, when war is about to happen, when wars are fought and even in their aftermath.
It is a heavy topic with many sad endings. No escapisme and not recommended as a light hearted entertainment.

Content Warnings

lauramcc7's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

tieflingmom's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

caelfind's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A very powerful read that allowed us to see the different perspectives of various women involved in the Trojan War. It didn’t drag and held my interest throughout. The only let-down was the slightly catty, two-dimensional portrayal of the goddesses; while this was clearly a deliberate choice on the part of the author, I felt it stripped them of the complexity and nuance we often see in Greek Mythology.

Content Warnings

jordanez's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

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