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ofclumsywords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A story told by Calliope giving inspiration to a poet who is in need of something to write.
Calliope makes it clear from the very beginning that the only inspiration she is giving the poet is of the women of Troy. Haynes added such passion to her performance of the audiobook that you feel everything each of the women feels. That alone makes this book so memorable. I am so glad this book exists and I can’t wait to discover more of what Haynes has written.
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Grief, War, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Slavery
chingona_solo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Child death, Rape, Slavery, Child abuse, and Murder
emiandem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Slavery, Child death, Murder, Violence, War, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Sexual harassment, Body horror, and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Animal death
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
First and foremost, the writing of this piece certainly is 'epic', matching the scale of the piece that was its inspiration. I love the continual shift in focus, from far removed with the Muse Calliope ranting about how the author of this epic poem doesn't want to listen to her, to the 'Greek chorus' moments of the Trojan women, sat on the shore awaiting their fates, to the stories of various women involved in the war, whether before, during or after. The stories don't come in chronological order, and yet the story ebbs and flows beautifully, with the timeline still becoming manifestly clear so you can not only discover what happens to everyone as a result of the war, but follow it back to work out exactly who put the wheels is motion to cause the war in the first place.
If you've read even a few of the myriad of recent releases based around retelling Greek myths from the female perspective, you will probably be familiar with at least some of the characters and their stories. However, that shouldn't put you off - there are still plenty of other women in here to learn about. The book definitely fits into this bracket though; the various authors of these recent books (i.e. Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint etc) do all seem to have a similar flair and style which really helps ground you in the stories, no matter who you're reading. Hayne's writing in this case is gentle and yet emotionally charged throughout, with moments of levity, and overall is just a really enjoyable journey to go on.
I couldn't choose which story I liked the most - the author has told all of them in a wonderfully engaging way. That being said, I loved Penelope's increasingly exasperated letters to Odysseyus, telling him what stories the bards are telling about his ridiculous journey home. Likewise, the stories of the lesser known (to me) women were fascinating, and filled in a lot of gaps for me.
I listened to the audiobook of this, which the author herself narrated. She is obviously very confident behind a microphone and about the subject matter(she also has a radio programme about Greek myth which is available on Audible and a credit has been earmarked for this!), and yet there were moments where I wasn't wholly convinced by her performance. There are a couple of small slips that could perhaps have done with a touch more editing (or another take) to smooth over, and there are a couple of places where she runs on sentences in something of a rush. Overall she does an excellent job and it's a great listen, but a tiny part of me wonders whether another performer may have added a touch more life to the narration. But that's being very nitpicky.
Would highly recommend!
Graphic: Death, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Violence, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
kmaffett's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Violence, War, Murder, Rape, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
dustforthedancers's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Murder, Slavery, and War
hodgeonlucy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Violence, Sexual assault, Animal death, Slavery, Grief, Child death, Rape, and Murder
aharrison_33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Child death and Rape
adanisan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Moderate: Murder, Rape, and War
ursa_arlo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book, in a sense, is not what you might expect from a feministic retelling; these women are critical and jealous of each other, are absorbed with centering the loss of men in their lives. They have very little agency simply because they are an opressed group in a society where they are very rarely seen as more than property. But, with the little agency that they have, they do everything they can to survive- or die when that is the more tolerable option. They are not more dishonourable -not more honourable either- than the men who the stories usually focus on. They are resilient, they will survive, and so will their stories.
Negatives. This book is very bleak, war always is, which may or may not be a negative aspect depending on who you are asking. There are very few moments of hope to be found, especially near the end, which can make it a tough read.
Quote. When a war was ended, men lost their lives. But the women lost everything else.
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Child death, Slavery, War, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity