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ehmannky's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.75
I love a good mythology retelling and this one is excellent. I thought I would find it jarring, jumping back and forth between so many different characters with so little time between them, but it works so well. And Haynes just renders each part of the war so heartbreaking. The strong points definitely revolve around the human women, with the parts about the goddesses being interesting and fun to read, but not nearly as compelling. I loved how the solemn nature of the book is broken with Penelope's wry humor in her letters to Odysseus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Blood
fancygirlsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
crgude511's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Grief
halfbakedpoet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
justagirlwithabook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Sing, Muse, he said, and I have sung.
I have sung of armies and I have sung of men.
I have sung of gods and monsters, and I have sung of stories and lies.
I have sung of death and of life, of joy and of pain.
I have sung of life after death.
And I have sung of the women, the women in the shadows.”
This is the story of the Trojan War told by “the women who have always been relegated to the edges of the story.” The cast is large but focused and intentional. The beginning was a bit more slowly-paced, but once I got settled in, it picked up. This was also a very character-driven story, which is often not my choice (and explains that slow feel), but the format helped drive the story for me and it really worked. I read it quickly within two sittings and have to say that this one will likely sit with me for a long while.
What (and who) I loved most:
+ Calliope and her desire to give a bard an epic tale but on her terms or not at all.
+ Cassandra, blessed by Apollo to know the future but cursed in that no one would ever believe her ramblings ... her story was the most interesting to me, and I don’t know that I could tell you why. Perhaps because she held so much potential to make an impact but was forever overlooked and alone.
+ I loved that every chapter was a different perspective. Some women we never heard from again (though many were referenced again in other gjhs others), while other women were revisited frequently as they continued telling their stories. (This ultimately I think helped with the pace - I am grateful for it).
+ I loved that this story, these stories, challenged the way we’ve perceived the traditional stories of the Trojan War. Not all heroes fight with swords and leave bodies in their wake, and those who choose to fight without swords and without bloodshed should be praised all the more.
What I didn’t love:
- The pace was a bit slow to start, which is to be expected as this is a much more character-driven story than plot-driven (which isn’t my first choice).
- Other aspects that I didn’t love are just elements of an epic and tragic tale, and without them, it wouldn’t have been the same (I wish there hadn’t been such tragedy, but that is the nature of this story — just prepare yourself for few, if any, happy endings).
I have sung of armies and I have sung of men.
I have sung of gods and monsters, and I have sung of stories and lies.
I have sung of death and of life, of joy and of pain.
I have sung of life after death.
And I have sung of the women, the women in the shadows.”
This is the story of the Trojan War told by “the women who have always been relegated to the edges of the story.” The cast is large but focused and intentional. The beginning was a bit more slowly-paced, but once I got settled in, it picked up. This was also a very character-driven story, which is often not my choice (and explains that slow feel), but the format helped drive the story for me and it really worked. I read it quickly within two sittings and have to say that this one will likely sit with me for a long while.
What (and who) I loved most:
+ Calliope and her desire to give a bard an epic tale but on her terms or not at all.
+ Cassandra, blessed by Apollo to know the future but cursed in that no one would ever believe her ramblings ... her story was the most interesting to me, and I don’t know that I could tell you why. Perhaps because she held so much potential to make an impact but was forever overlooked and alone.
+ I loved that every chapter was a different perspective. Some women we never heard from again (though many were referenced again in other gjhs others), while other women were revisited frequently as they continued telling their stories. (This ultimately I think helped with the pace - I am grateful for it).
+ I loved that this story, these stories, challenged the way we’ve perceived the traditional stories of the Trojan War. Not all heroes fight with swords and leave bodies in their wake, and those who choose to fight without swords and without bloodshed should be praised all the more.
What I didn’t love:
- The pace was a bit slow to start, which is to be expected as this is a much more character-driven story than plot-driven (which isn’t my first choice).
- Other aspects that I didn’t love are just elements of an epic and tragic tale, and without them, it wouldn’t have been the same (I wish there hadn’t been such tragedy, but that is the nature of this story — just prepare yourself for few, if any, happy endings).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Rape
lottelow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Murder
muirghein's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As the book shifts from character to character, I found that some chapters were far stronger than others which made the pace a little uneven. The chapters I loved were excellent, whereas others felt a little flat. A mixed bag that might have worked better as short stories in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence
Based on Greek mythology - please bear in mind that some of these stories contain violence towards women and children and center on the Trojan war, which may be upsetting to some readers. Many characters have unhappy endings.
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