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garnethalo's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Sexism, Body horror, War, Child death, Cursing, Slavery, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Confinement, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Abortion, Gore, Vomit, Animal death, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Sexual violence
It a story about the women affected by the Trojan war. Both Greeks, Trojans, and women nearby Troy. Greek tragedy even sadder when you consider the women. You have been warned.miguelito_juanito'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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child death, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Colonisation
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
martha_is_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse and Trafficking
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, and Sexual violence
annakh16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Slavery, and War
Minor: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Cannibalism
mrsjburgin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Murder, Violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Misogyny, Mental illness, War, Slavery, and Sexual assault
margaret_k30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Sexual assault, Gore, Sexism, Misogyny, Death, Suicide, Slavery, Violence, War, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Rape, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Blood, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Vomit, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
tashtasher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and War
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol and Animal death
miniingrid's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility
Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Child death, Animal death, and Lesbophobia
galexy_brain'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Slavery, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, and War
Moderate: Grief, Trafficking, Blood, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Vomit, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Abortion, Cannibalism, and Infidelity