Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - A Thousand Ships

So. This was my first book by this author but also my first Greek mythology book. I'm not familiar with it at all really. So to say it was a little confusing would be an understatement xD. I noticed some inconsistencies throughout that bothered me as well. Still enjoyed the book. 3.5 stars. I loved each character, felt for each. Was very sad and heartbreaking but I still liked how their story was told. I like the perspective of the women and hearing their voices. Each one was so brave in their own way..I would have liked to get to know each more though. For the ones who didn't die. We never got to know how uhm..the one who married Achilles cousin and the girl the priests son friended, we never got to know how she fared.. Because of my lack of knowledge of Greek mythology and my general horrible memory, I can't say names for many but each character resonated with me in some way. All the female ones I mean. Though Hecabe was a little off putting but she had lost so many peopleand the way she behaved made sense I suppose. I would have also liked to have gotten more of the gods perspectives because that was a bit confusing but that could be due to my lack of knowledge, again. I think I would have enjoyed this book much more if I was more familiar with the mythology. Maybe in a few years if I know more I'll re-read this and appreciate it more

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beethbarrett's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.25

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spacedancekitten's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? No

1.0

I had had hoped this book we be more interesting but it was just hopeless and bleak all the way through.

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mrsjburgin's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative sad medium-paced

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

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tashtasher's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

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abbeyroad1410's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

This book made me very emotional, but I very much enjoyed it. It reads more like a series of short stories that are tangentially connected than a novel which at times made it feel a bit slow for me, but there is a plot there as well as a cohesive message.
When I read a book that is extremely sad, I look for things to break through the tension and bring delight back to reading. The chapters from the perspectives of Calliope and Penelope really do this. Both of the women use sarcasm and irony well which puts readers at ease. Calliope has so many thoughts on the other characters (especially Helen) that readers can easily feel connected to her and her outsider point of view.
If you like Greek mythology, I think this is a very interesting perspective as women truly are kept out of the limelight unless they are goddesses. This novel goes out of its way to highlight women, whether their actions seem heroic or not. It shows how the women are often products of their backgrounds, but it also depicts them as full people, capable of experiencing the same levels of -- if not more -- tragedy.
Overall, I would read this novel again, though I think I need a fun book break to relieve the heavy feeling A Thousand Ships leaves.

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icarusandthesun's review against another edition

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challenging informative tense 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? Yes

2.5

slow and lenghty; 350 pages that felt like an eternity.

i found it really hard to enjoy this one. as someone who's read quite a few mythology retellings, surprsingly little was new to me, and even though it's advertised as very feminist and "epic", it didn't feel revolutionary at all.

i love that haynes introduced me to a couple of women and aspects in greek mythology that i hadn't previously heard of, but the stories themselves were a little, hm, flat maybe? i found myself unable to feel for the characters sometimes.
part of it's probably because of the amount of information in this book. haynes tried to fit the whole iliad (and odyssey) into 350 pages and all of it, all of the things that happened (though retold from the women's perspectives) felt textbook-dry.

i expected something emotional and fiercely feminist, but it ended up being unexciting and not entirely feminist either i feel like??? because though penelope wrote those letters, they were basically just retellings of the odyssey, of odysseus' adventures. we got the occasional "it's very lonely without you and there are suitors who invade our home", but other than that she was just retelling her husband's stories. idk.

i appreciate this book as a means to aquire knowledge (i learned many women's names that i've never even heard of), but as a novel it was mediocre at best.

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