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A review by gemmascott
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Really enjoyed this exploration of the Trojan war and its aftermath from the point of view of the Greek and Trojan women who were caught up in the conflict. It was beautifully written and researched and made me want to read (or re-read) the classical source material in a way no book has in years.
Using Calliope, the muse, to bookend the story (as well as regularly throughout the narrative), brought the book’s connection to the ancient epics alive and I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of the goddesses
My only criticism is that, very occasionally, the book felt a little dry, as it continued to tread what is obviously a well worn plot. However, it was beautifully done and I much prefer it to the Penelopiad - you can definitely tell this belongs to the next generation of classical retellings.
Using Calliope, the muse, to bookend the story (as well as regularly throughout the narrative), brought the book’s connection to the ancient epics alive and I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of the goddesses
My only criticism is that, very occasionally, the book felt a little dry, as it continued to tread what is obviously a well worn plot. However, it was beautifully done and I much prefer it to the Penelopiad - you can definitely tell this belongs to the next generation of classical retellings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault