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A review by justagirlwithabook
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
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: Blood, Death, Gore, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Rape