A review by thenovelmaura
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.5

Wow, this was an amazing book! I found myself getting emotional during the closing chapter. I wouldn't say the audio added or detracted from the experience (and I'm really impressed that the author did such a great job with it), although I do think it would be harder to listen to this one without some knowledge of Greek legends and myths. It really helped me to have familiarity with all the names that were being thrown at me since I couldn't see them written down or page back to review. The amount of research that went into this book is truly mind-boggling and I'm in awe of how much information Haynes was able to condense into this narrative.

Having looked at some other reviews, I understand why readers would want more depth and time spent with each character. Maybe I was unbothered due to my familiarity with the source material; Haynes was giving us a lot more information about these women than Homer ever did! I also loved the humor that was sprinkled into all the darkness and bloodshed, particularly Penelope and Calliope's chapters (it must be so irritating to have men begging you to inspire them all of the time). So much love for this feminist take on the Trojan War and for my beloved, exasperated Calliope.
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