A review by amandainthelibrary
Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

5.0

Starting out I was hesitant to invest my time in reading this book. It seemed like it was going to be yet another book in a long line of novels based on the Trojan War. I was happily proven wrong. This story follows the lives of two sisters, the famous Helen of Sparta, and Clytemnestra of Mycenae. The reader is introduced to both characters as young girls, and follows them through their marriages to powerful men, and the consequences of one ill fated choice that led to the war between Greece and Troy. It was refreshing to read about Helen and Clytemnestra from their own perspectives, instead of relegating their story to brief mentions of their names told from the viewpoint of men. It was great to get a glimpse of how girls and women were treated during ancient times, how their lives were entirely in the hands of the men around them, and what their thoughts and opinions might have been about the events taking place. Motherhood, death, marriage, and war were told from their perspective and how their lives were tangled together with the men who controlled their fate. I admit that the story started off slowly but as the girls married, and the war loomed on the horizon things quickly got interesting. What really struck me about this book was that the reader could really sympathize with the plight of both Helen and Clytemnestra, and it really hit home how women were confined to the life that their husbands set forth for them. Usually books villainize Helen for her decision to flee Sparta for Troy, but it really focused on how vulnerable, confined, and unhappy she was with her life. I highly recommend this book to lovers of Ancient History and Women's History because of the fresh take on a well known tale that is inspiring when the reader thinks about how far women have come in the present day.