Wednesday, April 28, 2021

A THOUSAND SHIPS, by Natalie Haynes

    


Historical Fiction -- 3 1/2 stars

A thousand Greek ships sail to Troy to recapture one beautiful woman.  But what about the other women of Troy?  ----- Billed as a story dedicated to the women of Troy, its biggest flaw is a lack of insight into the women who are supposed to be the book's focus.  By denying the reader a chance to know the women before their city is lost, all we are left with are a group of characters, defeated and enslaved, waiting for the victorious Greek army to decide who will get to own whom.  And wait they do--passively. They are a pretty boring lot.  The men, who are supposed to be secondary in this tale, are more fully fleshed than any female character. The real fun in this novel comes from the Greek gods and how they decided that the world is getting too heavy and some people have to go.  How to eliminate the most mortals with the least godly effort? Why a war of course!  The god's manipulations, petty back biting, and possessive defense of their own powers brings Greek mythology to life like no high school English class ever could.  Read it for the mythology, skip the Troy sections.

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