It is rather light, though, on the stories about the impact of this lengthy war on women. The action centers on the leaders and the combatants, with a healthy dose of less-than-divine gods and goddesses, and adventure aplenty. The Iliad, by Homer, is the most widely read epic poem ever. We have all read it, (you did do the assigned reading in school right?) or certainly at least heard about it. Natalie Haynes - Image from her site - photo credit: Dan Mersh Other classical writers have offered some different perspectives, Euripedes in particular. That is the only one we have gotten, well, from him, anyway. But he insists on a singular, male-oriented view of the Troy story ( Ilios is Greek for Troy).

Epic in scale and subject matter.Calliope, Homer’s presumed muse, keeps trying to get him to tell the broader tale, not just the one about the men and their battles and intrigues. I’m giving him the chance to see the war from both ends: how it was caused and how its consequences played out. Well, most of them (I haven’t decided about Helen yet. I’m not offering him the story of one woman during the Trojan War, I’m offering him the story of all the women in the war. the opening of The Iliad by Homer- I’m not sure I could have made it more obvious, but he hasn’t understood at all. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another. Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans.

This is a must read for fans of greek mythology, especially those looking for a new perspective of a classic story. the writing provides such a vivid characterisation that, even in the shortest of chapters/stories, i felt so connected to the women. as calliope answers the pleas of a poet, she provides a compilation of the many women - goddesses, greeks, and trojans alike - whose lives were affected by the war.Īnd although this isnt told in chronological order, but rather an anthology of stories, the narrative is quite exceptional.

whilst classic myths tell about the glory and conquests of men, this focuses on the often overlooked presence of women.Įlegantly written from the narration of calliope, the goddess of epic poetry, the reader is given a unique perspective that is often ignored. This retelling of the trojan war, including the actions that lead up to it and the consequences that followed, is quite refreshing.

This Honda TRX300 Rancher manual is 385 pages.Sometimes it feels as if my hearts only purpose is to beat for greek mythology and this book is a gift, straight from zeus himself, to give me life.

Haynes a thousand ships