But when the weight of their husbands' neglect, cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves - and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years. An immersive, intimate take on a well-known tale. By focussing on the diverging fates of two sisters, Heywood reveals the private lives of these women to be just as compelling as the epic events unfolding around them. Daughters of Sparta, which I received from NetGalley for review, purports to tell the stories of Helen and Klytemnestra, daughters of king Tyndareos and queen Leda of Sparta. Dual alternating third person narrators follow the sisters chronologically from childhood through the end of the Trojan war, including their marriages, experiences with childbirth and motherhood, and war years. Claire Heywood masterfully reimagines their lives as princesses of Sparta—first as pawns in the plots and games of men, and then as powerhouses capable of standing on their own and commanding whole kingdoms. Daughters of Sparta is a fantastic rewriting of an age-old tale.” — Bitch Magazine Apollo joins Daphne on her quest in an attempt to right a mistake he made. This Apollo felt much more human, not like some distant, untouchable god from Olympus. In fact, he is in danger of becoming mortal if he and Daphne don’t retrieve what was stolen from Olympus.

I loved this book. Accessible to those who don’t know much about Homer or Troy or Greek Mythology and special treat for those of us who do.” —The Satellite SistersYou are a gift to this world, my kataigida,’ he says. ‘A storm, calamitous and powerful. You take root where you want to, listen to no voice of command but your own.’ Flatlay of the hardcover edition of Daughter of Sparta next to a teapot and tea dish with a wolf design painted on it. Book Review The story of the Trojan War has been told for close to three millennia and writers are still finding ways to refashion it . . . Seen through the eyes of Klytemnestra and her sister Helen, the war proves very different from the Homeric conflict with which we are familiar . . . [Heywood] tells her story vividly, setting it convincingly in the period. Seventeen-year-old Daphne has spent her entire life honing her body and mind into that of a warrior, hoping to be accepted by the unyielding people of ancient Sparta. But an unexpected encounter with the goddess Artemis—who holds Daphne’s brother’s fate in her hands—upends the life she’s worked so hard to build. Nine mysterious items have been stolen from Mount Olympus and if Daphne cannot find them, the gods’ waning powers will fade away, the mortal world will descend into chaos, and her brother’s life will be forfeit. Another disconnect between Heywood’s ancient Greece and the one that has come down to us through epic: Her Agamemnon obsesses about winning “glory,” which is accurate broadly speaking. But without the interplay between mortality and immortality that exists in epic, the concept of kleos—what Homeric heroes fight for—loses its meaning. What these heroes were trying to win was not some vague, undifferentiated “glory” but immortality through song (the aforementioned kleos). They want to be remembered and, through memory, to achieve a kind of immortality. Heywood chooses not to engage with the desire to be remembered as a genuine concern of humans. Her Agamemnon gloats that he was able to rally “all of Greece” by giving them “a cause”: “let them tell themselves they’re fighting for Greece, or liberty, or…whatever, and they’ll jump at the chance for some action.” Men just want to run around killing and dying in violent conflicts, apparently. For what reason?

Personally, I think it’s really interesting to think about needs and possibilities and how the ancients navigated those, both well and badly. I can appreciate the desire to tell stories that empower modern feminists, but then what is the reason to tell a story from a past and culture that the author does not want to take the time to understand in a nuanced way? And to be honest, there’s a lot more I could say, where she imposes a lot of attitudes that are clearly about modern not ancient life. There is so much cringe. I think if you’re going to enter a culture that is not your own, you have to be willing to see beyond your own resentments and anger and have the willingness and ability to see nuance and respect things that are different from you. This book didn’t quite have what I call the 5-star oomph factor, but it was still a solid 4-star read for me! Overall, I quite enjoyed reading this, and I definitely intend to read the sequel Blood of Troy! If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, I definitely recommend this one. Happy reading 🙂 For millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation - but now it's time to hear their side of the story...But when the weight of their husbands’ neglect, cruelty, and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, Helen and Klytemnestra must push against the constraints of their society to carve new lives for themselves, and in doing so, make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.

Helen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra are reimagined in this gorgeous retelling of the classic Greek myth - not as women defined by their husbands and lovers but as battle-weary survivors of a patriarchal society who take control of their own destiny. Absolutely riveting!' - Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist There is so much to appreciate about this book! Daphne has much more agency over her actions in this retelling. urn:lcp:daughtersofspart0000heyw:lcpdf:d74a4db9-59ba-4988-bab7-170d0af8f677 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier daughtersofspart0000heyw Identifier-ark ark:/13960/s2httzfr33c Invoice 1652 Isbn 9780593184356 As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivalled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece. Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaos, never to meet again. Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek, submissive queens their men expect. The writing style here was also entertaining. With a personal and up close perspective from Daphne, we go through the journey with her. We get her thoughts and emotions, and I love that as the story progresses, we get to dive into her what kind of person she is. I adored Daphne as a main character. She doesn’t want to be a pawn in the gods’ game, but for her family she would risk it. She also has confidence like a storm within her and I love that.

Initial Thoughts

The story of the Siege of Troy from the infamous Helen and her sister Klytemnestra's points of view - a tale of secrets, passion and revenge from the women behind mythology's most devastating war.

For millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation – but now it’s time to hear their side of the story . . . Inspired by David Copperfield, Kingsolver crafts a 21st-century coming-of-age story set in America’s hard-pressed rural South. I thought it was especially fascinating to read the section that takes place in the Greek underworld. I haven’t seen much of that in YA literature before. The only thing we can hope is that readers who really enjoy this story will still want to read and get to know the original sources better. I love that about historical fiction – even stories that aren’t super-accurate can still be gateways for people to discover and learn about the real history or literature behind them. I have a friend who became OBSESSED with all things Leonardo da Vinci after seeing him in the role of a Renaissance fairy godmother in the delightful movie “Ever After”, for instance. So that shows there’s a cause for hope!For millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation - but now it's time to hear their side of the story.... Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2022-12-12 15:09:59 Autocrop_version 0.0.14_books-20220331-0.2 Bookplateleaf 0002 Boxid IA40793905 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier Not that that is always true. There are lots of awesome men in Greek mythology and legend, of course, as there have been throughout history and are today. It just made me laugh though. People are people, when it comes right down to it and as you say. Daughters of Sparta is a vivid and illuminating reimagining of the Siege of Troy, told through the perspectives of two women whose voices have been ignored for far too long.