The subject of so many stories and one of the best-known epics of all time; the story of the Trojan war has been told over and over so many times. Everyone knows the stories of the great warriors and kings, but the war didn’t only touch the lives of men. Not only they can be heroes but so can women. In this beautifully written book, Nathalie Haynes tells a women’s epic about the less known and often forgotten heroes of the Trojan war.
I didn’t know what to expect before starting this book. I love Greek mythology though I have often found myself annoyed – if not shocked – by the treatment of women in the stories. A story for them and only them was long overdue. Still, I was a little scared of being disappointed when hearing about this book. It almost seemed too perfect. My joy was therefore even greater when I found myself loving it.
The style of writing was beautiful and so fluently, that I could barely stop reading. Even the longer chapters flew by in what felt like an instant. And despite me knowing almost all the stories being told, I never found myself bored with Nathalie Haynes’ telling of them.
The characters were each strong in their own way and their authenticity was deeply moving. I found myself caring about the fate of every single woman and hearing their stories being told felt empowering.
I can really only recommend this book to everyone. Not all heroes fight on battlefields and women cannot be ignored in history any longer. The implementation of this message in “A thousand ships” is more than successful.
