This, unfortunately, was an DNF for me. I made it about 20% in. I had trouble getting invested in the story and the characters, since the perspective was changing every chapter and there was such a large cast of characters. I realize the book is about a war, but there just seemed to be no hope for these women and it was too depressing for me.

Those who love ancient Greece know that the thousand ships refers to the Trojan War and those who were impacted by it. Natalie Haynes gorgeously offers a version of these events as told from the women’s points of view. This is a beautifully imagined retelling of Homer’s epic from that different perspective.

I highly recommended A Thousand Ships to those who enjoy historical fiction about ancient times. It is well written in language that evokes its’ time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much, Natalie Haynes, Harper Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

“It does hurt, I whispered. It should hurt. She isn’t a footnote, she’s a person. And she – all the Trojan women – should be memorialized as much as any other person.”

A THOUSAND SHIPS
I took mythology class after mythology class in college. I SOBBED as I read The Song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller. When I got approved to read A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes I was over the moon! This book takes the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey that we all know but focuses on the women. Enter Calliope, the muse who oversees Epic Poetry. A man is beside himself to compose the story of the Fall of Troy. She wants him to realize that the women were affected as well, not just Hector, Paris, Achilles, and Odysseus. Hecube and her daughters are caught by the Greeks and enslaved. Cassandra is the prophetess of Apollo and is seen as a madwoman, but she can see things before they happen–if someone would only listen to her. Polyxena would rather die than be a slave. Andromache is the widow of Hector who will do anything to save her baby. But the Gods are cruel and the men will sacrifice anything for their approval.

TRIGGERS: suicide, child loss, child murder, rape, abuse

This book is almost an exact retelling of The Odyssey and The Iliad just from the women’s point of view. The prose and dialogue are lovely and I loved it comes from the women’s point-of-view. Unfortunately, I wanted a little more from them. The focus was still on the men. The women were still at the mercy of the Gods and men and suffered greatly. I guess I was hoping for something a little more like Circe and her outlook on the events that occurred. Penelope’s letters were literally a synopsis of Odysseus’ journey. Her letters could have gone more into raising their son without her husband and her cleverness in keeping the suitors at bay. But it just felt like it was her obsessing over her husband’s absence.

I did love the interactions with Odysseus and Hecube. While Odysseus is clever and usually has more than one motive, he did see Hecube for the Queen that she has been. The women grieve alone at night and refuse to let the man see their tears. BUT then there are quite a few moments when the women are on their knees begging for the lives of their children. It is heartbreaking and emotional. I guess I was just hoping for something new to be added with the women being the focus of the story. The pace moves quickly and there is not a dull moment. t does jump around to before and after the war and touches on several different characters. If you are not familiar with the story, it may be a little confusing. Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I did love the story, I just needed something more.

The Iliad and The Odyssey—those great male-dominated, war-oriented epics attributed to Homer and now close to three thousand years old—have became so intertwined with Western culture that it is hard to imagine a world without them. Who cannot recall Homer’s “wine-dark sea” or recognize the Cyclops and sirens, golden apples and Helen’s “face that launched a thousand ships” (a quotation not from the original but from Christopher Marlowe) that were the products of his imagination? Who hasn’t heard of the Trojan horse, now a reference to a type of computer malware?

But the Trojan War was more than a pair of epics that managed to survive for millennia or even a series of cultural tropes. In its time, it was a far-reaching catastrophe that ended and upended lives. And it affected not only warriors bent on securing eternal glory but wives and mothers, children and servants. Natalie Haynes, in her new novel A Thousand Ships, explores this Trojan War through the experiences of the goddesses, princesses, Amazons, townswomen, and captives who in some cases drove it forward and in others suffered the consequences.

I read about a quarter of this book before putting it aside. Haynes does a fine job of retreading the stories of the female figures in and around the Trojan War stories. Being familiar with the ones I read in that first quarter of the book, there was nothing original or compelling enough about the way she was retelling their stories, beyond putting them all together in one volume, to keep me interested. Might recommend this to someone who is new to Greek mythology, but it does not stand up to the works its blurb compares it to - the vastly superior Circe and The Silence of the Girls.

(Just an FYI... a brief knowledge of the story definitely does help, but the family tree at the start does the job!)

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I’ve read many different takes on the Trojan War story. I don’t know why I’m addicted to it. It’s always painful and tragic. I know what’s going to happen and the outcome never changes. And yet, I keep reading them because the stories are so compelling.

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes is the latest addition. This is a story of the Trojan women. Haynes frames it as the project of Calliope, a muse, who sees that war is more than the endless tale of men sacking cities and showing off their strength. She wants to inspire her poet to focus on the women who suffered equally or more so, whose sacrifices were every bit as great, and who behaved with as much courage or as much perfidy as the men. But rather than focus on one or two women, from pre-war to post-war, Calliope wants the poet to show them all. The tragedy is personal and collective.

The story is told in vignettes and takes place primarily in the war’s aftermath. The main characters are the well-known Trojans: Hecabe, Andromache, Cassandra, Briseis, etc. A few chapters focus on the goddesses and nymphs. And there are chapters that show the points of view of some of the Greek women. (Penelope’s letters, full of longing, annoyance, and humor are some of my favorite chapters.)

While most of the stories are familiar, there are some (Theano, Laodamia, Oenone, etc.) that I hadn’t heard of before. They were all moving in different ways.

The writing is beautiful and the scope of the book is impressive. I think this book will be best enjoyed by those who already have a grasp of the basics of the war and some of the main players so that the short stories have the relevant context. But it could also be read as an introduction to the Trojan War, seeing it first from the viewpoint of the women who lived through it and bore the consequences of it.

A THOUSAND SHIPS tells the story of the women of the Trojan War and the devastating impact of war on the lives of non-combatants. Modern retellings of the classic epics so often fall flat, or try so hard to be edgy that they lose all the appeal of the original. The tragic story of the Trojan women stands on its own merits, and Natalie Haynes has infused new life into these classic stories without resorting to hackish "subversions" of the narrative. Well-executed and engaging. My only complaint is the "Muse" chapters, which express the narrative goal of the novel but distract from the overall story.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this female perspective of Homer’s Iliad. I am pleased to see that several authors are challenged the male view. There are plenty of female characters here. They are just as courageous as their husbands battling one another. Its been a long time since I’ve read Homer’s tale and I had to do some research to put all the pieces of A Thousand Ships together but it was well worth it. I’m still at a loss as to why the Greeks would go to war over a woman like Helen. Seems like they had plenty of other more compliant women. Greek mythology and stories seem to be the first soap operas. There’s so much going on.

This historical fiction about the Trojan War reads like non-fiction. The passages covering the action of battle lack excitement, and the passages without action are a slog. Luckily, the audiobook is a short one. The story may be easier to enjoy in print.

The chapters are from the point of view of the women involved in the war including Helen of Troy, Calliope, Hecate, Briseis, Chryseis, Penelope, Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, and more.

Natalie Haynes' pronunciation of Greek names is proper and not what a casual reader would expect. Her narration is monotone and doesn't contribute to an already dry story.

Recommended only for staunch fans of Greek mythology, especially those looking for a less androcentric account of Troy.

A muse compels a poet to tell the stories of the Greek and Trojan women who witnessed the fall of Troy, who witnessed the fall of their husbands and brothers and fathers, their grief and their vengeance. She forces him, and the reader, to stare down their suffering and their sacrifice during the Trojan War and, ultimately, to come away with a question for the Greek kings and heroes and countless soldiers and the gods and goddesses themselves: "was it worth it?" Compelling characters and perspectives abound in "A Thousand Ships," and emotionally gripping stories, too.

I read "A Thousand Ships" right after finishing Madeline Miller's "The Song of Achilles" and I highly recommend the experience. The juxtaposition between women's stories of the war and Patroclus' stories of Achilles was truly fun.

A Thousand Ships is a remarkable retelling of the Trojan War told from the perspectives of the women involved. This is a story I didn’t know I needed, but am so glad it exists. We don’t often hear from the women in in these ancient myths. Although, we know Helen’s face launched a thousand ships. It’s incredible to read tales we already know, but to add a new layer of depth and perspective is just amazing. The writing is excellent and the characters are so well-developed. If you’re a fan of Greek or Norse mythology retellings, do yourself a favor and check out A Thousand Ships immediately. Highly recommended!

I plowed my way through this one. I was surprised by how fresh the story felt, how much I loved the writing and the characters. Highly recommend for book groups.

“A war does not ignore half the people whose lives it touches. So why do we?”

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes highlights the women of The Trojan War through intimate retellings of how they affected and were affected by the events.

Their stories make your heart ache. They bring far more depth and personality to the women than the fleeting references in the stories which focus on men. The book uses a collection of voices, like a series of letters from Penelope to her husband Odysseus across many years and zoomed in dialogue of the moments that defined their lives.

It has a large cast of characters and is not told chronologically. This setup might not work everyone. I am not well-versed in mythology and slowed down my reading pace a bit, but found it pretty easy to follow despite the non-linear style.

I loved the lightbulb moments when the story made a connection to an earlier chapter or characters known from other books, like Circe by Madeline Miller. If you enjoyed other mythological stories, you’ll appreciate where this fits into and adds to the universe.

I recommend reading Haynes’ afterword as well to learn more about her sources and inspiration!

3.5
Retelling of the Trojan War from the women's points of view. Felt a little forced. The best bits were Penelope's sarcastic letters to Odyseuss but even those were annoying; she's meant to be all patient and loyal but she was mostly whiny.

If you’re familiar with the Ancient Greek story of the Battle of Troy, then you’ve most likely heard the phrase “the face that launched a thousand ships,” and heard about Helen. Well, this is a story of not only her, but of all the other women during those years of upheaval.

This epic novel is “powerfully told from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships gives voices to the women, girls and goddesses who, for so long, have been silent.” It was cleverly done and I enjoyed reading from the various points of view.

So much of ancient history texts are told through the voices of men. It is really nice to experience more fictional stories providing the female perspective we’ve been missing out on. This book is essentially a feminist approach to Homer, so if you’re a fan of The Iliad and The Odyssey you will have fun with this read.
I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review

Honestly, this book disappointed me. Too many characters, the storyline waffled all over the place, and as much as I loved a story featuring Greek mythological women, but the narrative was all too jumbled. together to make a lot of sense for me. I'm somewhat aware of the Greek heroines of myth, constantly flipping back and forth in an e-galley to make sense of the newest character's perspective on the battle and conquest of Troy became too much. I LOVE this era of history so much, and there are some wonderful historical novels featuring Helen of Troy, Cassandra, etc--but less characters would have made for better development of the story and transformation of the individuals Haynes focuses on. A miss for me.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Retelling of a Greek myth.

In A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes takes the events of the Trojan War — along with what led to it and what followed — and offers them up in familiar form but a form as viewed/experienced through different eyes: those of the women from both sides who experienced as much if not more of the war’s horrors even if (save for one point-of-view) they didn’t actually fight in it.

Haynes frames her story through the voice of Calliope, who, as an unnamed poet (Homer one assumes) calls upon her to be his muse, wonders “How much epic poetry does the world really need . . . these stories have all been told, and countless times. Can he really believe he has something new to say?” Regardless, Calliope does engage, though perhaps not as the poet desired: I’m offering him the story of all the women in the war. Well, most of them.” And in short order we’re introduced to, among others: Penelope, Briseis, Chryseis, Iphigenia, Hecabe, Cassandra, Clytemnestra, and Andromache. Nearly 20 women in all — some Greek, some Trojan, some mortal, some divine (some half and half) — are given voice through a series of mostly short chapters. Some are given a single vignette to tell their tale; others we return to several times. Calliope, for instance, intervenes as a sort of meta-narrator, while Penelope shows up in the form of several letters she writes to the husband she will not see for 20 years.

Some of the stories will be highly familiar (spoiler alert for the millennia-old plots) — Clytemnestra killing of Agamemnon upon his return, Paris’ stealing away Helen, Penelope nightly unweaving a burial shroud to forestall the suitors. Others will be familiar to those who have read beyond the usual high school/college assignments, Haynes taking their stories from the lesser works (some fragments or even lost). And some were wholly unfamiliar to me, though if that’s from my lack of deep classical training or that Hayne’s spun them out of her own imagination I can’t say.

The different stories vary in their effectiveness, but there is a general flatness to many of them and unfortunately the whole is not greater than its parts. One of the problems is alluded to in the above quote by Calliope asking if there is anything new to bring to this oft-told tale, and I can’t say the shift to the women’s POV is enough “new.” One reason is that some of the stories are so familiar, and the chapters so short, that several of them read in large portions as summaries of stories we already know. Penelope’s letter especially fall prey to this, with them serving in large part to simply recap The Odyssey. Obviously, familiarity isn’t a barrier to success, as one can easily list of host of authors who have retold these same stories or others to great impact (see below), but those authors grow beyond the original tale, either by fleshing out the stories with far greater detail (and thus far greater “story”), taking them in different directions, or at the least elevating them beyond the simply familiar via style, language, or characterization. And A Thousand Ships just doesn’t offer enough of any of those possibilities.

Calliope is too blunt a tool as narrator, loudly announcing themes we should have picked up from the stories themselves — that the voices of women matter, that just because the stories left them out didn’t mean they were not there, that heroism can be displayed by other means than sticking someone with the sharp end of a stick. Penelope offers up the occasional bit of wittily wry commentary on her wayward husband’s journey but buried as it is amidst too much plot summary, she’s never given the chance to truly show us how, as she says, she’s more clever than “Clever Odysseus” beyond the well-worn tale of her weaving and unweaving. The story of Briseis also suffers from too much summary, robbing it of some of its impact at the end when, for the first time amongst her horrors, she cries. A section from Gaia’s point of view explaining the origin of the war, where she complains to Zeus of humanity becoming a crushing burden to her, “taking more from her that she had to give—trees denuded of their fruits, fields ploughed until they could give up no more crops,” is based on a few classical references, but it’s such an unfamiliar story to most I’m guessing that in its brevity and lack of context it will most be read as a clumsily-inserted attempt at environmental topicality (the cause most will remember — Paris choosing the most beautiful goddess from amongst Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite is actually one of the most lively vignettes).

That brevity works against several of the stories, which have their moments, and it can’t be denied at times their emotional impact, but because we haven’t spent much time with these characters individually, and we already knew what was going to happen to them, that impact is either blunted or doesn’t feel wholly earned, as is the case for instance with Iphigenia or, at the end, Andromache. While the sheer number of voices does provide, as Calliope says, “the chance to see the war from both ends . . . Epic in scale and subject,” it comes at a cost. That isn’t to say Haynes doesn’t provide any powerful moments, just that they’re too few and far between. Interestingly, I’d also say that the ones that do strike with the most impact are those centered on less familiar characters, such as the mountain nymph Paris abandoned for Helen, or the vignette involving the Goddess of Discord, Eris. I also found myself wishing that if the idea were to provide a multiplicity of voices, that we could have heard from several women who were not royal or divine. If heroism and importance isn’t limited to simply men, it also equally isn’t limited to higher classes.

Finally, while the language and style make for smooth passage through the novel, it doesn’t as noted elevate the material, rarely rising to a point where one lingers over the startlement of a metaphor, the beauty of a construction, the layering of meaning. It’s adequate to plot, but not, I’d say to story, if that makes sense. And here is where Haynes falls victim to simple bad luck.

It is certainly no fault of Natalie Haynes that A Thousand Ships comes out in recent memory of several others that also retold Greek myths from a female perspective, some of these very same stories from the very same points of view, albeit in much more moving, much more lyrically eloquent fashion: Madeline Miller’s Circe, Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls, and (albeit via a somewhat less feminist slant) House of Names by Colm Toiban. You write the book inside you when it’s inside you. Unfortunately though, those books — two absolutely fantastic and one good — can’t help but cast a long shadow on Haynes work. If I hadn’t read those three works in the past year, I would have hemmed and hawed on a recommendation for A Thousand Ships, but with those in mind, and fully understanding Haynes has a different intent, I can’t help but recommend that if you’re going to read any novelistic feminist retelling of a Greek myth, you should start with those three (in that order). And then, if you haven’t been sated on Greek myth, maybe turn to A Thousand Ships (though I might suggest earlier works to pick up first).