A Thousand Ships
Books | Fiction / Classics
4.3
(811)
Natalie Haynes
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction Powerfully told from an all-female perspective, in A Thousand Ships, classicist and author of Divine Might, Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War - putting the women, girls and goddesses at the centre of the story. For fans of Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles and Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls. 'With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War' - Madeline Miller, author of Circe This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . . In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen. From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women embroiled in the legendary war. 'A many-layered delight' - The Guardian 'A gripping feminist masterpiece' - Deborah Frances-White, The Guilty Feminist *Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020
Historical Fiction
AD
![[object Object] icon](/_next/image?url=%2Ficons%2Ficon_amazon.png&w=3840&q=75)
![[object Object] icon](/_next/image?url=%2Ficons%2Ficon_apple.png&w=3840&q=75)
![[object Object] icon](/_next/image?url=%2Ficons%2Ficon_bookshop.png&w=3840&q=75)
![[object Object] icon](/_next/image?url=%2Ficons%2Ficon_thriftbooks.png&w=3840&q=75)
![[object Object] icon](/_next/image?url=%2Ficons%2FEverand.png&w=3840&q=75)
More Details:
Author
Natalie Haynes
Pages
347
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Published Date
2020
ISBN
1509836217 9781509836215
Community ReviewsSee all
"Another good foray into Greek mythology for me, focused on the roles that the goddesses and women of Greece and Troy played in the familiar tales of the Battle of Troy. "
J D
Jackie Davidson
"This was an interesting take from the perspective of women who were involved with the Trojan War. I really enjoyed this book even though I generally prefer books in chronological order."
O H
Olivia Huie
"i am absolutely obsessed with the way haynes writes. her multiple POVs of the war, sprinkles of humor, emotional depth, and non-chronological plot development is beyond incredible. the only reason this book isn’t a 5er is due to the pacing, a bit slower than what i like, but still a wonderful read. "
g
g.
"3.5/5"
G V
Gizelle Villalta
"I liked the poetic way this was written, but I think it's a missed opportunity that pretty much all of the perspectives are noblewomen (or at least formerly so) and gods."
S B
Sarah Brown
"Haynes is not the first to present the story of Troy from the viewpoints of its women; Marion Zimmer Bradley's [b:The Firebrand|84544|The Firebrand|Marion Zimmer Bradley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309203171l/84544._SY75_.jpg|1191645], and Margaret Atwood's [b:The Penelopiad|17645|The Penelopiad|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442806554l/17645._SY75_.jpg|3016476] covered similar ground, and of course Euripides [b:The Trojan Women|3256|The Trojan Women|Euripides|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1318115072l/3256._SY75_.jpg|389355] beat them all by a few thousand years. Yet Haynes' deft exploration of characters both major and minor, (I alway wondered what happened to Briseis) makes for an engaging collection of interlocking stories. We know their fates long before they do of course, giving Penelope's letters to her missing husband and Iphigenia's shy excitement about her upcoming "wedding" a bitter poignancy. Only Helen remains a distant and impenetrable mystery ."
L W
Lesley Williams
"I absolutely adore this book. As a huge Greek mythology enthusiast, I’m familiar with most of this material either through epic musicals or simply by learning about it. However, I genuinely love this book. I find it fascinating how the story of the woman of Troy resonates with my love for Penelope’s love letters to Odysseus, reminiscent of the musical."
K L
Kaitlin Lantz
"Purchase please!"
L P
Lyndsey Plyler
"I really liked this book but I found it slightly harder to follow than this authors other book “stone blind” it was still an amazing read"
E S
Ela Sommer
"I liked the idea of this book, focusing on war’s effects on women and a sort of discussion on the meaning of heroism, but the execution just felt really weak to me. The muse character basically outright states the book’s theme at least three times, in case I somehow missed it, the overpopulation motif with Gaia is boring and ridiculous, and the tone of some parts is really weird (Penelope’s letters at times feel like a comedy sketch). The book also mostly focuses on noblewomen and goddesses which I feel is a missed opportunity in a book about women and war.<br/><br/>The chapter about the Amazons was interesting though and I found Cassandra’s point of view compelling, so three stars."
a
awesome_user_984860
