A Thousand Ships | 
pickHell yes. Exactly what I didn't quite realize I always wanted, the tale of the Trojan War told in events that precipitated it, and events that happened as result/consequences after it ended, all through the perspectives of various female characters, goddesses, nymphs, princesses, priestesses, mothers and daughters, many now enslaved.
Having recently reread the Iliad and Odyssey, it's that much more gratifying to see a modern, 1/?
Penelope's so done. 😆
Witness Paris tap dancing around answering in one of the most famed no-win situations. 🍎🫣
Oh, Penelope, get in line! Don't worry, it'll happen. 🔪
Yeah, safe to say Paris is not known for his shining reputation.
How do you keep some sense of normality when your city is under the threat of siege, when your populace is at war, for a decade? How do you let people be people whenever duty isn't demanding more than any should have to face?
#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
1. Wine. White in the summer, red in the winter.
2. A Thousand Ships, which I read with #LiteraryCrew . The Trojan War from the women‘s perspective. Fabulous!
Thanks for the tag, @dabbe
pickIncredible story, beautifully told. The Trojan War from the women‘s point of view. Mesmerizing. Great choice for #LiteraryCrew, @Librarybelle !
#Pantone2024 @Lauredhel @BarbaraBB
Didn‘t realize there were 4 bonus spots on this bracket so made a bit of a correction #readingbracket2024 bracket 2
After reading, listening to, & participating in a group discussion, I can think of no better way to review this book than by this quote of Calliope‘s in the final chapter. #literarycrew
#weeklyfavorites
A Thousand Ships is definitely the best book I have read for the month of June. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Finishing last 2 chapters & Afterward during my #hyggereadathon hour tonight. I am enthralled with this book. The audio, read by the author, is superb .
pickThis retelling of the Trojan War through the POVs of the female characters was riveting & entertaining. While this version of events didn't delve deeply into all of the female MC's stories, it did touch on a number of characters that I don't remember coming across before (e.g. Penthesilea). My favourite was Penelope, ever suffering wife of the absent Odysseus. Her letters to her wandering husband were inspired. 5/5⭐️
(June 30, 2024)
#LiteraryCrew : It‘s discussion time! I posted 8 questions as spoilers. You can find them under my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching #LiteraryCrew .
This was a great read! Please feel free to join the discussion whenever. Next month, we are reading River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer. I will post the reminder graphic tomorrow!
Thanks for joining me!!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, CrowCAH, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym8. Have you read Homer‘s Iliad? The Odyssey? Did you know much about the Trojan War? Did reading this book change your understanding of that time period? ~from Westhampton Free Library #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
7. In an interview, Haynes says that she wanted to start with the Trojan Horse, because everybody knows about it, and then go backwards and forwards in time to show the lead-up to it and the consequences of it. Did that approach work for you? In what ways? ~from Westhampton Free Library #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
6. This book was short-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020. What do you think made it worthy of this nomination? ~from Princeton Book Review #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
5. Did you give the God and Goddesses stories more weight than the human stories? Did you enjoy one more than the other? What did you think about the interactions between the Gods and Goddesses? ~from Princeton Book Review #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
4. Did reading about the female perspective of this war change your view on the Trojan War in particular or war in general. Have you ever thought about the consequences of war on those left behind before reading this story? ~from Princeton Book Review #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
3. The women who survive face a dismal life as slaves to the Greek victors. Do you think the author was able to portray their fear and anguish? Their desire for revenge? Do you think you could survive becoming a slave to your enemy? ~from Princeton Book Review #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
2. Did you have a favorite female story or character? A least favorite? ~from Princeton Book Review #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
1. The story is told from the perspectives of many different women and several timelines. Did you like this format? Did it add or take away from the story? ~from Princeton Book Review #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
pickI loved this book. It tells the tales of the women during and after the Trojan War. It is told in dreams to a poet by the goddess Calliope 🤎
#LiteraryCrew @Librarybelle
pickI loved the beautiful writing in this novel. Looking at the Trojan War from the female perspective, Haynes takes the opportunity to show heroes are not necessarily only on the battlefield: It takes courage and strength to live on the home front. It actual makes me want to reread The Odyssey again, which is saying something!
#LiteraryCrew members—I will post the discussion questions roughly Sunday midmorning, EDT!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, CrowCAH, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
pickThis quote struck me, “Waiting is the cruelest thing I have ever endured. Like bereavement, but with no certainty.”
This emotional tale of the many woman who were caught up in the Greek Trojan war over Helen “who‘s face launched a thousand ships” was a neat way to frame many of the stories we already know: The Odyssey, the Iliad, and others. The author gave voice to those who don‘t in a war - the women who become slaves of the victors.
pickWow! Just finished this powerful book recapturing the voices of women of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and even a few from The Aeneid. I listened to the audio version since that‘s what Libby had available and am so glad I did. It‘s read beautifully by the author and her passion for these women‘s stories comes through in every sentence. The ending had me in tears. Just gorgeous!
Early morning #coffeeandbooks . Only 64 degrees & sunny. Enjoying my hummingbird teacup, churchbells, birds. Occasionally a walking neighbor pauses for a quick hello. I feel blessed. ☕️📚🐦🔔🚶♀️
This morning‘s read. Only 30 pages in but loving it already. We taught the Odyssey to 9th graders for years along with Dorothy Parker‘s poem, Penelope. So this novel, giving voice to the women of the Trojan War excites me. #literarycrew #porchlife
https://allpoetry.com/poem/8497855-Penelope-by-Dorothy-Parker
pickWhat a wonderful read! The Trojan war and the aftermath as told by the women who lived through it. Expertly crafted and quite clever. I agree with another review that I saw that the Penelope parts were my favorite. Read for #literarycrew
pickJune #LiteraryCrew #ReadAway2024 Most war stories focus on the men who fight the battles. The marvelous TV show, China Beach, focused on the women during and after the war in Vietnam. I‘m sure it is not the first story told from the women‘s POV, but it‘s the first that I remember. Getting to know the women on both sides of the Trojan War, was enlightening and heartbreaking. I look forward to other books by this author. Recommended. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#LiteraryCrew : we are a little over halfway through the month. Hard to believe!
Any thoughts to share so far on this one?
As a heads up, our July book is River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer. I will post the graphic either today or tomorrow!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, CrowCAH, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
I‘m only about 1/4 through, but I‘m enjoying this book focusing on the women of The Trojan War. The story is still driven by men, but one could say that that is a reflection of what little power these strong women had.
@LibraryBell #literarycrew #buddyread
#literarycrew you wouldn‘t be able to help yourself just like Troy 🤣🤣 #whatifitwasfullofbooks
pickI‘m on the home stretch. This epic tale was so addictive, I loved that the women‘s stories were told with the men as a backdrop. For once. I LOVED Penelope‘s letters to Odysseus, I laughed out loud at the tone “I hear you are shacked up in a sea cave, that‘s really what you prefer to coming home. To me. FFS Odysseus!” 🤣🤣 the author reading this makes it next level awesome! #literarycrew
My gardening hasn‘t ended but my book did, thankfully this was waiting on my Libby shelf. I am thoroughly enjoying this retell of the Greek and Trojan throw down, laughing out loud at everyone being mad at the ‘Spartan Whore‘ who started it all #ittakestwototango truthfully Helen didn‘t like to be alone 🙄
repost for @Librarybelle
New month, new book for #LiteraryCrew ! This month, we head to the Trojan War era. Read at your own pace throughout the month. I‘ll check in periodically and will post discussion questions on June 30th.
If you would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know! #BuddyRead
original post:
https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2739867
My library had it and I‘m a sucker for Greek history/mythology so we made a family trip, #literarycrew
New month, new book for #LiteraryCrew ! This month, we head to the Trojan War era. Read at your own pace throughout the month. I‘ll check in periodically and will post discussion questions on June 30th.
If you would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know! #BuddyRead
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, CrowCAH, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
Join the #literarycrew June #buddyread hosted by @librarybelle. Original post : https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2736579
We‘re going way back in time for June‘s selection, #LiteraryCrew participants!
The Trojan War from the female perspective? Sounds like a great #BuddyRead !
Read A Thousand Ships at your own pace throughout June, and discussion questions will be posted June 30th. I will post periodic checkins throughout the month.
All are welcome! Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the tag list!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
Happy World Book Day!
"He loses his wife so he stirs up an army to bring her back to him, costing countless lives and creating countless widows, orphans and slaves. Oenone loses her husband and she raises their son. Which of those is the more heroic act?"
pick“A war does not ignore half the people whose lives it touches. So why do we?” — This book was fantastic! A feminist retelling of the women of Troy after the war. The book is told through Calliope giving inspiration to a poet. But Calliope makes it clear to the poet that the only story she will give him is the women‘s story as everyone already knows the mens story. 5/5🌟
pickListened to this one over audio, read by the author. I really loved this retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of women. I probably should have pulled out one of our mythology books or googled (a physical copy would have been helpful to keep track of everyone). Nevertheless less, still interesting & engaging. It just might (might) make me take out copies of books from college of Greek & Roman history. #bookspin
pickMany of you know that I‘m a mythology fanatic. So WHY did it take me so long to read this fan-friggin-tastic book? I have no excuse 🫣 Like many of you who‘ve read this, I especially loved Penelope‘s letters - I always wanted to hear more about her and how she actually felt. These women are so often footnotes and here, they‘re front and center. LOVED it. #readyourkindle #february
pickAbsolutely loved it possibly the only book which has made me want to read Homer and Iliad ! Superb , In fact loved it so much I raced out to buy stone blind and have ordered her other books from the library - a new fav author and how talented this lady is when you look at her career makes one feel rather dull !
Some POVs repeat, certain are longer one-offs; I never felt like the time with each was too short. 2w
Suggestion of Athene having a crush on Odysseus? Known that she favoured him, but I like that take.
Between this and Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes is committed to making Zeus into a buffoon, and I support that.
The muse in particular having her own repeated POV, her own voice, directing the narrative, was perfect. 2w
Incredibly smooth read, probably down to a combination of the quality of the writing and my familiarity with the events and characters described - despite shifting POVs and jumbled timeline, I was never lost. 2w
⚠️slavery, child death,SA 2w