A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes was released in 2019. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020 and was an NPR Best Book of the Year.
I’ve read so many Ancient Greece mythology books based on Troy. The Song of Achilles is my absolute favourite and I’m yet to find any that can quite match Madeline Miller.
However, I really enjoy reading from different perspectives and I loved the premise of this book. When you think of the women of Troy, you may only think of Helen and Cassandra, but this book focuses on many.
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Plot
The Trojan war was never the story of just one woman. It was the story of them all.
Told from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships tells the story of the women who were involved in the war. From the three goddesses whose feud started it all, to the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks. From the Amazon princess who fought Achilles to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus.
These are the stories of the women embroiled in the legendary war.
A Thousand Ships Book Review
I really enjoyed this book. I really liked reading from so many different perspectives and finding out about lesser-known stories.
Some of the stories I already knew, such as Clytemnestra and Cassandra, while others I enjoyed reading more about. There were tales of mortals, but also of deities such as Calliope and I really enjoyed the mix.
The writing style was slightly different for each character which I enjoyed, especially the waspish letters written to Odysseus from his wife Penelope. The letters were witty and I could almost hear her eye rolls! Her sections provided a bit of levity amongst the more harrowing tales.
I can’t help, perhaps wrongly, comparing every book I read to Madeline Miller’s works. They’re always so beautifully written and emotive. This book too was beautifully written but, for me, lacked that emotional impact.
Cassandra’s plight, Iphigenia’s acceptance of her death and other harrowing moments have made me cry when I’ve read about them before but not when reading this book.
I think because there were so many perspectives, it’s hard to connect as much compared to stories focusing on just one character. Some characters’ stories last for just one chapter while others return multiple times throughout the book.
I also found the chronological order was shuffled around a bit which might have confused me had I not been familiar with the timeline of Troy.
Overall I did enjoy the story. It was a great mix of female characters but perhaps lacked the emotional punch I was expecting.
What should I read after A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes?
If you enjoyed A Thousand Ships, you should definitely read The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker which also follows the women of Troy.
In terms of other Natalie Haynes books, I would recommend The Children of Jocasta and Stone Blind, my personal favourite of all her books.
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