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kygpub's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dear one. You did not say that it would not happen to you. Or that I could protect you from it. You knew as well as I did that we have no chance against a time that needs heroes. You threw the snake ring into the sea. You would have to go far, far away, and you would not know what lies ahead.
I am staying behind.
o haunting, aching, bleeding heart of troy which lives on the very edges of its city walls. which cannot stop the process of decay, taking root and festering in the empty ribcage of the citadel. which savours the time, knowing it will inevitably run out. which cannot survive in a time that needs heroes, but still strives for even the smallest impact in the aftermath.
this is a book that truly understands its characters, that knows how to take a epic-tragic figure of myth and make her real, fallible, sympathetic in all her suffering and despite her mistakes—and believe me, she makes mistakes. that doesn't stop me from wanting to beat 90% of the men over the head with bricks, which is really the least they deserve. christa wolf is such a masterful writer. will get to the four accompanying essays and the rest of her work in due course (aka: when i finally, somehow, finish processing this book).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
withlivjones's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Send me a scribe, or better yet a young slave woman with a keen memory and a powerful voice. Ordain that she may repeat to her daughter what she hears from me. That the daughter in turn may pass it on to her daughter, and so on. So that alongside the river of heroic songs this tiny rivulet, too, may reach those faraway, perhaps happier people who will live in times to come.”
This book is part character study, part prose poem, part 200-page long stream of consciousness that depicts one of the most realistic descriptions of wartime life out of all the Trojan Cycle retellings I’ve read. Christa Wolf understands that real life is far more complicated than fiction - there is no defined good and bad side, lines are blurred, not everyone working on the same team has the same agenda - and Cassandra is the perfect mouthpiece for this retelling as she is seen as a madwoman because she is able to see through all the politics involved in the war and she speaks her mind against it. The concept of Cassandra’s life literally flashing before her eyes in the minutes before her death is an ingenious one and so refreshing after reading a lot of retellings that narrate the same story in the same way.
It is the kind of book that grows on you - during the first third or so I was really struggling to get into it as the pacing felt too drawn-out and the non-chronological storytelling was quite confusing, but the second half had me in a chokehold. If you have a decent attention span and lots of free time I think you could read the whole thing in a day.
Overall this book is heartfelt and full of female rage. Would I recommend it to someone who is a complete newbie to Greek mythology? No. But as someone who has read the Iliad and several retellings of the Trojan War, this is definitely a new favourite in the genre.
This book is part character study, part prose poem, part 200-page long stream of consciousness that depicts one of the most realistic descriptions of wartime life out of all the Trojan Cycle retellings I’ve read. Christa Wolf understands that real life is far more complicated than fiction - there is no defined good and bad side, lines are blurred, not everyone working on the same team has the same agenda - and Cassandra is the perfect mouthpiece for this retelling as she is seen as a madwoman because she is able to see through all the politics involved in the war and she speaks her mind against it. The concept of Cassandra’s life literally flashing before her eyes in the minutes before her death is an ingenious one and so refreshing after reading a lot of retellings that narrate the same story in the same way.
It is the kind of book that grows on you - during the first third or so I was really struggling to get into it as the pacing felt too drawn-out and the non-chronological storytelling was quite confusing, but the second half had me in a chokehold. If you have a decent attention span and lots of free time I think you could read the whole thing in a day.
Overall this book is heartfelt and full of female rage. Would I recommend it to someone who is a complete newbie to Greek mythology? No. But as someone who has read the Iliad and several retellings of the Trojan War, this is definitely a new favourite in the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Slavery, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Period-typical attitudesyoursam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
would have given the first part of the book, the actual story of cassandra as written by the author, probably a four if not more, but unfortunately the four essays in the second half of the book really dragged down the enjoyment of the book for me. while surely interesting, i just couldn't get into it. maybe because it wasn't what i was expecting; i understand their inclusion, to see where the spark ignited for wolf, her journey, but something about it simply didn't click for me. i don't want to say it was boring, like i said, it was interesting to see that thought process, but idk — it really did take me out of the intensity and the build up of the story she had put together in the first half.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
dean_the_bean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, and War
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Slavery