Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

17 reviews

paperback_moon's review

adventurous dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was written with quite beautiful language throughout. There was some variation in tone to reflect the different women’s voices in each chapter, which was also good.

It was a little difficult to differentiate between original mythological stories and characters and the author’s inventions, although perhaps a better educated reader would find this easier. There was also a lot of violent description throughout that at times felt unnecessary. 

Despite the violence, a lot of the book was very emotionally well-written and many of the characters were easy to empathise with. It is true that the effect of war on women and children is often considered in a single sentence, perhaps a death toll, rather than in personalised stories. This was therefore more emotive for women to read, I think. 

It was clear that the author’s intention here was to bring to light the experiences of women in Greek mythology, since these stories are often sidelined. Perhaps this was a new perspective at the time of writing, but to me it now feels a little overdone and unnecessary. Greek retellings are very popular at the moment, and I wasn’t sure if this book was truly trying to tell the stories of women, or just capitalising on the popularity of both feminism and Greek mythology. Because of this mix of perspectives too, there was regular switching between characters that did lend the story some confusion (especially with all the Greek names!). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Torture, Abortion, and Death of parent

Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

garnethalo's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

While I wanted to give it a 4.75, I realized I only didn't want to give it 5 because I couldn't place blame. Unlike in Stone Blind, where I could blame Athene or Perseus, I could blame no one in A Thousand Ships. And even then the book tried to place the blame, on Helen, on Paris, Aphrodite, Eris, Thetis, Zeus. But no one can take sole blame. And this books makes you face the sorrow of the women. Without a clear cut villian. It filled it's purpose beautifully and forced the reader to stare at the victims of war, with no one at fault.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Animal death, Gore, Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

It a story about the women affected by the Trojan war. Both Greeks, Trojans, and women nearby Troy. Greek tragedy even sadder when you consider the women. You have been warned.

annakh16's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

miss_sunshine's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, Abortion, and Pandemic/Epidemic

tashtasher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death and Alcohol

galexy_brain's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I found it incredibly realistic that the women in this novel didn't necessarily realize that some of their thoughts and belief patterns about themselves and about other women were because of the patriarchy they are under.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Infidelity, Vomit, Cannibalism, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

dniespal's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

nialiversuch's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

reggiethebird's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Racism, and Alcohol

withlivjones's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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

THIS is how you do a retelling. Natalie Haynes expertly weaves together a tapestry of narratives to provide us with a detailed picture of the Trojan War from the perspective of the women who were affected by it. And it is commendable how many women she includes, from the well-known Cassandra to the more obscure Laodamia and Oenone. I would recommend prior knowledge of the Trojan Cycle in order to get the most out of this book, just because of the amount of detail Haynes has managed to pack in, but the novel still feels accessible enough that one would probably still understand it with minimal knowledge. 

There are so many fantastic lines throughout that really pack a punch, and the novel discusses the different things that can define womanhood, what it means to be a hero (because the heroes of the Trojan War weren’t just the ones fighting), and the lasting effects of war. Haynes draws from a wide range of ancient sources, and I particularly enjoy the inspiration from Ovid’s Heroides in Penelope’s letters to Odysseus that gradually get more and more impatient and sarcastic. My favourite parts by far, though, are Calliope’s chapters that suddenly become rather meta, as if she is wrenching control of the story from the male poet who is entreating her in a display of feminine solidarity - in order to give her fellow women the spotlight. I sometimes feel like Haynes is speaking directly to female readers through these characters who are suffering at the hands of the patriarchy and saying ‘I see you, and you are not alone’. It’s enough to inspire a bit of female rage in all of us. 

There are a few other perspectives I would have loved to see: Helen’s, for example, since I still believe she is grossly misrepresented in many interpretations of the Trojan Cycle. Haynes also expresses a wish that she could have included a chapter on Dido, which I also would have thoroughly enjoyed. But if anything, this is just a sign that I wish the book were longer! 

Overall, this is definitely going to the top of my list of favourite Greek mythology retellings, and in the future I will be recommending it to anyone who expresses an interest in the Iliad. Why read the Catalogue of Ships when you can read a catalogue of reasons why men suck? (jk jk…) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail