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A review by miranda_is_currently_reading
The Cassandra by Sharma Shields
3.0
As a Classics major, I was immediately taken with the idea of a book that retold the story of Cassandra, a character history and the male writers who have handled her have often unfairly dismissed. This book, then, which catapults the character to center stage -only this time in Washington during WWII - was one I immediately knew I HAD to read.
As a whole, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was new and interesting, and there were just enough hints of the classical Cassandra to keep me interested and invested in her character. I also think the book highlighted the mistreatment of minorities and women during this time period, the latter of which was particularly true with the protagonist, Millie, the new Cassandra, who, in a world/society that does not believe in prophets like citizens of Ancient Greece, has her visions explained away by the assumption that she is mental or suffering from hysteria.
What I didn’t like about this book was the almost infuriating naïveté of Millie as well as the slowness of the story in certain places.
As a whole, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was new and interesting, and there were just enough hints of the classical Cassandra to keep me interested and invested in her character. I also think the book highlighted the mistreatment of minorities and women during this time period, the latter of which was particularly true with the protagonist, Millie, the new Cassandra, who, in a world/society that does not believe in prophets like citizens of Ancient Greece, has her visions explained away by the assumption that she is mental or suffering from hysteria.
What I didn’t like about this book was the almost infuriating naïveté of Millie as well as the slowness of the story in certain places.