A review by camsara99
A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Thousand Ships focuses on the women who played a role in the legendary Trojan War, and all of the heroic and tragic roles they played before, during, and long after.
This book is one of the most beautifully written I have read in a long time. The prose itself completely sucked me in, not to mention the incredibly well-constructed story. Natalie Haynes did a phenomenal justice to all of these characters who always seem to come second to their male counterparts, if not just ignored completely.
I particularly loved the chapters about Cassandra. Haynes wrote her with such care and intelligence, while still keeping the youth of the character clear. I was happy to see in the afterword that this character was her favourite as well.
I also strongly recommend listening to the audiobook for this. It is narrated by the author so you hear everything exactly as it was intended, and the performance is phenomenal. I can’t wait to read more from Natalie Haynes going forward.
This book is one of the most beautifully written I have read in a long time. The prose itself completely sucked me in, not to mention the incredibly well-constructed story. Natalie Haynes did a phenomenal justice to all of these characters who always seem to come second to their male counterparts, if not just ignored completely.
I particularly loved the chapters about Cassandra. Haynes wrote her with such care and intelligence, while still keeping the youth of the character clear. I was happy to see in the afterword that this character was her favourite as well.
I also strongly recommend listening to the audiobook for this. It is narrated by the author so you hear everything exactly as it was intended, and the performance is phenomenal. I can’t wait to read more from Natalie Haynes going forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Injury/injury detail, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, and War
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt