Fantasy

Daughters of Sparta

Daughters of Sparta

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  • Create Date：2021-09-09 08:51:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Claire Heywood
  • ISBN：1529349931
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Summary

For millennia， men have told the tale of the woman whose face launched a thousand ships - but now it's time to hear her side of the story 。 。 。

As princesses of Sparta， Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty。 With their high birth and unrivalled beauty， they are the envy of all of Greece。

Such privilege comes at a high price， though， and their destinies are not theirs to command。 While still only girls they are separated and married off to foreign kings， never to meet again。 Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek， submissive queens their men expect。

But when the weight of their husbands' neglect， cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear， they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves - and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years。

Perfect for readers of Circe and Ariadne， Daughters of Sparta is a vivid and illuminating retelling of the Siege of Troy that tells the story of mythology's most vilified women from their own mouths at long last。

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Reviews

Amy ，

*2。5 stars rounded upThis was an easy read and there was a few things I liked what the author did but I ended up being disappointed which is a shame because I wanted to like this book so much。 I know the author wanted to write a more authentic perspective on Helen and Klytemnestra’s lives but i feel it ended up with Helen， Klytemnestra and other character’s personalities being very bland - I felt Klytemnestra’s POV suffered a lot for this in particular。

Asha ，

I love all these books centered around the stories of the Spartan & Trojan women。 It’s nice to read about someone other than Achilles。

Captain Sir Roddy， R。N。 （Ret。） ，

I enjoyed this fictionalized deep-dive into the lives of Klytemnestra and Helen， the two daughters of Tyndareus and Leda of Sparta。 If you've read The Iliad， Aeschylus's The Oresteia， or Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis you'll be pretty familiar with the primary elements of the family dynamic illustrated by Claire Heywood in this novel。 Personally， I think Colm Toibin， in his relatively recent novel， House of Names， develops a perhaps darker perspective of Klytemnestra's psychology and the depths o I enjoyed this fictionalized deep-dive into the lives of Klytemnestra and Helen， the two daughters of Tyndareus and Leda of Sparta。 If you've read The Iliad， Aeschylus's The Oresteia， or Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis you'll be pretty familiar with the primary elements of the family dynamic illustrated by Claire Heywood in this novel。 Personally， I think Colm Toibin， in his relatively recent novel， House of Names， develops a perhaps darker perspective of Klytemnestra's psychology and the depths of her anger directed at Agamemnon。 If you're interested in Greek mythology， the Trojan War， and the House of Atreus， I believe that you'll enjoy Heywood's novel。 。。。more

Betsy ，

Well， I read it in two days， so that is a pretty good endorsement。 I was told it was a good book to read if I liked Circe （which I did） or Song of Achilles （which I loved）。 And it had some similarities， but I liked Miller’s books better。

The LitBuzz ，

Giving voice to a face…Claire Heywood， a scholar of the ancient world， brings to life the story of two sisters， Klytemnestra and Helen， in Daughters of Sparta who were pivotal in the demise of Troy。 At the heart of this destruction was Helen， whose beauty was know around the known world and according to legend the cause of the Trojan War。 Claire explains in her author’s note， “Daughters of Sparta therefore weaves archaeological reality with mythological tradition， but also imagines a new story t Giving voice to a face…Claire Heywood， a scholar of the ancient world， brings to life the story of two sisters， Klytemnestra and Helen， in Daughters of Sparta who were pivotal in the demise of Troy。 At the heart of this destruction was Helen， whose beauty was know around the known world and according to legend the cause of the Trojan War。 Claire explains in her author’s note， “Daughters of Sparta therefore weaves archaeological reality with mythological tradition， but also imagines a new story to fill in the gaps left by each of these frameworks。 At its heart the novel is not even a retelling of the war itself， but of the private lives of Helen and Klytemnestra， two characters whom I found to be either inadequately or unfairly treated across the ancient sources。”Daughters of Sparta is a gripping story in its honest depiction of the lives and status of women， the cultural norms and expectations， and the brutality that occurred in all levels of life of ancient society。 Klytemnestra and Helen have an affectionate and close relationship。 This bond weaves its way throughout the story and is a connection that keeps them grounded and focused during many of the trials they face。 Told through the eyes and minds of both sisters the perspectives are varied yet convey a common theme that women were only valued for their beauty and ability to produce children。 Even as privileged royalty， their life is difficult and oppressive， and their journey will keep you engaged， challenge your ideas of Greek history and have you contemplating the differences between your life and theirs。Claire’s background as a scholar gives Daughters of Sparta a mosaic of details on which to embed a dramatic and fascinating story。 The legend of the Trojan War and the beautiful Helen is widely known， yet Helen has always been just a prop or catalyst in the retelling。 Hearing from her and her older sister， in this fictional retelling， brings new life to an ancient story。 The foil to the sisters， found in the kings fighting over this one woman， dampens the glory given to these men and reveals the savagery that often accompanies power and control。 I love a great fictional adaptation of a historical event and Clair nailed in with Daughters of Sparta。 。。。more

LB ，

Mediocre at best

sav ，

Helen’s POV definitely gave me heartless vibes

Mary Berger-Hughes ，

Interesting take on the tale。。。 I have read so many books about the Trojan War times， but I appreciated the twists and imagination in this tale。

Siena ，

RTC！More reviews and bookish content on my blog！ RTC！More reviews and bookish content on my blog！ 。。。more

Jodi ，

I liked this one alright， it got a little long/boring。 I wish the author would have made some bolder choices for Helen of Troy， especially because she's reimagining the Greek myth。 Keeping Helen pretty and pointless is kind of a drag。 I liked this one alright， it got a little long/boring。 I wish the author would have made some bolder choices for Helen of Troy， especially because she's reimagining the Greek myth。 Keeping Helen pretty and pointless is kind of a drag。 。。。more

Carrie Honaker ，

Just riveting！ I love books like this that reframe mythology to cast the story of the women who only occupy minor roles in the glories of the men and gods。

Chloe Scully ，

This story of two daughters and queens， Klytemnestra and Helen， provides a fresh perspective on the Trojan War and the reasons behind it， as well as the men who live on in legend as a result。 While it did not provide any necessarily new content， it was a nice read into the Greek mythos and history。 Definitely pick up this book if you enjoy: "Ariadne"， "A Thousand Ships"， or "Circe"。 This story of two daughters and queens， Klytemnestra and Helen， provides a fresh perspective on the Trojan War and the reasons behind it， as well as the men who live on in legend as a result。 While it did not provide any necessarily new content， it was a nice read into the Greek mythos and history。 Definitely pick up this book if you enjoy: "Ariadne"， "A Thousand Ships"， or "Circe"。 。。。more

Kimberly ，

Really enjoyed this book。 I liked the multiple perspectives shown。 Such a good read and shows subjugation within traditional relationships and the desire to break free from it so clearly。

Sara ，

4。5 stars。 Well written， interesting different take on events， tragic on so many levels。 Makes me very glad to be living in these times in Australia and not then！

Aarushi ，

as good as the song of achilles！ some parts were so sad， seeing the life of helen and klytemnestra

Michelle ，

I love Greek mythology， but I did not love Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood。 Presented as a reimaging or rather a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the story of Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy， it loses all the feel of the original myth。 Clytemnestra is fangless， lacking the anger her story normally holds。 She’s too concerned with being a good girl/wife/daughter/queen/woman， which is not her if you are familiar with her story。 As for Helen， she is a complete bore。 There is no complexity to her ch I love Greek mythology， but I did not love Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood。 Presented as a reimaging or rather a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the story of Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy， it loses all the feel of the original myth。 Clytemnestra is fangless， lacking the anger her story normally holds。 She’s too concerned with being a good girl/wife/daughter/queen/woman， which is not her if you are familiar with her story。 As for Helen， she is a complete bore。 There is no complexity to her character， nor does she have any common sense。 She is as shallow as the myths hint。 By Part III， I had no interest in continuing this tedious story， so I didn’t。 。。。more

Eliza ，

I am truly amazed by this book。 So often we read Greek tragedy re-tellings， such as The Song of Achilles， without really thinking about the female characters and their motives。 Daughters of Sparta introduces readers to the perspectives of two sisters， both prominent figures in Greek mythology and tragedy--Helen and Klytemnestra of Sparta。 I first read about Klytemnestra in a Greek tragedy course in university and felt strongly about her character then， and after reading this book， I feel strongl I am truly amazed by this book。 So often we read Greek tragedy re-tellings， such as The Song of Achilles， without really thinking about the female characters and their motives。 Daughters of Sparta introduces readers to the perspectives of two sisters， both prominent figures in Greek mythology and tragedy--Helen and Klytemnestra of Sparta。 I first read about Klytemnestra in a Greek tragedy course in university and felt strongly about her character then， and after reading this book， I feel strongly about it now。 However， this book provides almost 400 pages of insight into her life and thought process， which led to her actions at the end of this book。 Helen， on the other hand， I never truly understood as a figure in Greek mythology until reading Daughters of Sparta。 Claire Heywood does an exceptional job delving into the minds of women in Ancient Greece--their expectations， the expectations others hold them to， their motives， and their inner turmoil。 This one is not necessarily a fast read， but a necessary one nonetheless， especially for fans of Greek mythology （I'm looking at you Percy Jackson fans）。 4。5 Stars！ 。。。more

Tralee ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed it！ I picked it up on a whim after finishing the song of Achilles。 And it was perfect， it was the other side to the story I didn’t know I needed。 Of course it doesn’t line up perfectly because it was written by different people but it was pretty damn close！ You see such growth in Helen and Klytemnestra as they marry and have children。 Well not really in Helen， but definitely in her sister。 In my opinion Helen’s kind of a spoiled brat child the entire time but I can’t imagine the I really enjoyed it！ I picked it up on a whim after finishing the song of Achilles。 And it was perfect， it was the other side to the story I didn’t know I needed。 Of course it doesn’t line up perfectly because it was written by different people but it was pretty damn close！ You see such growth in Helen and Klytemnestra as they marry and have children。 Well not really in Helen， but definitely in her sister。 In my opinion Helen’s kind of a spoiled brat child the entire time but I can’t imagine the real life Helen being much different。 The only irony I found is how their mother and nannies raised them to be perfect wives， yet they both were unfaithful to their husbands， Helen is a liar， and Klytemnestra does some really awful things herself （but he deserved them）I wish we could have seen Helen reunite with her daughter and Klytemnestra with her son， but alas， it does not。 I will recommend this to any one who enjoys this kind of writing！ 。。。more

Megan ，

Madeline Miller aside （（She’s in her own league）） this is the best and most comprehensive Greek retelling i’ve ever read！！！

Lucy ，

Daughters of Sparta is a fast paced and thrilling adventure which leaves you wanting more。 Klytemnestra and her sister Helen are strong women living in a patriarchal society。 They shatter norms and set the world， as it was known， ablaze。 Tender， provocative， and exciting！

Kassia ，

2。5* this book wasn't bad， it just wasn't as good as it had the potential to be。 2。5* this book wasn't bad， it just wasn't as good as it had the potential to be。 。。。more

Rose Seivers ，

a bit slow at some parts but the plot twists are incredible。 written so beautifully and poetically

Shelby ，

TL;DR （I'm putting this at the beginning of the review so you can save yourself the time）: Daughters of Sparta is a competently written retelling of Greek mythology that left me feeling empty。NOTE: I didn't really mark spoilers in this review because this novel closely retells stories that are literally thousands of years old， and I just don't think that counts as a spoiler。 I marked a couple of things as spoilers if I felt like they were Heywood's unique twist on events， rather than original TL;DR （I'm putting this at the beginning of the review so you can save yourself the time）: Daughters of Sparta is a competently written retelling of Greek mythology that left me feeling empty。NOTE: I didn't really mark spoilers in this review because this novel closely retells stories that are literally thousands of years old， and I just don't think that counts as a spoiler。 I marked a couple of things as spoilers if I felt like they were Heywood's unique twist on events， rather than original events from a 2000-year-old tale。 Daughters of Sparta retells the events of the Trojan War from the perspective of Klytemnestra and Helen， two women who， despite the important role they played in the war， are often villified or flattened into two-dimensional characters。 Helen is nothing more than the pretty face whose beauty motivated thousands of men to go to war， who either was kidnapped by the Trojans or went with Paris to Troy because she's a floozy。 Klytemnestra is Agamemnon's wife is generally thought of as being unnaturally vindictive and scheming， because， y'know， women can't be either of those things。 （She also gets a bit of a rep for being a floozy as well， since she ends up murdering Agamemnon along with her lover Agisthos。） Daughters of Sparta seeks to rehabilitate Helen and Klytemnestra， allowing them more depth， nuance， and heart than writers have traditionally given them。At least， in theory。A few notes before we begin:1） I'm a huge fan of retellings and reinterpretations， especially when it comes to highlighting characters who were marginalized， sidelined， or unfairly villainized in the original text。 I'm not a classics purist by any means。 I'm all for revisiting and retelling classic works of literature。 That is not to say， however， that I just mindlessly praise any retelling that falls into my lap。 It does have to do something for me and update the text in an inventive or revealing way。 What makes a great retelling， for me personally， is not an exact science， and my response to a retelling is based on such inconstant factors as my mood， how fondly I felt about the original text， and what I had for lunch that day。2） I am not， by any means， an expert in Greek mythology。 I read Percy Jackson as a kid。 I took a couple of classes about mythology in college。 I read both the Iliad and the Oresteia fairly recently for school， so Klytemnestra and Helen were fresh in my mind when I heard about this book。 My comments about how Daughters of Sparta handles Greek mythology should be taken with a grain of salt。 I don't have a PhD in this stuff。 I'm no more than an armchair scholar， if even that。3） There is no third point。 A list with two items just looked too sad。So anyway， yeah， this reworking of Greek mythology just didn't work for me。 Although I zoomed through reading Daughters of Sparta ， I think it was more due tomorbid curiosity as to how Heywood would retell certain elements of the Trojan War than any legitimate investment in the characters or plot。 A few damning words of praise before I attempt to tease out why this book just didn't work for me:*I thought Heywood brought the horrors of war to life effectively。 I don't think it really hit me how horrific certain events from the Trojan War were （even after studying it in class！） until I read this book。*Related to that last point， I thought the scene where Klytemnestra prepares Iphigenia for her "wedding" was probably the best in the entire novel and really illustrated the tragedy of that particular myth。*While I had mixed feelings for Heywood's naturalistic approach to the Trojan War （more on that later）， （view spoiler）[ I liked her explanation for why the seer Calchas demands Iphigenia's sacrifice。 （hide spoiler）] Daughters of Sparta hews pretty close to the mythology otherwise， so I liked how Heywood diverted from the myth in order to develop a realistic， human-driven explanation for something that， originally， is commanded by a god。*I liked the subplot about Helen's fear of pregnancy and childbirth。 That's not a topic I feel is explored often in fiction， and it was one of the moments where I felt Heywood fleshed Helen out in a compelling way。*Overall， I found the novel to be very readable。 Despite my complaints about it， I also couldn't put it down。And。。。um。。。that might be all the praise I can give this book。So， like I said， Heywood decides to root her retelling of the Trojan War firmly in history。 There are no gods here， intervening in human affairs。 There are no invincible soldiers whose only weakness is their heel。 While the historical reality of the Trojan War is debated （as Heywood sums up in her author's note at the beginning of the novel， if the Trojan War happened， it probably didn't happen as described in the Iliad ）， Daughters of Sparta tries to imagine what a historical Trojan War would have looked like， one without all the gods and magic。 I'm definitely not against this approach at all。 I think the idea of giving purely human explanations of mythic events is really interesting。 If you can't explain something away with "oh， yeah， Aphrodite made me do it，" then how do you explain？ There's tons of intriguing ground to cover here。But Heywood's approach just didn't work for me， and I'm having a hard time putting my finger exactly on why。 This will sound contradictory， given what I just said about taking a historical approach to mythology， but I almost think removing the gods entirely from the equation undermined Heywood's feminist reclamation。 Or at least， it removed a lot of nuance from Heywood's exploration of Klytemnestra and Helen。 It's not just that the gods don't intervene in any events of the Trojan War， as they do in mythology; it's that neither Helen nor Klytemnestra seem particularly interested in the gods in general。 And， hey， that's fine！ I can understand why you'd feel abandoned by the gods when your life has generally been a string of disappointments and tragedies。 I'm not against Helen and Klytemnestra's agnosticism re: the gods， but I didn't feel it was the most interesting choice for this book。Personally， I think Heywood bringing the gods into the story--whether literally a la the Iliad or in a more "historical" way， where characters believe in the gods but never see them--would have made this book's examination of misogyny and feminism far more interesting。 Aside from Eileithyia， the goddess of childbirth， I don't remember any of the goddesses being mentioned in this book， which I thought was an oversight。 I think this book's feminist reclamation would have been far more interesting if it had ever stopped to consider what it might mean for Helen and Klytemenstra to live in a world that includes belief in， not just gods， but goddesses。 How do Helen and Klytemnestra feel living in a society that limits their opportunities because of their gender while simultaneously worshipping female deities？ One concept I remember from my Greek mythology class （again， not an expert， so you can take this with a grain of salt） is "double motivation"--the idea that someone's actions had both a human， psychological explanation and a godly explanation。 If you were feeling belligerent and started a fight， you might blame it on your anger and also claim Ares was influencing you。 I would have been interested to see this concept applied more in Daughters of Sparta 。 What if a man claimed he was influenced by Aphrodite when it came to Helen？ Would Helen disregard it as a man simply driven by his hormones hiding behind a goddess as an excuse， or would she feel tension over a goddess favoring a man's desires over what she， Helen， wants？ （As an aside， while I am absolutely not going to claim the Iliad is a Perfectly Feminst text， because it isn't， I do think there are some complex moments for the women who appear in the epic。 One of those moments is early on in the Iliad where Helen confronts Aphrodite， feeling both angry that the goddess meddled in her life and also expressing regret at the human choices she made leading up to the war。）Again， I'm not saying Heywood needed to have the gods intervene as much as they do in the Iliad and Oresteia 。 I do， however， think her realist approach to mythology still would have allowed her to explore the goddesses as religious beliefs for Helen and Klytemnestra， and the tension between patriarchal society and a pantheon that includes goddesses would have added a lot of nuance to Heywood's exploration into the lives of ancient Greek women。That said， I don't think a lack of goddesses is solely to blame for why Daughters of Sparta fell flat as a feminist reclamation of Greek mythology。 Helen and Klytemnestra in this book just。。。aren't that interesting。 Klytemnestra is extraordinarily dull， which is an impressive feat considering， y'know。。。*gestures to everything Klytemnestra does in Greek mythology。* I felt like Heywood was scared of making Klytemnestra too much of a vindictive shrew。 Heywood mentioned in an interview that Klytemnestra was usually held up as an example of a woman/wife gone wrong， so I can appreciate Heywood's desire to avoid misogynistic interpretations of Klytemnestra's character。 But， geez， at what cost？ I think there would have been a way to maintain Klytemnstra's fire and drive without it devolving into complete sexism。 I wanted to see more of an arc for her character。 She begins the novel demure and innocent。 I wanted to see the moment where she snapped， where she realized being the perfect woman was getting her nowhere， and she was going to do everything her husband could get away with: have affairs， murder。 And that moment。。。kind of exists， but Heywood never commits to the bit， imo。 Up until the final pages of the novel when （view spoiler）[ Klytemnestra finally murders Agamemnon， she's indecisive。 Sure， Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter and generally treated Klytemnestra like garbage during their marriage， but could she really kill him？ I don't inherently hate the idea of Klytemnestra having a moment of doubt before killing Agamemnon， but I didn't love that the doubt was mostly because she worried maybe he had changed and was nice now。 Like， come on。 It would have been more interesting had her doubt been driven more for her fears about what it would mean--that there would be no going back from being a woman who murdered her husband， no matter how justified she was。 （hide spoiler）] I don't know。 I just wanted more fire from Klytemnestra， and I'm sure there was middle ground on the scale between absolute angel woman and absolute demon。 Helen fares no better。 The old stories are fairly contradictory when it comes to Helen。 Was she abducted by Paris？ Or did she go with him to Troy of her own free will？ And if so， why？ Was she miserable in Greece or was she simply a selfish， stupid woman？ Daughters of Troy depicts a consensual affair between Helen and Paris， motivated both by her unhappiness in Greece and also because she's stupid。 I don't think Heywood meant for Helen to come across as such an airhead。 I think she wanted Helen to come across as naïve and sheltered， which she is initially， but after a certain point in the novel， naiveté didn't cut it for me anymore。 I wanted to shake Helen and say， "Use your brain！ Please！" Helen didn't need to be conniving like Klytemnestra。 That would have made the characters boringly similar and I'm not a huge fan of any book that declares only certain traits make a woman "empowered。" So I'm not upset that Helen wasn't secretly。 But it would have been nice to see her mature over the course of the novel。 Maybe Helen realizes that her beauty gives her power as a woman and uses that to her advantage--not to be spiteful， but just to claim some semblance of power for herself。 Maybe this is a hot take （okay， more of a lukewarm take）， but I would have liked to see Helen choose to go with Paris， not because she's sad and lonely in Greece， but because she views it as an extension of her power。 She's won the hearts of two powerful men and wants to use it to her advantage， only to realize her mistake upon arriving in Troy。 I think that might have been a good balance between naiveté and wit for Helen and， if Heywood had pulled it off skillfully， might have maintained the audience's sympathy for Helen。 It might also have heightened the inherent tragedy of the novel--of women trying to fight back against a patriarchal society and being undermined at every turn--if we saw Helen attempt to play the men's game and knowingly take a lover for herself， only for the consequences of her affair to be more drastic than the consequences faced by men for doing the same thing。 As it was， Helen felt perpetually fifteen throughout the novel， making impulsive decisions motivated more by emotion than anything。 And there's nothing wrong with characters making emotion-based decision！ I just would have liked to see a Helen with a little more wisdom， even if it didn't always save her。I also didn't feel like this novel did much with its female side characters。 Leda's backstory （what we got of it） was tragic， but she was a cipher for most of the book。 Kassandra was there， but not particularly interesting。 We don't hear much about Andromache or Hecuba， besides Andromache hating Helen。 Helen and Klytemnestra don't seem to have much of a relationship with the other women in their lives。 Part of that seems to be by design of the society this book is set in。 Since their roles as wives keep them at home， it makes sense that Helen and Klytemnestra wouldn't have tons and tons of friends。 But like。。。something would have been nice？ Outside of their female slaves， Helen and Klytemnestra never really interact with other women。 It seems like a missed opportunity for a "feminist" retelling of a book to have barely any dynamic， well-developed female friendships or relationships。 I've rambled enough about why this novel failed as a "feminist reclamation" for me， but a couple of other quick points before I shut up:*While I was generally engaged in the book， I did think the pacing was kind of wonky。 The book spent wayyyy to much time on the women's early life and marriages and sped through the events of the Trojan War。 The entire sack of Troy takes place in like 15 pages， and， well， it seemed like we should have spent a little more time on that event。 I also thought it was kind of weird that we got the ending to Helen's story （view spoiler）[ she goes back home with Menelaus （hide spoiler）]， but Klytemnestra's story seemed to cut off in a pseudo-cliffhanger。 If you know Greek mythology， then you know （2000 YEAR OLD SPOILER THAT I'M NOT TAGGING AVERT YOUR EYES IF NEEDED） that after Klytemnestra kills Agamemnon， she is later killed by her son， seeking to avenge his father。 Probably including the events of the entire Oresteia would have been way too much for this book and certainly the main focus of Klytemnestra's arc was her relationship with her husband， not her son， so it would have seemed weird for Orestes to have such a major role in the last chunk of the book。 And it's not that it doesn't work to end Klytemnestra's story with killing Agamemnon。 But it also seemed weird to cut off her side of the story halfway through its most interesting part。*The prose was competent， although I did pick up on a couple of filler phrases that should have been trimmed。 I came across the phrase "after all" three times in the span of two pages， and "is it not？" within a couple of lines of dialogue later on。 I'm surprised an editor didn't cut these， since it's not like they were vital to the text。This review probably rivals the length of the Iliad by now。 If you've made it this far， your stamina is insane。 I realize my thoughts about this book are all over the place and in some cases， I definitely think it was more of a "it's not you， it's me" situation。 There were elements of this book that I'd have preferred Heywood to develop more， but I can't fault her if that's not the book she wanted to write。 But I stand by the fact that this was a feminist retelling that， while certainly readable and compelling， mostly fell flat for me。 。。。more

Mo 🤎 ，

So like， what the heck was this ？？？Daughters of Sparta was not necessarily bad but it just want my cup of tea。 I’m giving it three stars mostly because of how frustrated I sometimes was at Klytemnestra; like girl， do you want to kill the idiot husband who killed yo daughter， slapped you across your face several times and looked down on you or not ？？？ And Helen。 Well，，， moving on。The men in this book filled me with rage。 Not “omg tears are coming out of my face” rage but， “omg should I return thi So like， what the heck was this ？？？Daughters of Sparta was not necessarily bad but it just want my cup of tea。 I’m giving it three stars mostly because of how frustrated I sometimes was at Klytemnestra; like girl， do you want to kill the idiot husband who killed yo daughter， slapped you across your face several times and looked down on you or not ？？？ And Helen。 Well，，， moving on。The men in this book filled me with rage。 Not “omg tears are coming out of my face” rage but， “omg should I return this book and save myself the emotional turmoil” rage。 The whole time I was reading this book I was imagining myself living in that time period and…。 I’d rather just die。 Actually no， lemme go back to Helen。 Girl， you mean to tell me you just gonna brush your husband’s infidelity and go about your business just like that ？？？？ Staring off into the horizon like all’s well now that y’all are reunited ？？？？？Anyway， I won’t be returning this book because the cover is pretty and it’ll look cute on my shelf •3•Read the book tho I guess 。。。more

Roselle ，

Even though it wasnt that fast paced and didnt rlly have a clear goal/storyline I still really enjoyed it！

Woobat ，

A quick and fun read in many ways。 I liked that this retelling was entirely human - the gods were worshipped， but didn’t appear in any way。 All of the action that was divine in the Iliad had mundane explanations in this retelling。 The focus was on Helen and Klytemnestra， but their characters felt a bit flat much of the time。

Katie ，

Woooooo buddy。 I loved this book。 LOVED IT。 I hope this author comes out with many more books in the future。

Bailee ，

Complex female characters are my life force especially those of whom previously belonged to male writers。 The parallels between Heywood’s Helen and （my interpretation of） Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan are stark in my opinion， and I love seeing Homer’s Helen being reclaimed in this text。 Though， I may be biased because I wrote “Helen as the Tragic Heroine” in my undergrad ancient lit course。 The laying of blame at the feet of women in older texts is so monotonously banal。 Myth in particular so ofte Complex female characters are my life force especially those of whom previously belonged to male writers。 The parallels between Heywood’s Helen and （my interpretation of） Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan are stark in my opinion， and I love seeing Homer’s Helen being reclaimed in this text。 Though， I may be biased because I wrote “Helen as the Tragic Heroine” in my undergrad ancient lit course。 The laying of blame at the feet of women in older texts is so monotonously banal。 Myth in particular so often makes women， but Helen and Clytemnestra pointedly， out to be just one thing: A Whore， A Wife， A Mother， A Bitch。 Someone unable to break the confines of her sex and， when she does， is punished inconceivably for doing so。 Conversely， I loved reading this from the hopeful， naive， oblivious， angry， jealous， hurt， /real/ characterizations of Helen and Clytemnestra。 Despite knowing exactly where this story would lead， Daughters of Sparta still managed to take and hold my attention the entire way through。 I scoffed and laughed and cried even when I knew that what was happening would inevitably happen。 I hope Heywood writes more about myth， and I can’t wait to read those books when they come。 。。。more

Gorgowood ，

Una vuelta de tuerca al mito de La Guerra de Troya desde el punto de vista de una de sus mayores víctimas， las mujeres， encabezadas por las hermanas Helena y ClitemnestraMe ha hecho sentir tanta rabia en ocasiones que he sentido la necesidad de tirar el libro contra la pared。 Genera mucha empatía por las protagonistas y eso me ha gustado mucho。Quizás he visto un final algo acelerado y abierto， me ha la sensación de que en un tiempo leeremos algo bajo el punto de vista de Elektra。

Taylor Bennett ，

I am obsessed with books about Greek mythology。 This was amazing。 Still weeping。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Daughters of Sparta

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Daughters of Sparta&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Daughters of Sparta&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0