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A Thousand Ships

A Gripping Feminist Retelling of the Trojan War, Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

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A Thousand Ships

By: Natalie Haynes
Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
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Summary

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

Powerfully read by the author, Natalie Haynes. From a powerful all-female perspective, in A Thousand Ships, classicist and author of Divine Might, Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War – putting the women, girls and goddesses at the centre of the story.

Perfect for fans of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls.

This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .

In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.

From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women embroiled in the legendary war.

'With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War' – Madeline Miller, author of Circe

'A many-layered delight' – The Guardian

'A gripping feminist masterpiece' – Deborah Frances-White, The Guilty Feminist

 Ancient Epic Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Magic Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Funny Ancient Greece Ancient History War
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Critic reviews

With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War. Her thoughtful portraits will linger with you long after the book is finished (Madeline Miller, author of Circe)
Natalie Haynes is swiftly becoming this generation’s Mary Renault; her retelling of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships, is her best yet.
Haynes is master of her trade . . . She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories
Absorbing and fiercely feminist
The forgotten women are vividly brought to life in this moving, intelligent and witty book (Martha Kearney, BBC Radio 4)
Elegant, intelligent . . . Haynes combines a wide-ranging knowledge of the original myths with a gift for compelling narrative
A joy to read: fast paced, cracking with emotion and tension (Professor Michael Scott)
Here, in this treat of a book, the women take centre stage - and how brilliantly . . . Natalie Haynes brings them to witty, lyrical, scintillating life . . . A book to both savour and devour (Suzannah Lipscomb)
Breathtaking . . . Her writing isn’t merely clever, or elegant, or (at times) extremely funny - though it is all of those things. It’s also viscerally vivid. (Catherine Nixey)
This subversive reseeing of the classics is a many-layered delight
Haynes takes the baton from Renault and runs with it. Her modern take on antiquity is exquisitely informed without ever being research-heavy . . . Glorious! (Damien Barr)
If you are new to myths, then this is a learned, well-fashioned introduction, with many shining moments of subtle power
Haynes expertly crafts an emotional and vivid historical tale with high stakes and female empowerment at its core
Haynes is the nation’s great muse, and her latest retelling of the story of Troy told from the perspective of Helen and the women of The Iliad is beautiful (Adam Rutherford)
Natalie Haynes is a clever, classy classicist, and her book turns the Trojan War into a gripping feminist masterpiece (Deborah Frances-White)
A collection of wonderfully creative feminist stories, written and narrated by classicist Natalie Haynes. . . She. . . imbues these underrepresented female characters with humanity, wit, and strength. She has a good range, too. Some stories--especially those of the Trojan women--are emotionally wrenching. Others, like Penelope's increasingly frustrated letters to Odysseus, have a distinct comedic touch.
All stars
Most relevant
At long last, Trojan and Greek women have been given back their voices. What a stunning, moving yet unsentimental retelling of the Trojan War. Five stars.

The definitive retelling of the Trojan war

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The passion Natalie Haynes has for her subject comes through in her reading of this book. angry, despairing, frustrated. disempowered but never powerless, the women of the ancient world sing loud from this wonderful book

stopped me in my tracks

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Excellent, worth 10 stars!!!!! Performed with perfection by the Author herself. I loved the humour, petulance and sarcasm from the gods and goddesses. Wonderful book!!!

Excellent!!!!

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If only I could give six stars. The goddesses, nymphs and mortals emerge from the shadow of antiquity and I love them.

Stunning

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Interesting take on Greek mythology. Defintely worth a listen or read. Performed very well too

Interesting

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