Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
With exceptional grace and enormous energy, Geras (The Tower Room; Pictures of the Night) recreates the saga of the Trojan war from a feminist perspective, by delving into the hearts and minds of the women behind the scenes. The author plunges readers into the thick of the action to become intimately acquainted with both familiar mythological characters and the common folk around whom this retelling revolves. She focuses primarily on two orphaned sisters: Xanthe, caretaker of Andromache's child and a healer in the "blood room" where the injured men are taken, and Marpessa, Helen's favored assistant who can see the gods. The siblings are devoted to each other until Aphrodite reeks havoc in their lives, causing them to fall in love with the same wounded soldier. Although Xanthe nurses young Alastor back to health, he chooses instead soft-spoken Marpessa to be his lover, despite the fact that his mother has already arranged for him to be married to a girl of higher standing. While jealousy rends the bond between sisters, the fighting outside the city walls continues. Hector, Paris and Achilles play out their dramatic finales while "gossips" (older servants reminiscent of a Greek chorus) recount tales of victory and woe (the infamous "Judgment of Paris," the tale of how Ulysses was drafted into the Trojan War, etc.). Meanwhile, gods and goddesses Zeus, Hermes, Ares, Athena, Poseidon and Aphrodite drift in and out of people's lives like fragments of dreams to offer mixed blessings, prophesies and consolation. The effect of this novel is similar to that of a confidently conducted symphony that brings new meaning to a renowned masterpiece: harmonious strains alternate with cacophonous segments to evoke a vast array of moods. Multidimensional images of familiar mythological characters emerge deities who hold the fates of Trojans in their hands as well as human heroes and heroines who change the course of the war. But Geras focuses most of the attention on the universal experiences of mortals struggling to survive. Mythology buffs will savor the author's ability to embellish stories of old without diminishing their original flavor; the uninitiated will find this a captivating introduction to one of the pivotal events of classic Greek literature. Ages 14-up. (May) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
"With exceptional grace and energy, Geras recreates the saga of the Trojan War by delving into the hearts and minds of the women of Troy," wrote PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 14-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature
This novel offers a fresh perspective on ancient myths and legends that have retained their popularity for thousands of years. The Trojan War is in its tenth year. For a decade, the Greeks have been laying siege outside the walls of the great city of Troy. Related mainly through the eyes of the women of Troy, the story focuses more on somewhat racy romance and family conflict than the actual fighting, although there is plenty of blood shed. Readers will meet Helen, "The most beautiful woman in the world," whom some say is the cause of the war. Hector, Achilles and Agamemnon are here, but witnessed through the eyes of Xanthe and Marpessa, sisters who have fallen head over heels in love with the same warrior. The capricious Gods—Zeus, Aphrodite, Ares and others—make several appearances, meddling in human affairs, sometimes with deadly results. For those who are unacquainted with the legends and lore attributed to Homer, this is a fine introduction to the compelling story. For those familiar with the tale, the novel offers a unique take that reads almost as a behind-the-scenes teleplay. 2000, Harcourt, $17.00. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Christopher Moning
VOYA
It is the final days of the Trojan War. The city of Troy has been under siege for ten years, and everyone is growing weary of the interminable fighting—the leaders, the soldiers, the citizens, and even the gods and goddesses themselves. Geras brings Homer's story to life here for twenty-first century readers. Although concerned with maintaining the historical accuracy of her narrative—this is no Disneyfied version of the Trojan War—the author's focus is not primarily on the military and political strategists. In this extraordinary novel, readers do meet the historic Paris, Hector, Andromache, Hecuba, Achilles, and Priam, but they are minor figures. The central characters are two orphaned sisters—Marpessa, handmaid to the beautiful Helen, and Xanthe, nursemaid to Hector and Andromache's infant son. When Eros and Aphrodite, bored with the dreary military conflict, turn their attention to the two sisters, extraordinary events begin to unfold against the background of historical conflict. Geras's novel is an impressive retelling of Homer's classic tale. Events such as the battlefield death of the great hero Hector are described with unforgettable power, but the daily life of Trojan citizens also is captured down to the smallest detail. This historical novel is intelligent and captivating, but it does contain violence, profane language, and scenes of sexual intimacy. As such, it would be suitable for more mature young adult readers. VOYA CODES: 5Q 2P J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, Harcourt, 352p, Ages 13 to 18.Reviewer: Vivian Howard SOURCE: VOYA, June 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 2)
School Library Journal
Gr 8-Up This is historical fiction at its best. Adele Geras (Harcout, 2001) tells the tale of the Trojan War from the viewpoint of several Trojans, mostly young and mostly female, while giving both the Olympic mythologic and Greek prophetic traditions significant roles in her story's plot and its symbolic imagery. Young sisters Xanthe and Marpessa hold center stage here as their adopted city suffers the siege of the Greeks who fight for the return of Helen, Marpessa's mistress. Xanthe's mistress is wife to Helen's brother-in-law, Hector, father of the young boy with whose care Xanthe is herself charged. Eros, the trickster god of love, meddles in the lives of both sisters, as well as in that of the lame stable boy who has been their friend from early childhood. Miriam Margolyes provides the many characters here with exquisitely specific voices, from the girlish tones of the young sisters, to the lisping baby talk of Hector's son, to the deep rough tones of Achilles, the whines of three old crones who provide comic relief at several turns, and the quivering voice of the elderly singer in King Priam's court. Pathos is intertwined with humor, and sensuous details of the love lives of both young peasants and slightly older royals find refrain in horrific scenes of battle and the kind of impassioned torture of prisoners that grows from years of ethnic conflict. Neither Geras nor Margolyes let their characters off lightly; in fact, listeners will find the Troy brought to doomed life in the here and now with this reading, whether the story of the war and the Greeks' deceitful gift is anticipated or previously unknown.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
