This book is a compilation of stories of the women of Troy and Greece during the aftermath of the Trojan War. Each chapter tells us about a specific woman, or goddess, and the effects of the war and the destruction of Troy on her. 

The book is narrated by the goddess Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, in a conversation with the poet that seems to be Homer. Her observations brought some humour to otherwise traumatic accounts. For instance, when she talks about telling the stories of all the women in the war, she says, “I haven't decided about Helen yet. She gets on my nerves.” 

My favourite chapter in the book is the second chapter. It takes place while Troy is burning, showing the desperation of the people of Troy and their anger towards Sinon, the man who convinced them to let the wooden horse in.  The chapter is told from the perspective of Creusa, the wife of Aeneas, who is desperately trying to escape a burning Troy and be reunited with her husband and son.  The moments before her death are chilling.

The chapter on Pentheselia tells the story of the Amazon leader, who joined the war to fight Achilles. I found her relationship with Achilles really interesting, and his distress at her death provides a new layer to his character, different from the story told in the Iliad. I also really liked that Penelope’s chapters are letters to her husband Odysseus, who returns home ten years after the war is over. The chapters on Hecuba, the queen of Troy, and the one on Briseas, demonstrate the bravery and power shown by these women, when they lost everything in the war. 

While the book centres around the stories of the female characters, the stories of some of the male characters may be harder to follow without background knowledge.  For instance, the story of Odysseus and parts of Achilles’ story are covered through the book, but it is difficult to understand the motivations behind their actions without previous knowledge. 

The Iliad was written more than two thousand years ago, at a time where women did not have agency and were not considered heroes. The result of this is that the Iliad and Odyssey do not focus on the stories of the female characters, who serve more as tools to advance the men's stories. Books like this one provide us with another perspective.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who really enjoys reading about Greek mythology. If you like this book, I would also recommend the Odyssey, which is reviewed at :

https://zoyasbooks.com/pdp/classics-listing-page/the-odyssey