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Product Description
Product Description
The tragic and terrible drama of the war between Greeks and Trojans, the long siege of Troy, and the impact of one woman's beauty on the fate of two nations, is played out again in this dazzling novel based on Homer's ILIAD. Meet enchanting Helen, who we first encounter as a spoiled teenager and whose passion for the handsome, reckless Paris leads to the betrayal of her husband, King Menelaus, and the fall of the House of Troy. Powerful King Agamemnon with his terrifyingly ambitious wife Klytemnestra and his soothsaying mistress Kassandra. Odysseus, doomed to wander the Aegean for twenty long years; brave Achilles, who is haunted by the mad shade of his mother; the heroes Hektor and Ajax, and many more.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
About the Author
Colleen McCullough is the author of THE THORN BIRDS, which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. A neuroscientist by training, she is best known for her many works of fiction. She lives in Australia.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Troy...The Trojan War...Helen...Paris. These words and names are alive in our culture, yet many of us know relatively little about them and how they fit together. Colleen McCullogh has penned an easily readable and thoroughly enjoyable account of the whole affair...from it's earliest beginnings and background...to it's final conclusion (and beyond )that will enthrall and entertain those totally familiar with it, totally unfamiliar with it and those simply looking for a rousing tale. The characters...and there are many...come alive as they narrate their own chapters, which illuminate the story from many different points of view. If you love action and battle, it's there in glory-ous and gory-ous detail. If you love romance, this timeless romance is one for the ages..yet, new angles on the characters, their temperament and motivations are uncovered that make them quite human and quite modern. I was genuinely sorry to finish this book and, having read "Caesar" from the author's Masters of Rome series in the past, am now highly motivated to read "The First Man in Rome", the first of the series, to begin a new adventure with a true "Master of Fiction", Colleen McCullough.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I read this book, I was totally mesmerised from page one. It is totally addictive and completely enthralling. McCullough writes with a true understanding of the facts as well as the emotions surrounding the Trojan War. The characters are brilliantly captured especially Achilles - who I fell in love with from the start! This is not a love story at all, as many people mistakenly believe the story of Troy to be. This book is not to be missed.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I still can't make up my mind whether I absolutely loved or absolutely hated this book, but I have given it four stars because there is no doubt that it is a masterful telling of one of my favourite stories of all time. McCullough certainly sets the scene wonderfully, and the telling of the story through alternating narrators is simply inspired and works like a charm. However, being a tremendous fan of Homer's Iliad, there were things in it that didn't sit quite right with me, and I'm sure I would have liked this book a whole lot more if Homer was not so dear to my heart! Basically, McCullough puts a very plausible and therefore fascinating historical perspective on one of the most enduring Greek Myths - that of the Trojan War - so as you read the book you really get a sense that this is how it could actually have happened, i.e. the war started over trading blockades and not Helen, quite simple explanations for happenings that are usually attributed to the hand of the gods etc. etc. I won't give away her slant on things, but to me I found it a great shame that she neglected to have the interplay between the gods and mortals - surely the crux of Greek Mythology - as a feature in the story at all, and how she completely overhauls some of the greatest moments of the Myth. However, if you can cut yourself off from the traditional tellings of the story, forget the hocus pocus and read it as if reading an account of something that truly happened, there is much to enjoy here. Although I couldn't quite stomach some of the great changes McCullough has made to the essence of an already great tale, her brilliant storytelling more than helps her get away with it and for that reason it should not get less than four stars. Interesting, bold, but somewhat controversial!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Magical Colleen McCullough
McCullough writes a varied and wide subject range in her books she can write either a good yarn, and also turn her hand to Titles that cover the Roman Empire and its History, I... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Grandad bob
Introduction to the world of Troy
Easy to read and for anyone who isn't too familiar with the events leadoing up to the fall of Troy (apart from the tales of Helen, Paris, Achilles, Hector and the Trojan Horse)... Read more
Published on 3 April 2010 by patacake
Sickening, poorly written, poorly told sensationalist retelling of a...
So you want a tale of love, war, romance, battles, friendship, heroism, nobility, bestial natures, and everything else that makes up the pattern of human life, and is so effective... Read more
Published on 14 April 2009 by Taig
NOT AS GOOD AS EXPECTED
Personally I don't rate this book at all beyond the poor. It's a pale imitation of history compared to her Rome series, although Antony and Cleopatra isn't much cop either! Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2008 by A. Taylor
A Compelling Read
Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neurophysicist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney She then worked as a... Read more
Published on 18 Oct 2007 by J. Chippindale
the song of troy
Great book - although I sometimes got a bit lost - so many names and history to keep track of! It was really interesting the way each chapter is from a new person's point of view... Read more
Published on 29 May 2004
A gripping and epic tale of the battle of Troy
I am a devoted Coleen McCullough's reader, and especially the Master of Rome books are my favourite. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2002 by Ewa Stasko
Simply superb
As I enjoyed with her Roman's series, I take this new era with some caveat. However, I was not disappointed at all. Read more
Published on 25 Oct 2000 by Basil
trully amazing
It was years ago that I read (parts) of the 'Iliad' in school. My brother, who studied latin and classic Greek in highschool gave this book to me (to read - I had to give it... Read more
Published on 8 April 2000 by Kurt Decoene
A passionate and educated retelling of a timeless classic.
McCullough has reworked this already amazing tale into a thing of even more tragic beauty and passion as only a woman can do. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2000 by Khaledra
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