Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
39 used & new from £0.01
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Fall of Troy
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Fall of Troy (Paperback)

by Peter Ackroyd (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 4 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Saturday, July 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
23 new from £2.63 15 used from £0.01 1 collectible from £1.49
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £16.99 £14.44 42 used & new from £0.01
Paperback Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Thames: Sacred River by Peter Ackroyd

The Fall of Troy + Thames: Sacred River
Price For Both: £16.01

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The Fall of Troy by Peter Ackroyd

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Thames: Sacred River by Peter Ackroyd

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Thames: Sacred River

Thames: Sacred River

by Peter Ackroyd
3.4 out of 5 stars (13)  £10.02
The Uncommon Reader

The Uncommon Reader

by Alan Bennett
4.4 out of 5 stars (76)  £3.49
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House

by Kate Summerscale
3.1 out of 5 stars (177)  £3.99
The Lambs of London

The Lambs of London

by Peter Ackroyd
3.9 out of 5 stars (7)  £5.49
The Ghost

The Ghost

by Robert Harris
3.6 out of 5 stars (120)  £6.39
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage (2 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 009949275X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099492757
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 1.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 89,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #12 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > A > Ackroyd, Peter

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review
"Provoking, unsettling, ingenious -- and a delight to read."
-"Guardian"
.,."skillfully interweaves classical and 19th century stories, employing motifs from both Homer and Charlotte Bronte.... Ackroyd's most exuberant novel for years."
-"Daily Mail"

Times
`richly imagined work is as gripping as any thriller'


See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 8 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Fall of Troy
73% buy the item featured on this page:
The Fall of Troy 3.4 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.99
Return from Troy
11% buy
Return from Troy 4.5 out of 5 stars (6)
£5.24
The War at Troy
8% buy
The War at Troy 4.7 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.99
Achilles
6% buy
Achilles 4.8 out of 5 stars (8)
£5.24
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great, 25 Sep 2007
By Brida "izumi" (Worcs) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
This is the first novel by Ackroyd that I have read. Although I came with no preconceptions, I must admit that I was hoping for the "gripping and terrible" story, promised on the back cover. What I actually got was a mediocre story.

The book follows the archaeologist, Herr Obermann, whose passion for Troy and its legend seems to know no bounds - it posesses him and all that he percieves in the world. In deed, his passion is so large that he seeks out a Greek wife who is able to read the works of Homer. Sophia, his new wife is much younger than Obermann, but out of duty to her parents, and because she also has a great love for Troy, she agrees to the marriage and determines to make the best of it.
Yet Obermann's obsession with Troy slowly begins to take more of a sinister twist. He makes his findings fit his own theories, and when an American begins to question his work, he just so happens to come down with a mysterious illness.
As the novel progresses to its ending, Sophia aslo learns that Obermann has other, darker secrets that he is keeping from her - a secret that will ultimately lead him to his own destiny.

Ackroyd has done a good job at creating the character of Obermann. Although he is not very likeable, he is not two dimensional. Sophia, also is quite believeable - the word I would use to sum her up is 'dutiful'. Yet, despite this good characterisation, the story, for me, left a lot to be desired. The love affair seemed rushed and intangible; I saw it more as a way to help the ending along. Even the ending was an anti-climax. It was not the terrible and gripping ending that was promised; for a seasoned writer, I expected more.

Overall, this is an OK read. Good for a short while, but not something that will grip you from page one right up to the very end. Like archaeology, you may have to dig a little deeper.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and quietly moving., 22 Oct 2007
Hugely enjoyable. This book had the effect of reawakening an old fascination of mine with the Trojan material. Of course, Ackroyd is a great story-teller, and this one realy captures the feel of mid-19th century excavations on the hill of Hisarlik. The central character is clearly Heinrich Schlieman under another name, and the excitement and passion for the old stories held by that individual is convincingly and sympathetically done. The elaborations that Ackroyd adds, however, pique curiosity to the utmost, and it was these elements that sent me scurrying back to the archaelogical books to try to find out the truth. Read it -- it's short; and then go back to Homer and the rest. It's so good, I wish it all were true, especially whats at the bottom of the mound.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, 6 Sep 2007
By Mr. Simon Clarke "simbadiow" (Isle of Wight) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I was really looking forward to this book but was ultimately disappointed. Peter Ackroyd's fiction usually appears to be between 200 and 250 pages and his stories usually fit this perfectly (Lambs of London, Dan Leno both superb). It is almost as though the subject of Troy is too vast to fit and the story gets wrapped up far too quickly to satisfy. For the first 150 pages the story and the writing is great even though I thought the main character too much over the top to be believable. The constant references to Troy and scenes actually became tiresome and smacked just a little of assistants researches being liberally dumped into the story. The story and idea promised a lot but for once Peter doesn't seem to have pulled it off.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Parallels with the past
In The Fall Of Troy, Peter Ackroyd explores some grand themes against a backdrop of a grander history, but always from the narrowed view of an obsession that denies experience... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Philip Spires

2.0 out of 5 stars Slight, trite and predictable
This novel is not actually set during the Trojan War as its title might suggest. It's set in the late 19th century as German archaeologist Heinrich Obermann (closely modelled on... Read more
Published 7 months ago by justininlondon

4.0 out of 5 stars "It is a city of life"
Setting his tale in Turkey, Peter Ackroyd's strange and adventurous novel revolves around the fate of Heinrich Schliemann, the 19th century arcaeologist cum smuggler of ancient... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Michael Leonard

5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying little book
This novel is based on the lives of the German excavator of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann (here called Heinrich Obermann) and his Greek second wife and fellow archaeologist Sophia... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ralph Blumenau

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

More From Peter Ackroyd

London: The Biography

London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd

When the eminent novelist and biographer Peter Ackroyd finished... Read more
£15.99 £11.19

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates