Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

For millennia, men have told the legend of the woman whose face launched a thousand ships--but now it's time to hear her side of the story. Daughters of Sparta is a tale of secrets, love, and tragedy from the women behind mythology's most devastating war, the infamous Helen and her sister Klytemnestra.

As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivaled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece. But such privilege comes at a cost. While still only girls, the sisters are separated and married to foreign kings of their father's choosing--the powerful Agamemnon, and his brother Menelaos. Yet even as Queens, each is only expected to do two things: birth an heir and embody the meek, demure nature that is expected of women.

But when the weight of their husbands' neglect, cruelty, and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, Helen and Klytemnestra must push against the constraints of their society to carve new lives for themselves, and in doing so, make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.

Daughters of Sparta is a vivid and illuminating reimagining of the Siege of Troy, told through the perspectives of two women whose voices have been ignored for far too long.

I’ve read many books, both fiction and nonfiction, about Troy. Especially once the city was found, many books have tried to tie the place to the people. Did the Greek and Trojan heroes really exist? Who knows. But in all those books, I don’t think any have made these two woman come so alive.

Considering that Helen’s thought to be the cause of the war, it seems strange that she’s usually given short shrift. Klytemnestra even more so. Not so here. Following the Greek myths, their stories are given depth, and reasons for doing what they did. The reader may not agree with those reasons, but at least there are reasons.

This book sits on the same shelf as David Gemmell’s Troy trilogy. It would seem to be difficult to bring these ancient legends to life; both authors do a splendid job of it.





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