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A Thousand Ships
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
In A Thousand Ships, broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective. This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of all of them. . . In the middle of the night, Creusa wakes to find her beloved Troy engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of brutal conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over, and the Greeks are victorious. Over the next few hours, the only life she has ever known will turn to ash . . . The devastating consequences of the fall of Troy stretch from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida, from the citadel of Troy to the distant Greek islands, and across oceans and sky in between. These are the stories of the women embroiled in that legendary war and its terrible aftermath, as well as the feud and the fatal decisions that started it all. . . Powerfully told from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships gives voices to the women, girls and goddesses who, for so long, have been silent.
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CBee
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Many of you know that I‘m a mythology fanatic. So WHY did it take me so long to read this fan-friggin-tastic book? I have no excuse 🫣 Like many of you who‘ve read this, I especially loved Penelope‘s letters - I always wanted to hear more about her and how she actually felt. These women are so often footnotes and here, they‘re front and center. LOVED it. #readyourkindle #february

BeeCurious Sounds wonderful! Maybe I should stop putting off reading it, too. 2w
CBee @BeeCurious you should 😊 And I hope you love it too. 2w
Allylu Penelope is my favorite! Have you read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood? I listened to the audiobook and it was great - especially the Virgin Chorus. You will love it! 2w
CBee @Allylu I started it but for some reason it didn‘t hold my interest at the time 🤷‍♀️😅 I‘ll have to try again! 2w
83 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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Gissy
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Eggs Beautiful 🩵💙🩵 2mo
46 likes1 comment
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Karons1
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
Pickpick

Absolutely loved it possibly the only book which has made me want to read Homer and Iliad ! Superb , In fact loved it so much I raced out to buy stone blind and have ordered her other books from the library - a new fav author and how talented this lady is when you look at her career makes one feel rather dull !

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Hooked_on_books
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

After not enjoying mythology retellings but loving Stone Blind, I thought I‘d give another Haynes book a try. I did find this a little flat in places and sometimes a little hard to get into with such a large cast of characters, but parts were fabulous, like Penelope‘s letters to Odysseus. A low pick for me.

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jahnna
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

eleventh book of summer

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Karons1
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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#julybookspinbingo here we go !

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eeclayton
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

It's great that all these women are finally given voices, their stories are finally told, their experiences are finally put into focus.
Calliope's chapters felt a bit didactic, a bit overexplaining to me, but I enjoyed everything else. Each voice was distinct and authentic. Penelope's letters and her sarcasm especially grew on me.

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Kazzie
Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
Pickpick

This was great - the feelings and passion and ANGER of the Greek and Trojan women was fascinating and fantastic. I liked learning about lesser known Greek characters

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Andrea4
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Finished this a bit ago, but life's been busy (not for the dog lol) and I think the reviews are pretty unanimous!
My faves were Penelope and well, the muse.

ShelleyBooksie Sweet pic 12mo
Andrea4 @ShelleyBooksie yea, he was keeping me company the other weekend when I got some kind of stomach bug and passed out on the couch 12mo
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SanjanaGhosh
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

"But you could abandon someone and still miss them."

RedCurly It is very heartaching book, but very good 👌 1y
31 likes1 comment
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Johanna414
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

The Trojan War, as told by the women - this book was amazing! I think my favorite chapters were the letters from Penelope to Odysseus, as she got more and more frustrated with his long absense

dabbe Is it along the lines of CIRCE and WOMEN OF SPARTA? If so, I'll add to my stack! 1y
Johanna414 @dabbe yes, very much so! 1y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Johanna414
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Off to bed with my Christmas gift from @LittleMouse5708 - it is sooooooo good so far!!

Deblovestoread Loved this one 💜 1y
kellyann28 This is on my TBR! I love mythology! 1y
Johanna414 @kellyann28 I think you would really like it! 1y
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RedCurly
Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I could'nt read read this book as fast as I usually do. It was a bit hard because is about how women lose everything during a war.

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TheEllieMo
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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My October reads. Some reading time is still being taken up by studying 😩. I‘ve been on a bit of a Natalie Haynes binge after seeing her at this year‘s Cheltenham Literature Festival.

#OctoberReads

DGRachel I loved A Thousand Ships. I will have to look into the others! 1y
TheEllieMo @DGRachel The Children of Jocasta is good, but I was a little disappointed with The Amber Fury. I‘m currently reading Pandora‘s Jar, which is a non-fiction exploration of how women are depicted in the Greek myths, in particular how their stories have been changed to fit the expectations and views of the day. I recommend it. 1y
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Allylu
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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1. Yes, and yes, I would. 2. I really liked A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (the audiobook is great!). Last week, I found a hardcover copy of Circe by Madeline Miller at our local library book sale for $2. I was very excited about that! #Two4Tuesday

CBee I still need to read A Thousand Ships! And the Penelopiad sounds great too. Circe is amazing! 1y
Allylu @Cbee I love the chorus that the 12 virgins sing in the Penelopiad. It‘s so funny. You have to listen to it. It‘s short! 1y
CBee @Allylu I‘ll try the audiobook then! Thanks 😊 1y
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Cinfhen I LOVE Greek re-tellings!!! I just read this one and it was fantastic 1y
Allylu @Cinfhen I love them, too. I added that one to my ever-growing TBR! (edited) 1y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you 😊 1y
TheSpineView Great score on Circe. Thanks for playing 1y
21 likes7 comments
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wanderer15
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

This book begs to be compared to Circe and Song of Achilles, but its carefully interwoven narrative, diverse array of POV characters, and absolutely stunning writing helps it stand out from Miller‘s excellent offerings. Loved it.

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JuniperWilde
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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“But this is a women's war, just as much as it is the men's, and the poet will look upon their pain - the pain of the women who have always been relegated to the edges of the story, victims of men, survivors of men, slaves of men - and he will tell it, or he will tell nothing at all. They have waited long enough for their turn”

I loved this retelling as much as Circe and Song of Achilles. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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ravenlee
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Today‘s #bookmail has a very small bit for me (tagged, and maybe the Blyton set) and a great deal for the kiddo.

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LadyCait84
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Pulling from every corner of the Trojan War, this offers overdue depth &dimension to the female cast of Homer‘s epics. I appreciate that it gives voice to Penelope‘s frustration & fatigue, something I‘ve wanted since reading The Odyssey. (I prefer a woman to a symbol. Let her be more than her fidelity.) I also came to know & feel for characters like Iphigenia, Creusa, Andromache - typically footnoted names I‘d long forgotten or maybe never knew.

jen_the_scribe I have this one waiting for me on my shelf… lovely reading your review. 2y
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Chittavrtti
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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bekakins
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Really enjoyed this alternative telling of the Trojan War, through the eyes of the many affected women. The classicist in me had a total nerd out and nice to revisit some great myths! Makes me want to re-read some of the old tragedies 👀

And my #bookspinbingo board!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
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BarbaraBB
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Although the book for me came nowhere near Circe or Song of Achilles, it was still an amusing read. To consider the Trojan war from the point of view of a chorus of women and goddesses was original and cool! A light pick.

Thanks Cindy for sending me this one. It makes the challenges so much easier 😉🤣😘

#Booked2022 #ThinkGreek #FoodAndLit

CaitlinR Nicely put! 2y
Catsandbooks Terrific! 2y
Megabooks Wonderful review! 2y
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Cinfhen Great photo! Agreed it‘s not in the same league as Miller but still an interesting retelling 💜Glad it helped xx 2y
BiblioLitten I love this picture! 🌟🌟🌟 2y
BarbaraBB @BiblioLitten Really? That‘s nice! I liked the old fashioned letterbox and all the Ukrainian stickers on it! 2y
BiblioLitten Your book has a bit of blue and yellow on it too🌻😊 2y
BarbaraBB @BiblioLitten You‘re right! I didn‘t even notice 😊 2y
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Jen2
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I‘m loving these female centered retellings!

Sophronisba I haven't read this one yet, but I really loved Madeline Miller's Circe. 2y
Jen2 Me too!!! 2y
perfectsinner On my wish list 2y
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JuniperWilde
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Next up -
I‘ve heard Natalie Haynes on BBC and can‘t wait to read all of her books.

Itchyfeetreader Loved this - hope you enjoy 2y
JuniperWilde @Itchyfeetreader thx I love it. Can‘t put it down. 2y
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BookBelle84
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I read this over a day, unable to put it down. The format reminds me of Homegoing where each chapter is a different tiny glimpse of life. The author did an amazing job of having me care about these characters and be invested in the when some you only saw for a couple pages.

CuriousG Normally the subject matter of this book would get a big meh for me and I wouldn't pick it up, but the comparison to the format of Homegoing has me intrigued. At first I hated Homegoing for not allowing me to follow the characters longer, but I grew to love the more diverse perspective it allowed. If this book brings out different pieces that come together for a bigger picture, I might just give it a shot! 2y
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nichollinlove
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

"I hope that at the end of this book ... readers might feel that heroism is something that can reside in all of us, particularly if circumstances push it to the fore. It doesn't belong to men anymore than the tragic consequences of war belong to women. Survivors, victims, perpitrators, these roles are not always separate. People can be wounded and wounding at the same time or at different times in the same life."

I am in stunned awe.

?????

Chrissyreadit Yes! This book is one of my favorites ever. 2y
LoverOfLearning Excellent quote! I work with criminal offenders daily and it reminds me of the quote "hurt people hurt people". I am 100% certain that most if not all of my clients have a history of seeing trauma in their childhood. 2y
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JoyBlue
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so
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rsteve388
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

This was an interesting take on the Trojan war and moved women into the spotlight. It was well done but I thought it would be better with multiple narrators for the Audiobook. But I did love the back and forth between all the different women who were experiencing the fall of Troy and how the gods play with the humans who worshipped them.

#WinterGames #RandomRead 10 pts + 1 for participation.

Itchyfeetreader Loved this one 2y
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rsteve388
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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#WeekendReads

1.) Current Reads: Audiobook: Tagged Book Physical Book: The Valcourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories Vol 5 Edited By: Christopher Philippo

2.) Fav Thing about Winter: Watching the Snow Fall Outside my Window.

3.) In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren, it was by first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope to read more by those two in the upcoming year.

@rachelsbrittain

Tag Your It @Bookgoil

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rsteve388
Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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So December is looking a lot different then what I originally thought with regards to setting up my #BookBingo Card. The tagged book is my next book. I am two books away from finishing reading a 125 books for 2021.

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Cortg
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I loved this mix of stories about the women of the Trojan War. The premises reminded me of The Red Tent, a long time favorite. It‘s always refreshing to hear the women‘s stories. I suck at Greek Mythology and who‘s who which put me at a disadvantage but still a fun read. *disclaimer: Wikipedia was my friend during this read

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TheKidUpstairs
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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"And revenge, when it came, came from another quarter altogether, and it rolled out onto the ground, gleaming and golden."

#Apples #GratefulHarvest
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🍎📚💙 2y
Eggs 🍎❤️📚 2y
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BookwormM
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

#Netgalley #ARC #ThousandShips

One word review - Epic

Great retelling of the Greek myths from the woman‘s point of view.

Interesting use of different narrative techniques, my favourite being Penelope‘s letters to Odysseus. The whole story of the Odyssey told as the story of one man who will do anything to avoid coming home to his loyal and faithful wife.

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ElspethY
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
Mehso-so

This book was very well written!! I think I just had the same issue with it that I had with Circe - I remember too much from high school classics that the book doesn‘t keep me totally gripped. A very cool female perspective of a well known story!!!

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sprainedbrain
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Not a big secret that I‘m a fan of Greek mythology, and the Trojan War has always been of particular interest to me (I‘m an Achilles fangirl from way back)… I was so excited to read this retelling of the fall of Troy from the perspective of the (usually marginalized) women, and Haynes did not disappoint.

Beautiful writing and heartbreaking voices, but not really told in chronological order, so some basic knowledge would help going in.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Augustdana Yea I‘m a little ways in and I‘m glad I have a basic knowledge of the stories. Don‘t know many of the women‘s names which … of course I don‘t, but it‘s more enjoyable knowing what happens. 2y
sprainedbrain @Augustdana right? Unfortunately we need know a little about the men to know where the women are coming from. 2y
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Augustdana
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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🎸🎸🎸 Let‘s go girls

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Sydneypaige
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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I am glad to have read some tellings and retellings of Greek mythology before reading this because I was able to appreciate the different perspectives from these women of stories I was familiar with that I wouldn‘t understand as well without having some groundwork.

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SamAnne
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I love retellings and enjoyed this one of the Trojan year, told from the perspective of the women. I think I like Madeline Miller‘s Circe more though! Starting The Song of Achilles next month as well as a reread of The Iliad, Caroline Alexander‘s translation.

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SamAnne
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Long day and not over. But grabbing a glass of wine and diving into this. I love Greek mythology and classics and love retelling. This is right up my alley. Planning to begin a reread of The Iliad next month—the new translation!—and willl be reading Song of Achilles for September book club.

annamatopoetry May I recommend this? 3y
SamAnne @annamarieburns stacked. Thanks for the recommendation! 3y
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TalesandTexts
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to hear from the women who normally are sidelined (if they‘re lucky enough to be mentioned in there in the first place) in the original epic - to know how they feel, hear their intimate thoughts & explore their personalities.

The only person I found annoying was Penelope, who was very whiny.

Apart from the book itself, the afterword was really enjoyable and a delight to read. 100% pick!

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CampbellTaraL
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Mehso-so

Not a bad telling of the fall of Troy from the women's perspective. The horrors inflicted are hard to get through, so go in prepared. The bravery and absolute dedication to vengeance is impressive. My least favorite was Penelope pining over Odysseus, I skipped a chapter or two when she came up.

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SilverShanica
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 213.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

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HettyG
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
Pickpick

I listened to the audiobook read by the author, I loved this book. It is important to pay close attention to chapter titles to make sure you know where you are in the book, but once I got used to that the flow was easier. I also highly recommend listening to the afterward, the author‘s obvious and genuine joy in her subject shines brightly.

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Laughterhp
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

I was a little hesitant when I first started this book. It changes between many perspectives, so the flow was a bit off for me. However, once I got 60-70 pages in, I couldn‘t put it down.

This is a retelling of the Trojan war told from the women‘s perspectives. It was interesting to read this version since I‘ve read Song of Achilles and Circe and those characters obviously show up in this book. I really liked this book.

#LMPBC

Lesanne I‘m so glad!!! I had the same reaction. 3y
Chrissyreadit This is in my top picks for the year, and one of my five star reads. I‘m so glad it was picked. 3y
Allylu I loved this book, too! Definitely 5 stars! 3y
See All 6 Comments
Tamra 😁 3y
Deblovestoread 5 🌟 read for me, too. 3y
Laughterhp @Lesanne I dropped this off at the post office today! 3y
52 likes6 comments
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kera_11
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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“A war does not ignore half the people whose lives it touches, so why do we?”
The epic of the Trojan War told by the women. The Amazon who fought in it. The woman the war was started over. The woman left at home while her husband fought. The woman whose home and town was destroyed. Etc. I‘m absolutely loving this period of Greek stories written from the women‘s perspective.

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KarenUK
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

#MidYearFaves #Day7 of 10

Beautifully written and feminist AF, this novel gives a voice to the silenced women of the Trojan war myths. As time goes back and forth, this novel tells stories from the perspective of goddesses and wives, daughters and warriors, showing the affects of these mythical events and the consequences of vengeful wars waged by men. These women come alive in these stories, strong and brave and feisty. I absolutely loved it.

BarbaraBB I immediately thought of Circe and then noticed Madeline Miller‘s recommendation on the cover! 3y
vivastory I hope to read this one soon. I've heard great things about it 3y
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Nessavamusic
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Just finished this beautiful book. As the cover quote states, this is a fiercely feminist book featuring the viewpoints of the many women of the Iliad. It is profoundly sad but definitely worth the read. Another #bookspinbingo read completed. #historicalfiction

TalesandTexts Sounds really interesting 3y
TalesandTexts It reminds me of a book called Until the Lions which encapsulates the version of the Hindu Epic Mahabharata, from women's perspectives. 3y
Nessavamusic @nishaagni ooh that sounds interesting, I may have to check it out 3y
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Scochrane26
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

This is my #bookspin for June & one I have seen often on Litsy. I loved it. I enjoyed it more than The Silence of the Girls because it was more focused on the women‘s stories. Loved the structure & number of women included. 4.5/5 stars Great book! @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
37 likes1 comment
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BookNAround
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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I want to start my book. Gatsby wants her dinner. Who will win this battle of wills?

Ruthiella My money is on Gatsby! 🐶😜 3y
rubyslippersreads If Gatsby is anything like my cats, you‘ll be serving dinner before you start your book. 😸 3y
KathyWheeler I‘m betting that Gatsby won. 😄 3y
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Larkken Gatsby. You wouldn't want to have to interrupt yourself once your into the book, after all!!😁 3y
Tamra 😂 3y
Deblovestoread The dog always wins in our house. Bet Gatsby did, too. 🙂 3y
Hooked_on_books Gatsby. Gatsby will win. 😂 3y
LeahBergen Gatsby. 😆 3y
CoverToCoverGirl Gatsby! Lol 3y
BookNAround @Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads @KathyWheeler @Larkken @Tamra @Kdgordon88 @Hooked_on_books @LeahBergen @CoverToCoverGirl I liked how none of you bet I‘d win. And yes, you were all right. Miss G got her dinner before I got to the book. Lol! 3y
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Chrissyreadit
A Thousand Ships | Natalie Haynes
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Pickpick

Do you know how you feel like a book is an experience? Completely absorbing and beautiful? And an author absolutely has the talent and skill to pull you in to feel like a character is everything even when their arc is only a few pages long? That is this book for me. I will be buying it, recommending it and gifting it. @Lesanne I‘m just so glad you chose this for #lmpbc ❤️🥳🎉❤️

Lesanne Oh, I‘m so glad you loved it!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ 3y
sprainedbrain Well, I‘m sold! ❤️ 3y
Tamra I‘m ordering this one! 3y
See All 11 Comments
Chrissyreadit @Tamra I just stacked it. 3y
HOTPock3tt This was already on my TBR, now I‘m bumping it up! 😃 @Chrissyreadit 3y
Crazeedi Cant wait to read this one Chrissy 3y
BayouGirl85 I couldn‘t agree more about this read. 3y
Laughterhp Hey, did you send this book to me? I haven‘t gotten it yet, so I‘m just trying to figure out when I should expect it. ☺️ 3y
Chrissyreadit @Laughterhp yes- but literally sent Monday or Tuesday! I‘m so sorry for the delay. It somehow missed my trip to PO last week. You should get it soon!! I may have sent media rate. 3y
Chrissyreadit @Laughterhp I will try to find receipt- my head has not been organized lately!!! I‘m so sorry! 3y
Laughterhp No worries! Just wanted to check in. If you just sent it this week, I‘ll look out for it this week. No big deal! 3y
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