Daughters of Sparta, Claire Heywood
Daughters of Sparta, Claire Heywood
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Daughters of Sparta

Author: Claire Heywood

Narrator: Mira Dovreni

Unabridged: 10 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 06/22/2021


Synopsis

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—
Helen remains in Sparta to be betrothed to Menelaos, and Klytemnestra is sent alone to an unfamiliar land to become the wife of the powerful Agamemnon. 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.

About The Author

Claire Heywood is a scholar of the ancient world, with a bachelor's degree in Classical Civilization and a master's degree in Ancient Visual and Material Culture from the University of Warwick. Daughters of Sparta is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brittany on June 25, 2021

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am first and foremost a huge lover of Greek mythology. I hoard my knowledge of it. I seek out retellings. Sometimes I write my own. So when I saw Daughters of Sparta, a retelling of the Trojan War specif......more

Goodreads review by ☘Misericordia☘ on July 21, 2021

Poor Sparta, poor daughters, women, etc. I'm not sure what I think about Helen now. Yes, I have known this tale since childhood but ... Basically, she was the reason her niece, Iphigenia, died a horrible death, the reason Klytemnestra murdered Agamemnon, the reason Klytemnestra had to marry out of Sp......more

Goodreads review by Annette on June 28, 2021

Klytemnestra and Helen are daughters of Lord Tyndareos, King of Sparta. Klytemnestra as the oldest daughter is the heiress, and so is supposed to be the Queen of Sparta and stay with her family. But her father betroths her to Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, which means she needs to live in his kingdom.......more

Goodreads review by Lizzie on August 24, 2021

A thought provoking, sorrowful retelling of the events of the Trojan War from the point of view of two daughters of Sparta - the famous Helen and her sister Klytemnestra. This book had few heroes or villains. I appreciated the complexity of the moral choices each character made against the backdrop o......more


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Praise for Daughters of Sparta

"Heywood’s wondrous retelling of the lives of two ancient princesses struggling for independence and agency in a patriarchal society resonates deeply in today’s imperfect world. Required reading for fans of Circe, and a remarkable, thrilling debut." Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

“Helen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra are reimagined in this gorgeous retelling of the classic Greek myth—not as women defined by their husbands and lovers but as battle-weary survivors of a patriarchal society who take control of their own destiny. Absolutely riveting!” Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist