Haynes not only dismantles the rules of heroic traditions evident in Homer’s epic the Iliad, such as the value of glory for men who fought on the battlefield, she also provides perspective on behalf of the women who were motivated by their love for friends and family.

Having lost the one person who was “dearer to her than life itself,” Penthesilea proudly leads her own army of women, her “bright jewels of the mountainous north” into battle to defend Troy. For instance, when Amazonian queen Penthesilea shoots and kills her sister, Hippolyta with a bow and arrow in a tragic accident, she vows to avenge her by surrendering herself to death. From these mythological origins, Haynes assembles her own emotional masterpiece packed with elegant language which can be implied through her descriptions of grief and love. Although some might claim that these figures are not forgotten, in original sources such as The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Heroides, they are only briefly mentioned and tend to function as possessions subjected to the abuses of men. Haynes brings to life a series of fierce accounts told by the women affected by the war’s bloodshed and betrayals. In this subversive novel shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2020, Natalie Haynes produces a bold reading of the women featured in Greek mythology, who have “always been relegated to the edges of the story.” Until now…Ī Thousand Ships presents a narrative with a feminist twist on the myths surrounding the Trojan War.

Natalie haynes a thousand ships review