A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Published by Mantle, 2019
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
A Thousand Ships is a paradoxically exciting and underwhelming read; a great example of how the timing of a book’s publication can make or break its impact. Attempting to retell the story of the Trojan War and its aftermath from an entirely female perspective, the novel’s aim is to give voice to those usually pushed to the periphery, and to reframe classic mythology from a more feminist angle. This is an ambitious concept, but its similarity to recent high-profile releases – notably Circe by Madeline Miller and The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker – leaves it open to inevitable comparison, and a frustrating, if unfair, feeling of familiarity.
First off, the book is incredibly readable, and I found myself flying through it. Haynes does a fantastic job of showing the myriad ways a war can be fought beyond physical combat; the upsetting lack of bodily autonomy experienced by most women in times of conflict; the heartbreaks both big and small that must be endured; the sense of sisterhood between friends and enemies alike; and the stoicism shown by those left to pick up the pieces once the dust begins to settle. Her handling of both goddesses and mortals within the same sphere is also effective; the former feeling suitably powerful and ethereal, yet engaging and approachable on an emotional level.
The book’s greatest ambition – to inhabit the voice of almost every major female figure touched by the war – was ironically one of its greatest missteps for me. With so many point-of-view characters, certain perspectives are inevitably more compelling than others. The anguish of Cassandra, doomed to foresee the future but never be believed, and the sorrow of Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth who must watch mankind destroy everything she loves, are particularly well portrayed, for example. I also liked that the initial ingrained misogyny shown towards Helen (by both men and women) was directly challenged by the character herself; Helen asking other women why they hold her solely responsible for the outbreak of the war, and not her abductor or her husband (though I do wish this thread had been pushed much further moving forward).
Other characters, like Calliope and Penelope, are much less convincingly drawn, sadly. The former often feels like a mouthpiece for the author, a character through whom Haynes clumsily declares her book’s themes. The latter’s chapters are presented in the form of letters to her absent husband, recounting in the second person his own adventures (à la, “You did this, then you said that.”). Not only does this make little narrative sense (why would he need a detailed description of his own recent actions?), it also does little to offer Penelope a sense of worth or independence beyond her link to her husband, which feels like the exact opposite of the book’s intention. On the contrary, her contribution comes off as a thinly veiled means of shoehorning the story of The Odyssey into the narrative without utilising a male perspective.
Moving between so many characters at such a fast pace can also lead to some confusion as to the many links between them all, and how everyone slots into the bigger picture. For people completely new to mythology or retellings, I can see it proving more than a little daunting trying to make sense of the intricate web entangling the many players. All that said, I feel the book would have been stronger had it had a greater sense of focus, with Haynes choosing a few key women and homing in on their viewpoints.
I enjoyed this, but never felt wowed or moved by it in the way I – or the book – hoped I would be. A few years ago, this book would arguably have broken ground by offering a very underexplored take on beloved myths. Though not the author’s fault (this will almost certainly have been written long before publication of books like Circe or The Silence of the Girls), it now feels like a solid enough if lukewarm entry in a genre that is at risk of becoming oversaturated.
You can pick up a copy of A Thousand Ships from Book Depository by clicking here.
WOMEN’S PRIZE 2020 REVIEWS SO FAR:
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I’m just about to start this and this pretty much describes what I think I’m going to think of it 🙂
I hope you enjoy it, and look forward to your thoughts! 😊
I have a feeling that I might like this one more than you and other people who read Circe and The Silence of the Girls because I have read neither. I am glad to hear this was entertaining at least, if not that greatly executed. Great review!
It will be very interesting to see how it compares for a reader who hasn’t picked up either of those other titles yet! I hope you enjoy it! 😊
Great review! I’m glad that the book was quite readable (even if not the most outstanding or memorable). Sometimes I have a hard time getting invested in books with too many characters (and not enough emphasis on each one), so it’s good to know that about this book going into it!!
Thank you! 😊 I feel the same way about a large cast of characters, so I’m interested to hear how you get on with this one. I hope you enjoy it!
I feel like I’m past classic retellings now, which probably isn’t fair but it feels like they have been everywhere this past year or so!
I’m of the same opinion! They can be excellent, undoubtedly, but I think I’m ready for a little break from them.
Such a pity that the time of pubblication can ruin the enjoyment of a book.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Really enjoyed you thoughtful review.
It is a pity. Still, I’m sure some readers will find plenty to enjoy here. Thank you!!
Great review, Callum. I liked the point you made where its selling point—the war told from all-female point of view—was also its largest misstep. I also find it difficult to follow a lot of points of view, and much prefer immersing myself in just a few minds. I’m more wary of this now but I love retellings so much that I’m still crossing my fingers that I’ll like it.
I so agree with many of your points, even if it ultimately worked a bit better for me. I agree that the book would probably have been more successful, had it focused on not quite so many women.
I have to admit that when Helen challenged how the other women treated her that it came way too late for me (I’m also a bit, let’s say dubious, that during the nine or so years they spent together they never ever ever ever talked about it and then suddenly when they are all about to die they do?). Overall, yes, very readable, my emotional attachment to the characters helped me enjoy the book, but ultimately I don’t think it offers anything particularly groundbreaking.
Even though I was pleased and relieved when that scene happened, since it at least acknowledged the injustice, I definitely wanted the misogyny towards Helen to be challenged much further. The author could have made some excellent points there.
It was definitely an enjoyable enough read, and I’m glad you were able to take a little more from it than me.
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That’s disappointing – I was excited about this one. But that’s also because I loved Silence of the Girls so I feel like if I read it now I wouldn’t be able to keep from comparing them. Maybe in a year or two when Barker’s work isn’t quite so fresh in my mind!
I think if you loved Silence of the Girls you’ll definitely find a lot to enjoy here. But like you said, probably best to space them out a fair bit!
Thanks! I’ll keep it on my TBR but won’t rush to get it. Though now that I think of it, I don’t believe it’s out in Canada yet anyway.
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Such a balanced review. I’m am very happy to see that you found this one quite readable despite similarities to other recent Greek retellings! I’m also curious to see how all the different voices will work for me, as that’s one of the main draws, though it does seem like a challenging conceit to pull off. Sorry to see it didn’t work better for you as a whole!
I can see some of the group loving this more than I did, so hopefully you click with it! 😊
I just re-read this review after writing up my review and my thoughts are the SAME. I wasn’t intentionally copying, but we are obviously on the same page with this one 🙂
Also yes why didn’t we get Helen’s perspective?
Glad we’re on the same page! 😊 And yes, Helen challenging the sexism levied against her was one of the threads with the most potential (especially in a feminist retelling), so it’s odd her perspective went almost entirely unexplored.
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