- Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Simon Pulse; New title edition (Aug 31 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0689873972
- ISBN-13: 978-0689873973
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 10.6 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 68 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #764,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 8-10?What was it like to be the beauteous Helen of Troy, or to be Cassandra, the unappreciated visionary? This novel tries to offer some answers. It begins in the mind of 12-year-old Helen, abducted (but chastely treated) by Theseus, sought after by a dozen contentious suitors, married lovelessly to Menelaus, and finally?the only act in which she has not been completely passive?enthralled by passion in the form of Paris. If Helen, the victim of her own beauty and rank, is not exactly a heroine, Paris is far from a hero. He, too, is passive, blaming his actions on the will of the gods (particularly, Aphrodite), and is fonder of love and his own looks than he is of battle. Fortunately, almost two thirds of the novel is given to Cassandra. Her description of Helen as "bone sweet" does not, however, conform to the Helen we have met in Part I. Of course many readers will know the outcome of the story, but the accounts of battles, negotiations and stratagems, seen from within Troy, still manage to be suspenseful, and the ending is particularly deft. The writing is competent but not especially vivid and too often predictable; there is some clumsy exposition. Little differentiates the voice of Cassandra from the voice of Helen: both are misfits in their world, but their speech and thoughts lack individual identity. Nevertheless, the novel is carefully structured, there are some interesting historical details, and the idea of a woman's-eye view of The Iliad would seem timely. If this novel manages to introduce even a few more readers to the world of the ancient Greeks, it will be worth its shelf space.?Patricia (Dooley) Lothrop Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 7^-10. Promising first-time author McLaren gives us the story of the Trojan War from two points of view. She begins with the divinely beautiful Helen, who recounts her own history--from her kidnapping at age 12 by Theseus to her marriage to Menelaus to her head-over-heels encounter with handsome, arrogant Paris. The remainder of the book is narrated by Paris' sister Cassandra, who experiences painful visions of the future (precipitated by Helen's arrival) but can get no one to believe her. These ancient stories are made as fresh and vivid as any modern tale by the electrifying characters and sensual details. By the time the tragedy has unfolded, readers will no longer think of Helen, Penelope, Achilles, and Odysseus as dull entries in a history text but will recognize them as gripping, fascinating personalities. Susan Dove Lempke
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inside the Walls of Troy Review,
By A Customer
This review is from: Inside the Walls of Troy (Mass Market Paperback)
My sixth grade class at Laurel School read Inside the Walls of Troy. Before that, we had just finished reading a book about Troy and the Trojan War. Our class did have an idea of who the characters where, but we didn't know too much about the women. Inside the Walls of Troy gave us a great picture of how the women lived and felt during this awful war. There was Cassandra, a seer, who was supposedly given the gift of "sight" by the god of music, Apollo. There was also Helen, the most beautiful women in the world who was married off to Menelaus, an ugly, hairy armed, loving man. These are the two main women in this book and there are actually two parts about them. You start off with Helen being the main character. In this part, you start off with Helen living in Sparta with her sister Penelope and her maid Hessia. Theseus comes and kidnaps Helen and tries to show her how to be a proper lady. Helen is thirteen at the time and her brothers come and save her. When she goes home, suitors await her all wanting her hand in marriage. Everyone is in awe over Helen's beauty and have to make the vow of the horse not to hurt or kill her husband or any of his family. Helen marries Menelaus and they become rulers of Sparta. After a while, they have their first child, Hermione who Menelaus adores. Menelaus invites a Trojan to maybe make a truce over brewing trade problems. Paris came and ends up running away with Helen. They flee to Troy where they plan to live happily ever after. In the second part, which is more about Cassandra, Cassandra is having one of her daily visions and sees Paris returning with Helen. She sees disaster ahead for Troy. She goes to tell her brother, Helenus, who also has the gift of sight. When Helen does come, Cassandra is afraid, but as the story goes on, it tells about their friendship and troubles. Inside the Walls of Troy now is one of my favorite books to read and I strongly encourage other people to read it. I'm sure you too will love this wonderful book with great vocabulary and will want other people to read it. Clemence McLaren has done a great job of writing Inside the Walls of Troy with facts and a twist of some things she made up. You'll find yourself feeling like you too are part of the book and experiencing the Trojan War.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Trojan War,
By A Customer
This review is from: Inside the Walls of Troy (Hardcover)
This fantastic novel, "Inside The Walls of Troy," is a great example of author Clemence McLaren's unique talent with words. In vivid detail, Helen's thoughts and emotions are described. Then Cassandra, Paris' sister, is set describing HER comments and feelings. All the while, the reader is so wrapped up in the novel that it is nearly impossible to set down. I was especially drawn to Helen, because she experienced so much, and had the weirdest reactions. At one point in the story, she was meeting the suitors that were lined up to marry her. It was interesting to read about how she felt about everyone, and I liked how Clemence McLaren described her as a rather proud, spunky yet thoughtful young-adult. As a class, my peers and I met Mrs. McLaren in person, and talked to her about her novels-especially this one. She was open, friendly, and creative. After meeting her, I realized that her personality really reflected upon her gift of writing, and that is why all her books are spectacular. If you are someone out there that loves Greek Mythology and a breath-taking novel, this is for you!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to fall in love with,
By Colleen (sf, ca, usa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Inside the Walls of Troy (Mass Market Paperback)
This book was a spectacular adventure for me. It was very moving and I fell in love with many of the characters. I have read this book way to many times to count and yet I still cry when Hector cries. I love this particular take on the Trojan war and because of this book I have read many other takes and views on the Trojan war yet I still find this one to be the best. Troy comes out in May and even though Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom is in this movie, I think I will be immensely disappointed because it is not focused on Helen or Cassandra.
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