- Paperback: 376 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Reprint edition (Sep 1 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0152045708
- ISBN-13: 978-0152045708
- Product Dimensions: 17.7 x 11.4 x 2.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 91 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#58,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #15 in Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Ancient Civilizations
- #34 in Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Military & Wars
- #53 in Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Greek & Roman
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Homer's mighty epic poem, The Iliad, is the earliest written literature of Western civilization. Adele Geras, best known for her trilogy based on Sleeping Beauty, takes on the seemingly impertinent task of retelling the siege of Troy as a young adult novel, but manages to carry it off without trivializing the original. The great battles of the bronze-clad warriors and the clashes between Achilles and Hector and Odysseus are seen at a distance from the walls of the city, where the Trojan townsfolk gather to sit each day and cheer the action like spectators at some archaic football game.
The passion of Helen and Paris, Hector's farewell to his ill-fated infant son, and other familiar domestic scenes are seen from a closer perspective, through the eyes of the four teenage protagonists. Marpessa is Helen's young servant, and her sister Xanthe is nursemaid to Hector's baby son, while Iason, who is secretly beloved by their friend Polyxena, tends the horses and yearns for Xanthe, who has a crush on Alastor, who has impregnated Marpessa. These complicated, interlocking infatuations and love affairs work themselves out against a background of siege and bloodshed watched over by the gods. Artemis, Mars, Poseidon, and Pallas Athene appear in visions to reveal their plans to the characters (and to us), but their words blow away like mist as soon as they are gone. Meanwhile, the bawdy gossip of three old serving maids in the kitchen emulates a Greek chorus. The story winds to its inevitable destination with the emergence of the Greeks from the wooden horse and the bloody sack of the city--a suitably violent end to an ancient and violent tale. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
"With exceptional grace and energy, Geras recreates the saga of the Trojan War by delving into the hearts and minds of the women of Troy," wrote PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"They'll be here later on," said Charitomene. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
"They'll be here later on," said Charitomene. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed....,
By A Customer
This review is from: Troy (Paperback)
I simply can't tell you how sorry I am that I cannot be one of those who raves about this book. Being a young adult myself, when I found this book in the Young Adult's section of the bookstore I was thrilled. I am sure many people can relate when I say that the Trojan War has always fascinated me. When I bought this book I couldn't wait to dive into the story.I bought this book fully prepared to be blown away because of all the amazing reviews and awards circling it. But boy, was I disappointed. I realize that because I am young I may not yet appreciate this sort of thing but I was absolutely shocked by the...erm...shall we say...explicit material in this book. Every time I pass this book, proudly displayed in the Young Adult's section in the bookstore, I can't help wondering what some parents will think when they peer over their 11-year-old's shoulder and find them reading some of the worst parts of this book. Now, this book is like a soap opera in print, which is not always a bad thing, and there are very many parts where the character's feelings hold the largest piece. But for some reason (maybe it's just me) I found that, although the author was writing words that described the character's feelings it all felt surface-like to me. For a book so full of emotions none of the feelings expressed felt as deep as in some other books I've read; they just felt like words on a page. The characters in this book were all original and the author's imagination and portrayal of some of the best known characters in the Trojan War was something different and there were personalities that I enjoyed discovering. This book could make a great PG-13 or even R rated movie, but as a book it was a little disappointing.
4.0 out of 5 stars
a classic,
By diane (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Troy (Hardcover)
if you know the story, or have read 'the Iliad' (Troy)...then you must read this! its a neat story. Geras highlighted characters that were hardly, or have never been mentioned within the original epic Troy. She viewed the story from the Trojan's perspective..It all ends the same way- hardly some parts of it was distoredly narrarated if you were to compare it from the original version (on how the war went on). But, the ending kind of left me hanging...what happened to Xanthe? Adromarche? Guys and Gals - This book is WAY better than the movie even if Mr. Pitt was in it!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book ever!!!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Troy (Paperback)
This book was amazing! It totally shed new light onto the Trojan War. It was awesome because it's like reading a soap opera, and yet it's historical fiction, so there is some truth to everything. This book is a better way to learn history; more kids would want to learn if every historical event was put into historical fiction like this book was. Troy made the Trojan War real, and made it interesting, instead of reading the entire lIlliad. Even though it is for more mature people due to some explicit parts, Troy is a "two-thumbs up" kind of book!
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