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The Song of Troy [Audiobook] (Audio Cassette)

by Colleen McCullough (Author), Edmund Dehn (Narrator)

3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Audio Cassette
Publisher: ISIS Publishing (May 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 075310587X
ISBN-13: 978-0753105870

Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Never one to shy away from a good saga, Colleen McCullough (The Thorn Birds) tackles the Trojan War in The Song of Troy, a retelling modern in idiom but faithful to the original where it counts. Narrated by several of the key participants (Achilles, Agamemnon, Helen, etc.), it follows the war from the beginning, when Helen leaves her husband, Priam, for Paris of Troy, to the end, when Odysseus uses the wooden horse to sneak his soldiers into the city. Not aimed at classics scholars, this is a laudable interpretation of the epic, rendered with both sweep and intimacy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

McCullough's excellent retelling of the Trojan War saga will appeal both to readers familiar with the famous Greek tale and those with a fledgling interest in the subject. Written in a clever, almost conversational tone, McCullough's version of the 10-year siege of Troy by the armies of Greece unfolds slowly and dramatically, with each chapter narrated by one of the conflict's major players. The trouble begins when the mythical beauty Helen flees Greece to be with her Trojan lover, Paris. This liaison provides the king of Greece with a long-awaited reason to attack Troy. The war drags on for a decade, until Odysseus hatches his brilliant Trojan-horse plan, which brings the war to its ultimate bloody conclusion. McCullough packs the novel with a host of colorful characters who tell the tale of the horrible war from both sides: Helen and Paris, the impassioned lovers at the source of the conflict; the "king of kings," Agamemnon, who, in his desperation to win the war, sacrifices his youngest daughter; the sad old man King Priam; the clever Odysseus; and the tragic warrior Achilles. This vivid portrayal of the people and events of the Trojan War is actually a rewritten version of McCullough's first novel, which was never published. A personal agreement between her and this publisher--not her usual one--now leads to its appearance in print, and her many fans will find it difficult to put down. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An Entrancing Song, Jan 7 2005

By	dark_phoenix "dark_phoenix" (Brantford, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Song of Troy (Paperback)

As a student of Archaeology and Classical Studies, I am frequently hard-pressed to find accurate and intelligent variations and interpretations of ancient works by modern authors. McCullough's 'Song of Troy', while it admittedly takes several liberties with character personalities, follows the original 'Illiad' with startling accuracy of actions, but also gives insight as to different reasons WHY the characters may have taken these actions.
It must be remembered that the Illiad, while it will always be the authoritative voice, does not provide extensive insight into character development. For example, Achilles in the Iliad actually leaves the action quite early on and does not return until the later books near the end... McCullough has taken this and other events and tried to fill in the gaps, making the characters and their actions more human, and therefore better understood in the context of the original poem.
I can see how a purist might not appreciate this, but the reality is that there is no 'pure' version of the original either -- this was a poem that was handed down orally for generations before being written down, and for all we know we could have a substantially different version than was, say, being recited in Sparta or Pylos at the time. We know certain segments were altered for the audience, and it just so happens that someone somewhere finally decided to write their version down. Is it so wrong now, that a modern-day storyteller would tell the story again, altering it slightly for their audience? It doesn't break the purity of the original, it merely shows the continuation of this ancient tradition, following in the footsteps of Homer himself.
McCullough's 'Song of Troy' is entrancing and captivating, and will bring the famed story to life as you read. It will be a welcome addition to anyone's collection who understands that 'tampering' with a story such as this is not really tampering at all, but a continuation of a tradition unbroken through the ages -- "this is how things are, and Zeus himself, The thunder lord, could not make them otherwise." (Book 14, lines 50-51)

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2.0 out of 5 stars Did not like it at all, May 25 2004

By A Customer

I am not exactly sure why people like this book so much. I found it boring, dragging, and filled with unsympathetic characters. Even my favourite hero, Hector, doesn't come out in the best of lights, not to mention all the others. Helen for one, is a nasty piece of work, and makes me wonder why anyone would want anything to do with her.

Another thing that bothered me was some grammatical mistakes, fragment sentences and typographical errors. These things should have been caught by the editor. As to characters' names, I found it annoying that Briseis is called Brise here. If you're going to write a book that is based on an earlier work and you use the names in the same format as in the original, then at least you should be consisten about it. All the other characters are named correctly (some with slight variations in spelling, i.e. 'k' instead of 'c' and vise versa, which is acceptable) except Briseis. Maybe I am too picky and a perfectionist, but I think as a novelist, one should pay attention even to the little details.

Lastly, I don't think you can improve on the original. This book has nothing on Homer's Illiad, and I am sorry I have wasted my time reading it.

Not recommended.

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5.0 out of 5 stars McCullough shines again, Jun 14 2001

By	Casey McGowan (Cedar Rapids, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Song of Troy (Paperback)

The Song of Troy is a fabulous look at the ancient tale of the Trojan War. Ms. McCullough spins a marvelous yarn about a fascinating period. I read this after reading her Masters of Rome series and I was not disappointed!!!!

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Rome!
A bit disappointing to me. Tale of the Seige of Troy as told from the various participant's stories. No character development that compares with mccullough's Roman saga. Read more

Published on May 22 2001 by Noel Molloy

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Rome!
Disappointing. Tale of the Seige of Troy as told from the various participant's stories. No character development that compares with mccullough's Roman saga. Read more

Published on May 22 2001 by Noel Molloy

5.0 out of 5 stars The Trojan war retold in a humane & modern way.
Ms McCullough tells the story of the trojan war in a most interesting way - a political context is presented, the characters' psyche, set of mind, and motivations are presented,... Read more

Published on Nov 17 2000 by Uri Raz