If you ask most people about Helen of Troy, chances are the name will strike a chord. Well-known as "the face that launched a thousand ships", this Greek heroine is given a fresh look and modern makeover in Esther Friesner's 2007 teen fiction novel.
But first, a little historical background. Most scholars agree that the legendary Trojan War would have taken place around the 13th century B.C.E., a time when Greek culture as it is popularly imagined had not yet taken shape. During this time (the Late Bronze Age), the dominant cultural force in Greece was the Mycenaeans, who bore little resemblance to what would become Classical Greek civilization. It is in this world that Helen of Troy would have lived, and from which Friesner draws heavily on archeological and artistic detail to craft the setting of her story.
In this first of two volumes, Friesner focuses on Helen as a young child and budding adolescent, growing up in the ancient kingdom of Sparta. Lacking any interest in women's domestic tasks and possessing indomitable willpower along with her legendary beauty, Helen secretly trains in armed combat and is determined not to have her decisions controlled by anyone else. On her journeys, she meets many already beloved historical and mythological characters, including the huntress Atalanta, the hero- or anti-hero in this version- Theseus and the legendary priestess of the Oracle at Delphi.
Filled with accurate Late Bronze Age details (including food, clothes, weapons and art), this unorthodox but engaging version of Helen's story paints a whole new picture of perhaps the most coveted woman in world history.
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