Daughters of Sparta
A Tale of Secrets, Betrayal and Revenge from Mythology's Most Vilified Women
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Daughters of Sparta
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Narrated by:
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Mira Dovreni
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By:
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Claire Heywood
About this listen
The story of the Siege of Troy from the infamous Helen and her sister Klytemnestra's points of view - a tale of secrets, passion and revenge from the women behind mythology's most devastating war.
Two sisters parted. Two women blamed. Two stories reclaimed.
For millennia, two women have been blamed for the fall of a mighty civilisation - but now it's time to hear their side of the story....
As princesses of Sparta, Helen and Klytemnestra have known nothing but luxury and plenty. With their high birth and unrivalled beauty, they are the envy of all of Greece.
Such privilege comes at a high price, though, and their destinies are not theirs to command. While still only girls they are separated and married off to legendary foreign kings Agamemnon and Menelaus, never to meet again. Their duty is now to give birth to the heirs society demands and be the meek, submissive queens their men expect.
But when the weight of their husbands' neglect, cruelty and ambition becomes too heavy to bear, they must push against the constraints of their sex to carve new lives for themselves - and in doing so make waves that will ripple throughout the next three thousand years.
Perfect for fans of Circe and Ariadne, Daughters of Sparta is a vivid and illuminating retelling of the Siege of Troy that tells the story of mythology's most vilified women from their own mouths at long last.
©2021 Claire Heywood (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Required reading for fans of Circe...a remarkable, thrilling debut." (Fiona Davis, New York Times best-selling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue)
"Helen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra are reimagined in this gorgeous retelling of the classic Greek myth - not as women defined by their husbands and lovers but as battle-weary survivors of a patriarchal society who take control of their own destiny. Absolutely riveting!" (Alka Joshi, New York Times best-selling author of The Henna Artist)
What listeners say about Daughters of Sparta
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ClareR
- 21-04-23
Interesting retelling!
I rather like how these Greek myths by Claire Heywood have been written as historical fiction without the Gods and magic. its an interesting glance into ancient Greece.
I liked the narrator, too. she brought the characters to life well, and made it interesting to listen to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rebecca Armstrong
- 09-03-22
heartbreaking but beautiful.
fantastically well written. Cried with the characters several times. Characters and a story we all know, but from the woman's perspective.
Sobbed with the characters multiple times. Powerful and heartbreaking writing.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- rosie
- 14-09-23
Wonderful
This is a great story. With how it jumped between the sisters I would sometimes get a little lost between listens. But having the two stories along side each other made for an interesting contrast
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Jenny Rowe
- 17-06-22
The most annoying narrator ever.
I had high hopes for this book and enjoyed the story but the narrator’s voice was desperately awful. I ended up reading the kindle edition instead as I wanted to finish the story. My bad.. listen to the sample clips carefully before buying!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anne A
- 03-03-23
Quite a disappointment
Well, the positive first. The author obviously wanted to create a psychologically convincing narrative for Klaitemnestra and Helen: the things they do and the possible motivations behind them. in this she is successful.
That said the construction of the book is clunky and the writing very flat.
I am not sure why the narrator has used the pronunciations of the names that she has: they are not the standardised ones we know, nor are they authentically Greek.They're just weird. She also makes all the men sound the same by giving them a strange unplaceable accent and presenting them as indistinguishable thugs.
This is nowhere near as good as the leaders in this genre I.e. Natalie Haynes and Madeleine Miller, so if you wonder if you're getting anything to equal them, which iswhat I had hoped, well, you're not.
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