A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes

This book has been on my list for ages, as it was both longlisted and then shortlisted for the 2020 Women's Prize, as well as being a historical fiction specifically focused on the Trojan war. Having read both Madeline Miller novels The Song of Achilles and Circe, as well as Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls just last week, I was so excited to delve back into the world of the Greeks and Trojans. This novel focuses on the largely untold stories of the women, primarily - a nice change from the tales of Achilles, Patroclus, Odysseus and the like. Not only does Haynes zoom in on one female voice, but a whole cast of them - be that mortals, queens or gods. We hear from the women in different formats, including letters written from Penelope to her beloved Odysseus whilst he is away on the island of Aeaea with Circe (reminiscent of the Madeline Miller tale), as well as the experiences of captured women such as Briseis, Chryseis, and Cassandra and even Achilles' nymph-mother, Thetis. 

The story is framed by the narration of the muse Calliope, who repeatedly appears throughout the novel, and is refusing to help Homer write his epic poem. Through the recurrence of Calliope, Haynes effectively cuts Homer out of the picture in order to truly retain an all-female cast. Likewise, although we hear snippets of the tale of Achilles and Patroclus, and Odysseus' treacherous journey, they are all illustrated by a female voice, giving a much-needed alternate perspective. The 'heroic' Odysseus is now portrayed as the man who abandoned his wife and son for many years, travelling to Hades and shacking up with another woman; the tender and loving relationship between Achilles and Patroclus we remember from The Song of Achilles is now framed by the horrific violence of Achilles and the use of the captured women as their bed-slaves.

Haynes' writing is knowledgeable, confident and assertive - she tells the story in such a way that you feel compelled to agree with her on every detail. Clearly a lot of work and passion has been put into this novel, and it shines through in the brilliant character development as the women each narrate the story in turn, some of them recurring multiple times to pick up where they left off. If I hadn't read Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls just last week, I think I may have even loved this novel more - but I can't help but feel that I preferred Barker's novel of the two. That being said, the format is completely different and Haynes' book covers a lot more - I just personally preferred Barker's writing style and found the story more absorbing. In any case, both were brilliant and I would highly recommend this novel if you're feeling as though the women behind the tales of the Trojan war haven't been given a voice - now, they have!