Book Review: Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite Character: Clytemnestra

I loved this book. It’s super impactful. The story of the Trojan War told through the perspective of Clytemnestra and Helen, I was delighted to finally get to read this myth from a woman’s point of view. Even though I’ve never liked Helen, the author managed to portray her with such nuance and emotion that she became an empathetic character. Additionally, the struggles Helen faces are clearly influenced by her womanhood. If she were a man, she would not have been judged the same way. She was blamed for the war, and admittedly, running off with Paris was an idiotic thing to do, but in reality, the war actually had very little to do with her. She was simply an excuse. Meanwhile, finally Clytemnestra’s side of the story is shown. She is so often reviled, yet she suffered so much. Her husband killed their daughter to fight a war; she didn’t kill him out of greed. Through this book, Clytemnestra has earned a place as one of my favorite characters of all time. This book is wonderful and everyone should read it.