Gaele Hi
Told in predominantly first person POV, we have the final weeks of detail on the battle for dominance of Troy from Briseis’ view. Former queen, taken by Achilles as a prize of war when he defeated her husband and brothers. Now a concubine, her awareness of the fact that she is not the hero of her own story, with no choice but to watch events unfold around her is clear {perhaps too clear – a fault of time elapsed from event to retell?} that gives an intriguing, and particularly easy to see the influence and moments from Homer’s original. With a few moments where Achilles’ perspective is presented, with an interesting presentation of his brutality while examining the perception of his heroism, a juxtaposition that many authors fail to handle as deftly. But the story is far more than just a retelling: Briseis is both politically adept and a keen observer of the world around her: no shrinking violet, she is watching, waiting and making choices that will best serve her for the future, should there be one. She manages to present her tale with musings that harken back to the lyricism and poetic feel /nature of Homer’s original, in fact I felt that much of the original’s rhythmic prose that added that sense of a classic, while present, also allowed the clear voice of Briseis as her story presents one of a person without a real dog in the fight, free to recount moments experienced from her unique perspective. Not simply a tale of ‘yet another woman in love with her captor’, the nuance and clear presentation of traits and characteristics often in direct contrast help to define and illustrate both Achilles and Patroclus, contrasting their moments of petulance, empathy and even jealousies adds another layer to the tale, allowing those interested in returning to the original a newer {and perhaps more connected} perspective and way to appreciate the tale, history and humanity within. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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