Helen of Troy

A Novel

By: Margaret George

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.

Margaret George breathes new life into the great Homeric tale by having Helen narrate her own story. Through her eyes and in her voice, we experience the young Helen's discovery of her divine origin and her terrifying beauty. While hardly more than a girl, Helen married the remote Spartan king Menelaus and bore him a daughter. By the age of 20, the world's most beautiful woman was resigned to a passionless marriage until she encountered the handsome Trojan prince Paris. And once the lovers flee to Troy, war, murder, and tragedy become inevitable.

©2006 Margaret George (P)2006 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., and Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"An absorbing retelling of the classic Trojan War myth, and a sobering look at the utter futility of trying to change one's fate." (Booklist)

"George's extraordinary storytelling abilities shine in her portrayal of Helen as both a conflicted woman who abandoned her homeland and child for true love, and as a legendary figure whose beauty and personal choices had epic consequences." (Publishers Weekly)

Not as good as her other work

I have read two other Margret George books and loved every word. This was not as good although the information is correct on much of history. The people were very self absorbed and annoying. I gave it 3 stars because Margret George does get the information right.

A fair and ambitious effort.

A fair and ambitious effort. The story could have used another round of edits, it wore on by the end.

Beautiful rendition of the story

The only thing I would say is the narrator’s cadence could sometimes be very robotic sounding and it got annoying at times. Other than that, it was a beautiful telling of this timeless tale.

Not my cup of tea.

I found long stretches dull. The performance was excruciating; consistently, the inflection on the wrong words made it almost unbearable, making it seem as if the novel was poorly written. The narration choices constantly pulled the listener’s focus toward less important words/information rather than the words and passages relevant to the context and point in the story.

Epic.

What a well told story! Margaret George... I ❤️ her. I've never been disappointed by her.

Never Let Down

As with all the previous books written by Margaret George, Helen of Troy was entrancing. Learning history can be such a bore but Margaret George makes learning about historical figures so real and memorable that one would think they had some how traveled though time and actually became a part of that person life. She breaths life into a otherwise 2 dimensional historical figure. If you are a fan of Margaret George then you know this is a must read and if you have not discovered this great authors work yet I would greatly recommend you introduce yourself to the wonderful world of historical fiction in a novel. You wont be sorry.

Excellent narration.

The story was excellent. In 2022 as we experience our civilization changing it was comforting (a little) to know this story has happened again and again. It is a romantic love story, a violent war story(a bit too much). It was told by an excellent narrator. She was perfect for this book. Many have heard the story before. The details were so enveloping.

Margaret George always hits the mark

This is my fourth audiobook from MG
I had a feeling this would be a fascinating fun and freaky tale and was I right
This set up takes time as there are many characters and moving parts, but the payoffs are spectacular thanks to such fascinating character development
Unlike her other works which are based on historical facts, this adventure is a wonderful ride into mythology and you find yourself really there and wishing it were all true no matter the brutality or far out wonder

A Very Different Take Than Homer

Any additional comments?

Just once I'd like to read a version of Helen where she's actually portrayed as a Spartan queen, and all that implies. While this take is more traditional in portraying her as the lovestruck tool of the gods, Helen proves she's made of sterner stuff than most versions would portray her. I was a bit put-off at first by how slowly the book starts, but the build-up is worth it as a fully three-dimensional character study of some of Homer's most enduring characters. As a romance novel, this is a solid read, but it's so much more. While it's not quite what Homer had in mind, perhaps, there is history, mythology, and warfare to be had in abundance once the story gets going. Margaret George describes the city of Troy in amazing detail, and her citizens comes to life. The mythology involved does add a different feel to Ms. George's story, so it doesn't quite feel like some of her other works. Don't let that put you off. If you like the subject and the author, there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy this book.

Good until it wasn’t...

Not a terrible read or listen - certainly somewhat entertaining but the characters are not super engaging. Not true to well-known versions of myth by its nature as it is an embellished telling from Helen’s perspective - on that point, it feels like Helen’s characterisation is picking up but drops off before she can become relatable and interesting. Narration is a little wonky as all the “common” folk have a weird Eastern European accent that makes no sense and is super distracting - pretty much the reason I wrote this review.