The Song of Troy

by Colleen McCullough

Book Overview

The tragic and terrible drama of the war between Greeks and Trojans, the long siege of Troy and the impact of one woman's beauty on the fate of two nations, is played out again in this dazzling novel... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0752814133
• ISBN13: 9780752814131
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Orion Books
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.73 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Colleen McCullough books

I love Colleen McCullough books I just started reading this it so far pretty good I have all her books and ordered a bunch of her books for my daughter birthday and mother's day because she keeps taking and borrowing mine lol but I didn't have this one

error in my submission

I submitted this in error. have not read the book yet.

Bewitching Tale About Mythic Heroes.

Ms McCullough is a well known author since the publication of her very first novel: "The Thorn Birds" (1977). This kind of success is difficult to maintain in successive publications. Not for her! Her second huge success was her "Roman Saga" started in 1990 with "The First Man in Rome" and followed by many interesting and documented volumes. "The Song of Troy" (1998) is a forceful retelling of the Trojan War Epic. The author writes each chapter as told from a different main character: from Priam to Hector; from Achilles to Agamemnon and from Helen to Hecuba. Every side in conflict has his saying, allowing the reader to make up his own mind about justice, common sense, madness, love, hatred and stubbornness displayed by each subject. For each Hero or Heroine Ms McCullough has constructed a very verisimilar persona based on classic texts material, personal intuition and literary sagacity. This book reveals Ms McCullough has done a profound research in Classic texts such as Greek Tragedies "Iphigenia in Aulis", "Helen" and "Ajax" from Euripides and Sophocles; Epic Poems as "Iliad", "Little Iliad", "Odyssey" and "Aeneid" from Homer and Virgil. She blends everything in a seamless coherent text with a modern and engaging prose giving the reader the possibility to get acquainted with the Trojan Drama from its start till the final scenes in only one volume. There are two points of the novel that astounded and delighted me: the first is how the author avoids the direct appearance of Olympic Gods without eluding the influence of supernatural on human actions and the second is the very rational explanation she devices to clear the shocking conflict between Agamemnon and Achilles. I strongly recommend this book to every reader interested in Trojan War, ancient Greece and historical novel. Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Great version of the Trojan War

McCullough gives a unique view of the war told by numerous characters from Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, etc. Having their point of view gives the story a realistic touch. My only complaint is that I wish Cassandra would have had a chapter, maybe the fall of Troy. It would have been interesting through her eyes. Overall a great read and one of my favorite stories of the Trojan War, I've read it three or four times now.

One of the best versions of the Trojan War I have read...

I first bought this book while randomly browsing through a bookstore when I was in 9th grade. I was attracted to the book by my love of Greek mythology and knowledge of Colleen McCullough's skill as a writer after reading _The Thorn Birds_. I have recently reread the book and believe it is a must-read for lovers of Greek mythology and those interested in the story of Troy. Each chapter of the story is told from the perspective of a different character, and though we hear the voices of Hector, Helen, Odysseus, Briseis, Agamemnon, Nestor, Ajax, and others, the story is by no means fragmented. (I am using the more common spellings of their names and not the spellings McCullough chooses.) Instead, it is enriched by this multiplicity of narrators. The gods are mentioned in a way that keeps us wondering about the true existence and nature of divinity. Odysseus is shown, more so than ever, to be cunning and wise beyond his time. The relationship of Achilles and Hector is beautifully written, as always and the relationship of Achilles and Briseis, which is usually given less attention, is haunting as well. Helen is well characterized as a hedonistic, prideful, self-centered, and cruelly sharp woman whom we enjoy hearing from despite her deficiencies. Agamemnon is proud, and yet he is not so in the flat and utterly despicable way many tales present him to be; McCullough's weaving of her own creations and known mythology present him as being more human and pitiable, perhaps even misunderstood and treated unjustly by history. The characters all seem to spring to life and yet, they retain the quality of immortality and timelessness that has fallen upon all figures of Greek mythology. With all the tellings and retellings of the story of the Trojan War I have seen and read, I have come to a realization that the best version of a well-known story is the version that makes you want to believe it is true. This realization was also aided by recent adaptations, _Helen of Troy_ (2003) and _Troy_ (2004), which I believe to be far inferior to this book in their presentation of the Trojan War. Colleen McCullough's _The Song of Troy_ is one of the few versions I have read that does not compromise classical Greek mythology while bestowing flesh and blood and a voice upon each character and giving the story new possibilities. It is the one version out of all those that I have read and seen that I want very much to believe.

The Trojan war retold in a humane & modern way.

Ms McCullough tells the story of the trojan war in a most interesting way - a political context is presented, the characters' psyche, set of mind, and motivations are presented, and the plot is broken into chapters, each told by a character around which that part of the plot turns, e.g. By Helen, Achiles, and Priamus.The storytelling is great - I was touched by the scene in which Priamus leaves Troy and comes to Achilles and asks him to give him Hector's body so he could give him proper burial, which is minimalist yet touches the heart.This way the plot comes to life, rather than being retold as a myth or dry history, and makes for a great reading.The book is written as prose and doesnt go into great detail when it comes to describing material which isnt a part of the plot (e.g. the ornaments on shields), which makes it more readable than a faithful translation of Homer's Illiad (it's noteworthy that Ms McCullough used material not only from Homer but from other sources as well, such as Virgil and Hesiod).This book makes for a long reading - it took me several hours of reading over a two weeks period - but I enjoyed it a lot, and recommend it with all my heart.

Imbued with humanity

Colleen McCullough creates a masterful and compelling retelling of the Trojan War. She takes an ancient story of heroic betrayal, vengeance, and hate, and imbues it with humanity. Never have the ramifications of Paris' and Helen's love affair been so fascinating or comprehensible. This epic story is told through the perspectives of the various people involved: Helen, Odysseus, Priam, Achilles, Agamemmon, Brise, and more. Although they do not cease their heroic natures, they lose their demigod standings. As a result, we become empathetic of each character's motivations. Perhaps one of the reasons we gain empathy for the characters is because they operate independently of the gods. That is, although members of the Olympic pantheon are invoked on numerous occasions, never is an event seen which may only be defined by supernatural means. Nevertheless, only Odysseus has agnostic thoughts.However, the main reasons we gain empathy for these characters is McCullough's wonderful imaginative talent and the formiddable strength of her writing. Her turns of phrase are poetically inspired. Only with reluctance could I put this book down. I did not want this book to end.