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The Song of Troy

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 737 ratings · 52 reviews

The Song of Troy As urgent and passionate as if told for the first time, the narrative is passed from one character to another: Priam, King of Troy, doomed to make the wrong decisions for the right reasons; the Greek princess Helen, a self-indulgent beauty who deserts her boring husband for the sake of an equally self-indulgent beauty, the Trojan prince Paris; the haunted...more

Paperback, 483 pages

Published January 7th 1999 by Orion Paperbacks (first published January 1st 1998)

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Feb 13, 2008 Mariana rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who is interested in the story of the Trojan War - a must read!

Shelves: read-me-senseless-books, historical-fiction, novel

Song of Troy is, probably, the best recollection of the Trojan War I've read so far. Colleen McCullough, with her stupend writing and style, presents us with this book on a well-known subject which, nevertheless, manages to keep the reader's interest from first page to last.

Colleen masterfully lays down the story of the most famous war of the ancient world, all the while bringing a new scope to the narrative, as each chapter is written through the eyes of a different character: the beautiful, bu...more

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Jun 06, 2010 Helmisade rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, historical-fiction, have-a-copy

I think I liked the idea of this book more than I liked the book itself. Getting inside the story of Troy? Sounds great! And in some ways it was. There were parts that were interesting.
The problem is, that the characters just didn't come alive to me. It's always annoying when you have your character do the explaining for you, because nobody does that naturally. I'm not sitting here wearing woollen socks thinking: "she knew that in some cultures woollen socks weren't as common as in Finland. Smil...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Amelia Oliver rated it 4 of 5 stars

Colleen McCullough gives us a modern retelling of the ancient story, which on the surface is about war but really is about what makes us human – valor, love, loyalty, pride, leadership and deceit.

McCullough’s pacing is great; the action moves along so quickly it’s hard to find a place to put the book down. She starts off 30 years before the war to set up the story and characters. This is in my opinion the strongest part of the book, perhaps because the author’s strengths seem to be historical re...more Colleen McCullough gives us a modern retelling of the ancient story, which on the surface is about war but really is about what makes us human – valor, love, loyalty, pride, leadership and deceit.

McCullough’s pacing is great; the action moves along so quickly it’s hard to find a place to put the book down. She starts off 30 years before the war to set up the story and characters. This is in my opinion the strongest part of the book, perhaps because the author’s strengths seem to be historical research and plot construction, rather than character development or beautiful prose. McCullough includes arguably all the important events, embellishing them as she sees fit, and even manages to insert a major plot twist. But by the time she gets to the final chapters - the part most readers know play by play - it feels like she is struggling a bit to dress up the story with new ideas.

The Iliad and other accounts involve the Greek gods as active characters – if you are hoping to see Apollo, Zeus and Athena sitting on the walls of Troy and intervening for their favorites you will be disappointed here. The gods are present only as mortals see a divine hand in events, and McCullough’s mortals tend toward atheism.

Yes, there are too many Greeks to keep straight; McCullough addresses this somewhat by having different characters narrate the chapters. It works, although, with the possible exception of Helen, everyone sounds like Colleen McCullough.

She makes a good effort to include the voices of women in a story where mortal woman’s role has been passive object. All the female characters are intelligent and strong, and they all see things the men miss. If other reviewers have seen McCullough’s Helen as “a sex kitten,” I would argue that vision is in the eye of the beholder. McCullough’s story keeps sex and even romance mostly at arm’s length – especially the relationship between Achilles and Patrokles is strangely devoid of sensuality.

If you like Bernard Cornwell, Margaret George, Mary Renault or James Clavell, or if you like Greek mythology or even ancient history in general, you will likely enjoy The Song of Troy.
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Sep 23, 2009 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: colleen-mccullough, historical-fiction, library, 2009, mythology, reviewed, lgbtq

This is the kind of historical fiction that I love to read. I've always had a passing interest in mythology, but sometimes it can be so dry! "So & So, son of Such & Such, did A, B, C, & D, had son Whatchamacallit with Whatshername who was the daughter of Whosthatguyagain?..." That's one of the reasons I've put off reading the Bible. Too many begats.

But McCullough manages to work all of the necessary begats in, while at the same time still moving the story along, and further making y...more This is the kind of historical fiction that I love to read. I've always had a passing interest in mythology, but sometimes it can be so dry! "So & So, son of Such & Such, did A, B, C, & D, had son Whatchamacallit with Whatshername who was the daughter of Whosthatguyagain?..." That's one of the reasons I've put off reading the Bible. Too many begats.

But McCullough manages to work all of the necessary begats in, while at the same time still moving the story along, and further making you CARE. She brings these characters to life in a way that mere Mortals could only dream of. History and myth gives them names, but McCullough gives them LIFE. Personality, aspirations, hopes and dreams, conniving brilliance, worshipful adoration, undying loyalty, etc. These are the things that McC gives us and inspires our adoration of her.

First, let me say that I wish I'd have taken notes when reading this book. Each chapter is narrated by a different character, and it's not always easy to keep track of who is who in the beginning, or which side they are on. (I said I have a passing interest in Mythology - I'm not a scholar with Heroes' names, important dates and country of births memorized!) This is the one thing that dropped this down to 4 stars for me. Granted, once I got to the midway point, I was just along for the ride and following everything without a problem, but getting there would have been easier if perhaps the chapter headings had say "Priam of Troy" instead of just "Priam" for the narrator.

That being said, even once I was up on the who's who and which side is which, McC made it VERY difficult to pick a side to root for! She portrayed everything so realistically that there is no "right" side to an impartial judge; rather "right" is dependent on which King you serve and which version of the story you get from them. Much like wars today *cough*, the Greeks' war against Troy was less for the proclaimed scapegoat reason and more for profit and political gain (read: land and money). Come to think of it, we're quickly coming up on 10 years too... But I digress.

I was surprised by the humor and modernity in this book. Odysseus especially was fairly snarky and at times I felt like he would just step out of the pages and start pulling strings everywhere. I got a few chuckles out of him. I liked that while the feel of the book was true to the traditional story, it did feel updated and accessible to everyone- not just mythology buffs.

I also appreciated that the magic and the miracles were left open to interpretation. There is always a plausible scientific, or at least non-magical, explanation for miraculous events. That's a fine line to walk, actually, to say "Here's a possibility" but not try to sell it or convince us. I appreciate McC for being able to do that well, and for doing it at all. Too often authors want to spread their opinions like little seeds, hoping that they will take root in someone else. It's a rare thing for an author to write a book without a stance.

I also enjoyed the fact that there was homosexuality and bisexuality in the book, but that it wasn't done in such a way as to be a slur or a joke. It was simply presented as an everyday occurrence and accepted. Too bad that's relegated to history, we could use a little of that mindset now.

Speaking of which, my four favorite characters in the book were portrayed as bisexual and gay: Diomedes, Odysseus, and Achilles (bi) and Patrokles (gay). I loved how these men were able to be Men (RAWR!) on the battlefield but then off the field share a part of themselves with another man that men of today wouldn't dream of. Get your mind out of the gutters! I mean their feelings, not their tools. Really though, knowing that these men were gay did not make me feel any differently about them as warriors - and I love warriors. If anything, it made me respect them more for their duality. They were able to truly love and be loved by men, yet go out and kill hordes of them daily. Crazy.

I notice that my favorite characters are all Greek, which is interesting because I am still very undecided as to which ideological side I wanted to win the war. I mean, obviously I knew which side would win, but there is a part of me that just loves the underdog and will always root for the losing side. But neither side was faultless, and both sides were harmed by the other prior to war, so who is right? Conundrum.

Anyway... I really enjoyed the book... It certainly is fuel for thought and shows that mythology is just as relevant today as it was 4,000 years ago. Give or take a century. (less)

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Jan 27, 2013 Lotuslulu rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is no group of characters I am more enamoured with in mythology, legend, and history than those of the Trojan and Greek forces whose legend centers around the action on the plains of Troy. I appreciated that Colleen McCullough tried to show me each of their unique perspective as the years crawled on. And while this book is not perfect (but what is?) and there are many things I question, I liked reading it. I looked forward to ,reading another chapter, even though I know everything that hap...more

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Dec 08, 2007 Kei rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

I have two favourite stories set in Troy, and this one seems a nice choice for my First Book. The war comes to life, the characters step out of Homer and breathe - the good, the bad, and the slightly derranged - and Odyseus is my kind of hero, just a guy who wants to get the job done properly and go home.

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Mar 18, 2012 David Sierra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Colleen McCullough vuelve a mostrar su dominio de la ficción histórica acercándonos esta vez a la guerra que tanto influyó en la literatura occidental. Los personajes se nos muestran cercanos, con sus dudas y flaquezas, narrándonos algunos en primera persona momentos clave de la misma historia. Helena, Aquiles, Ulises, Príamo, Héctor, y tantos, tantos iconos de la Grecia Clásica. La narración hace que la historia nos parezca verosímil, intentando unir la mitología con las realidades descubiertas...more

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Dec 05, 2007 Bookish rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who loves a good story about troy

Shelves: goodreads

wow! what a great book! this author continues to dazzle me - she has always been one of my favorites! the way this story is told is unique - each "chapter" told by a different character and it all blends in beautifully! i didn't think i'd like this approach but it worked and well!

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Dec 15, 2012 Monica Dias rated it 3 of 5 stars

I...I don't know what to think of this book. I started reading it thinking that I would either love, or hate it, but it turns out that I was wrong.
This was one of the most frustrating books I've ever read. On one hand, there are stuff here that I really like, for example, the story is very well written and it flows nicely, I can tell that Collen McCullough has a deep respect for the Trojan War legendarium, and there are part that are really engaging and interesting.
On the other hand, there is...more I...I don't know what to think of this book. I started reading it thinking that I would either love, or hate it, but it turns out that I was wrong.
This was one of the most frustrating books I've ever read. On one hand, there are stuff here that I really like, for example, the story is very well written and it flows nicely, I can tell that Collen McCullough has a deep respect for the Trojan War legendarium, and there are part that are really engaging and interesting.
On the other hand, there is stuff in this book that I really don't like, I dare say, hate. One of the thing that I don't like is the fact that the story focuses on the Greek side, while the Trojan side is pretty much neglected. In fact, the stuff we know about Priam's familly and Troy in general isn't even half of what we know about the Greeks. I mean, we don't even know anything about the relationships between Priam's sons and daughters. We don't know whether or not Heitor and Paris liked each other, or if they hated each other. I mean, at first it seems like they get along just fine, and by the end they hate each other's guts. Why? What happened? Also, where is Cassandra, and for that matter, where the hell is Paris?! I'm serious, where is he throughout the whole book, throughout the war? We only get one chapter told by his POV in this book, and he's the freakin' main character! Seriously, what happened to him? Was the author affraid that if she gave him more page time that we would actually like him, something that we aren't supposed to do since he's a lazy, hedonistic little bitch? Was that it?! Was that why the person that caused a war that destroyed a city and killed one of the world's most famous heroes wasn't present thoughout 90% of his own story?!! Eh?!!
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Yes, Paris, or the lack of him, is a thorn on my side, but he's a small fish to the rest of the characters, the real reasons for my frustration and annoyance.
First of all, I'm guessing that we readers are suppose to dislike Helen. If that's so, then Kudos to you, book, because I hate that stupid slut and I would've been very happy if she had suffered a very, very, very painful death. So yeah, Kudos for that.
Now, the characters of this book, and there are quite a few, are extremely frustrating. Here's why: all the characters can pretty much be filed under two categories: either they're hateful, or they're boring. In this entire book, there are only three exceptions to this: Patrocles, who is very sweet and very likeble, and who didn't deserve to be treated the way he was by that bastard Aquiles; Ulisses, who I really liked because he was the only inteligent and interesting character in the whole book; and Paris, who I actually like (even though I don't think I'm supposed to), but who doesn't fit into neither of these categories because he was neglected by the author, and because, dispite everything, he is still sympathetic, in a underdog-ish yet bitchy-ish way. All the other characters are either boring as hell or despicable, and not in a good, fun way, and by God, aren't they all STUPID! And I don't mean mildly stupid, oh no, I mean retarded stupid. I'm serious, you think that Paris is a dumb fuck? Believe me, he has nothing on Agamemnon!
But I think that my most hated characters, besides Helen, are Heitor and Aquiles, specially the last one. Heitor is boring as hell, I mean plain as ditchwater boring, not to mention a douche, but while I do hate him, he's barely in the book, for some reason, so that kind of saves him from a lot of my hate.
Ñow, Aquiles, on the other hand, oh no, he's everywhere, to my endless dismay, and how I hate his guts! I hated him since Quiron's chapter, where he was established to be the book's resident Gary Stu! I hated him in his first POV chapter,when we get introduced to his oh-so-painful-pain! I hated him thoughout the whole book, thoughout which there was so much build up to that character that it was honestly stomach-turning and sickening! And I hated him for many reasons, but mostly because his character is built up so much, in such an annoying, sickening way, but when it comes to it, he freakin' FAILS! EPICALLY! He is overrated and overused and most of all, he's drop dead dull. No, not dull, oh no, Aquiles dullness should not be described as simple dullness, oh no, his dullness deserves all capital letters. He, Aquiles, is not only the book's Gary Stu, he is D.U.L.L. And to be honest, I actually went "YUPPY!" when Paris killed him, because, by God, wasn't I glad to get rid of that dull moron.
So, yeah, as you could've noticed, my main problem with this book is the characters. It's just that they are all so boring and stupid and despicable, but mostly boring and stupid. There isn't one character there that I actually really care about, that has left a mark on me, that actually touched me, mostly because they're all so boring, and those that aren't boring don't get nearly as much credit as they should (except Ulisses, he's okay). I mean, the characters aren't bad, but they aren't that good either, and for a story like the Trojan war, that has everything to do with the people involved, good, solid characters is something that is needed.
So, in light of all of this, is The Song of Troy a bad book? No, no it's not. Like I said, dispite the frustrating characters, there is stuff in this book that I like, and characters that I kind of enjoyed. Patrocles, for one, is absolutely adorable, and Ulisses is very smart. Hell, even Paris is okay, when compared with the dullness of his brother and the stupidity of his father. And like I said, the story is very well written, I like the writing style. So, how does it hold up? It's okay. It's fine.
And you know what, that's the biggest problem of them all! It's fine, it's okay, it's a B, or maybe a B+, if I'm feeling nice. It's a book about the Trojan War! The freakin Trojan War! And it's simply okay. Do you see the problem? A story about something so epic as the Trojan War should also be epic, or at least epically bad, but no, it's simply okay, fine, a B, maybe a B+. It's a satisfactory book. It's a book about a subject that deserves to be handled and shaped into something epic, but it turned out to be merely pleasant, and that, I think, is the worst of it all.
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Jun 30, 2007 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good treatment of the Trojan war, but I was expecting more in terms of scope based on her Caesar series. Not epic...but a good read. Pretty down to earth in terms of the involvement of the gods.

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Jul 03, 2011 Lucas rated it 5 of 5 stars

the story of the Trojan war told in a manner more akin to today`s readers. so if you don`t have the stomach for The Iliad this could act as a nice substitute.

it is epic in scope (as it should be) beggining with the young years of the many important characters, and then after many stories set them off to the war. the war in itself is also long and with many tribulations but this is not a complaint, since the book delivers what the movie failed to.

also of interest you should see that each chapter...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Dorothea rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had to order this from Amazon UK as it has not been published in the US; it was worth every penny & after reading the paperback I ordered the hardback version so I could loan the paperback. This is more approachable than the Odyssey and Iliad, bringing to life the stories of Greek heroes & villains other than just Achilles & Hector, Odysseus & Agamemnon, and fleshes out the the women as well: Helen, Iphigenia, Clytemnestra, Cassandra and more. I would recommend this to anyone w...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really really liked this books but there were some points which prevented me from giving it 5 stars.
1) Not everyone can pull off first person narrative. She had many characters telling the story but it seemed liked it was one person just every chapter he called himself different.
2) lack of development in relationships. It just states: a loves b, b is the father of c and so on.
3) Briseis, Achilles, Patroclos triangle. So clished, of cource on person had to be the jelous one, the other — noble o...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Genia Lukin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

This is the story of the Iliad, retold by Colleen McCulough, one of the big and most meticulous historical fiction writers around.

However, this book fails to live up the the usual McCulough expectations. Her research is meticulous, as usual; she's clearly read the Iliad, dug into the history of ancient Greece, etc', but somehow, unlike in her vast and significantly superior Masters of Rome series, she fails to engage.

Her problems in this book are threefold:

She strikes a poor balance between revi...more This is the story of the Iliad, retold by Colleen McCulough, one of the big and most meticulous historical fiction writers around.

However, this book fails to live up the the usual McCulough expectations. Her research is meticulous, as usual; she's clearly read the Iliad, dug into the history of ancient Greece, etc', but somehow, unlike in her vast and significantly superior Masters of Rome series, she fails to engage.

Her problems in this book are threefold:

She strikes a poor balance between revisionism of classical tects, and the retention thereof - she tried her best to stick to the story of the Iliad but, for several reasons which will be partially discussed further down, fails to stick to the characterizations it provides, and has to go to great lengths to bring forth reasons and explanations for things that happened.

She tends to admire people far too strongly - this is a problem which appears to be typical of McCulough. Her adoration for a specific 'hero' or personage blinds her to everything else. She picks out her 'favourite', and everything concerning him spirals downward from there. In the Masters of Rome books her golden boy is Caesar, the man of no flaws; she subjects his enemies to deterioration of character not indicated by any of the ancient sources - Cicero is a coward and egotistical; Brutus is a weakling, Lucullus had too many 'shrooms...

In the Song of Troy, her darling is Achilles, for which reason she chooses - wrongly,I think, to represent him as a warrior poet perfect in his virtues in all way but his rage. She chooses to disregard what the Iliad puts forth as a petty, rather selfish character, and to explain his behaviour in line with the Iliad's actual text, she has to create convoluted, albeit fascinating, ploys.

Just as she loves Achilles in particular, she sides with the Greeks in general. There are foolish Greeks, but there are also wise, insightful and clever Greeks. Whereas the Trojans are nothing but negative Priam is an old, deluded fool. Hektor is not old, but a deluded fool for all that.

The women - Honestly, Colleen? Did you have to? You are female; you managed strong women in the Masters of Rome (perhaps even overly strong?) and yet all your women here act and think, even in their own POVs, like the ancient men thought they behaved and thought. My disappointment was vast.

In addition, as a final straw, all points of view in the book have the same voice. Somehow, despite the fact that one is told by Agamemnon, another by Odysseus, and a third by a semi-anonymous commander, the language of all parts was the very same.

It was not a poorly written book, but I found my enjoyment of it too often curtailed by annoyance.(less)

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Sep 23, 2009 Kandice rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was moved to tears by this book, and felt ridiculous shedding them. I knew who would live and die, and exactly how it all turned out. That's McCullough's genius, though. She gives us all the little details, history books leave out, that make us feel for, and in some instances love, or hate a character. Everyone knows Odysseus was brilliant, but we don't think about how much that brilliance would have cost him. Achilles was brave, but he could have been sweet, kind and fair alongside his ruthle...more I was moved to tears by this book, and felt ridiculous shedding them. I knew who would live and die, and exactly how it all turned out. That's McCullough's genius, though. She gives us all the little details, history books leave out, that make us feel for, and in some instances love, or hate a character. Everyone knows Odysseus was brilliant, but we don't think about how much that brilliance would have cost him. Achilles was brave, but he could have been sweet, kind and fair alongside his ruthless warring.

I love the way McC explains all the mythic/mystic mumbo jumbo with logical ideas that don't neccesarily negate the intervention of the Gods, just...leave room for another explanation. I have always been a fan of Greek and Roman mythology, and even as a child, I knew it wasn't true, but always felt the legends could have happened in just the way they were described...just with mortal manuevering, as opposed to immortal. She drives this point home, and is smart enough to explain things in a realistic way, without straying from the myth.

As I read, I would often be struck by how ruthless or cruel some act would seem. It was in perfect keeping with the time of the story, but because McC is so good at actually putting me IN her setting, I wouldn't realize how foreign it was until I was ready to stop reading. That's a great talent. Not only can she consistently suspend my disbelief, but she continually has me accepting, as the natural course of things, actions that would sicken me in life. She has me rooting for characters that commit acts I should find appalling, and relishing their acts of revenge that should actually be, not only disturbing, but down right disgusting.

I think this would be a great companion piece to The Iliad. I've read The Iliad, but know it can be intimidating and even dry for the young readers that are required to read it. If they were given this book as well, I think they would actually relish the experience of The Iliad. This book could never replace that classic, and I don't think that's what McC is going for. I think she is just trying to flesh out characters we have all heard of, but don't know well enough to care for. I fell in love with as many as I grew to hate. She certainly touched my heart and soul.(less)

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Jun 24, 2012 Stacey rated it 5 of 5 stars

It has been a few years since I read this book, but I do remember that I love this story. I actually happened upon this book by accident and decided it was worth reading after having a quick browse of the first "chapter" - I had never read a book by this author nor did I know a great deal about the Trojan War.

I was sucked in to this tale, and loved reading it from each characters point of view. In fact I have just decided I'm going to pull it from the bookshelf and read it again!!

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Aug 24, 2012 Tabers rated it 3 of 5 stars

This concentrated more on the fighting and wars than I thought that it would when I picked it up. I thought that it would look more into the relationships e.g. the Helen situation. This was mentioned but I thought that there would be more of a love story behind it. I might not have picked it up if I knew how much was going to be about fighting. Even so, it was nice to learn about many of the stories that I heard brief bits about and get to know more about them. It made me realise more about the...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Zoe Saadia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Greatly enjoyed this novel!
Being a hardcore fan of McCullough already, I've expected much and, surprisingly, I got more.
As expected she once again succeeded in bringing to life a very ancient, and mainly forgotten, world of a legend, but she did more than this for me with the ever-changing, first-person point of view.
Deserves 5 stars in my opinion :)

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Jul 27, 2011 Mel added it

I really enjoyed the vibrancy of the characters. I loved how the war and the lead-up to it was narrated by different characters. It really gave you a well-rounded view of what was going on. However, the last 100 pages dragged by for me. I knew the Trojan horse was coming and I was impatient for it to arrive and the war to end. Other than those 100 pages, the rest of the book was intriguing and kept me turning the pages.

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Jan 22, 2013 Werehare rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3/10

Discreta ricostruzione storica, personaggi abbastanza caratterizzati da avere una voce propria, discutibile il “piano segreto” di Ulisse (immagino un’aggiunta dell’autrice alle fonti). Una specie di Beautiful nel mille AC.

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Aug 14, 2012 Lasiter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

Otro buen libro de McCullough, nunca me he leído la obra de Homero, pero este seguro que gusta a todo aquel que quiera acercarse al tema. Tiene una prosa bellisima, dan ganas de que no se acabe nunca.

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Aug 20, 2009 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an amazing book that follows the story of The Iliad, only this time told from the points of view of those who "lived" it. The book adds humanity to those characters we associate with The Iliad: Helen, Paris, Achilles, Odysseus, among others, which makes this a much more modern telling of the Trojan war story. I definitely recommend it.

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Aug 06, 2011 Laura Christoffersen added it

A very good book. Gives a great historical aspect to the Trojan War. Very, very well written and as usual with this author, both gripping, intelligent and interesting!

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May 22, 2010 Crystal rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not usually too much of a historical fiction fan, in fact usually I hate them .... but I liked this one. I read it quite a long time ago and still remember enjoying it.

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Jan 12, 2013 Pat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ms McCullough brings the Trojan War to life, just as she has ancient Rome with her series on Rome. I thank her for hours of reading enjoyment and for sharing her knowledge in a way all of us can understand, even if we can't read Latin and Greek.

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Jan 19, 2013 Eleclyah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stelle-belli, autori-australiani, romanzi-storici, commentati

Più che una versione in prosa dell'Iliade, Il canto di Troia è una sorta di enorme calderone in cui l'autrice riversa una marea di fonti diverse, creandone una sua personale rilettura (perciò, se pensate di trovare attenta fedeltà al testo di Omero, cambiate libro).
La storia è scorrevole, fatta apposta per lasciare che il lettore si appassioni ai personaggi e viva con loro le vicende di cui sono protagonisti, ma alla fin fine non lascia nulla di più di un qualsiasi altro discreto romanzo storico...more

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May 13, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review

Very readable account of the Trojan Wars. Somehow manages to retain a level of historical gravitas and tell a rip-roaring war story at the same time.

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Dec 22, 2012 Denise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Enjoyable novel of the Trojan War, with chapters alternately narrated by numerous characters from both sides of the conflict.

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Mar 01, 2009 Lynn O'Neill rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my favourite books of all time...a must read if you are interested in Greek history/mythology.

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Nov 23, 2011 Christoffer rated it 4 of 5 stars

It certainly surprised me! A great book that can make you keep reading, even as you know the end result!

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About Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough AO (born 1 June 1937) is an internationally acclaimed Australian author. Colleen was born in Wellington in central west New South Wales to James and Laurie McCullough.

She grew up during World War II. In her first year of medical studies at the University of Sydney she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead,...more

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Books by Colleen McCullough

The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome, #1)

Fortune's Favorites (Masters of Rome, #3)

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480173.The_Song_of_Troy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1175110167l/480173.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480173.The_Song_of_Troy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough[/url]

The Song of Troy

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