Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion
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The Song of Troy
Monthly Group Reads
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MAY 2014 (Group Read 2): The Song of Troy by Colleen McCullough
I'll be reading this one in May with the group. I plan on starting A Burnable Book (our medieval group read) first, because the author will be joining us for that read.I guess that means that I won't get to this one until mid May (going off my slow reading rate of late)
I've got this book on my Kindle now. :) May is a busy month for me but I'll try to keep up with this read along. Looking forwards to it.
See you then. :)
I better get on and reserve this at the library. May beckons.
I ordered this through Interlibrary Loan just today. It may be a few weeks wait so I won't be starting it until later either.
I may or may not get this one on time. It's on the holdshelf for someone else and that could mean 1 week before they pick it up and 3 weeks to read it and a week until they ship it to my library.....we'll see how it goes!
I found a copy at my local used bookstore for $4 so I'm gonna get that so I can definitely join in on one of the group reads.
I am worried that I won't be able to do this one.I reserved the book at the library (via online catalogue) a week and a half ago and it is still showing 'available' and I am still sitting as the only reserve.
This is usually what happens when a book is missing.
That sucks being the one to find the book is missing.
It happens more often than I am comfortable with. Is always in the back of my mind when I reserve a book that shows available and they only have one copy. :\
I really wanted to read this one, but I am not having any luck finding it anywhere for some reasonable price :( Going to keep looking!
It's taking forever for this book to ship to my local used store from their other branch. Still, should get it this week sometime.
Is anyone reading this yet? I just got my copy from the library and am starting it now.
I am still sitting as reserve on a copy that is supposed to be 'available'.I might send them an email today to let them know, so they can tell me it is a missing copy. At least I'll be put out of my misery then.
I'm about 70% through, enjoying it quite a bit as I read Odysseus: The greatest hero of them all as a child so seeing these characters again is very nostalgic for me.
I read that each chapter is from the point of view of a different character. Has it been hard to keep track of them all??
That's right, I'm not entirely sure that I like that aspect but I think it's fairly straight forwards to keep them separated. Maybe it's just me but I'm not really sure that the majority of the characters have a strong enough personality to really make their narrative stand out. Sometimes I'll read one chapter and I know by the events rather than the character's thoughts who's narrating it. There are exceptions of course. For me there could have been less narrators but each could have been stronger, more flavoured.
So is this from characters on all sides of the conflict and we get views from both sides?? I rather like the idea of an overall look rather than one POV.
You get Achilles, Hektor, Paris, Helen, Odysseus, Diomedes, Aineas and Agamemnon to name a few so you get to see both sides of the conflict and what's going on in Troy versus what's going on in the Greek compounds which is interesting as you get an overview of the whole thing.
Hmmm, sounds very good. A lot like my favorite Troy series by David Gemmell with it's multiple POV.Hope I get my copy soon. :)
I finally got a copy of this book last week. Due to a rather busy weekend I didn't get a chance to start it until today. I'm only through the first chapter but I quite like it so far.
For anyone with a kindle in the UK this is currently on Amazon kindle daily deal for 99p, which is great if you were wanting to pick it up but hadn't got round to it. Not so great for me who bought it a while ago haha! :)
Just finished A Burnable Book so I am about to go and start on this way. I'm excited because I loooove ancient Greece!
I think I'm 5 chapters in and it's really good so far.
On Chapter Three. I really like it, this is going to be a 'five stars' book if it continue with the present style and pace.
Just finished Chapter 8 and I am loving it! The writing is beautiful, a great retelling on a classic story. Its interesting to think that a story like this seems to be almost universal in how it can bridge people and time. I may have to re-read Homer after this.
Hmmm... I am not too thrill with chapter four-Helen. :(
I ignored the insta-love (early Helen chapter), (view spoiler)I am loving the writing, though. And instead of reading it like I usually read fiction, I'm taking it the same way I took the 300 movies. It is a mythologized history, one where there are heroes and lovers and grand, epic adventures and war. Where the imagery is supposed to be sharper than real life.
Isn't there a few insta-loves?? Though if we're talking about (view spoiler)because I haven't got to that point in the story yet.
Dawn wrote: "Isn't there a few insta-loves?? Though if we're talking about [spoilers removed]because I haven't got to that point in the story yet."Ah, sorry. I've read 8 chapters and I forgot we've gotten two Helens. But yes, I meant that (although she seems like the insta-love girl from what I remember in chapter 4 as well, just not him yet). I also gather this story would be hard to spoil because most people have read Homer, but I'm still going to put the spoiler tags, just don't think I did much damage with that spoiler. :P
No, I doubt it was much of a spoiler. But you never know right!
Another Helen's chapter, darn! Now I got two chapters with Helen (Chapter Four and Six), She starts to ruin the book for me.
I have finished the entire book. Thought it was really good. Went with 4 stars. I definitely need to read some more Troy and Greek stories from this era.
This version of Odysseus was very cunning. I could not help but comparing him to David Gemmell's Odysseus which I loved.
Dawn wrote: "I have finished the entire book. Thought it was really good. Went with 4 stars. I definitely need to read some more Troy and Greek stories from this era."
You are a fast reader. :)
I love Gemmell's version as well, though it definitely strayed from the well worn story much more than this version.
And here I thought it took me forever to finish it. This is not a 7 day book for me! Much too easy a read to be taking me this long. Should have been 2 days!
Alison wrote: "You get Achilles, Hektor, Paris, Helen, Odysseus, Diomedes, Aineas and Agamemnon to name a few so you get to see both sides of the conflict and what's going on in Troy versus what's going on in the..."Thanks for giving members the heads up on that deal, Alison.
Goodreads does not have the proper page count for the edition I am currently reading. I am getting used to checking my reading progress at a glance. Did not realized how much I depend on it.
Can I fix that for you at all, Lia? Is your edition on GR, but the page count is wrong? Or is your edition not on GR at all?
Terri wrote: "Can I fix that for you at all, Lia? Is your edition on GR, but the page count is wrong? Or is your edition not on GR at all?"That will be great, Terri. Thank you!
It is on GR, but no page count.
ISBN: 0752814133
Imprint: London: Orion House, c1998
Pages: 404
, The Song Of Troy
Done!I feel like I have saved the day. :D
Thank you again, Terri. :)
You're welcome! :D
Too much unexplainable auguries. This is starting to walk into the very thin line of historical fantasy's side.
That's interesting, Lia. When I picked the book for the poll, I went off a Goodreads friends review. She said that the liked the fact that those kinds of things were written in a way that make them explainable..I wonder what I would have made of them. When I am reading the same book as you, I have usually always agree with your opinion on the fantasy elements, Lia.
Terri wrote: "That's interesting, Lia. When I picked the book for the poll, I went off a Goodreads friends review. She said that the liked the fact that those kinds of things were written in a way that make them..."Most of the miracles or magical occurrence were explained, usually by the narrators themselves who gave the logical views. However, certain predictions by the seers (by the oracles or by the augur) still making my palm itch. I am hoping there will be explanations later. (view spoiler)
Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
The Song of Achilles (other topics)Dreaming the Eagle (other topics)
The Song of Troy (other topics)
The Grass Crown (other topics)
A Burnable Book (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
David Gemmell (other topics)David Gemmell (other topics)
David Gemmell (other topics)
Colleen McCullough (other topics)
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 fighting machine, Achilles; the heroically noble hektor; the subtle and brilliant Odysseus; Agmemnon, King of Kings, who consents to the unspeakable in order to launch his thousand ships, and thus incurs the enmity of his terrifying wife, Klytemnestra. But where does human folly end? And where does the pitiless retribution of the Gods begin? The characters dazzle, swinging our sympathies from Greece to Troy and back again as each of them moves inexorably towards a fate even the Gods cannot avert.
Colleen McCullough's compelling, fascinating, novel shows readers of every generation the unforgettable power of a story that lies deep at the heart of Western culture, and still resonates today.