Sisters Helen and Klytemnestra, daughters of Lord Tyndaroes, King of Sparta, are famous in Greek mythology and tragedy for their roles in the Trojan War. Klytemnestra, married to Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, was wed first. Helen, supposedly the most beautiful woman in the world, was married to his brother Menelaos. In the book Helen thinks this will be a wonderful idea because as sister-in-laws she and Klymnestra may be able to see each other. As the narrative unfolds this turns out to be a vain hope.
The girls were raised in luxury, but little was expected of them aside from spinning, weaving and giving birth to an heir. This was a boring existence and Helen eventually escaped with Paris to a hopefully more fulfilling life. It led to the tragedy of the Torjan War.
The plot of the book is well known. The portrayal of the characters is at the core of this book. The author tries to make them examples of Bronze Age women. They come across as placid and accepting of the fate they have been dealt. This was not the way myth portrayed the sisters. Helen was a temptress and Klyemnestra was the raging mother set on revenging the death of her daughter Ipigenia, sacrificed by Agamemnon.
The book was well written and not difficult to read, but I was disappointed by the characters. Both sisters came across as so mild as to be non-existent, not at all they way they are portrayed in tragedy. The moving back and forth between the sisters giving their thoughts on whatever was happening was tedious. I had high hopes for this book, but they weren’t fulfilled.
I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.
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