Rating: 
Summary: ... a good story anyway
Review: I agree with other reviewers who say there is too much irrelevant sex in _Daughter or Troy_. That said, on to the good stuff.You might remember this book's heroine, Briseis, from the Iliad--Achilles's concubine, stolen away by King Agamemnon. But in _Daughter of Troy_, Briseis is so much more than a bimbo... She's an outspoken, brave, sardonic, intelligent princess, gifted with powers of prophecy. These powers break her heart, though, because knowing the future does not necessarily mean you can change it... We read about Briseis's childhood at the court of the small kingdom of Lyrnessos, her adolescence in which she discovered sex and learned about the ruling of a kingdom, and her young adulthood as a prize of the invading Greeks. I truly liked Briseis and enjoyed spending time reading about her; kudos to the author for writing a compelling, strong female character without loading her down in modern-day political correctness. I also liked the dark look at the ancient deities. It is always refreshing to read historical novels where the ancient pagans aren't practicing modern Wicca. The gods are scary in this book, appropriate given that they were thought to require constant sacrifice and to interfere often in the lives of mortals. Gripes: I wanted to know more about Briseis's life after Achilles's death. Franklin shows her as an old woman, but she only tells her story up until about age seventeen, when the war ends. It is truly sad to imagine that nothing much of interest happened to her after that, especially with so many years ahead of her. Perhaps I can hold out hope for a sequel. Second, people believed Cassandra too often! LOL!
Rating:
Summary: ... a good story anyway
Review: I agree with other reviewers who say there is too much irrelevant sex in _Daughter or Troy_. That said, on to the good stuff. You might remember this book's heroine, Briseis, from the Iliad--Achilles's concubine, stolen away by King Agamemnon. But in _Daughter of Troy_, Briseis is so much more than a bimbo... She's an outspoken, brave, sardonic, intelligent princess, gifted with powers of prophecy. These powers break her heart, though, because knowing the future does not necessarily mean you can change it... We read about Briseis's childhood at the court of the small kingdom of Lyrnessos, her adolescence in which she discovered sex and learned about the ruling of a kingdom, and her young adulthood as a prize of the invading Greeks. I truly liked Briseis and enjoyed spending time reading about her; kudos to the author for writing a compelling, strong female character without loading her down in modern-day political correctness. I also liked the dark look at the ancient deities. It is always refreshing to read historical novels where the ancient pagans aren't practicing modern Wicca. The gods are scary in this book, appropriate given that they were thought to require constant sacrifice and to interfere often in the lives of mortals. Gripes: I wanted to know more about Briseis's life after Achilles's death. Franklin shows her as an old woman, but she only tells her story up until about age seventeen, when the war ends. It is truly sad to imagine that nothing much of interest happened to her after that, especially with so many years ahead of her. Perhaps I can hold out hope for a sequel. Second, people believed Cassandra too often! LOL!
Rating:
Summary: It's a good idea but...
Review: I enjoyed reading this. Franklin is a proficient writer, and she's got the Homeric stylistics down well enough. She has a good eye for detail, and she certainly knows her Ancient Greece, as the glossary of characters in the back shows. It's fun to see such great characters as Aneas, Hector, Priam, Anchises, Paris, Menelaus, Helen, Agamemnon, Achilles, Patroclus and Odysseus again. And some of her delving into the details of that time, how the economic system worked for example, give the story authenticity. It's certainly an interesting, if not nearly impossible, idea to tell the story of the fall of Troy from the point of view of Briseis who is the catalyst of Homer's tale. I had not even realized that Homer said as much about her as he does. Franklin gives us his quote of her mourning the death of Patroclus at the END of the novel, and nothing she has written really contradicts that. He said that she was "gorgeous as sweet Aphrodite," which is fine, but at the beginning of the novel somebody has to point out every six lines how incredibly beautiful Briseis is. She gets laid like nobody's business. The sex scenes unfortunately have a certain ring of Jackie Collins. When the story goes back to her childhood she meets Helen who tells her she's going to be a great beauty. She's a priestess of the local version of Athena and has powers of 'augury', which are unfortunately not very convincing or developed. The Goddess is a live presence to her and yet, in the telling of her tale she insists that Aneas is just the son of a PRIESTESS of Aphrodite and that Achilles had no magical invulnerability. That kind of takes the fun out of things. Also taking the fun out of things is that Agamemnon emerges as a stock villain who at times seems to have escaped from the 'you must pay the rent' sketch. A little more love triangle would have been nice. Meanwhile Briseis is everywhere, she's in the thick of every negotiation, even though she's of course not supposed to be, and she even impresses Odysseus with her wit and intelligence. Aaaargh! This isn't Jean Anouilh or Henri Bauchau writing about Antigone. You can't take it too seriously, but you can have fun reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyed it until the end!
Review: I love this book its one of my favorite book as a matter of a fact I think it is my favorite book. I am a little ashamed to admit it but I cried many times reading this book. I've must of read it four or five times already and still I feel like if I can somehow change the ending by praying my brains out. My heart cried out loud reading this. I thank Sarah for writting this book.
Rating:
Summary: i loved it
Review: i really enjoyed this book. I thought it was exciting. you really get a sense of what it was like to live back then. The characters were all really well writen. Even though there were some parts in the book i didn't think would really happen it was still a great book. A lot of it is about her childhood and growing up and falling in love, its still a very interesting part of the book. The love between achilles and briseis seems really genuine and you start to wish that their story could end differently.
Rating:
Summary: Daughter of Troy: Thoughtful and well written
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was totally engrossing and well written. The journey of Briseis from girl, to queen, to lover was an engaging page turner. I felt like I was going through the heroine's journey. You won't be disappointed. Thanks, Sarah, for a great novel!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it until the end!
Review: The story is told in such a fresh new way. It's actually a long book, and almost every page is interesting, and you read until the end, and you can't stop! This book is about a girl named Briseis and is narrated by her. She tells about her life, her brothers, parents, and the love. She had a husband, but her heart was won by Achilles. Its just a splendid historical fiction that i think everyone should be given a change to enjoy this book. I hope this author writes more books!
Rating:
Summary: Daughter of Where?
Review: The title of this book is confusing, having read what lies underneath it. The narrator of the story, Briseis, is a daughter of Lyrnessos, a city that lay to the south of Troy. The rightful queen of that city by birth, Briseus begins her tale by telling it to another, and recounts first her rapturous affair as the slave of Achilles, then returning to her youth, and what led to her enslavement, and finally with the powerplay between Achilles and King Agamemnon. I am a lover of historical fiction that deals with Ancient Greece. And while I have found better, this one is highly entertaining, as a retelling of the Iliad. Briseis from very early on is gifted with augury, the power to prophesy events from omens she witnesses. The fight of two eagles tells her of the coming battle in Lyrnessos which will lead to its downfall, and the death of her family. Her brothers stand valiantly to defend their home, even as Briseis warns them of impending doom for them all. As she grows from girl to young woman, her powers of insight grow, as well as her ability to attract and seduce men. Sampling many of the 50 sons of Priam, she develops a liking for male flesh, and grows hungry for a hero of her own. But as fate would have it, she is married to a a man she grows to hate, and prays for his early demise, as her visions have foretold, and the arrival of a hero. Her prayers are answered in the form of Achilles, the great love of her life. After Lyrnessos is taken, Briseis is reduced from Queen to slave, a role she takes on willingly to share the bed of her beloved warrior hero. Their passion grows, even as the battle of the city of Troy looms like a dark cloud over both their heads, where Briseis has foretold much death and destruction. Briseis is then lost to Agamemnon, and becomes slave and lover to a man she despises, once again, wanting desperately to return to the arms of Achilles. Many figures of classical history grace the pages of the text, Patroclus, the best friend and companion of Achilles, Cassandra, the visionary daughter of Agamemnon, Hector, the bravest and most favored of all sons of Priam, and many others. It is a tale rich with Greek history and detail. But where the book falls short is the forays it takes into romance novel territory. While not exactly a war-story fan, I found the endless recounts of Briseis's adventures with young men in the bed chambers to be a bit arduous after a while. Man after man finds his way into the embrace of this girl, and the reader is given far more detail than is warranted or necessary in each. Here the author strays toward a bodice-ripper, and images of half-dressed Greek warriors with flowing hair and large bosomed maidens scantily clad in torn dresses fill the mind, which does not lend to the story at all. Where the strengths lie are this: The author obviously did her research before writing the novel, as many recounts of the Trojan war are displayed here, with great homage paid to the tales of old. The recreation of daily life in Ancient Greece is fascinating, as well as the authors unwaivering attention paid to the impartiality of the Greeks with their bedmates, as far as gender is concerned, or even familial connection. Sarah Franklin does not gloss over the desire that Briseis's warrior brothers have for young men, and makes it a secondary part of their nature, by saying "Take a boy for pleasure, but not for love." Nor does she shy away from a confrontation between Briseis and a visiting Queen as she makes mention of the affair between the queen and her stepson...Briseis is a smart girl, who knows how to use all of her attributes to great advantage. In taking these 'taboo' subjects by today's standards and making them seem all too ordinary with the Greeks, Sarah Franklin has created a far more realistic portrait of Ancient Greece than others who have strived to accomplish the same task. Some of the language strays from what would appear to be authentic, certain phrases and colloquialisms used, but overall the book is genuine in its endeavor to recreate the time of the Trojan War in Greece.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely book
Review: This book centres on Briseis, who has been considered to be Achilles' concubine. This story looks at her in an entirely different way. It makes her human and the reader understands the choices that she makes. She is a proud woman who chooses to stay at the side of the man she loves. The story follows Briseis and Achilles through the conquest of Troy and the bitter rivalries that form within the conquering party. The writing in this book is wonderful. I have been looking for a long time for other books by this author and I haven't found anything else. I hope that she will be writing again about mythology again soon.
Rating: 
Summary: A look at Ancient Troy
Review: This book was immensely entertaining. It's a retelling of Homer's classic epic "The Iliad", through the eyes of Achilles' slave/concubine, Briseis. The story is the same enduring tale that has become a classic over the years. However, it sometimes reads like a cheesy romance novel. In my opinion, there were too many sex scenes that were really not related to the plot. I like a good sex scene as much as anyone, but it's a bit too much in this book, which is the reason it only gets three stars from me. If you are interested in this book, I would recommend that you instead check out Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Firebrand", which is a similar novel in that it's a retelling of the Iliad through the eyes of a minor character - Kassandra (Cassandra), Hector's sister - only the writing is much better.
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