Troy by Adele Geras

Troy is about two sisters living in the time of the Trojan War. One is a handmaiden to Lady Helen. The other is the caretaker of Prince Hector’s baby son. Each is influenced by Aphrodite, goddess of love, toward a soldier named Alastor. He chooses between them and makes them have a huge fight. While all this is happening, the Trojan War is still going on. Prince Hector is killed, then Achilles, and then Prince Paris. When everyone thinks that the Greeks have given up, the Trojans find a wooden horse. They bring it inside Troy, thinking it was a surrendering gift from the Greeks, and have a celebratory feast. That night, while everyone is sleeping, the Greeks sneak out from the inside of the horse and ambush the Trojans. One of the sisters is traumatized while being taken prisoner and seems to forget everything else in her grief.

This was a great book. I was told that it was going to be bad, but I enjoyed it. If you like romances mixed with a little action, you’ll definitely like this book. It was short-listed for the Whitbread Award. It is a really good book.