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Song of Troy
Colleen McCullough Book Review

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Plot Summary of Song of Troy
""In The Song of Troy, the bestselling author of The Thorn Birds recounts the tale of Helen and Paris, the immortal lovers who doomed two great nations to a terrible war. It is told through the eyes of its main characters: the sensuous and self indulgent Helen; the subtle and brilliant Odysseus; the sad old man Priam, King of Troy; the tormented warrior prince, Achilles; and Agememnon, King of Kings, who consents to the unspeakable in order to launch his thousand ships. This is an unputdownable tale of love, ambition, delusion, honour, and consuming passion."

A beautifully written novel for those who enjoy Greek mythology. McCullough brings Helen of Troy to life and does so in a unique first person approach from approximately eight main characters, including Helen and her lover Paris, and those who either fought against them or loved them. Though the book tends to drag, especially during the war, one should understand that the war lasted ten years, which may either add to the authenticity of the anguish that the characters indured, for the readers who are patient and can keep up with the novel in its entirety.

Sunday Times: "There is much more to Colleen McCullough than The Thorn Birds...there are exciting moments, pacy moments, sexy and romantic moments.""

Fins, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Song of Troy
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - ancient Rome
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - seduction (yum!)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians Yes
Conflict: - War, general
Lover is - an historical enemy

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - Greek
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - bulging muscles

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - bulging muscles

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 (an average amount)
Europe Yes
European country: - Greece - Baltic States

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - impregnation/reproduction - actual description of hetero sex - descript. of female anat. (the big B's) - descript. of female anat. (the big V) - male homosexuals doing their thing
Unusual Style: - a lot of flashback and forwards - a lot of stream of consciousness - No single main character? - written like a journal/diary/letters
Most similar books to Song of Troy
Pompeii by Robert Harris
The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy by Michael Curtis Ford
Shamrock Green by Jessica Stirling
The Light Bearer by Donna Gillespie
Into the Valley: The Settlers by Roseanne Bittner


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Colleen McCullough Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Fins  

SCHOLARS:
Leonore Waluk  Shelley Livaudais  Chuck Nugent  


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