Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Historical fiction about the Trojan War and Greek mythology is my weakness. So, I had to read Claire Heywood’s debut novel Daughters of Sparta, which follows the life of the princesses of Sparta, Klytemnestra and Helen. Two women raised to be subservient mothers and wives. Two women who were married to brothers and faced unhappy marriages that would lead to their break away from their obedient persona and making choices for themselves.
There is an obvious contrast between Klytemenstra and Helen from the beginning, but they are two sides of the same coin. Klytemenstra takes her role as a dutiful daughter and future queen very seriously. In her childhood and early years of her marriage, Klytemnestra followed every rule and strove to prove herself as a woman…or what society’s view on a woman was. After having kids, a new fierce and protective Klytemnestra awoke. She would do anything for her children and loved them with her whole being. As a Mycenae queen, Klytemnestra finally proved her worth as a leader once Agamemnon went off to war.
Now on the other side of the coin is Helen. Foolish, naïve Helen who just wanted love and affection from her mother and husband. In the early years of her life, Helen seemed slightly superficial. But as she grew older and married Menelaus, her desperation for a meaningful and loving connection to someone showed that she wasn’t a beautiful airhead. Helen wanted someone to love her unconditionally, even if she did not want to have more children after the horrific birth of her daughter. Unlike Helen’s sister, she never could embrace her role as a mother. I liked that Daughters of Spartashowed that not every woman was made to be a mother. Not every woman has that maternal instinct. And that is ok.
Although they have their differences, Klytemnestra and Helen both decided to turn away from the traditional views of women and tried to create their own path. Whether it would lead to tragedy or not…well that curse was hard to escape as a woman in Greek mythology. I felt nothing but anguish for Klytemnestra as her daughter was sacrificed for Agamemnon’s pride and greed. I sympathized with Helen, who realized her choice to leave Sparta led to nothing but death for those she knew and loved. Being a woman, it would have been difficult not to feel for these women. Heywood did a remarkable job of showing their struggles, strengths, and weaknesses. Neither Helen nor Kyltemnestra were written to be perfect angels who were victims. No. I got a true visual of who these women were. Nothing was hidden or sugar-coated.
More could have been said in Daughters of Sparta. I did not care for all the time jumps, and I would have liked more content. But what was written was incredible. I just needed more of it.
Overall, it was a good book and impressive for being Heywood’s first novel. Daughters of Sparta is perfect for all my readers that enjoy Greek mythology.
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