Claire Heywood is a scholar of the ancient world, having gained a 1st Class BA in Classical Civilisation and an MA with Distinction in Ancient Visual and Material Culture, both from the University of Warwick. Her deep understanding of the ancient world, coupled with her fascination with women's forgotten voices, inspired her to retell the legend of the Trojan War from the perspective of two key female characters. She is a former professional tour guide at the Roman Baths museum in Bath and now writes full-time.Daughters of Sparta is her first novel. She is currently doing research for her second novel, which will also be set in the ancient world and feature different female perspectives.
The story of the Trojan War has been told for close to three
millennia and writers are still finding ways to refashion it . . .
Seen through the eyes of Klytemnestra and her sister Helen, the war
proves very different from the Homeric conflict with which we are
familiar . . . [Heywood] tells her story vividly, setting it
convincingly in the period.
*Sunday Times*
Fluent and persuasive. I admire the ambition with which Heywood
tackles the subject, to which she brings freshness and verve. I
enjoyed it very much
*Elizabeth Buchan*
Daughters of Sparta has such a compelling narrative; it is utterly
absorbing from beginning to end. I found it both captivating and
poignant; an enthralling and powerful tale of family politics,
gender constraints, love, betrayal and revenge, with a masterful
handling of feelings and emotions that truly resonates down the
ages.
*Laura Carlin*
Helen of Troy and her sister Klytemnestra are reimagined in this
gorgeous retelling of the classic Greek myth - not as women defined
by their husbands and lovers but as battle-weary survivors of a
patriarchal society who take control of their own destiny.
Absolutely riveting!
*Alka Joshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Henna
Artist*
'Heywood's wondrous retelling of the lives of two ancient
princesses struggling for independence and agency in a patriarchal
society resonates deeply in today's imperfect world. Required
reading for fans of Circe, and a remarkable, thrilling debut.'
*Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of
Fifth Avenue*
Brilliantly compelling . . . the perfect balance between historical
authenticity and characters who I really connected with
*Sarah Bonner*
An immersive, intimate take on a well-known tale. By focussing on
the diverging fates of two sisters, Heywood reveals the private
lives of these women to be just as compelling as the epic events
unfolding around them.
*Amanda Block*
If you love epic books about Greek mythology and the often
misunderstood or misinterpreted women within these tales, Daughters
of Sparta should be right at the top of your reading list. It's a
vividly written and compelling retelling that brings the Spartan
princesses to life with all the human fortitude and foibles you'd
expect from flesh and blood people. I'm already impatiently
awaiting the reveal of the next set of female perspectives from the
ancient world that Claire Heywood will be writing about in her
second novel.
*CultureFly*
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