The Return from Troy [Hardcover]

Lindsay Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2006

In this sequel to The War at Troy, the trademark lyricism, lucidity, and mythic power is present in this novel that offers a timely interpretation of one of the world's great stories. After ten years of war, Troy has fallen, yet the gods have turned against the victorious Argives—and their ordeals have only just begun. Agamemnon sails back to Mycenae, where Clytaemnestra has nursed a vengeful fury over his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenaia. Meanwhile, Menelaus must decide the fate of Helen, over whose incomparable beauty the war was fought. Odysseus, traumatized by the slaughter his own ingenuity unleashed, no longer believes himself fit to return to his wife and son. Driven both by tempests and torment, he embarks on a voyage that will take him to the margins of the world and deep into the shadows of his own heart.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Clark's interpretation of this fabulous story is a delicious blend of ancient wisdom and modern insights."  —Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Acclaimed author Lindsay Clarke won the 1989 Whitbread Prize for Fiction with Chymical Wedding and is also well-known for Alice's Masque. He has an extensive knowledge of mythology and legend and runs workshops in the UK and abroad.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 000715027X
• ISBN-13: 978-0007150274
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,295,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great version of a classic story!, November 16, 2005

By 

C. Ware (Thompson, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Return from Troy (Hardcover)

I read Lindsay Clarke's "The War at Troy" before "The Return from Troy" was released and since I enjoyed the first book so much, I couldn't wait for the arrival of the second. I haven't read Homer's works since college and, quite frankly, don't have as much time to decipher the format as I used to. However, I enjoy the actual stories so much that I was anxious to find versions that were easier to read while still interesting. Clarke's books were exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't put either of them down and highly recommend them both.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Trojan classic, September 19, 2007

By 

Rich Gubitosi (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Return from Troy (Paperback)

Clarke's The Return from Troy belongs on the bookshelf alongside such Trojan classics as Colleen McCullough's The Song of Troy and Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Firebrand. It is both well written and well told. At times, especially in the novel's first half, I was struck by the beauty of Clarke's words. His talent as a stylist elevates his prose to an artform. The grace and poignance remind me of Mary Renault's historical novels. His retelling of the Odyssey is as much as a psychodrama as an adventure, and some of the themes he unearths--the connection between violence and passion and the guilt of war--haunted me days after finishing the book. One of the points particularly struck me, and I'm surprised that I never thought of it before after reading so much about Troy. In Odysseus's words: "You mean that Agamemnon and the others fought for all those years to bring home another man's faithless wife, only to find themselves betrayed by their own wives while they were gone?" I'm still contemplating the irony and significance in that statement.

To be honest, I think that the first half of the novel is much stronger than the second half. Once Odysseus meets Circe and Calypso, the novel delves deeper into psychodrama, and although the ideas are interesting, the prose and story progression lose steam. I also consider Clytaemnestra to be a strong character, and the novel suffers when she makes her exit. Furthermore, I think that the volume of narration and exposition is sometimes overwhelming: Perhaps a better balance of narration, dialogue, and action would have been more effective.

These quibbles are minor and do not detract from my high opinion of Clarke's novel. I hope that he continues to write historical/mythic fiction.

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling reconstruction, May 15, 2007

By 

Mrs. Cheryl A. Bullock "Fernwoods" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Return from Troy (Paperback)

The story covers Odysseus' return from Troy and the aftermath in a way it could realistically have happened. However as well as a chilling account of the tragedy at Troy's fall the story sets the scene for the eventual collapse of the Mycenaeans (the conquerers of Troy).