Excellent book! Strauss' ability to describe scenes and even sounds is so vivid the reader can "see" and "hear" what he describes. His documentation is woven so deftly into the story that it enhances rather than distracts. The characters come alive, attributed events that are mythical in Homer (and others) are explained realistically, and the book includes photographs--many by the author--of the geographical areas and archaeological finds documenting the time period of the Trojan War.
This book is not written in "story" format, but neither is it written just as a reference. Perhaps not surprisingly, the two people responsible for the war--Helen and Paris--are minor characters in this book. Helen is described at the beginning of the book and mentioned a little more at the end. Paris has a somewhat larger role since he was involved in some of the fighting.
If you enjoy history, you will definitely want to read this book.
This book is not written in "story" format, but neither is it written just as a reference. Perhaps not surprisingly, the two people responsible for the war--Helen and Paris--are minor characters in this book. Helen is described at the beginning of the book and mentioned a little more at the end. Paris has a somewhat larger role since he was involved in some of the fighting.
If you enjoy history, you will definitely want to read this book.
