Helen of Troy by Margaret George was a used bookshop find I eagerly snapped up. Margaret George is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. She writes the most beautifully epic masterpieces which bring alive her subjects with grace and beauty. Helen of Troy was thus a natural subject matter for such a wonderfully talented author.
So imagined my profound disappointment when I arrived at the conclusion last night that the book was unreadable. I struggled reading the first one hundred pages. Literally, I would read for a while and then set the book aside of months at a time. At this point, the story should have completely captured my attention. Instead, I am bored to tears. I profoundly dislike Helen. And worst crime of all, the entire premise and story feels forced and contrived.
I’ve set the book aside permanently at this point. It is in the lot to be donated the next time we stop off and donate books. It isn’t worth continuing to drag around the country if I’m not ever going to go back and finish the book. Hopefully the next reader will find the joy and beauty that I’ve always found in Margaret George’s work.
One star out of five for failing to capture my imagination or be even remotely interesting.
