[.ca] Helen of Troy (ISBN 0330418912)

AN EXCEPTIONAL LISTENING EXPERIENCE:
Throughout the ages there is one story that continues to intrigue us, losing none of its fascination despite the passage of time, and that is the myth of Helen of Troy. She was, as we know, an incomparable beauty, the woman whose "face launched a thousand ships" and she was also a woman in love whose elopement led to the Trojan War, which is found in Homer's Iliad. A daughter of Leda, Queen of Sparta, Helen is said to be fathered by none other than Zeus. Still in her teens she is wed to her brother-in-law, Menelaus, which was a politically advantageous arrangement. He probably would not have been her choice, although she did give him a daughter. Nonetheless, it was a loveless marriage. When Helen first saw the handsome Trojan prince, Paris, the course of history was changed. Before long the two became lovers and fled to Troy. (Depending upon the source, Helen either gladly left Menelaus and her daughter to go with Paris or she was abducted by him.) Whatever the case, Paris lost his life in the Trojan War and Helen married his brother, Deiphobus, who was later killed by Menelaus. At one time Menelaus had sworn to kill the wife who had forsaken him, but upon seeing Helen again he could not bring himself to do so. Esteemed author Margaret George (The Autobiography of Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scotland) has given us a remarkable work by telling the story in Helen's voice. We are treated to a seldom found immediacy and view of life in Helen's day. Speaking of voices, classically trained actress Justine Eyre delivers a stunning performance as Helen. Her voice is young, distinct, with just a touch of an accent, very much the way we would expect Helen to sound. At times, she brings a wistfulness to Helen, especially in the Prologue as we hear "I flew back to Troy, no it was more like floating...." Truly an exceptional listening experience - enjoy! - Gail Cooke