About the Book:
After Troy falls, Neoptolemus claims Polyxena as his prize, but she rejects his advances. In a fit of rage, Neoptolemus contrives a story that dooms the ill-fated Polyxena. She knows what she must do to survive, but she cannot change her destiny.
Polyxena, the daughter of King Priam of Troy, knows her misfortune has been to have Neoptolemus fall in love with her. As she prepares to die at the commemoration rites for Neoptolemus's father, Polyxena reflects over her past year, relating her thoughts to Aphrodite, the Goddess she believes is responsible for orchestrating the events that have beset her. As she tries to make sense of it all, Polyxena converses with all the well-known personages associated with the Trojan myth-Achilles, Agamemnon, Cassandra, Helen, and many others-while seeking solace in the hope that her existence has not been futile.
In this moving story of forbidden love, a young woman who is an integral part of the romantic legacy surrounding Troy comes to a surprising and satisfying conclusion about the life she has lived.
About the Author:
H. Allenger (aka Herb Aldinger) earned a BA in Public Administration and a MA in International Relations. After thirty-one years with the Seattle School District, he is now retired and pursuing his true passions which include mythology, archeology, and writing. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington, and enjoys traveling the world.
My Opinion:
I went into Polyxena with limited knowledge of the Trojan War but untold curiosity. I remember having read The Odyssey in high school and having enjoyed it very much. I, of course knew the story of the Trojan Horse. But I did not know the story behind what started the war and this was a detriment in reading this book. About a quarter of the way through I was so frustrated with references to its start that I had to go google it to learn the mythology. Once I did that I could settle down and read what was an excellent book. This was my only complaint with Polyxena.
We meet Polyxena - a princess of Troy - as the war is well in progress. Her brother, the great warrior Hector has been killed by Achilles. Things are not going well and her father King Priam sends Polyxena on a mission to the land of the Amazons to enlist their help. It is while on this mission that Polyxena comes into her own and finds herself as the strong woman she is.
Without giving too much away I will just say that on the way back to Troy she meets Achilles and even though she had vowed to hate him for his having killed her brother, they fall in love. He trusts her and shares his one weakness with her - his heel. Through treachery of servants and brothers Achilles is called to the gates of Troy and Paris shoots an arrow into his heel and he dies. Polyxena is inconsolable. The Greeks are well, angry enough to do whatever they can to defeat the Trojans.
The tale of the Trojan horse is so well known I don't need to retell it here. Nor will I share the Polyxena's fate - you will have to read the book for that as I also googled her and this book does not follow common mythology.
Mr. Allenger does a fine job of writing in Polyxena's voice. I felt her joys, her sorrows and her deepest losses. This is not a light and happy story by any stretch of the imagination yet I did not feel sad at its ending. Only sad that is was over. The characters were very well developed with one exception - Polyxena's nemesis Neoptolemus (Achilles' son). I felt he was just a little underdeveloped for playing such a critical role in the tale. Nonetheless I enjoyed this book and certainly do recommend it.
Polyxena: A Story of Troy is available at Amazon.com
Disclosure: I received a gratis copy of Polyxena. Any opinions are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.
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