Nobody's Princess

Fiction: Nobody’s Princess
Author: Esther Friesner
Genre: Historic, Adventure
Rating: 8.5/10

The first impression I got from this book was that it might be one of those horrid spinoffs of some fairy tale. Like Just Ella (though I enjoyed that one) or that one by Jane Yolen, Briar Rose. It had the word “Princess” in it, so don't blame one for making assumptions.

Of course, like most times, I was dead wrong. This book turned out to be about Helen of Troy. Yes, that one. The one whose face launched a thousand ships…supposedly. It was the initial blurb that drew me in:

“She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favourite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Unlike her prissy sister, Clytemnestra, she takes no pleasure in weaving and embroidery. And despite what her mother says, she’s not even close to being interested in getting married. Instead, she wants to do combat training with her older brothers, go on heroic adventures, and be free to do what she wants and find out who she is.”

Okay, at first glance, I thought it was a tad presumptuous of the author to create our lovable, war-incurring Helen into some tomboy. But then I thought to myself, “Hey, it has a unique plot. Might be a good read.” So I followed myself on that instinct.

I’m what you would call one of those history nuts. I know way too much about Ancient Greece and the history of it too. This was the first time that somebody shone the spotlight directly on Helen. Sure, she was known as the most beautiful woman short of Aphrodite, but that was when she was mature.
In this book, Helen is portrayed as a tall, awkward, gangly girl. Can you imagine a girl like that growing into the Helen of Troy? I suppose that it was partially to extend a hand out to the girls who are reading this to say that even if you are tall and gangly, you might grow up to become extremely beautiful. I enjoyed reading about her escapades and her determination to get what she wanted.

The first few chapters really made a deep impact on me. I’m not going to reveal the whole book, but it has an epiphany where Helen, our cute gangly Helen, realizes that being beautiful has advantages. It’s disturbing to think that a seven year old girl can realize this so early on in life, but I guess it worked for her. She knew how to charm people with her smile and a flick of her hair.

The most surprising thing is how many of my preconceived stereotypes this book broke about Helen of Troy. She wasn’t blonde; she was a brunette. She wasn’t pretty from the get-go; people weren’t compelled to make her their bride when looking at her in her crib. She wasn’t weak and meek; the exact opposite actually. And she wasn’t dumb. Of course, I don’t know how many creative liberties Esther Friesner took with this book, so I’m calling these stereotypes “cracked” until further notice.

The level of reading is fairly easy. It would be advised that you know a bit about Greek mythology before reading, it would make the read more enjoyable. There is also a sequel now, called Nobody’s Prize.

If you enjoy reading historic novels, here are some recommendations of mine:

- The Black Stallion, Tim Farley: a very touching story about Alexander the Great’s courageous black stallion Bucephalus and his adventures with Alexander. This book actually brought tears to my eyes in the ending. People usually think of dogs as fiercely loyal, but who knew horses could be that loyal too?

-Troy, Adele Geras: a story of two very different but close sisters who lived in Troy at the height of the Trojan War. Romance, sisterly drama, and internal conflicts ensue! The book conveys very accurately what it was like to live during the time of war.

-The Red Thread, Roderick Townley: a girl keeps having dreams of her past life—no, her past TWO lives. She finds out that she was killed in one of them—murdered. But how can she forgive her own murderer when it happened 400 years ago? Like a tapestry, there are so many complex layers woven together in this story. It's like reading three plots at once - with them all joining together at the end

By: Berber
Edited By: Annie