She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Zeus" Theseus—but it also intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi.

In Nobody's Princess, author Esther Friesner deftly weaves together history and myth as she takes a new look at the girl who will become Helen of Troy. The resulting story offers up adventure, humor, and a fresh and engaging heroine you cannot help but root for.

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2007: Who was Helen before she was Helen of Troy? Friesner tells about Helen's childhood and ends the story just as Helen is entering adulthood—in Bronze Age Greece, this is at puberty. Friesner tells of Atalanta, Theseus, Castor and Polydeuces, Clytemnestra. She writes of the importance of the gods in the lives of these people—of Artemis and Aphrodite, of Zeus. She reminds readers in her note at the end that the events in this story were meant to happen nearly 1000 years before the Parthenon, the dramatists, and the war between Athens and Sparta—what we identify as Classical Greece. Helen's story is from the ancient oral traditions recorded by Homer centuries before the Parthenon was built. Friesner even begins before Homer's recounting of the story of Helen in The Iliad—a story that portrays Helen as a beautiful pawn in the more "important" story of war and heroes. Friesner makes Helen a strong young woman, savvy to the political tensions, eager to learn physical skills such as hunting and riding. She is beloved by her older brothers, who include her in their adventures. Friesner points out that the traditions of Sparta some years later included training young women for war and promoting physical endurance. This story will please readers interested in ancient Greek legends. Reviewer: Claire Rosser

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  • Literature & Fiction
    • Girls & Women