This was one of my favorite books when I was growing up.There is a huge range of novels out there concerning the Trojan War and the men and women whose lives were changed by the great event - so many books in fact, that it is difficult to find one that doesn't feel stale and predictable (after all, no author can really make shocking twists and turns in a war whose outcome is already known). Like books concerning the King Arthur legends, the Trojan War as a subject for a book is rapidly becoming dull.So it is refreshing to find now and again a book that deals with this subject, and is actually *interesting*, suspenseful and surprisingly good. Such is Caroline B. Cooney's "Goddess of Yesterday". Although all of the mythological details and events of the War are correct (at least as far as I could see), the author brings new personalities to well-known characters, thoughtful insights on blasphemy and the nature of gods, and a likeable young heroine that blends so easily into the events leading up to the War that one might be surprised not to find her mentioned in ancient sources!Anaxandra is the beloved daughter of a chieftain father in a small rocky isle, taken away from her home and family as a tribute/hostage of King Nicander, who places her in his own household as a companion to his own crippled daughter Princess Callisto. Despite homesickness, Anaxandra adjust to her new life, only to have it shattered once more by pirates who plunder Siphnos. Thanks to an ingenious disguise, Anaxandra is the sole survivor, and when the ship bearing King Menelaus pulls in to investigate, she lies to ensure her future: telling the King of Sparta that she is the Princess Callisto.Under this new identity, she is taken to Sparta where she mingles with the family of the king: his beautiful but dangerous wife Helen, his cheerful daughter Hermione, his two elder sons, and baby Pleisthenes. It is there of course, that the inevitable happens: Prince Paris of Troy arrives in Sparta, and when Menelaus is called away to his grandfather's funeral, Paris and Helen set sail once more for Troy...taking baby Pleisthenes and Anaxandra (again under a false identity in a bid to save Hermione's life) with them...When retelling such a well-known story, it is impossible to change important events in the tale (scholars would get too stroppy), but the personalities of the people involved are always up for grabs. Cooney creates an interesting version of Helen, as a painfully beautiful demi-goddess, utterly cruel, cold, manipulating, and revelling in the blood of the soldiers who die for her sake. It's a shocking change from the usual somewhat reluctant follower of Paris, who would walk the walls in agony over the deaths below her. Hector and Andromache's characterisations I am less fond of: he's too heavy-set and gruff, and she's too frivolous and giggly. Cassandra, however is captured perfectly as the hysterical, but beloved princess in the tower, and Cooney instigates a very clever plot-twist in the details of her curse (that her prophesies are never believed), that caught me completely off-guard!There are a few details that bothered me: Anaxandra often beseeches the deity that gives name to the book: 'the goddess of yesterday', but who this figure actually is and how she fits into the pantheon of Greek gods remains unknown. The same complaint lies with the use of Medusa as a "good-luck charm", and did anyone else think that Anaxandra's romance with Euneas was a little abrupt? One horse ride and she's in love?Furthermore, there are alot of plot threads left hanging - does Anaxandra meet up with Euneas again? Cassandra hints that her parents are still looking for her - so does she ever meet them again? Does she have her revenge on the pirates of the twisted fish? And for someone who knows absolutely nothing about the Trojan War, they will be left dangling with absolutely no information on what happens to any of the characters - Cooney ends the book, so to speak, just when it seems like it's beginning. An epilogue fills in these blanks, but I would have liked to hear it from Anaxandra's point of view (plus Cooney forgets to mentions that Aretha is eventually rescued by her grandsons after the sack of Troy).But all in all, Caroline B. Cooney has written a clear, beautifully descriptive story of an engaging young woman caught up in events much larger than herself, as well as a reworking of the traditional myths, and a reasonably accurate depiction of ancient Greek life. In terms of novel based on this "Trojan genre", this one is one of the best.
(more like 3 and 1/2 stars)Anaxandra is six years old when King Nicander comes to the small island of her childhood and takes her away as a tribute and to be a companion to his sickly daughter Callisto. Unable to ever return to her family, Anaxandra comes to feel at home at Siphnos and to love her adopted family and for six years life goes unchanged. Until pirates attack the island and Anaxandra is the sole survivor. She is then rescued by King Menelaus of Sparta and afraid to be taken as a slave, she assumes the identity of Princess Callisto and because of that she is welcomed with opens arm into his household. Except that is, for his wife Helen, who doesn’t believe Callisto’s story and becomes a constant danger to Anaxandra. When Paris, the youngest spoiled son of the powerful city of Troy comes to visit, he and Helen fall in love with each other and leave Sparta for Troy. But Helen doesn’t go alone, she takes hers and Menelaus’ youngest son and is bent on taking their daughter Hermione as well. But Anaxandra who has come to love Menelaus’ family will do anything to protect the children and assumes once again, the identity of another person. In Troy, at the brink of the upcoming war Anaxandra will find herself having to choose sides.I have been in the mood for historical fiction lately and I quite enjoyed Goddess of Yesterday both because of its ancient Greece setting and connection to the Trojan War but also because of its resilient main character, Anaxandra. Anaxandra is a creation of this author but I liked how the minor role she comes to play in the Trojan War is one that could have been. Taking care of Helen’s youngest child Pleisthenes and protecting him from Helen’s carelessness and Paris’ murderous intentions becomes Anaxandra’s main mission whilst in Troy. Oh, how I loved the author’s choice of portraying both Helen and Paris as dangerous, self-serving, egotistical, loathsome people.The plot moves forward with increasing tension with the combination of Anaxandra always scared of being found a liar, Pleisthenes’ life in danger and the inevitable war looming in the horizon. The Trojans’ belief that they are unbeatable and the knowledge I had of how things turn out to be only made this story all the best to be read – especially when Anaxandra becomes friends with Hector, his future wife and his sister Cassandra (poor Cassandra) .Anaxandra is the sort of character whose rebellion – if we can call it that – is that of the quietly reflexive kind and her main skill is her ability to adapt and to forgive in order to survive. I admit that at times, I felt a bit frustrated by how easily she would find herself being extremely sympathetic to “her kings”: Nicander, Menelaus and Priam but to be honest, this felt true to the character. She is quite perceptive as well and her narrative is full of keen observations about life in Ancient Greece– from the different ways of life in the different places, the different languages, and customs not to mention the horrid reality of slavery and violence throughout. I also loved how the Gods and Goddess are portrayed as being an intrinsic part of everybody’s everyday lives including people’s belief that their fate was completely on their Gods’ hands. Would I have preferred to see Anaxandra raging against being the plaything of Gods and Goddesses? Yes. But it made sense that she accepted it, and prayed and hoped her Goddess of Yesterday would be fair to her when other Gods weren’t fair or good to other people. Plus, it’s not like she just sat there and waited for things to happen as she took an active role – lies and all – to survive. I loved that.Goddess of Yesterday is a short yet fulfilling story and I enjoyed reading it very much. I hear this author has a huge backlist – any recommendations about what I should read next?
What do You think about Goddess Of Yesterday (2003)?
Fast, engaging take on the Helen of Troy story. The main character is a little too "wise beyond her years" for me but I liked her ability to think simply about complicated issues, which the author built into her ancient times worldview. The author didn't try to give her a modern perspective and maintains limits and boundaries between classes and ideas. There are a few anachronisms like calling the Spartans and surrounding tribes Greeks, but the author does write an afterwards where she gives reasons for doing so, and overall the anachronisms do not disrupt the flow of the story.
—Bev Diaz
Caroline Cooney is a well-known and excellent author whose books I always like. However, this one is totally different from her usual books and I was very surprised to like it so much. It's historical fiction, based on history with a fictional kick-ass heroine! This is a story about ancient Greece and Troy. The beautiful Helen is portrayed to be a very ugly person inside despite her beautiful exterior: bloodthirsty for men to fight and kill over her, running away from her Sparta Greek King husband with a Prince from Troy, and absolutely emotionless for her children. Anaxandra, the protagonist, is 6 years old when marauding pirates steal her from her rocky island home and take her to the island of Siphnos where she lives with the King and Queen and their crippled daughter Callisto. But fate intervenes again when pirates attack Siphnos and kill everyone except Anaxandra. When she is rescued by King Menelaus, King of Sparta, and taken to Sparta she assumes Callisto's identity. She grows to love Menelaus and his family, except for Helen, his Queen, who is very cruel. While Menelaus is away Helen runs off with Prince Paris, the 50th son of King Priam of Troy. Once again Anaxandra assumes the identity of Hermione, Menelaus' daughter, in order to care for and protect Menelaus' baby son Pleis, whom Anaxandra is sure will be killed by Paris. Of course, she is found out. The entire story is exciting!
—Linda
I was very impressed with this story and where it went. The author has beautiful descriptions. As a reworking of a traditional tale, this story comes alive with an original character and new perspectives.The author laces historical beliefs and rules and creates a relatable tale. It’s a great time period to explore. The main character, Anaxandra, goes through a lot of growth. She learns about the different societies and takes the readers along in her observations. I really like the details the author included. For instance, the men of Sparta laugh at men of Troy because they ride on the back of a horse, finding it a pointless exercise. "Kings were not stable boys, to handle animals." I also love how the characters notice differences in Greek dialect between cities! I felt very immersed in the time period.In terms of writing style, I think the author used "but" too many times before clauses. I've found a few cases where "and" would have made the sentence flow better. While I think this largely relates to the author mimicking the literary styles of ancient Greek authors & playwrights, a few sentences did not fully make sense the way they were structured. Gods and goddesses are portrayed as being an intrinsic part of everyday life, including peoples’ belief that their fates were completely in their gods’ hands, and this strongly ties the story to the Illiad’s style. I liked this aspect and felt it was very believable for the culture. The author is never graphic, yet issues are laid out clearly about the life of islanders and pirates. Societies and their points of view came alive as I read.The author is honest about what is taken from historical records and what is fiction. Anaxandra is a creation of this author, but I liked the minor role she comes to play in the Trojan War. It helped bring her redemption of her guilt. It also gave her meaning to a life otherwise dictated by the kindness or cruelty of strangers. Women at this time had few if any rights and thus were not always an active participant in where their life went. This is portrayed gently in the story and came to a satisfying conclusion at the end. Anaxandra persevered through all the boulders thrown in her path. There are small plot threads that come back later in Anaxandra’s life, like the idea of men riding on the backs of horses and how actually experiencing this changed her outlook. In addition, her hair is a constant bit of conversation. When Helen orders it shaved a second time, Anaxandra believes she is being punished by the gods and that it will never grow back (hair being considered a glory of a woman’s life). Yet the author gives us hope again after she return Plies to Menelaus. The author is great at resolving not only major events but also the subtle occurrences that affect the characters. There is a beauty illuminated when things great and small wrap themselves together. The author gave us that. Would it have been nice to have a bit more pages about when Anaxandra landed on King Euneas’s island?... Yes. But I was left satisfied with the ending nonetheless. I would enjoy reading more from the author.
—J. Else
