I finished the
Margaret George "Helen of Troy" novel a week or so ago. While it was an enjoyable read, it didn't match her Henry VIII "Autobiography" in brilliance, characterization or entertainment. I really know very little about ancient Greek and Mycenean cultures - other than a VERY basic knowledge of arcitecture/sculpture/mythology, so it was interesting to be able to fill in a few gaps. however, the problem is that, so little is actually known about the "real" life of these peoples and even if a real Helen of Troy & Sparta really existed. With so much assumption being made to tell this story, I think it made the "historical" part of this "historical fiction" a little more fictioney. In other words, I think the book would've been more successful if it was complete fiction based on what little is known rather than trying to make something that is mythological into a reality. But, such is the fine line an author walks when writing this type of novel.