Nobody's Princess

Nobody's Princess
By Esther Friesner
Random House, 2007. 305 pgs. Young Adult

Helen of Sparta (who will someday be known as Helen of Troy) gets a little tired of always being told she's beautiful. She gets very tired of doing women's work, such as carding wool, especially as she has no talent for it. So she begins sneaking away to train to be a warrior with her brothers. And when her brothers go on a quest to kill a boar sent by angry goddess Artemis, Helen goes along and befriends Atalanta, a woman warrior who is also determined to kill the boar. From there, Helen encounters the Oracle of Delphi--and learns how to shape her own destiny.

This book was an interesting contradiction to me; Helen is supposed to be this independent, strong female--and while she is sometimes, other times, it seems like she's content to sit back and watch, rather than to try to be involved or truly stand up for herself. I was also irritated by the strange emphasis on moments such as Helen learning to ride a horse rather than ones of higher action, such as the actual boar hunt (which Helen does manage to witness). The book does have a sequel, Nobody's Prize, and perhaps that manages to round Helen into a complete character who forges the life she desires.

AE