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A Novel of Dido
by Claire Heywood
An epic and fiercely imaginative retelling of the story of queen Dido, the legendary founder of Carthage, from the author of the national bestseller Daughters of Sparta.
When the King of Tyre dies, he decrees that the rule of the kingdom will pass equally to both his children: Elissa, his clever and strong-willed daughter, and Pygmalion, her young half-brother. But Elissa, not yet skilled in the machinations of court, quickly finds herself sidelined by a band of powerful merchants in favor of her more malleable brother.
Forced out of her palace home, Elissa resolves to forge her own path. Both triumph and heartbreak await in the life that she builds, transforming herself from a sheltered princess into a strong and formidable leader. When she leads her followers on an epic journey in search of a new home in a faraway land, she earns herself a name that will echo through millennia: Dido, the wanderer.
Then one day, a mysterious stranger, Aeneas, arrives at the city gates, fleeing the Trojan War. As Dido and Aeneas are increasingly drawn to each other, Dido is forced to make an impossible choice between power and love.
"Equal parts empowering and heartbreaking, the novel highlights the sacrifices women make in order to control their own destinies while remaining true to themselves. Recommended for fans of the mythological retellings of Madeline Miller and Pat Barker." —Library Journal
"In this crisp, compelling narrative, Heywood reclaims Dido's legacy, showing her not merely as an ill-fated queen undone by love but also a politically savvy, determined, passionate leader." —Booklist
"The Wandering Queen by Claire Heywood is an intelligent, sympathetic retelling of the story of Dido. Heywood incorporates the myths and legends that surround this mysterious queen and presents a narrative that is both powerful and compelling. Highly recommended." —Laura Shepperson, author of Phaedra and The Heir of Venus
"The Wandering Queen brilliantly flips the traditional story arc; in this novel, the legend becomes a human. With exquisite, expert prose, Claire Heywood deconstructs the notoriety of Dido, revealing the complicated, vulnerable, and resilient woman at her core. This is what retellings are all about!" —Lauren J.A. Bear, author of The Mother of Rome
This information about The Wandering Queen was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Claire Heywood is a scholar of the ancient world, with a bachelor's degree in Classical Civilization and a master's degree in Ancient Visual and Material Culture from the University of Warwick.
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