Pretty interesting, with mostly likeable, if flawed main characters.

Similar reaction I had to the first volume, but I found myself not getting very excited, in spite of the excitement, by the last half or so. Guess I'm not really that interested in over the top fighting.

This was a fun read, with an engaging story about a flawed but, mostly, likeable prodagonist. Written in a fun to read style.

This was not quite the sweet, fun story about a young American woman experiencing Japan for the first time. Well, it was but not just that. There's a darker part to the story as well, one that develops slowly and believably.
The main character, who tells the story, was likeable but her motivations for going to Japan in the first place felt a little unconvincing perhaps, but not nearly enough to detract from the book.

The issues raised (the darker part of the plot) are important, presented in a few key moments that set the tone for the rest of the book.

Kallifatides försök att, på ett lättillgängligt sätt, återberätta Iliaden är på det hela lyckat. Boken ger både en ögonblicksbild av slutskedet av andra världskiget i en liten grekisk by, samt belägringen av Troja berättad av byns lärarinna. Jag fann dock att jag greps mer av den moderna berättelsen, än av Akilles surande och alla stridskildringarna mellan akajer och trojaner, de blev lite långtråkiga i all sin brutalitet.