This wasn't the right fit for me, which is fine. I feel a bit over retellings of, and honestly at this point even references to, Greek mythology. The writing is nice. I give it a neutral 3 stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribners for an e-ARC of this slim collection of related poems, to be published in January 2025. A good idea by Scribners to do it only in ebook and paperback formats.
In the last decade, and even more so on the last 3 or 4 years, there have been many modern rewrites of Ancient Classical texts. This particular volume resets part of The Iliad in Sparta, TN, circa early '90's.
It works really well.
Zoccola, this is her first published book, combines a Homeric cadence with contemporary to 1993 detail in the life of the beautiful "Helen". Married and pregnant by age 21, her husband not The Big Cheese any longer, she runs off for an affair, only to come home a few months later. Proud in this small town, but knows it is all a dead end.
My only complaint is with the title, as this is really "Helen of Sparta" rather than Troy.
Brilliant idea, done well.
4 out of 5. A nice addition to the burgeoning genre of Classics Rewritten for Modern Times. Think Anne Carson, but less scholarly (but that is OK, and it fits 1990's TN much better).

Really smart, intelligent poems. Vibrant and doesn't hold back. Fantastic social commentary--and very interesting. Unlike anything else I've read this year--so very intellectually fun. Reminds me of Stein's WHAT TO MISS WHEN--if you enjoyed that collection, I think you would enjoy this one. Highly recommended.

I probably should have brushed up on my Greek poems prior to reading this as my memory of Helen of Troy is scant. I loved the afterword and notes from the author as it really helped flesh out the story for me and see the connection between this retelling and the original stories of Helen.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an eARC.

Author used an interesting way to write this book, I really enjoyed reading it, nicely done.

Helen of Troy, 1993 is such an unusual volume of poetry! It retells the story of Helen of Troy as a housewife in Tennessee, 1993. I loved the freshness of these poems - the southern storytelling that sometimes made me stop and re-read a line (or a poem). I cannot recommend this book highly enough for other readers who love poetry. It is striking and unusual and such a rewarding read!

I was really drawn in by the writing style of this book. I've always been a fan of poetry, but after reading this book, I'm even more interested in it than ever. The poetry has a narrative that grabs you and connects with the epic and the characters that I love. If you are looking for contemporary books in the field of epic poetry, this is the first choice. You will not regret it. It draws you in like a whirlwind and keeps you glued to it. This book is full of rich details and emotionally resonant content. It's a must-read for fans of contemporary poetry and feminist retellings.

When I started searching for contemporary titles in epic poetry, this was one of the first and only options that appeared. Thank you to the publisher for sending me the ARC through NetGalley. Even though this is my first experience with contemporary epic poetry, I don't think I could have enjoyed the experience more. The voice of the speaker is powerful and unique, the setting is rich and alive, and the Southern idioms and phrases are fluent and hilarious. Many images and metaphors are as familiar as family and I know I see Helen in line at Dollar General on a regular basis.

This concept for a poetry collection is very interesting. It contains the world of a rural small town girl who grows up caged by life like Helen of Troy. The comparison of the two seemingly different lives makes for an excellent conduit to examine Tennessee life in 1993. What kept me from really digging deep into this was the form. The intentional run-ons and cramped spacing felt constantly overwhelming. Perhaps that's my taste in poetry, but I think it hinders the work.

{waiting to review until 2 weeks prior to pub date per publisher's request :) have already read though, so submitting this in the meantime so my feedback ratio is accurate. i don't want to be denied for additional titles due to the pub's specific request! will be back to review and update accordingly!}

What a fantastic collection. Zoccola gives new life to the myth of Helen of Troy with a new setting and a different vibe.

(3.5 rounded up). I like poetry anthologies and collections based around a central topic or disparate ones, but I think collections following one specific character or one event, etc are my favorite. This collection takes the basic frame of the myth of Helen of Troy and moves her to Sparta, Tennessee in the early nineties. These poems contain the sadness and rebellion mythological Helen displayed and expand upon what we know about the myth in ways that feel relatable and modern-ish. The struggles of being a woman, a mother, a wife, a daughter, all feature here. Like every collection, there are hits and misses and ones I felt “meh” about. Favorites included : “helen of troy watches jurassic park in theaters,” “about the affair,” and “helen of troy honeymoons on st. john.” I liked the poetry itself, but I was enamored by the specificity of the theme of the collection, which enhanced my overall feelings towards it.

I think from the description I expected this to have more of a narrative through-line but I found it hard to find and follow. Maybe I needed more knowledge of the myth to grab onto what was happening here, but I just really struggled to find my grounding in it.

What a beautiful and unique poetry collection that keeps you immersed, just as its inspiration does. The prose was gorgeous and sucked me in from the start, and the way she has crafted a classic into a 1990s housewife is genius and WORKS. I am venturing into poetry more recently than usual, and this is right up my alley! Poetry with a narrative that keeps you hooked, with enough connection to the Epic and characters I hold dear to my literary heart. I will read anything Maria Zoccola writes in the future!

Based in Sparta, TN, in 1993, Helen is alive. And life is, like it is for everyone, messy and confusing and concerning and beautiful and heartbreaking. Maria Zoccola weaves history and modernity seamlessly, asking questions that have been trapped inside all of the Helens' minds for millennia — and screaming the answers.

Zoccola’s Helen of Troy, 1993 is a masterclass in symbolism. Helen’s life in the early nineties is filled with chaos, bravery, love, pain, anger, and freedom (just to name a few), and I can’t wait for you to be able to experience it. This book will be released on January 14, 2025.

omg this was good what! rtc closer to release

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thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to review!

*Helen of Troy, 1993* is a bold reimagining of the myth, placing Helen as a frustrated housewife in 1990s Tennessee. The collection’s vivid poems explore themes of isolation, rebellion, and the clash between personal freedom and social expectation. While some poems lean more on aesthetics than character depth, the overall work is sharp, visceral, and gives Helen a fiercely defiant voice. Fans of myth retellings and feminist poetry will find this fresh take compelling.

Helen of Troy, the original, the namesake, is the Trojan horse from which Zoccola springs an evocative, lyrically impressive, and deeply intense collection of poems following a new Helen, a 20th Century Helen.

This Helen is stuck in the perpetual cycle of a woman from small-town Tennessee.

Helen is a wife, a mother, a trophy, a lover, anything but free. Like her predecessor, she is at the whims of men and the mercy of a system designed to keep women triangulating between the house, the supermarket, and the laundromat.

It's melancholy at times, visceral, the images are equal parts sensual and bleak. Each fragment of Helen's life revealing via somatic lyricism a new daily drudgery of a life that is uncompromising.

And all this - images of Americana flitting between the ordinary and the sublime - derived from the intangible mythic of the Iliad.

It's quite brilliant.

Make sure you stay for the afterward.

This was an interesting retelling of Helen of Troy. Thank you to NetGalley, Maria Zoccola, and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Maria Zoccola’s Helen of Troy, 1993 is a stunning poetry collection that reimagines the mythic figure of Helen of Troy within the confines of a small Southern town in the early 1990s. Through richly textured language and an unapologetically raw narrative, Zoccola transforms Helen into a modern woman who seeks to break free from the constraints of marriage, motherhood, and societal expectations. This collection blends mythology with contemporary struggles, creating a layered exploration of femininity, agency, and rebellion.

The poems trace Helen’s journey as she grows increasingly disillusioned with her life in the hills of Sparta, Tennessee. The Southern Gothic setting plays a crucial role in shaping Helen’s story, with Zoccola using the natural landscape—both lush and stifling—as a mirror for Helen’s emotional state. Helen is depicted as a woman trapped by the rigid expectations of a Southern housewife, and each poem reveals her desire for more: more freedom, more choice, more control over her life. Zoccola’s ability to root mythological figures in real-world settings adds a fresh dimension to Helen’s story, making her isolation, frustration, and rebellion feel urgent and relatable.

One of the most compelling aspects of Helen of Troy, 1993 is the way Zoccola captures the mundane settings—football games, Chuck E. Cheese, the bathroom of a Motel 6—and fills them with Helen’s inner turmoil. These everyday places become stages for Helen’s quiet acts of rebellion and moments of deep introspection. In these ordinary yet charged environments, Helen becomes a disaffected homemaker who feels alienated from the life she has built. She marries the wrong man, becomes a mother before she is ready, and embarks on an affair, all in a search for agency and meaning.

Zoccola’s poems are sharp, with moments of brutal honesty and defiance. Helen’s voice is strong, unflinching, and often demanding. She insists that the reader listen to her story without judgment, as evidenced in one of the most powerful lines from the collection: “if you never owned a bone-sharp biography… / i don’t want to hear it. i want you silent. / i want you listening to me.” This insistence on owning her narrative is central to Helen’s journey—she refuses to be defined by the roles imposed on her, instead reclaiming her story on her own terms.

The collection also plays with the blurred lines between myth and modernity. By juxtaposing Helen’s legendary beauty and tragic destiny with the ordinary struggles of a 1990s Southern woman, Zoccola reveals the timeless nature of Helen’s desire for freedom and self-determination. The mythological Helen, often seen as an object of desire and a catalyst for destruction, is reframed here as a woman who refuses to be objectified or silenced. Zoccola reclaims Helen’s narrative, giving her agency and voice in a way that previous interpretations of the character have often denied.

In addition to its exploration of gender and agency, Helen of Troy, 1993 offers readers a meditation on place and identity. The small town of Sparta, Tennessee, with its social rigidity and narrow expectations, becomes a symbol of the limitations imposed on women like Helen. Her attempts to break free from these constraints are portrayed as both an individual and universal struggle, one that resonates with readers who have felt confined by their circumstances or their environment.

Final Thoughts:
Helen of Troy, 1993 is a powerful, evocative collection that reimagines the myth of Helen for a modern audience. Maria Zoccola’s poetry is rich in detail, emotionally resonant, and unapologetically bold. By bringing Helen’s story into the everyday world of a small Southern town, Zoccola gives voice to the frustrations, desires, and rebellions of women who refuse to be defined by the roles they are expected to play. This collection is an unforgettable exploration of myth, modernity, and the complexities of womanhood, making it a must-read for fans of contemporary poetry and feminist retellings.