Alas, a leaden Helen'; Madison writer's prose could sink a thousand ships

From: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI) | Date: August 27, 2006| Author: | Copyright information

Helen of Troy. By Margaret George. Viking. 611 pages. $27.95.

With historical fiction, a good rule of thumb is to say "alas" to any book containing the word "alas."

Sooth and yea, these books tend to cross the dreaded "anachronism line," out-of-order florid fluff pumped up mainly by romantic imagination.

Did, for instance, Vikings or Aztec rulers or Roman centurions ever really say stuff like "Nay"? If this is what passes for capturing a historical period, then the Tripe Alert must move into the red zone.

Well, we get all kinds of dialog like that in "Helen of Troy," the latest work from ...

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