The Fall of Troy by Peter Ackroyd

The Fall of Troy

Peter Ackroyd

Front cover

Date read: 1 - 6 February 2021

Length: 215 pages

Published: 2006

Sophia marries Obermann, an archaeologist obsessed with discovering the lost city of Troy. But strange things keep happening to their discoveries, and Sophia begins to learn Obermann has not been honest about his past.

I did not like Obermann AT ALL! He's very single minded, he only wants to see Troy and as a result is very dismissive of facts that contradict his ideas. Despite the fact he could be discovering something else wonderful; if it's not related to Troy in any way, he's not interested. Even in his personal life he dismisses anything that gets in the way of what he wants and doesn't tell the truth.

I feel sorry for Sophia and especially the way she finds out the truth about Obermann's past life. I'm not sure if my hatred of Obermann made me feel more sympathetic towards Sophia, but I'm glad she got away from him regardless.

I wonder about what happened in the cave. It's very mysterious and the events aren't fully explained, it's just kind of swept under the rug and left there. I think that would have been interesting and I wish there was more detail there!

I don't know much about Troy and I'm not sure if that had an impact on my appreciation of this novel. Or it could be my hatred of Obermann that got in the way. If I rated in halves I would have given The Fall of Troy 2.5 stars, but I did like some parts of the story and I liked Sophia, so I've rounded up to 3.

Peter Ackroyd

Overall rating

Thanks,

The Wee Librocubicularist