Goddess Of Yesterday

Goddess of Yesterday is a young adult fantasy novel and reimagining of the Greek story of the Trojan War by best-selling author Caroline B. Cooney. The book follows main character Anaxandra, who is taken from her home at age six to become the companion of King Nicander's sick and physically disabled daughter Princess Callisto. Anaxandra's life becomes more complicated as she is forced to take on new identities to survive. The book is one of Cooney's many stand-alone novels, which range in genre from horror to romance to fantasy. Her books are typically written for young adults between the ages of eleven and eighteen.

Anaxandra is kidnaped from her home island by King Nicander, who wants her as a companion for his sick daughter, Princess Callisto. Though initially, Anaxandra misses her home, she quickly becomes used to her life on the island of Siphnos, where King Nicander and Callisto treat her with kindness and dignity, becoming her adopted family. Anaxandra lives for six years on Siphnos, thankful for her new life away from the unchartered island where she was born.

Unfortunately, Anaxandra's peace comes to an end when pirates arrive on the shores of Siphnos, ransacking the island. Everyone on the island is killed except for Anaxandra, who is left with only a Medusa figurine and her own strength to carry on. Soon after the pirates invade, King Menelaus of Sparta arrives on the island and finds Anaxandra. Certain that she'll be taken as a slave if she tells Menelaus her true identity, Anaxandra lies to him, pretending to be Princess Callisto. Menelaus believes her, giving her a safe passage to Sparta and a home in his palace with his wife, Helen.



However, Helen is not so ready to believe Anaxandra's ruse, wondering at the red-hair of this found “Princess Callisto.” Anaxandra, terrified that Helen will give her away, spends her days in the palace fearful of making a misstep and being killed for her lies. Helen's suspicions lead to her hatred of Anaxandra, who comes to fear the queen.

Soon after her arrival, Menelaus leaves Sparta to travel to Crete, where he intends to pay the king for some slaves he took. As soon as Menelaus leaves, Paris, the young and arrogant Prince of Troy, arrives by boat to plunder the island of Sparta. Paris steals all the jewels from the island's treasury and also, steals Helen, who is eager to go with the attractive young prince to his home island. Helen's daughter Hermione does not want to leave her home in Sparta, and so Anaxandra agrees to take her place. On board the ship headed for Troy, she becomes the only protector of Helen's infant son, Pleisthenes.

Once in Troy, Anaxandra is again worried about being exposed by Helen, who is so thrilled in her new role as Paris's bride that she doesn't bother to take care of her son. Because of her immense beauty, the people of Troy love Helen, with the exception of Paris's sister Cassandra. Cassandra, a prophet, predicts that Helen will destroy the city of Troy. Anaxandra becomes friends with both Cassandra and Andromache, the wife of Prince Hector, when they bond over their mutual hatred and fear of Helen.



Menelaus soon returns home and discovers Paris has stolen his treasure and his bride. He recruits his brother Agamemnon, a famous warrior, and all of Helen's suitors, and the two brothers and their friends sail with their armies toward Troy, where they declare war.

During the war, Helen is in pure bliss. She finally feels appreciated, being the center of this violent, on-going conflict. Anaxandra, however, is torn between her many homes. She feels loyal to Menelaus but has fallen in love with Euneus, the neutral king of Lemnos. Anaxandra ultimately decides that it is her responsibility to return Menelaus's young son, Pleisthenes, to his father, before Troy is ravaged by the war.

Caroline B. Cooney is the author of dozens of young adult books in a number of genres. She has received many awards for her work, including an ALA Best Book for Young Adults award and an IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award. Her most recent book, Diamonds in the Shadow, was nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe award in 2008 and won the ALA/YALSA Quick Pick award the same year. Her book series include Losing Christina, The Vampire's Promise trilogy, the Janie Johnson series, and The Time-Travelers quartet.