The Wandering Queen: A Novel of Dido

Heywood follows up The Shadow of Perseus with an uneven retelling of the life of Dido, Queen of Carthage. Growing up motherless in Tyre, Princess Elissa absorbs lessons in strategy and patience from her doting father, King Mattan, who wills that she and her half-brother Pygmalion shall succeed him and rule together as equals. After Mattan dies, powerful merchants substitute the real will with a forged one that excludes Elissa, and Pygmalion becomes sole ruler. To avoid an arranged marriage and possible exile or murder, Elissa marries a priest, but Pygmalion has her husband killed. A heartbroken Elissa vows never to remarry, and she and her supporters sail to North Africa, where Elissa founds the city of Carthage and becomes Queen Dido. When a vessel from war-torn Troy is shipwrecked off the coast, Dido offers the passengers aid and meets handsome warrior prince Aeneas and his young son. Dido then partners with Aeneas, but their nonmarital union threatens her political power. Heywood offers a more hopeful outcome for Dido than Virgil provides her in the Aeneid, a divergence that will be stirring to some readers and strike others as fanciful and simplistic. Still, the narrative convincingly portrays Dido as strong-willed and shrewd. Diehard fans of feminist retellings will find plenty to enjoy. (Feb.)