The Women of Troy
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- Create Date：2021-08-09 00:51:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Pat Barker
- ISBN：0241427231
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Summary
Following her bestselling， critically acclaimed The Silence of the Girls， Pat Barker continues her extraordinary retelling of one of our greatest myths。
Troy has fallen。 The Greeks have won their bitter war。 They can return home victors， loaded with their spoils: their stolen gold， stolen weapons， stolen women。 All they need is a good wind to lift their sails。
But the wind does not come。 The gods have been offended - the body of Priam lies desecrated， unburied - and so the victors remain in limbo， camped in the shadow of the city they destroyed， pacing at the edge of an unobliging sea。 And， in these empty， restless days， the hierarchies that held them together begin to fray， old feuds resurface and new suspicions fester。
Largely unnoticed by her squabbling captors， Briseis remains in the Greek encampment。 She forges alliances where she can - with young， dangerously naïve Amina， with defiant， aged Hecuba， with Calchus， the disgraced priest - and begins to see the path to a kind of revenge。 Briseis has survived the Trojan War， but peacetime may turn out to be even more dangerous。。。
Troy has fallen。 The Greeks have won their bitter war。 They can return home victors， loaded with their spoils: their stolen gold， stolen weapons， stolen women。 All they need is a good wind to lift their sails。
But the wind does not come。 The gods have been offended - the body of Priam lies desecrated， unburied - and so the victors remain in limbo， camped in the shadow of the city they destroyed， pacing at the edge of an unobliging sea。 And， in these empty， restless days， the hierarchies that held them together begin to fray， old feuds resurface and new suspicions fester。
Largely unnoticed by her squabbling captors， Briseis remains in the Greek encampment。 She forges alliances where she can - with young， dangerously naïve Amina， with defiant， aged Hecuba， with Calchus， the disgraced priest - and begins to see the path to a kind of revenge。 Briseis has survived the Trojan War， but peacetime may turn out to be even more dangerous。。。
Reviews
Cat （TheUncommonRead）
，
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC copy！ The Women of Troy picks up not long after the end of The Silence of the Girls， opening with the Greek warriors stuffed inside the Trojan Horse， ready for the final assault on Troy。 Briseis' narration starts in chapter three， and seeing the sacking of Troy through Pyrrhus' eyes - along with the death of Priam - before moving to seeing the aftermath through the eyes of a woman helped establish the cycle of men acting， and women dealing wit Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC copy！ The Women of Troy picks up not long after the end of The Silence of the Girls， opening with the Greek warriors stuffed inside the Trojan Horse， ready for the final assault on Troy。 Briseis' narration starts in chapter three， and seeing the sacking of Troy through Pyrrhus' eyes - along with the death of Priam - before moving to seeing the aftermath through the eyes of a woman helped establish the cycle of men acting， and women dealing with the consequences。 I can see why people dislike the use of male voices （Pyrrhus and Calchas） throughout the narrative， but I viewed their narration as a way of showing that the women held more power than the men thought they did。 In the case of Pyrrhus， for example， it showed that Amina， the lowest of the low， had power over the man who was meant to be the Hero of Troy， simply becaus she saw him in a way that didn't befit his title。 The same went for Calchas - it showed how his previous loyalties to Priam's house - and the women that made up his household - became a weakness that the women ultimately exploited。 I liked the power and the agency that was given to Cassandra。 In other books concerning the Trojan War and the aftermath of the fall of Troy， I've seen Cassandra portrayed as a screaming， almost rabid， madwoman。 This， thankfully， was not the case in Women of Troy。 While her episodes of madness are mentioned， whenever Briseis interacts with Cassandra， she is collected and in control of herself and the situation。 She understood her fate and the role she had to play。 There was a particularly poignant moment， where Calchas is delivering a prophecy originally given by Cassandra， and she notes that she is only believed when her prophecies are coming from the mouth of a man。 That hit hard。 There were two things in the book that I wasn't sure of: the use of the r-word， and， at times， the pacing。 Although I understand the contextual use of the r-word， and it was only used twice， a different word still could have been used。 The pacing seemed off at certain moments， as there were some instances that I felt could have been developed further， such as Brisies spending time with the other women， but the stunted moments between Briseis and Alcimus highlighted the fragmented nature of their marriage。 I would have liked to have seen Briseis spend more time with Amina and the other women， but I suppose that this came with the territory of Briseis moving from Achilles' prize to Alcimus' wife。 The thread of legacy and consequence runs clearly throughout the book， and that's what raised it to a 4* read for me。 We see Pyrrhus trying to fill Achilles' footsteps while also carving out an identity separate from his father （there was a lovely moment where he describes Achilles being everywhere in the camp towards the end of the book）; Briseis being pregnant with Achilles' child and how this affected her relationships with men and women throughout the camp， simply because Achilles is the father of her child; Alcimus trying to become the husband that Achilles said he would be; the impact of Priam's death on his household， and how the captured Trojan women come to terms with their new identites as the property of the Greeks - who are they now？ Again， the cycle of choice and consequence is one that impacts heavily on the women， and this is something that Barker expertly brings to the fore。 Overall， this was a character-driven， reflective read that I really enjoyed。 Barker's writing style is easily one of my favourite， and she maintains the perfect balance of brutality and emotion that I loved about The Silence of the Girls。 。。。more
Roger
，
After receiving my free ARC of this book （thanks） and starting it， I realised there was a predecessor so I bought that to read first and was glad I did as I really enjoyed it。This book was good but not to the same standard in the absence of the complex Achilles。 Worth reading though。 3。5 * rounded up to 4 on the quality of the pair of books。。
Lauren Don’tGoBrekkerMyHeart
，
3。75"We women are peculiar creatures。 We tend not to love those who murder our families。"The Women of Troy was a visceral take on the post-war effects of the Trojan War， specifically following the women enslaved to the Greeks from Troy。 The main character is still Briseis from The Silence of the Girls， but we also have a new character Calchas and Achilles son Pyrrhus as a few POV poins throughout the story。 My memory doesn't quite recall a lot of the scenes from TSOTG besides just what I know fr 3。75"We women are peculiar creatures。 We tend not to love those who murder our families。"The Women of Troy was a visceral take on the post-war effects of the Trojan War， specifically following the women enslaved to the Greeks from Troy。 The main character is still Briseis from The Silence of the Girls， but we also have a new character Calchas and Achilles son Pyrrhus as a few POV poins throughout the story。 My memory doesn't quite recall a lot of the scenes from TSOTG besides just what I know from Greek myths in general， but I have to say this sequel was pretty great。 Yes， it is monumentally slower paced， and there's little violence， in my opinion， besides the very beginning and a few other moments。 It was so intriguing to read a book solely focused on the aftermath of war。 From the differing arrays of PTSD （warrior males， enslaved women， and Briseis' experiences with Achilles and other kings） to this deep desire to return home， the Greeks and Trojan women really tugged on my heart strings。 I didn't mind the slow pac because this story was about all of them， and this unified broken heart over war。 So many have died on both ends and Patroclus and Achilles are one of the main deaths to still haunt everyone。 It's tragic and real and lovely。 A good representation。Although， here were a few phrases/ moments in the story that didn't feel necessary to me。 The r-word is used multiple times， and due to many peoples trauma with that word， I think another word could've suited the scene better。 The same thing goes for the fatphobia against Maire。 Her weight is condescendingly discussed numerous times whether about how that makes her less desired， beautiful， etc。 It made me uncomfortable as someone who has struggled with their weight in their life， and since it didn't add much to the story （Maire has a baby son who all the enslaved women go around protecting）， I think it could have been left out。 Overall， this sequel has proven just how much I adore Pat Barker's Greek retellings， and I cannot wait to reread TSOTG and see what else Barker has in store for us！TW: Rape （discussed heavily）， gore/ violence， murder， death of a child， desecration of a corpse， genocide （all Trojan males murdered as punishment even babies）， sexual assault， slavery， domestic abuse， PTSD， r-word used， and fatphobia comments。 。。。more
Jonathan Toth
，
Nothing really happened …
Lisa Overend
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Troy has fallen and the Greeks have won the decade long war。 Instead of being able to return home victorious， unnatural winds keep the ships from sailing and rumours begin to circulate in the restless Greek camp that the Gods are offended。 Told primarily from the point of view of pregnant and newly married Breseis， Barker's poignant sequel to 'The Silence of the Girls' tells the story of the wives， sisters， mothers and daughters that the slaughtered men of Troy left behind。 The pace of the book Troy has fallen and the Greeks have won the decade long war。 Instead of being able to return home victorious， unnatural winds keep the ships from sailing and rumours begin to circulate in the restless Greek camp that the Gods are offended。 Told primarily from the point of view of pregnant and newly married Breseis， Barker's poignant sequel to 'The Silence of the Girls' tells the story of the wives， sisters， mothers and daughters that the slaughtered men of Troy left behind。 The pace of the book is slow， but it's perfect for it。 It gives Barker room to explore the intricacies and politics of the aftermath of war with a fascinating focus on the female experience。 While the men ignore， undermine， disrespect and underestimate the women， time and time again， they show courage， determination and resilience that far outweighs that of the Greek heroes。 Though it appears not to be as welcome with some reviewers， I think the inclusion of the occasional chapter in the voice of Pyyrhus is wonderful。 It gives us a glimpse into his mental torment at being unable to live up to the greatness of his father Achilles， sheds light on the reasons for some of monstrous choices he makes and leaves you in no doubt about the peril the women of Troy remain in。 The narration of the audiobook from Kristin Atherton is absolutely spot on， her pacing perfect and she really brings the text to life。 “Alcimus is here now， I have to go。 I turn my back on the burial mound and let him lead me down to the ships。 Now， my own story can begin。” Though little is know about what becomes of Breseis who all but dissapears in the myths， this ending leads me to believe we haven't seen the last of her。 This duology NEEDS to be a trilogy。 A massive thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this advance audiobook in return for my honest review 。。。more
AtomicBooks
，
I love Pat Barker’s writing。 Her writing brings everything to life and this book is no different。 Through her writing and Briseis’ narration you get immersed in the lives of the women of Troy， as they are surrounded by their Greek captors。 The Greeks are all just waiting in the camps for the weather to calm so they can set sail home。 You get a real sense in this story that the men’s lives are going on whilst the women have to look after themselves and wait for the men to call on them。 You can fe I love Pat Barker’s writing。 Her writing brings everything to life and this book is no different。 Through her writing and Briseis’ narration you get immersed in the lives of the women of Troy， as they are surrounded by their Greek captors。 The Greeks are all just waiting in the camps for the weather to calm so they can set sail home。 You get a real sense in this story that the men’s lives are going on whilst the women have to look after themselves and wait for the men to call on them。 You can feel the sense of boredom， uncertainty and fear that must have surrounded the women whilst they just had to sit and wait for something to happen。 。。。more
Sophie
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I literally have no words for this book。 I just didn’t get it。 It didn’t seem to have any storyline at all or any focus or point to it。 I honestly cannot even explain what I just read。
booklife
，
The brilliant Pat Barker picks up what she left in The Silence of the Girls， bringing us more insight and wisdom through the eyes of the "silent women"。 The Woman of Troy begins with the fallen Troy empire and progresses with Briseis as she finds her world changing after Troy's defeat。 In the beginning of this one especially， we do have some insight from some of the males， but it remains mostly of Briseis that we hear from， providing inspiration and insight into her world as she stands up and at The brilliant Pat Barker picks up what she left in The Silence of the Girls， bringing us more insight and wisdom through the eyes of the "silent women"。 The Woman of Troy begins with the fallen Troy empire and progresses with Briseis as she finds her world changing after Troy's defeat。 In the beginning of this one especially， we do have some insight from some of the males， but it remains mostly of Briseis that we hear from， providing inspiration and insight into her world as she stands up and attempts to help others around her given her new position of power as Alcimus' wife。 Beautifully crafted and wonderfully remastered story told with a true gift for words and Barkers hear seeping through the pages。 I'd recommend you read The Silence of the Girls first， as that will give you a better foundation leading in to this story， however you can piece things together if you are not familiar with the first book。The Women of Troy is one of many retellings hitting shelves right now but I'm confident that the well planned， well researched and beautifully composed novel will stand out and shine far above the other works， making this a sure hit with fans of Madeline Miller or just mythology in general。 I know I will be reading this again and again as well as looking out for anything else Pat Barker may have in store for us readers。 Thank you so much to netgalley and to Pat Barker and publishers for providing an advance ecopy in exchange for my honest review。 I can happily say that I highly recommend not only The Women of Troy but everything that has been or will be released from Pat Barker。 。。。more
Jo
，
I listened to the audiobook version of The Women of Troy by Pat Barker。 The story is detailed and heartbreaking at times。 The characterisation is really well done。Thanks to netgalley for letting me read this。
Charli
，
“Alcimus is here now， I have to go。 I turn my back on the burial mound and let him lead me down to the ships。 Now， my own story can begin。”The Women of Troy picks up right where it left off at the end of The Silence of the Girls with Breseis continuing as the narrator of the story， which only adds to the strength of a female voice talking about the enslaved women who were grieving after the war， feeling powerless and traumatised。 This is the story we all wish we had after reading The Iliad， “Alcimus is here now， I have to go。 I turn my back on the burial mound and let him lead me down to the ships。 Now， my own story can begin。”The Women of Troy picks up right where it left off at the end of The Silence of the Girls with Breseis continuing as the narrator of the story， which only adds to the strength of a female voice talking about the enslaved women who were grieving after the war， feeling powerless and traumatised。 This is the story we all wish we had after reading The Iliad， and I was hooked and reeled in right from the very first chapter。It starts off with the soldiers inside the Trojan Horse concerned that they will be discovered and massacred and not able to carry out the plan of opening the gates to the City to let the army in。 Of course we all know what happened in Troy， and that the Greeks were successful in sacking the City。 What I loved most about this book is reading how Breseis met with the women who were taken captive either during the war， or after the fall of Troy， and helped them to adjust to their new lives （and dare I say， freedoms…）You can’t help but feel for Breseis， what with her being married off to Alcimus while being pregnant with Achilles’ baby （oopsie！） and just how did no one suspect anything？ Then again… I’m not confident on just how much brains the men of the ancient world had when it came to women and sensing changes in their bodies， because lets face it， they were property for the most part and nothing more。 It seems like there will be a third book in the series， rather than this book being the sequel in a duology， and I desperately need that to be true because I love what an absolutely badass fantastic woman Breseis is and the world needs more content of her than what we have。 I’m negating talking about the men in my review， because with books like The Iliad and The Song of Achilles I think we’ve read enough about them to be able to make up our minds about their characters and intentions。 This book is 95% focused on the women， as it should be。 Parker just keeps on releasing outstanding modern classics and I couldn’t be more excited for what she has in store next。Would I recommend this book to everyone？ Yes。 Will I smack them in the face if they don’t take my recommendation seriously？ You betcha。 Pick it up， read it， NOW。 You won’t regret it。Now， I received an audiobook version along with my hardback and let me tell you， the narrator Kristin Atherton？… FABULOUS。 I loved her performance and I’ll be going straight to Audible to purchase the audiobook for The Silence of the Girls to relive it。Thanks so so much to Penguin Random House for sending me a review copy， and to Netgalley for sending me an audiobook to review in exchange for my honest and unbiased review。 。。。more
Ellie at BookBucket
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https://book-bucket。com/2021/08/04/th。。。This is another outing with a new-to-me author and again I'm wondering why I've left it so long。The beautiful and previously deemed impregnable fortress city of Troy has fallen and the males - all men， boys， and male babies - have been killed to end the Trojan bloodlines and prevent potential future uprisings。 The women of Troy， those who did not end their lives rather than be captured， have all been divided between the leaders of the conquering Greek armi https://book-bucket。com/2021/08/04/th。。。This is another outing with a new-to-me author and again I'm wondering why I've left it so long。The beautiful and previously deemed impregnable fortress city of Troy has fallen and the males - all men， boys， and male babies - have been killed to end the Trojan bloodlines and prevent potential future uprisings。 The women of Troy， those who did not end their lives rather than be captured， have all been divided between the leaders of the conquering Greek armies as spoils of war， to be used as concubines and slaves。 Briseis is one of the more 'fortunate' ones。 Having been the concubine of Achilles and now pregnant with his child she has been respectably married off to one of his most loyal men which gives her a level of protection that most of the women do not have。 Through her eyes we see the turmoil and trauma of the women of Troy as they grieve their loved ones and the loss of the home they loved and felt safe in， and experience the uncertainty of their new lives where a woman's life depends on the humour of the man she has been given to。 And who is likely to be the same man responsible for the deaths of her family。 There are politics among the Greek leaders too， although that doesn't feature in this book as strongly as I expected it to。I loved this retelling of the aftermath of the fall of Troy。 This book follows The Silence Of The Girls which I am intending to read very soon。 Because I enjoy Greek mythology and history I am familiar with the story of Troy and the main characters， so I don't expect to have any trouble going backward to where this book series began。 I am also hoping there will be another book so that I can continue to follow Briseis's story。Even if you are not familiar with the fall of Troy you will not have difficulty following the names and places mentioned as the author manages to keep everything very clear， not always an easy feat。 I highly recommend this book。 Give it a go！ 。。。more
Lady Fancifull
，
“Darkness at the break of noon”Pat Barker continues the extraordinarily powerful journey she began in The Silence of The Girls， a submersion into the events recounted in Homer’s Iliad， told through the powerless – women， part of the spoils of war。 The Silence of the Girls had， as its central narrator Briseis， named in the Iliad， who saw her brothers and husband killed by Achilles， and was then given to the ‘hero’ as reward， along with the gold and precious commodities victors take from the vanqu “Darkness at the break of noon”Pat Barker continues the extraordinarily powerful journey she began in The Silence of The Girls， a submersion into the events recounted in Homer’s Iliad， told through the powerless – women， part of the spoils of war。 The Silence of the Girls had， as its central narrator Briseis， named in the Iliad， who saw her brothers and husband killed by Achilles， and was then given to the ‘hero’ as reward， along with the gold and precious commodities victors take from the vanquished。Briseis continues this journey in The Trojan Women， beginning where the earlier book ends。 Achilles has been killed。 Troy is under siege。 Briseis， given now as wife to a close friend of Achilles， Alcimedes， a decent man， is pregnant with Achilles son。 Achilles legitimate heir is the erratic Pyrrhus， only 16， desperate to be worthy and admired like his dead father。Wily Odysseus masterminds the fall of Troy via the Trojan Horse， （‘beware of Greeks bearing gifts’） Here we have again a cast of mythic figures – Agamemnon， Priam， Meneleus ，Cassandra， Hecuba， Helen， Andromache– and the unnamed， suffering other Trojan women。All the Trojan men are dead， killed by the Greek forces， even the boy infants and babies。 Even a Trojan unborn baby boy will be killed once born。 The women are slaves， the best fate that can be envisaged for the wives and daughters of powerful Trojans is to be the concubine of a powerful Greek hero （as Briseis was） This is the best outcome。 Lesser born young women and girls will be used by several soldiers。This is a brutal world， with little glory。 Barker， a magnificent writer， inhabits this reeking post battlefield world in a way which not only brings the past to life， but， even more uneasily， must remind us of more recent conflicts， even now， where women are still the spoils of war。Barker does not bash the reader round the head with her research， but reading this， for the most part， I certainly felt ‘within history’There is a wonderful moment of dangerous subversion。 Pyrrhus， following an extremely shocking， brutal act， in which he tries to equal a similarly shocking， vengeful act of brutality done by Achilles， issues an edict。 Anyone breaking this horrible ‘law’ will be brutally killed。 Someone does。 Suspicion falls upon the only two Trojans who were not slain。 But neither are responsible。 None of the Greek commanders and kings have considered that there are many more living Trojans。 Women fall as much beneath the radar as horses， dogs， cattle and the like， as possible perpetrators of this ‘crime’ （in fact， an act of mercy）A marvellous， resonant， shocking story giving voice to the women， named or unnamed， of historyI received this gratefully as a digital ARC from the publishers， via NetGalley， for review 。。。more
Amy | Prose Amongst Thorns
，
This book felt so unnecessary。 The Women of Troy isn’t really about the women of Troy， but about Briseis’ life now that she’s freed through marriage。I said this in my review for the first one， but I do feel as if a book centred on ‘women’ should be voiced by them。 Instead， it kicks off with a male narrator。 And returns towel narrators throughout。 If the novel didn’t claim to give voice to women， then I’d be able to rate it so much higher。 But it certainly fails in that respect。 If you thought Br This book felt so unnecessary。 The Women of Troy isn’t really about the women of Troy， but about Briseis’ life now that she’s freed through marriage。I said this in my review for the first one， but I do feel as if a book centred on ‘women’ should be voiced by them。 Instead， it kicks off with a male narrator。 And returns towel narrators throughout。 If the novel didn’t claim to give voice to women， then I’d be able to rate it so much higher。 But it certainly fails in that respect。 If you thought Briseis was dull in book one then prepare to find her even duller。 In my opinion she just lacks character。 She wants the captured women who are now enslaved to see her as one of them， but hates being a slave。 She rejects her place of power through her husband but wants to have her position of power back。 She loves other children but already feels no love for her own child。 She achieves nothing。 And the plot？ Well。 It seemed to just rehash the end of Silence of the Girls; simply adding a little more detail and stretching it out。 It lacked a key plot point to give the story momentum。 It’s a slow， stagnant story about a group of people trapped after war。 What I wanted to see was Briseis attempting to stand up for and protect the other slaves， to attempt to make change。 I wanted to see her as a mother。 I wanted her to find her strength and use her husbands power to her advantage。 Instead， like Hamlet， she spent the novel fretting and wishing people liked her。Worst of all， was the way Briseis treated other women。 A larger sized lady was locked repeatedly， called ‘lumpy’ and ‘ugly’。 Briseis wondered why she’d even been chosen as a slave and when she was pregnant she commented how it’s hard to tell since she’s so fat。 This disgusting treatment of someone who is not conventionally beautiful made me hate the book even more。 Briseis is supposed to be different， she’s supposed to be the one giving women a voice and she uses it to shame others。Once again Barker missed the mark here。 Other books do this better and I’m not sure why people seem to think this is such an amazing representation。 Fat shaming is never okay and it’s a repeated theme throughout。 One that has no need to be included and had no bearing on the plot。 For that reason alone， I would not recommend this book。 。。。more
Jesika
，
"Achilles' story never ends: wherever men fight and die， you'll find Achilles。 And as for me - my story and his were inextricably linked。"This second book in which Pat Barker is reimagining the Trojan War is fantastic。 It follows on from Silence of the Girls and definitely leaves room for a third boom in the series which would need to veer further from the Epic Canon but which has been set up extremely well in these two books。The characterisation of Briseis， our main narrator， continues to be ex "Achilles' story never ends: wherever men fight and die， you'll find Achilles。 And as for me - my story and his were inextricably linked。"This second book in which Pat Barker is reimagining the Trojan War is fantastic。 It follows on from Silence of the Girls and definitely leaves room for a third boom in the series which would need to veer further from the Epic Canon but which has been set up extremely well in these two books。The characterisation of Briseis， our main narrator， continues to be exceptional。 The reader really sees her throughout this book as someone stuck trying to make a life amongst the impossible。 Briseis is pregnant with the baby of a man who owned her - no matter what she came to think of him， it was telling as to her state of mind how little she was able to connect to her unborn child which， as the legacy of godlike Achilles， was ultimately ensuring her survival throughout。We see Briseis as she tries to help the Women of Troy。 Though I would again say that the book could reflect more of an overall female perspective by having multiple female narrators， as I did with the first book， this is not to detract from the feat of writing that is achieved here。 Through Briseis we get a very good understanding of the experience， the adaptability and potential for honour， heartbreak and survival of the many women she encounters and tries to help。 Even the women she doesn't know or help， Briseis gives the reader eyes in the Greek camp seeing what life was like for them。I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of Cassandra as someone reveling in the few short weeks she knew she would be held in high regard before her prophesied death。 The view of Hecuba and Andromache as having lost so much and being unable to adapt was emotional and chilling。Phyrrus， the young son of Achilles， in the main antagonist in this novel and he comes across as a complex， difficult teen struggling to lead men who have been at war almost as long as he has been alive。 A young man struggling to follow in the footsteps of a father he never knew but is revered as a god。 Literally。 It's brilliantly done。If you are interested in the Greek Canon， in the Homeric works and in retellings generally， this book is brilliant， but I would highly recommend you read it after Silence Of the Girls of its full impact and brilliance to really be seen as this does feel very much like a 'middle' book in a series。 。。。more
Marie （UK）
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I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Despite it's title being "The WOMEN of Troy" the book opens with the Men of Greece inside the Trojan horse preparing for battle。 It is indeed a very powerful opening and promised much for the book。 I felt that the women's story told through the narrative of Briseis was varying in both the power of the narrative and it's ability to really fire my imagination。 I really loved The Silence of the Girls but this one under d I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 Despite it's title being "The WOMEN of Troy" the book opens with the Men of Greece inside the Trojan horse preparing for battle。 It is indeed a very powerful opening and promised much for the book。 I felt that the women's story told through the narrative of Briseis was varying in both the power of the narrative and it's ability to really fire my imagination。 I really loved The Silence of the Girls but this one under delivered in my view。I also had real problems with the language somw of which I doubt was used in the mythological period。 I felt the author used it to shock and maybe to brutalise further the males in the storyline。 However when used by the women it merely served to make them less likeable。 。。。more
Kristy
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I was so eager to read a new take on Troy， and the women in particular， but I couldn't make it all the way through this novel。 I found the writing， some of the language， and the narrative voice to be too vulgar and commonplace; I felt it read more like a supermarket romance than a historical fiction。 I was so eager to read a new take on Troy， and the women in particular， but I couldn't make it all the way through this novel。 I found the writing， some of the language， and the narrative voice to be too vulgar and commonplace; I felt it read more like a supermarket romance than a historical fiction。 。。。more
Sarah Hudson
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We pick up the story of Briseis from where the incredible The Silence of the Girls leaves off。 Briseis is pregnant with the recently deceased Achilles’ child but now married to Alcimus， and therefore still has a prominent position amongst the women in the Greek camp。 Troy has fallen but unfavourable winds compel the Greek fighters to remain camped on the beach， unable to leave the place in which they have been at war for the past ten years。 We follow Briseis and her relationships with others in We pick up the story of Briseis from where the incredible The Silence of the Girls leaves off。 Briseis is pregnant with the recently deceased Achilles’ child but now married to Alcimus， and therefore still has a prominent position amongst the women in the Greek camp。 Troy has fallen but unfavourable winds compel the Greek fighters to remain camped on the beach， unable to leave the place in which they have been at war for the past ten years。 We follow Briseis and her relationships with others in the camp as they settle into life with the new status of the Greeks as victors。This tale also follows the stories of characters who were far less prominent or absent from the previous book。 Andromache and Cassandra are fascinating here， as are other “slave” women who find themselves at the mercy of their Greek captors following the sacking of Troy。 The male POV which was held by Achilles in the previous book is here taken up by his son Pyrrhus， whose own insecurities about trying and failing to live up to his father’s legacy result in brutal， mean-spirited actions that are riveting as they are appalling。This is another beautiful retelling of ancient myths for modern times。 The characters are so believable， and their interactions feel very real。 While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous instalment， that is perhaps because the source material isn’t quite as compelling。 Either way， I look forward to the next one！My thanks to the author， NetGalley， and the publisher for the arc to review。 。。。more
John Derek
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The Women of Troy is the sequel to the Silence of the Girls。 The reader finds themselves in the company of Briseis （although now she carries Achilles' child） and Pyrrhus， the son of Achilles。 Pyrrhus was conducive to the fall of Troy。 This is not just a Briseis character-driven novel。 Initially， some of the aftermaths of the war can be seen through the eyes of the Calchas and Pyrrhus。 But as we enter the fray， the Trojan horse， complete with Pyrrhus and other Greek soldiers， are about to enter T The Women of Troy is the sequel to the Silence of the Girls。 The reader finds themselves in the company of Briseis （although now she carries Achilles' child） and Pyrrhus， the son of Achilles。 Pyrrhus was conducive to the fall of Troy。 This is not just a Briseis character-driven novel。 Initially， some of the aftermaths of the war can be seen through the eyes of the Calchas and Pyrrhus。 But as we enter the fray， the Trojan horse， complete with Pyrrhus and other Greek soldiers， are about to enter Troy and end the war。 Later After Briseis is married to Alcimus is and no longer a slave， things become more pedestrian。 It is then we learn about the plight of the women and slaves in the Greek camp。 This is where the narrative takes us into a thought-provoking， heart-wrenching story of grief， fear， terror， and outrage。 The sheer traumatic experience that transpired for the women concerned was unbelievable。 Briseis is seen as a guiding light， a hope where there seems to be none。 Having married an officer， she has relative freedom of the camps， offering solace。 You can imagine how resentment and thoughts of revenge would be rife within the slave camp。The Women of Troy is well written and well researched。 A distinct twist to a famous story （myth or otherwise）。 The author has painted a passionate account with stand-out characters and powerful prose。 This is an excellent novel， intelligent and evocative。 I found it to be a brilliant read。Thank you， NetGalley， Penguin UK and Pat Barker for the digital copy of the book。 。。。more
Rebecca Sims
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I enjoyed this account of a women’s perspective of what happened。 It is cleverly nuanced and easy to read and become immersed in。 A definite recommendation。Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。
Justin Sarginson
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I loved the first book in this series & couldn't wait to read this one。 But I have to be honest， I was slightly disappointed with this one。 The plot is largely similar to The Women Of Troy， but with less drama or excitement。However， it's great to revisit the characters once again， as they are still perfectly formed and the interactions remain poised & just moments of joy to savour。This was a real joy to read， once again the setting and the characters bring the story to life for the readers to ju I loved the first book in this series & couldn't wait to read this one。 But I have to be honest， I was slightly disappointed with this one。 The plot is largely similar to The Women Of Troy， but with less drama or excitement。However， it's great to revisit the characters once again， as they are still perfectly formed and the interactions remain poised & just moments of joy to savour。This was a real joy to read， once again the setting and the characters bring the story to life for the readers to just read & believe。 。。。more
Bookphenomena （Micky）
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3。5 starsHeadlines:Intensely detailed retellingThe rise of womenTragedy and heartbreakThe Women of Troy picked up the story immediately after the end of The Silence of the Girls。 It amazed me that a successful outcome of the war didn’t really change dynamics in the camp。 The men still treated the women terribly， used and abused them with zero respect。 The men across the ranks were petty and egotistical， none more than those who were senior。 Again， with this installment， I found there was hardly 3。5 starsHeadlines:Intensely detailed retellingThe rise of womenTragedy and heartbreakThe Women of Troy picked up the story immediately after the end of The Silence of the Girls。 It amazed me that a successful outcome of the war didn’t really change dynamics in the camp。 The men still treated the women terribly， used and abused them with zero respect。 The men across the ranks were petty and egotistical， none more than those who were senior。 Again， with this installment， I found there was hardly a man to cheer for。 Expect to feel emotions of anger at the misogyny and abuse。I enjoyed hearing the story from Briseis’ perspective; she really was a character to admire。 She was all about survival but she maintained a degree of integrity and compassion for her female companions and occasionally for some men。 When the story flipped on occasion to one of the male’s perspectives， I was less invested but Briseis carried the majority of the story。The narration was superb and the emotional temperature of the camp was translated well。This story definitely is on the heavier end of spectrum for Greek mythology/ancient history fiction。 The detail was both welcome but also at times slow in pacing。 I did prefer the first installment of this series but I’m also glad I saw this story through to it’s completion。 It ends in a place of possiblity of more but I’m not sure if this is the plan。I do want say there are bucket loads of triggers in this book and that there were two issues I struggled with: the use of the 'R' word twice （why？） and fat-shaming ancient greek-style。 Both unneccessary， in my opinion。Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Audio for the early review copy。 。。。more
Sophie
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Thank you to netgalley and Penguin for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。I would like to first mention a quick content warning as sexual assault is discussed fairly frequently。 I was really excited to get into this book， because I have adored Madeline Miller's retellings and assumed this might be along the same lines。 I haven't read The Silence of the Girls， but I have read one of Pat Barker's Regeneration books。 Her writing style is very different to MM's， a lot les Thank you to netgalley and Penguin for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。I would like to first mention a quick content warning as sexual assault is discussed fairly frequently。 I was really excited to get into this book， because I have adored Madeline Miller's retellings and assumed this might be along the same lines。 I haven't read The Silence of the Girls， but I have read one of Pat Barker's Regeneration books。 Her writing style is very different to MM's， a lot less lyrical and much more frank and realistic。 It felt a lot like a domestic novel。I enjoyed hearing from the women's point of view as this is rare in these sorts of stories。 I found it particularly interesting to hear from Briseis due reading about her in MM's The Song of Achilles， and I thought PB created a very strong sense of character for her。 The other character I liked was Hecuba， I think the novel would have maybe fallen short without characters like her。 I was worried about getting confused with names etc as my Greek mythology knowledge isn't particularly strong， but as most characters were well fleshed out it wasn't too difficult to follow along， but I did struggle to know who had what status。 This wouldn't be an issue if you have more contextual knowledge than me， though！I found myself drawn into the novel very quickly and the start was very well paced。 However I did feel like the events do slow down and the ending falls a little flat。 I was definitely waiting for more。 I would have also liked more of a follow up on the events based on Amina， as it is brushed over afterwards and I expected more of an impact on Briseis。I would recommend to those who are into mythology， but it is definitely a slower paced novel。 That being said， I found it easy to read and I did enjoy it。 。。。more
Emma Reid
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The Trojan War was horrific and that same brutality is present in the aftermath。 This book pulls no punches with the tragedies and atrocities committed during wartime， but focuses on the women of the story rather than the men。 It's devastating watching women be raped， ostracized， and enslaved。 This is definitely a book for history buffs rather than those who prefer the fantasy of mythology， but I still enjoyed it。*Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review* The Trojan War was horrific and that same brutality is present in the aftermath。 This book pulls no punches with the tragedies and atrocities committed during wartime， but focuses on the women of the story rather than the men。 It's devastating watching women be raped， ostracized， and enslaved。 This is definitely a book for history buffs rather than those who prefer the fantasy of mythology， but I still enjoyed it。*Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review* 。。。more
James
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The Women of Troy is devastating and brutal， Pat Barker breathes humanity into her retelling of these characters。 Briseis describing the immediate aftermath of the fall of Troy gives vital new perspective on this moment。 Throughout the book Barker reiterates the men’s lack of imagination that the women they capture might have any independent will and uses the ever observant Briseis to reveal the many complex emotions， actions and motives that drive the women。 The relationships of changing status The Women of Troy is devastating and brutal， Pat Barker breathes humanity into her retelling of these characters。 Briseis describing the immediate aftermath of the fall of Troy gives vital new perspective on this moment。 Throughout the book Barker reiterates the men’s lack of imagination that the women they capture might have any independent will and uses the ever observant Briseis to reveal the many complex emotions， actions and motives that drive the women。 The relationships of changing status， from royalty to slavery， slavery to marriage， and slavery by Trojans to slavery by Greeks， reveals at once how human reaction doesn’t change all that much and how alien the rules of this world are to us。 Barker refuses to shy away from the cruelty， dispassionate violence and misogyny present in the camps but also finds moments of sympathy， we are reminded that Pyrrhus who is celebrated by his men for his murder， rape and pillaging is just 16 years old living in the shadow of the greatest hero the Greeks ever had。 I devoured this book， there are obviously parallels with Madeline Miller’s Somg of Achilles and Circe anyone that enjoyed those or simply loves Greek myth should read this。 Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC。 。。。more
Leanne Mullaney
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The women of Troy is the sequel to Pat Barker’s， The Silence of the Girls and picks up almost immediately where the first ended。Pat Barker has once again written an incredible book and although I did feel it was a little slower at times and maybe not as 'impactful' than silence of the girls it was just as gripping and brilliant written - Barker's writing really draws you in！Overall， I really enjoyed this book and 100% recommend it！Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this b The women of Troy is the sequel to Pat Barker’s， The Silence of the Girls and picks up almost immediately where the first ended。Pat Barker has once again written an incredible book and although I did feel it was a little slower at times and maybe not as 'impactful' than silence of the girls it was just as gripping and brilliant written - Barker's writing really draws you in！Overall， I really enjoyed this book and 100% recommend it！Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review :） 。。。more
Bex
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I really enjoyed Pat Barker's initial book in this series， The Silence of the Girls， so was really excited to see there would be a story following the events after Achilles has fallen。 Even more exciting than that was the prospect of being provided with a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the women who struggled throughout the fallout the days after， because that probably was the only thing missing from the previous book。The Women of Troy falls very short， however。 It absolutely centres on the w I really enjoyed Pat Barker's initial book in this series， The Silence of the Girls， so was really excited to see there would be a story following the events after Achilles has fallen。 Even more exciting than that was the prospect of being provided with a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the women who struggled throughout the fallout the days after， because that probably was the only thing missing from the previous book。The Women of Troy falls very short， however。 It absolutely centres on the women， which is great because it's not typical to have opportunities to imagine what might have happened to them。 But it is also incredibly boring， and a total non-event。 There are two distinct failings with this book for me: the narrative voice and the pacing。 Pat Barker sadly falls into a bit of a habit of using language or sentence construction （in which she misses words out as per the Yorkshire dialect） which gives away her Yorkshire roots。 I wouldn't mind this at all in another story， but a story set in Troy？ With Yorkshire prose used by the Trojans？ I don't think that works， and it completely pulled me out of the story and reminded me that it was just a story。 The pacing was hugely problematic。 By 50% I can confidently say that absolutely nothing happened。 Whilst Barker does a brilliant job of capturing the callous treatment of women， and their unfortunately invisible nature during this time （presumably！）， she fails to weave this into a compelling story。 It needed a plot which propelled the narrative whilst showcasing these things， rather than purely showcasing the role of women and having no plot whatsoever。A really disappointing sequel for me， from a much beloved first book。 ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Helen Childs
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*I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review*This is Pat Barker’s second instalment in her retelling of the Iliad。 The story begins where The Silence of the Girls ended - our narrator， the brave and wonderful Briseis。 She finds herself married to Alcimus， no longer a slave， but carrying her dead lover， the legendary Achilles’ son。 We meet Achilles brutal son， Pyrrhus， who defies the Gods through his treatment of Priam， which will hold great consequence。 We are also remi *I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review*This is Pat Barker’s second instalment in her retelling of the Iliad。 The story begins where The Silence of the Girls ended - our narrator， the brave and wonderful Briseis。 She finds herself married to Alcimus， no longer a slave， but carrying her dead lover， the legendary Achilles’ son。 We meet Achilles brutal son， Pyrrhus， who defies the Gods through his treatment of Priam， which will hold great consequence。 We are also reminded of the ‘Trojan Women’ - Hecuba， Andromache， Cassandra and of course， Helen herself and their different roles in their respective camps。I loved this retelling and it’s personal narrative voice， considering the will to survive and the difficulties faced during times of peace as well as war。 Just wonderful！ 。。。more
Karen
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A story beginning at the very end of the siege of Troy， this book deals with the aftermath of 10 years of battle as the victorious Greek leaders wait for the wind to change so they can sail home。Meanwhile， the captive women of Troy are enduring their own storms。 Forced to witness the brutal slaying of their beloved fathers， brothers， lovers， husbands and even infant sons， once proud women like Hecuba， Cassandra and Andromache have been parcelled out as spoils of war among brave but brutal men li A story beginning at the very end of the siege of Troy， this book deals with the aftermath of 10 years of battle as the victorious Greek leaders wait for the wind to change so they can sail home。Meanwhile， the captive women of Troy are enduring their own storms。 Forced to witness the brutal slaying of their beloved fathers， brothers， lovers， husbands and even infant sons， once proud women like Hecuba， Cassandra and Andromache have been parcelled out as spoils of war among brave but brutal men like Odysseus， Agamemnon and Pyrrhus， son of the great Achilles。Told through the eyes of Briseis， the late Achilles' concubine-slave， this story explores the women's resilience amid their struggle to survive the trials they've endured， including the loss of their freedom。 But though their lives and bodies are broken， their spirits remain whole as they adapt to a very different life。Homer's once heroic leaders have their own demons， too。 They're as much slaves as the women， captive to their own fears and self-doubt。I was utterly engrossed by this retelling of just one aspect of the Trojan war。 With rich descriptive writing， the author captures the atmosphere of classical times， with its battles among men， gods and demi-gods， yet makes them accessible to the modern reader through the portrayal of men and women no different to ourselves in their hopes， fears and dreams of escaping the shadows of Troy's black and broken towers。 。。。more
Sabrina Burton
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Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for sending me the arc of this amazing sequel to The Silence of the Girls。Trigger Warning*Rape， Slavery， AbuseTroy has fallen。 The Greeks have won their bitter war。 They can return home victors， loaded with their spoils: their stolen gold， stolen weapons， stolen women。 All they need is a good wind to lift their sails。 However， the Gods are offended and the wind does not come。 Priam's body is desecrated and Cassandra， Apollo's Priestess has been raped in Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for sending me the arc of this amazing sequel to The Silence of the Girls。Trigger Warning*Rape， Slavery， AbuseTroy has fallen。 The Greeks have won their bitter war。 They can return home victors， loaded with their spoils: their stolen gold， stolen weapons， stolen women。 All they need is a good wind to lift their sails。 However， the Gods are offended and the wind does not come。 Priam's body is desecrated and Cassandra， Apollo's Priestess has been raped in the temple of Athena。 Briseis is trying to remain alive， pregnant with Achilles child and married to Alcimus she makes alliances with the other Trojans left and tries to protect herself and the others around her。This book continues to showcase the lives of the women who become slaves after the fall of Troy。 Hecuba， wife of Priam， Andromache， wife of Hector and Cassandra as well as other women who's lives are just as important but are not acknowledges in The Iliad and new characters such as Almina。 You also learn about Achilles son Pyrrhus who whilst violent is not seen as equal to his father and seems to struggle with this。 The combinations of different perspectives， Briseis， Pyrrhus and Calchus， Apollo's Priest is beautifully done and I enjoyed all perspectives as they complimented each other and I never just wanted to get to the perspective I cared about because I cared about them all。The feeling of the book is intensely claustrophobic the feeling of violence just under the surface that the men will start but the women will suffer for。 Pat Barker again gives an incredible story about the lives of the women that the Iliad neglects even after the fall of troy。 This book has also made me keen to read The Women of Troy by Euripides。 A gripping read that again I finished in around 24 hours and loved every second of！ 。。。more
Holly
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（I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。）The Women of Troy， the sequel to The Silence of the Girls， continues the story of Briseis， a Trojan women taken from her home and forced to become the slave and concubine of Achilles。 I read The Silence of the Girls a few years ago， and while I did enjoy it， I happened to read it very soon after reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller， which follows the same series of events。 As such， I think my experience of T （I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。）The Women of Troy， the sequel to The Silence of the Girls， continues the story of Briseis， a Trojan women taken from her home and forced to become the slave and concubine of Achilles。 I read The Silence of the Girls a few years ago， and while I did enjoy it， I happened to read it very soon after reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller， which follows the same series of events。 As such， I think my experience of The Silence of the Girls was impacted negatively as I was constantly comparing the two， and I ended up rating it 3 stars。 In contrast， I was absolutely enthralled with The Women of Troy。 Barker’s writing is brutal and blunt， which suited the story well， and there were many lines and paragraphs that impacted me emotionally。 I also loved the cast of characters， and appreciated how Barker illustrated the different ways women could react to certain situations， such as war。 However， there were some things I wasn’t a huge fan of。 Firstly， like in The Silence of the Girls， there were some sections that focused on the men， which I felt didn’t add anything to the story。 Additionally， I didn’t like the use of the ‘r’ slur and fatphobic comments， although it is worth noting that I read an early copy and these may have been removed。Ultimately， I thought this was a fantastic follow-up to The Silence of the Girls， and if you enjoyed the first book， I would definitely recommend picking this one up。Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[ death， death of a loved one， death of a child， animal death， dead bodies and desecration of a corpse， violence， domestic abuse， strangulation， stabbing， rape， pregnancy as a result of rape， war， slavery， suicide， claustrophobia， insects， vomiting， excessive drinking， repeated use of r slur， fatphobia， childbirth （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Women of Troy
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Women of Troy&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Women of Troy&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0