Pat Barker does it again! A continuation of the Silence of the Girls, The Women of Troy takes us back to the shores of Troy as the Greeks wait for their favorable wind to take them home. Once again we return to Briseis, now heavily pregnant with Achilles' child, the future generation. And once again, Barker brings to life and calls to attention the importance of telling the story of the fall of Troy from the women who lived through it, the women for whom life was never again the same. She manages to make a time when really nothing was actually happening at this point in the war, into something fascinating. In-fighting, politics, logistics, and more take up the men's time while the women struggle to survive, both physically and emotionally.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Pat Barker is one of the most famous names in Greek mythical retellings today. Silence of the Girls proved Barker's excellence and Women of Troy cements it. Readers won't want to miss it.

Great book! I enjoyed the storyline of the aftermath of the fall of Troy told from the perspective of the women who survived. Each had their own internal and external struggles depending on their place in society. Barker does a masterful job of retelling the story without judgement and devolving into modern feminist theory of right and wrong. We are allowed to make our own opinions of the various players in the drama. Some knowledge of the characters is helpful in understanding the “who’s who”, but the storyline flows so well it may encourage readers to delve deeper into the topic.

This is an interesting follow up to The Silence of the Girls, especially because I was completely unaware of the story after the Trojan War. It’s another difficult read because most of the women of Troy are captives now are raped and beaten and tortured. But Briseis uses her new position as a wife to a Greek lord to help these women when she can. I liked Briseis’s POV because she has suffered a lot and despite all of that, she does what she can to survive and shows compassion. But I really didn’t expect to get a male POV, especially one who is so unlikable as Pyrrhus. He is insecure because he will never be like his war hero father and this evolves into bitterness. I just hated his character and didn’t feel like reading his story at all. But overall this was a good sequel, just not an easy read and not something that kept my attention throughout.

I requested this book as background for an editorial feature we were running. Links have already been sent to publicity along with timing when the book will be featured.

Review:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/w1277440/the-women-of-troy#reviews
Beyond the Book:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/btb/index.cfm/ref/w1277440/the-women-of-troy#btb

Set in the liminal days following the Trojan War, The Women of Troy follows Briseis, who the reader may have met in this novel’s precursor, The Silence of the Girls. Briseis begins that story as a free married woman in Troy and ends up a captive and slave of Achilles, the Greek fighter to whom she was given as a war prize when her city was sacked. Though Pat Barker begins The Women of Troy right where the last book left off, the sequel reads comfortably as a standalone. The two novels together, however, form a fuller picture of the life of Briseis.

Full review on BookBrowse

It is very rare for me to DNF a book, but I could not bring myself to read this book to the end. Perhaps this is as much a reflection of my exhaustion with the same formulaic “feminist” myth retellings as it is with the book itself. Nothing about this book, as far as I got into it, felt insightful, new, or thought-provoking—violent, one-dimensional men, a negative portrayal of horrible Helen, etc. etc. Enough.

I’m choosing to be kind to myself by setting Women of Troy aside and returning to Homer’s Iliad, still for me the most nuanced, complex, and heartbreakingly beautiful rendering of Trojan war myth.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

when i read silence of the girls a while back, i had no idea it was going to be a series, but this is a really solid follow up. the devastation left in the wake of the trojan war is so often glossed over, when in reality it's interesting and absolutely tragic. i didn't enjoy this as much as silence though

The Women of Troy picks up right after The Silence of the Girls left off and continues to focus on the silenced women following the fall of Troy to the Greek invaders.

The men have their fill of war spoils, treasure, and women, but they find themselves confined since the weather and the gods refuse to allow their ships to set sail. What started off as a celebratory mood quickly deteriorates as the men become restless and start to turn on one another.

The story alternates between three POVs: Briseis (now a free woman, married to Alcimus and pregnant with Achilles’ child), Pyrrhus (son of Achilles), and Calchas (the prophet).

We see the heart wrenching struggle that Briseis endures now that she’s a free woman but still feels connected to the enslaved Trojan woman who are beaten, raped, and dehumanized as a part of their new station. Barker does an incredible job of focusing on the myriad of emotions and responses that these women have. Some of these women accept their circumstances while some continue to fight to the very end, and the details are raw and unflinching.

What I love most about this story is that it peels back the glory of war and shows how insidious all of it truly is from those at the time to those who hang on to scraps of survival. Barker’s writing is sharp, atmospheric, and downright claustrophobic at times.

Barker is definitely a go-to for mythological retellings in my book.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Audio for providing review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Another incredible book from Pat Barker. I loved this one! The writing was incredible, the characters came to life. All around excellent book. This is the exact follow-up I wanted after reading The Silence of the Girls. I really wanted more of the women's voices and I think The Women of Troy really provided that. Achilles' death is not the end of the impact of the Trojan War on the women of Troy. I love Briseis' narration, which I also felt was a strength in The Silence of the Girls.

3 stars

I read The Silence of the Girls last year and enjoyed it quite a bit so I was excited when I saw that there was a second book coming out. This book takes place after the fall of Troy while the Greek army is stuck at Troy and it really shows what the aftermath of war looks like. Everyone is just kind of over it and wants to go home.

this book is told from three perspectives, Briseis, Pyrrhus, and Calchas. I wish that this had focused more on the women from the camp and had given less of a voice to the men. Especially since this was supposed to focus on the women behind the Greek myths. It is frustrating because men have had their time I mean look at all the greek myths that are popular they are about one man or another. Pat Barker is such a great writer that I enjoyed the writing of this so much but I just didn't care for all of the perspectives.

I look forward to reading more from Pat Barker.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I will always pick up a book that has anything to do with Troy, and I have an appreciation for the centering of women in Pat Barker's storytelling - first with Silence of the Girls, and now, too, with The Women of Troy. Such re-framing of myth and history brings a new intrigue to the story while shedding light on just how many perspectives we've been missing out on this whole time, so this book gets points for the concept, the framing, and the story.

Unfortunately, I think this writing style just doesn't work for me. I wouldn't call it poor writing or 'bad' style, but the bluntness of the dialogue and pointedness of the structure doesn't hit the spot for me, as someone who tends toward more 'flowery' prose in mythological or literary tales. I'd hoped that a second chance with the style would up my comfort level with it, but it must be time to admit that it's just not for me. 3.5 rounded up because I'd still like to see this book find its right audience and succeed and will rec it to certain friends in the near future <3

Okay, I might be Greek mythology obsessed, but this just wasn't it. Sure, it reads smoothly and I really feel like I'm with the characters, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters. In a way, it felt like an attack on all the men, which I know isn't correct or fair, given how the women are treated. So many of the women are just...there and don't provide much to the plot. Briseis is debatably unlikable and let's be honest, her pregnancy didn't do anything for the story. Overall, I felt like I was reading a "day in the life of a Trojan woman after the Trojan War" but there was no substance, nothing to keep me reading, and in the end, I was just really disappointed.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Why do I keep reading heart-breaking retellings of the Fall of Troy? Do I imagine the ending will change?

The latest edition to the genre is Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy, a sequel to her earlier work, The Silence of the Girls. I haven’t read book one, but the overall story is familiar enough that book two can stand alone. The Women of Troy picks up the saga in the immediate aftermath of Troy’s fall, telling the story primarily from Briseis’ viewpoint. (I was a bit disconcerted that the novel starts off from the viewpoint of Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, and several chapters unfold in his perspective. This helps the story along, but it was not ‘the women’s story’ the way A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes was.)

After the episode with the Trojan Horse and the destruction of Troy, the Greeks are eager to sail for home with their loot, which includes the newly enslaved female population of Troy. Briseis, who had been Achilles’ war prize, and who is carrying his child, is now married to Lord Alcimus, so her status has risen to that of a wife. It’s not much of a promotion, but at least she is allowed to roam about at will, unlike the other women who are captives.

The Greeks are also, to some extent, captive. Having offended the gods in myriad ways during the orgy of destruction during the capture of Troy, they are now confined to the beach by ceaseless strong winds that prevent them from sailing away. Without a Trojan enemy to fight, old factions and quarrels are renewed.

One of the worst of the Greeks is Pyrrhus. He is accorded some respect as Achilles’ son and as one of the heroes of the sack of Troy, having killed old King Priam. None of his fellows is aware of the cowardly way he botched the killing, since he boasts of having done it heroically. Pyrrhus is bitter, indecisive, and insecure, aware that he can’t match his godlike father. He makes up for it by lying, drinking excessively, and bullying those around him.

Briseis, in contrast, is kind, generous, and self-confident, using her position to help the other women where she can. Briseis is a survivor, who makes the best of whatever position she finds herself in.

It’s a fine re-telling. Briseis is a good choice for a new narrator of the timeless story.

This next installment by Pat Barker about the women of Troy picks up pretty much immediately after the events of her previous book, The Silence of the Girls. I find it interesting that the titles evolve them from girls to women, and I think this speaks volumes to the changes in the women over the years. Perhaps they were young and naive, with their unknown futures spread out before them before the seige began, and this book picks up many years later after they've been enslaved, some for decades, by the Atrean, Myrmiddian and co. armies.

A huge part of this book revolves around Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, and his evolving grapple with himself and his father's shadow. Sometimes he sees Achilles in the mirror, and other times he doesn't at all. It's strange to think that a boy too young to go to ear with his father ends up becoming a man fighting in that same war after his father dies.

The Women of Troy takes place during that purgatory between the Illiad and the Odyssey. I thought this would have been during thr events of The Odyssey, but it remains locked on the skies of Troy same ad those men who have angered the Gods so much that the wins never cease to batter against them.

Briseis remains our female POV, and surprisingly Helen remains an outlying character whose story is only learned second or third hand by way of mouth from the other characters. Although, this is quite interesting as well since Helen's story is of as much legend as Achilles, and keeping her story outlying in this way reminds the reader of the power of people's opinions on the truth.

Altogether another great installment by the author, though I am hoping there will be more and I wonder which ship or ships we might follow in another book

I have not read this author’s previous book, The Silence of the Girls but I will definitely be checking it out after reading this one. This can definitely be read as a stand-alone but there are some events that are recalled and remembered from the previous book.

The Women of Troy is a very powerful novel and is rooted in the female experience. It’s told in first person by Briseis, but you also get a glimpse into the lives of the men, however that does not overshadow the women’s stories. Briseis was very well written and I loved reading this through her eyes. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good Greek mythology retelling.

"When things begin to change; and you know there’s no point ruminating about it, because thinking isn’t going to help you understand. You’re not ready to understand it yet; you have to live your way into the meaning."

The author does a beautiful job in setting the scene. I love retellings of all Greek, Roman stories and it was a unique approach. I have not read the Silence of the Girls yet but I felt the beginning did a good job in catching me up and not feeling lost. The point of view is mostly from Briseis and we get to see how she helps and supports all the girls in the camp, through their loss, grief and new roles. To be honest, it took some time to get into it but towards the middle it got interesting and helped me move on faster through the pages. We also have the POV of Pyrrhus the son of Achilles, an insecure boy that has to live up to his father's legacy but soon the pressure is too much for him to handle. The writing is pristine, there were a few scenes that made my heart tear a bit, however although I understand the power of the solidarity between these women, I still was a little underwhelmed by the impact this had on me, I just did not had a connection to any of them to make me love this book as much as I wanted to.

Really good! Somewhat hard to follow at the beginning, but then I found it to be such a great story! I read this right after The Song of Achilles, and I really enjoyed reading it that way!

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker is a Greek retelling told from the perspectives of several women and men who survive following the fall of Troy. Initially, the capture of Troy is believed to be a joyous celebration of victory, but soon the remaining survivors discover they are stuck in Troy after upsetting the Gods. Soon the individuals from both sides must reckon with the fallout of war, including the death of loved ones, destruction, enslavement, and many other horrors.

I have heard fantastic reviews of this author and their previous book, The Silence of Girls, and as soon as I saw this title I knew I had to read it. I am a big fan of Greek mythology and a retelling is like catnip for me. This book was poised as a feminist retelling and although I would agree it was a harsh depiction of the realities the women likely faced.

There are several perspectives in this novel, though Briseis is the primary narrator. The male perspectives provided an interesting contrast to the woman and seeing how they oriented in the world and the entitlement this men felt moving in their world. In contrast, the women were hardened by the fear and grief of war and knew too well the dangers of the men in their world, never trusting those too easily and being used or discarded readily. The writing makes it clear how flawed the men are, comparing themselves to the myth of Achilles, declaring themselves as victims due to their mediocrity. And commonly to express their frustration and rage at their inadequacy, the women and the bodies of women are typically the true victims. This novel brings many points of discussion such as are there any "winners" in war, who is hurt most by war, and how do individuals respond to life when war is no longer a daily reality.

Overall, this is a compelling novel that I highly recommend for those looking for a feminist retelling on the fall of Troy and subsequent fallout.

Many thanks to the publisher Doubleday Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.