This third installment somehow almost feels like a standalone, with familiar characters but enough independence that it can be read without The Silence of the Girls (though that book is highly recommended as one of the best ever). I appreciated the shift to new characters after The Women of Troy provided such a satisfying conclusion for the previous ones, but it meant this installment had to work hard to re-engage me. I do think it's wonderful, but my own overly high expectations and love of the previous books might have colored my review on this one. I think if I revisit it in the future I'd rate it a little higher? As it stands I'm giving it 3.75, but rounding up to 4

I actually almost gave up on this book because of how much the first half dragged without enough plot or development to latch onto. Ritsa isn’t as compelling of a narrator as Briseis and very little of particular note happens while Agamemnon’s party is at sea.

However, things pick up very significantly once they make landfall. Revenge plots, political intrigue, haunted palaces! This was the good stuff.

But then after Agamemnon’s death, the story keeps puttering along for too long. The meat of the story is in the 60-85% mark, and honestly the rest of it is quite a slog. I loved book one, but I feel like now that the war is over, things are much less engaging.

These storylines are ones that I have read before and many different but similar ways. The stories of the women that revolve around the Trojan War is always fascinating. I love getting their POVs rather than the men in these storylines. Clytemnestra is by far one of my favorite characters in multiple writings of this story, and i do still enjoy her in this one too. I also found Cassandra and Ritsa to be particularly fascinating in this retelling. Cassandra's curse is bound to have her misunderstood no matter what story you read but i enjoyed the relationship between her and her servant Ritsa too. As this is a story i am familiar and fond of, I found Pat Barker's writing to give it a tone and edge that made it memorable.

When Homer and Aeschylus wrote their epics, they gave us heroes and villains. But what if the real story of the House of Atreus lies in the whispered conversations between its women? Pat Barker's "The Voyage Home," the final installment of her 'Women of Troy' trilogy, weaves together these overlooked voices into a powerful tapestry of survival, prophecy, and revenge. Through the intertwining perspectives of Clytemnestra, the grieving queen bent on vengeance; Cassandra, the unheeded prophetess grappling with her fate; and Ritsa, the clear-eyed Trojan slave who bears witness to it all, Barker creates a complex meditation on power, trauma, and female agency in the aftermath of the Trojan War. While the novel subverts Clytemnestra's traditional portrayal as Aeschylus's archetypal villain, it goes further, examining how women at every level of society—from queens to slaves—navigate and resist the constraints of a patriarchal world that seeks to silence them.

Before the story settles into the halls of Mycenae's palace, Barker charts the psychological terrain of Cassandra and Ritsa’s captivity during the long voyage home aboard the cargo ship Medusa. The boundaries between captor and captive blur in the cramped confines below deck. Through this journey, Barker establishes the complex dynamics that will play out in the palace: Cassandra is consumed by prophetic frenzy in the ship's hold, her predictions of doom dismissed even as they echo with terrible clarity; Agamemnon struggles with guilt-induced visions of his sacrificed daughter; and Ritsa observes it all with the pragmatism of one who must navigate between worlds. The dilapidated Medusa becomes a powerful metaphor for the precarious nature of victory and the weight of homecoming, its slow progress toward Mycenae carrying each character inexorably toward their fate.

Set against the backdrop of Mycenae's palace, the story then unfolds through multiple perspectives, most notably through Ritsa, whose keen observations create a narrative distance that humanizes rather than demonizes Clytemnestra. Her sharp, often biting commentary breathes life into the characters and setting and provides crucial insights into the power dynamics at play. Through her practical focus on survival and daily life, Ritsa humanizes the epic narrative by highlighting the importance of human connection amid the brutality of war and its aftermath.

As both prophetess and prisoner of war, Cassandra embodies the complex intersection of divine power and human vulnerability. Her presence is a constant disruption to the victors' narrative, refusing to play the submissive role expected of a war trophy. Even in captivity, she maintains her spiritual authority, notably through her insistence on carrying her priest's staff of office during Agamemnon's triumphant return procession. This defiance, coupled with her prophetic visions, challenges the Greek narrative of a just and glorious victory, exposing the hypocrisy inherent in their claims of righteousness.

While classical texts often position Cassandra and Clytemnestra as mere antagonists, Barker illuminates their shared experience of patriarchal violence. The "unspoken understanding" between them hints at a mutual recognition of common trauma, even as fate and circumstance divide them. Ritsa's observations of their interactions add depth to this dynamic as she challenges Cassandra's assumptions about Clytemnestra and offers a more nuanced view of the queen's capabilities and motivations.

Barker reconstructs Clytemnestra as a figure of strength and unrelenting grief. Unlike classical versions prioritizing political ambition over maternal sorrow, Barker positions Iphigenia's sacrifice at the hands of her father, Agamemnon, as the psychological cornerstone of Clytemnestra's motivations. Her simmering desire for retribution against Agamemnon, oblivious to the depth of her resentment, propels the narrative toward its inevitable and brutal climax. Significantly, Ritsa becomes one of the few witnesses to Clytemnestra's act of vengeance, her presence underscoring the weight of this pivotal moment and its lasting impact on all involved.

Barker's prose is beautiful, creating an atmosphere thick with tension and haunted by the spectral presence of ghostly children who roam the palace halls. These supernatural elements serve as haunting manifestations of guilt and memory, blurring the line between the mythic and the psychological. The dynamic exchanges between Cassandra and Clytemnestra build tension while Ritsa's grounded perspective keeps the narrative anchored in human reality.

While the pacing of the novel's first half feels uneven, the slow, deliberate opening chapters allow space for character development. The escalating tension mirrors Clytemnestra's calculated plans for revenge, with the structure underscoring self-determination over divine fate—a significant departure from traditional narratives.

Barker's work aligns with the current wave of feminist retellings by authors like Madeline Miller and Costanza Casati, who seek to recover and reimagine female voices from classical mythology. However, Barker's distinct contribution lies in her commitment to realism even when dealing with legendary material. Through Ritsa's practical observations and Cassandra's prophetic insights, she creates a layered narrative that transcends simple categorizations of hero and villain, offering instead a complex exploration of how women navigate and resist patriarchal power structures.

Through this multilayered portrayal, Barker not only retells a classical story but challenges readers to reconsider how we judge female agency and violence in both ancient and modern contexts. 'The Voyage Home' shifts from the epic scale of the earlier volumes to a more contained but no less devastating conclusion to Barker's trilogy, proving that the aftermath of war can be as dramatic as the battles themselves. The novel's strength lies in showing how vengeance, justice, and trauma intersect in a world that denies women legitimate paths to redress. In the intertwined voices of Ritsa, Cassandra, and Clytemnestra—witness, prophet, and avenger—Barker reveals how women's struggles against patriarchal power remain startlingly constant, their ancient fury speaking directly to our time.

This review is of an advance reader copy provided by Doubleday Books and NetGalley. The USA publication date is December 3, 2024.

Cassandra has entered the chat and she is here to make ripples! She was "blessed" with true prophecy powers but cursed with liability issues, she found a believer in Clytemnestra. They both hate the same man for different reasons and Clytemnestra loved to hear that Cassandra saw demise of that man in her vision

Mycenae was welcoming its king back after his victory over Troy. Though not everyone appreciated that he sacrificed his own daughter to get little bit of wind. Clytemnestra got used to running a kingdom and seething with anger and hate, she wished Agamemnon was one of the "fallen heros" in Troy. Something needed to be done to avenge her daughter. Something needed to be done to avenge Trojan women

Two sides put away their differences to avenge all the women who were hurt during this meaningless piss fight between men. It might one man to pay for this, but one was better than none.

I'm mad about how much I didn't like this story. I gave five stars to the first book in this series and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I read it six years ago. However, the quality of the sequel novels has gone down dramatically. I can't even begin to understand how one of the most dynamic stories in mythology was made boring. Each character had nearly the same voice, and it honestly felt like Barker didn't even really like any of the characters to the point where I almost began to wonder if there was internalized misogyny showing up. I also couldn't understand why we shifted our first person narration, the first two books in the series were told by another character. It makes sense that she isn't in this book, but then each book should have had a different first person narration. If you want to explore this story with more nuance and that is more interesting read Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati.

The depth I found in Silence of the Girls tapers off in the third (final?) installment of the Women of Troy series. Maybe because this shifts the focus from Briseis, who I was attached to, or because it is repetitive to a reader who already has the insights from the previous two novels. This novel centers on Cassandra, the seer who is cursed to never be believed through her servant, Ritsa's view. This is the primary engaging part of the book (weirdly, I can't figure out why Clytemnestra's portion was so lackluster for me).

I mean, I still have over a dozen highlights, and I would still have read this because I like Pat Barker's writing very much, but the core message of this series is muddled in this book. I would still recommend this to readers of the series, especially to those who are newer to Greek mythology and interested in unique perspectives. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting, since the previous works involved so many more characters and little storylines off the main one. However, it would have been extremely hard to focus on everyone’s voyage home so it makes sense. I’m happy that a couple characters managed to get a happy ending. I want to know what happened to the creepy night watch guy though! He was a good character who seemed to have underlying motivations and history that were never explained.

Pat Barker does an amazing job with Greek retelling. The Voyage Home is no exception, beautifully written and evenly paced. A captivating and engaging story.

I love the quick familiarity that comes with reading a Greek mythology retelling. Beyond the names you’ve been indoctrinated with throughout your life (whether it’s through phrases like Achilles’ heel or even the Percy Jackson series), The Voyage Home continues the stories of Ritsa and Cassandra from The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy, and adds on Clytemnestra’s.

It’s an interesting pivot from Briseis’ first-person narration to The Voyage Home’s three different narrators, but I understand why Pat Barker had to leave Briseis behind. What better way to get revenge for the women that Barker helped give a voice to than through one of Greek mythology’s most famous revenge story? However, I did not understand the first-person and third-person narration shifts. Cassandra and Clytemnestra’s third person narration gave me as much interiority as Ritsa’s first person.

Barker has a very precise and clear way of writing that is compulsively readable. Startling details really flesh out this retelling into lived experiences. A great read.

No one humanizes war quite like Pat Barker.

The Voyage Home was no exception. While I felt this wasn't the strongest book of the trilogy, it was still a great read. Barker has a way with keeping you in suspense even though we all know how the story of King Agamemnon and Cassandra plays out. Add in a dash of dry humor from the main narrator, an enslaved Trojan woman, and I carefully and purposefully consumed this book because I didn't want it to end.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Pat Barker continues to tell the stories of the women of Troy and ancient Greece. This is the tale of Cassandra, Rista (the woman in charge of her care), and Clytemnestra. We know this story but the author makes it come alive by exploring the characters' motivations and emotions. There is much to discuss.

This engaging retelling of the Trojan War epic is the third in a trilogy, the first two books of which I have not yet read. But I do remember reading Aeschylus’s Oresteia cycle, the first play of which, Agamemnon, I recall best. The Voyage Home focuses on the return of the triumphant Agamemnon to Mycenae with his war “prize” after pulverizing Troy. It is told from the perspectives of three women: Cassandra, Agamemnon’s war prize, daughter of the conquered and slaughtered Trojan King Priam, priestess; Ritsa, Cassandra’s servant, even though Cassandra herself is a slave; and Clytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae, intent on avenging the death of her daughter Iphigenia in a sacrifice to the gods by her own father, the King, ten years before.

Ms. Barker did a great job of humanizing these women who were so often objects rather than subjects throughout the Western canon, and giving them agency, although at times the conversations, outlooks, and observations seemed too modern. She also created a genuinely eerie atmosphere in the House of Atreus, replete with mysterious footprints and handprints and the sounds of children singing, suggesting that the children Atreus killed were haunting the palace. Despite the nit about the jarringly modern language at times, I thoroughly enjoyed this creative reworking of a tale remembered from my long-ago youth.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Books, and Ms. Barker for providing me with an ARC of this historical retelling.

This was a perfect ending to the fantastic series that Barker has been creating. I love the feminist retelling of the women of Troy, as I feel their stories are often neglected. They were kidnapped, probably SA'ed, and forced to live somewhere they didn't know. They suffered at the hands of men, and yet all of their stories have only ever been told through the lens of the men who hurt them. I love that Barker finally gave them a voice.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Books for this arc.

The Voyage Home is a riveting tale that follows three women’s perspectives surrounding the Greeks’ return to Mycenae after the Trojan War.

These women are: Ritsa, the Trojan slave and caretaker of Cassandra; Cassandra, the daughter of Prim and the cursed priestess of Apollo; and Clytemnestra, the grieving mother of Iphigenia, Queen, and wife of Agamemnon.

We spent the majority of the story within Ritsa's perspective and she delivers such an insightful message on the trials and tribulations the women of this world are forced to endure. The range of emotions I felt while reading about these women’s grief showcases Pat Barker’s talent at beautifully writing such tragedies. 

The Voyage Home is a must-read for any fans of Greek mythology. Barker’s books always deliver a unique, refreshing interpretation of tales from Greek myth and never disappoint.

Thank you to the publisher; Doubleday Books | Doubleday, the author; Pat Barker, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my unbiased opinion and is given with free will.

Today I’m reviewing The Voyage Home by Pat Barker. It is the epic conclusion to the story of Troy and the women who must endure after its fall. The focus of this story being on the princess of Troy, Casandra and her voyage back to Mycenae with Agamemnon as his concubine and the queen of Mycenae, Clytemnestra, who waits for her moment of revenge.

We all have a general idea of the story of Troy and the men who conquered it. The tale of Greek hero’s and kings, returning to their homes and eventually their demise. To me, I often gravitate towards the reimagining of these stories where the women are the focal point. Who are no longer overlooked. Who, in their own right, serve as a voice and champion for those voices who were silenced and given no hope of ever being heard.

Now that the war is over, at long last, finally going home, Agamemnon must face his inner demons, and at the forefront of his mind, as he nears the shores of his home, his formidable wife. What is most intriguing about this retelling is how Barker captures the state of Agamemnon’s mind. How he is haunted by his daughter’s ghost. At one point during their voyage, he thinks Cassandra wears the face of his daughter, and he wants nothing to do with her. The voyage itself felt like a premonition of what’s to come. A reckoning, for a father who murdered his eldest daughter, and a mother who would not let that death go unpunished.

If you enjoy Greek Mythology retellings and have read the other two books in Barker’s series, definitely add this one to your TBR.

This book digs deep into its characters and asks readers to face the horrifying truth behind grief and revenge. Each female character is treated with such care and crafted with such power, whether physical or mental. I would recommend this book (and series) to any history and mythology lover who wants to look further into the effects of the Trojan War.

The Voyage Home continues to follow the stories from the women of Troy as they now journey to their new home in Mycenae. We are reintroduced to Ritsa who essentially is what Barker calls a “body-slave” to Priestess Cassandra. Ritsa is resigned to her position, understanding there is not much that could be done to change the outcome as they sail back to Greece after the ten year long Trojan War.

I admired Ritsa’s ability to maintain a sense of empathy for the other scared women and children as they venture to a new life in Greece, her empathy may not always extend to Cassandra but that seems fitting for the environment she is thrusted into. Queen Clytemnestra awaits the return of her husband King Agamemnon who has been away at war for ten years after killing their eldest daughter. Following Ritsa the story showcases that despite their very different backgrounds these women may share similar grievances.

I found that Barker was able to deliver a very gritty and palpable depiction of how these grueling times could have been experienced, from the physical exploitation to the rank environments these women were placed in. Overall, it was a genuine continuation of the Women of Troy Series.

I want to thank Doubleday Books and NetGalley for providing me with access to this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I quite enjoyed The Voyage Home, the author has done a fantastic job of telling the story of Troy and the women of Troy as well as Briesis.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great finale in a series. I really loved this series and all of the mythology and history incorporated into the books.