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.

I’ve always been really fascinated by the story of Cassandra and it was interesting and unique to see it explored here from the point of view of Ritsa. The occasional use of other POVs really added a nice layer to the story and fleshed it out. It was quite jarring that British slang was randomly used, but I eventually got used to it. I think I can safely say this was my favorite of the series so far.

The third instalment of the Women of Troy series brings with it a new narrator for this stage of the story, Ritsa. Now a servant to Cassandra, she accompanies her for Agamemnon's triumphant return home to his family. And Cassandra, a prophet, has some interesting predictions about this return and the welcome from his wife, Clytemnestra, and daughter, Electra. I found this story to be more interesting than the prior one of the series but still would have like to see more of Clytemnestra and Electra (though strictly speaking they are not Trojan women). I found Ritsa's viewpoint, as a servant so just outside, and able to observe both Cassandra and Clytemnestra made the story even richer. The women of this book are more vibrant and more active in determining their story than the prior books of the series and I have to admit that I enjoyed this more than the previous books. The prose is clear and concise and the story reads quickly. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys myths, especially retellings from a female perspective. (3.5/5).
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Doubleday Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I will never get sick of mythology from a woman's perspective... I cried I felt things... thankyou for these books

This story captured me from the very first sentence and it still has not lessened its grip upon my thoughts. There are very few books that I have read that seem to have perfection in every word, every sentence, yet this is one of them. A very worthy successor to the first two books in this thrilling series, "The Voyage Home" was stunning in its story=telling ability of Cassandra - the poor prophetic princess. Ever since I first read the Iliad, I felt so much empathy for Cassandra and wished there had been a story concentrating on her journey, her thoughts. I got my wish, and Ms. Barker did an excellent job. I highly, highly recommend this book and it is definitely one of my best reads for 2024!!! All the stars possible!!!

The amazing and entrancing story of Cassandra, Clytemnestra, and a survivor of the Trojan War. I didn’t want to stop reading, even when the end came, I felt hypnotized by the story. I want more!