Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Le silence des vaincues by Pat Barker

33 reviews

savage_book_review's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The voices of Achilles, Patroclus, Agamemnon, Odysseyus, Ajax and all of the other heroes (or villains depending on your allegiances) of the Trojan War have echoed down the millenia into myth and legend. But what about those silent women, orphaned and widowed by a war they had no part in starting and forced into serving the men who took the lives of their loved ones? Briseis' name is well known, but her story? Well, for once, let the tale not be told by the victor, but the victim.

One day I'll find a Greek myth retelling I don't like. But today is not that day. This is beautifully written; lyrical, heartfelt, epic prose that runs over with emotion and buries its way into your consciousness. It's not poetry, but it is definitely poetic and so feels like it has almost perfect tone to complement the source material. There is something about the best authors writing these retellings (Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint to name but two); they all have their own style, but they all embody this same tone in their work. So as soon as I 'felt' it, I knew I was in for a good read!

The only caveat to this praise is that there are moments where speech sounds almost too modern. I understand that it's meant to be soldiers talking in their own rough and ready way, but there was something about certain turns of phrase that jolted me out of the serene state the rest of the writing put me in. I'm all for a good round of turning the air blue, but even the cursing felt out of place in certain moments. It all still works and doesn't ruin the story or the flow, but I think the rest of the story feels so authentic the modern parlance sticks out like a sore thumb.

Each character is wonderfully rendered; Briseis herself comes across as a strong, capable woman, utterly defeated by circumstances, resigned to her fate and yet still with an independent streak that means while she might bend, she won't break. Her interactions with Achilles manage to find that sweet spot, where he is neither slave master that sees her as nothing but chattel, nor the dashing romantic hero that she can't help but fall in love with. It's a fabulous rendering of their relationship. Patroclus does come across a little more as the sweet, shy boy who befriends the slaves rather than beats them, but it's a great contrast to the rest of the Greek warriors. While the nature of Achilles and Patroclus' relationship is never explicitly stated, the small illustrations of their love for one another, whether platonic or romantic, are just gorgeous. Once again, I found myself hoping that the author might just flip the myth on its head... and this in a book that's not meant to be as sympathetic to them!

The book also conveys the harsh realities of 10 years living in a war camp and the bloodiness of battle, without being overly graphic or sensationalist. It's atmospheric and not pleasant at times, but it's never difficult to read.

There is a dual POV set up, alternating chapters between Briseis in the first person, and Achilles in the third. Switching between first and third person is one of the writing devices I struggle with, and yet it STILL manages to flow and keep me engaged.

This book deserves its accolades and is one I would definitely recommend. Book two is on order at the library, so I'll look forward to continuing this series soon!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Classism

civetta's review against another edition

challenging informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

babblingbooks's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture and Death of parent

kyliebliss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

This was such a fun read. I can go on for ages about the things I love and how interesting it was to see the story of the Illiad and the personalities of some of my favorite people in Greek Mythology *cough* Patroclus *cough* 🩷

That being said, it is from the point of view of the girls given to the warriors as sex slaves after cities were taken over. So there are several rape scenes throughout the book. There is also a lot of strong language.

I probably wouldn't read again, but it was an extremely well written book and super interesting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Rape

Moderate: War

yorozuya's review against another edition

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My book club chose to read 'The Silence of the Girls' by Pat Barker- which suits me well because I absolutely adore Greek retellings!!!

It's the story of the Trojan War that we all know and have heard many times - but told from the  female perspective this time: The Trojan women who were taken as slaves by the Greek.

The prose is overall beautiful and I paused just to admire how the words were arranged several times. There were also some expressions that took me by surprise in the context of this narrative, though perhaps the author wanted to show the coarser side of our more romanticised view on Ancient Greece.

Towards the middle/end, the book shifted to the male perspective a bit too much for my liking. I loved the insight into Achilles's mind (don't I always) and how the same scene could look from both his and Briseis's (the main narrator) point of view but despite the book's title I don't want these women's voices to be silenced.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail

chloj_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

review: 

first things first: i love a greek mythology retelling, and this did not disappoint. however, this is something a lot more than simply a mythology retelling. this is such an amazing reflection of womanhood. barker does such a beautiful job of relaying the female experience, with all it’s varying emotions and complexities. depictions of war are typically male dominated; blood, gore and war is so often synonymous for masculinity. while her portrayal of masculinity is complex and very well-written (particularly that of achilles), the raw vulnerability of the story’s women is breathtaking to behold. it was powerful, incredibly moving, and truly (in my opinion) a modern masterpiece.

               !!spoilers ahead!! 

• ‘his idea of female beauty was a woman so fat if you slapped her backside in the morning she'd still be jiggling when you got back home for dinner.’ damn me too 
• ‘she could’ve been kind to me and she wasn’t; she could’ve helped me find my feet and she didn’t.’
• ‘when i got to the door i paused with my hand on the latch and looked back, but she’d already turned away’ 
• the main character’s relationship with femininity is so cleverly written- both her relationship with other women, and with her own femaleness 
• ‘but the dying man, his face wiped clean of pain, cradled his spilling intestines as gently as a mother nurses her newborn child.’
• ‘“it’ll be alright,” i said, knowing it wouldn’t.’ 
• ‘he fucked as quickly as he killed, and for me it was the same thing. something in me died that night.’ 
• the emotions in this book are soooo beautiful done 
• ‘the bed was cold.’ this one sentence is so incredibly powerful 
• ‘no girl ever dressed more carefully for her wedding than achilles for the battlefield’
• ‘as long as i lived and remembered, [my brothers] weren’t really dead.’
• the relationship between briseis and iphis is SO special- it is born entirely from shared tragedy and the kindness only women can share with each other. 
• that depiction of wasteland at the end of 46/start of 47 is SUCH a beautiful depiction of the waste of female beauty (both physical and mental) at the hands of men 
• ‘the world began to close in around me, and i realised that the songs belonged to my brothers and not me’ 
• ‘i always remember that she wept for me when i couldn’t weep for myself’ 
• the list format of the people Achilles killed / how they died is SO good- it really displays how the repeated trauma and war has made tragedy something clinical.
• ‘before leaving, he always bent down and kissed him in the mouth, though the lips had darkened and begun to retract.’ 
• ‘Why him? Why not me? He asks the questions over and over, as if one day they might have a different answer, and the burden of guilt be lifted at last.’
• achilles grief is written so beautifully 
• ‘and i do what countless women before me had been forced to. i spread my legs for the man who killed my husband and brothers.’ 
• ‘now my own story can begin’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, and War

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Alcohol

megamusic14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

3.25

I’m general, there were parts of this book that weren’t my cup of tea. And this author’s style isn’t my favorite.  However, I was overcome by the message the book portrays. Women having no voice in their story and what that looks like.  A very heavy story showing vivid descriptions of what war can look like.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Blood

nialiversuch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy

franzeerdbeerbacke's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book needs a trigger warning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

withlivjones's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A retelling of the Trojan War that provides a particularly graphic and brutal depiction of the Greek army as the bloodthirsty villains instead of the heroes presented in the Iliad. 

I tried and failed to read this book twice before finally getting through it. It is a very slow-paced book that only really picks up in the second half. What really threw me off, however, is that while this book is marketed as being narrated by Briseis, there are many chapters (starting from about a third of the way in and gradually getting more frequent) where the point of view suddenly shifts to some of the men - most often Achilles, but also at points Patroclus and Priam. While this does provide an interesting perspective of the war, since few writers have dared to examine the depths of Achilles’ psyche in such detail, it was really not what I was expecting from a book that wanted to tell a more female-focused version of the myth. The dilemma is this: women are notoriously silent in Greek mythology and hardly ever have the freedom to tell their own story, so why, then, in a novel where Briseis is presented as reclaiming her own narrative, is a male perspective inserting itself into said narrative just like they have done for the last two thousand years? 

The novel is still very enjoyable and well-written, and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in Greek mythology, but I can’t help feeling a little disappointed that I seemed to be reading a different book to the one that was advertised. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Suicide, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Period-typical attitudes