Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Silence of the Girls

incredible!
I started the book with a different idea of what it would be. I was, not really sure why, expecting something else, so at first I felt a bit bored and as if nothing was really happening. Thankfully I soon enough realized that I already knew the story and that I wasn’t there for it, per se… I was there for who was telling it, for the perspective in which the story was being told and for all the characters, the girls and women that had been left out before. This changed the way I read the book and allowed me to understand and appreciate it as it deserved.
It’s a violent, tragic and brilliant story, where the silence, the suffering and the courage of the girlsare the main focus, the story. Where the heroes and victims are no longer the men in combat, as the stories have always made us believe, but the women who continue to live, who find ways to carry on after being taken from their homes and families, after being abused, raped and stripped of all their rights and their humanity. And it's a painful read, because it's not just fantasy and it's not just set in the past or in distant places, it's the present, the now, the world we live in.
A retelling of Greek mythology like never before. Incredible.

Content Warnings

ewwa18's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

rbadz's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

helen's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Great companion to Emily Wilson's translation of The Iliad.
Wilson, through her choice of words, reminds us that the women taken as "prizes" and living as "concubines" during the Trojan War are in fact slaves subject to rape. Barker gives voice to one of these women, Briseis.

There are quite a few anachronisms (battlefield hospitals in the mythical bronze age?) and modern idioms ("gagging for it"), but I liked this because this is not historical fiction, it's a myth. Barker is retelling The Iliad for our age and reminding us that the treatment of women in war zones is still very much relevant in our world.

Four stars not five because a) although important, it's a pretty unrelentingly grim read and b) I really wished the whole book was from the women's point of view. I really wasn't interested in the chapters told from Achilles' point of view. But then that's actually quite meta because at one point Briseis comments: "...make no mistake, this was his story - his anger, his grief, his story. I was angry, I was grieving, but somehow that didn't matter."

Speaking of meta - Barker's twist on Homer's tendency to make lists of the dead was very effective.

I listened to the audiobook: Kristin Atherton was excellent. Michael Fox wasn't as good, but my opinion was probably clouded by my dislike of those Achilles' focused chapters

Content Warnings

baconbit95's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

tintinreaney's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

savage_book_review's review against another edition

Go to review page

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!

Content Warnings

tetedump's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

More...