Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Women of Troy

“Because isn’t that, ultimately, the way we cope with grief? There’s nothing sophisticated or civilised about it. Like savages, we ingest our dead.”

This was an exquisite story of the complexities of war, freedom, and womanhood, set amidst the immediate aftermath of the Fall of Troy. Barker crafts a harrowing, raw tale, never flinching from the realities of ancient warfare, and offering us fresh, nuanced depictions of well-known characters. Her characterisation is the shining star of this book; the characters’ deeply complex, and sometimes contradictory, personalities perfectly mirror the horrific war they grapple with. The Greeks must find a way to return home and face the violence they wrought, while the women wait to meet their uncertain futures. And all the while, the countless dead seem to hover in the corner of every hut, watching with judgemental eyes. This was a truly masterful work and I can’t wait to pick up the third book.

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mblanke's review

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challenging emotional informative sad fast-paced

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

3.75

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lauramay_reads's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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anima_vestaa's review

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adventurous emotional informative reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

Very interesting concept and in some instances brilliantly told story. However, it’s not very clear what the logic behind the lore is, as there are many details true to the Homer epics and mythology overall, but then some characters and scenes were added by the author. The style was at some points rather naive as characters from that time simply would not have used some expressions of today’s common language. Together with the inconsistency of the mythology, the novel loses focus in my opinion that sadly distracts too much from scenes that were insanely original (e.g. the opening in the Trojan horse or the dialogue between Pyrrhus and Helenus about their fathers). Would still recommend as a filler read.

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theothergrl's review

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hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed The Women of Troy as a sequel. It was really interesting to read more about the politics of the camp, especially through the POV of a seer navigating these power dynamics very consciously. It was great to read an author write that power is the root of all the violence and misogyny, that these things are distributed by normal men, 'good' men.
I didn't enjoy it as much as the 1st, and I felt there was fatphobia that wasn't just through the 'eyes of the men' as it claims. So I give it a 4.

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