Reviews

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

niobe_06's review

4.0

3,5

solseit's review

4.0

I found this book less compelling than the first book in the series; the first was a masterpiece focused on a few different themes (including slavery - but narrated in an effective way -, grief and revenge). There might have been one in this case too (next to slavery but it was genuinely told in from a "I am not a slave anymore perspective", and I found this weak), the abilty to live up to one's famous father's deeds. Not sure this was captivating enough for me.

I missed the uniqueness of the first book in this one; book three should focus on a completely different woman as the main perspective and I wonder if this should have tried to do the same.
I am genuinely looking forward to the third book in the series (and explore more books from Pat Barker).

opal360's review

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

agirlcalledsally's review

4.0

I probably don’t know enough about Ancient Greece to appreciate this fully.

valericks24's review

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

4.25

spinstah's review against another edition

4.75

I love these retellings and explorations of Greek mythology from the women’s perspective. I didn’t remember a lot of the specifics from The Silence of the Girls, but I don’t think that caused me to miss anything. 

emilyaix's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

jasperwrites87's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

georgiadavies18's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-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

3.5

helen's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed the first book, but this one fell flat. There were parts where I was bored and was willing something to happen.

I really liked Briseis's narration in the first book, but in this one I was frustrated with her being swept up in events rather than manipulating them. I wanted more scheming. Here is an incredibly brave women who is determined to survive, and the fact that she does (not a spoiler because her narration makes this clear) is more to chance than to any proactive choices. This is probably the point that Barker is making, but it didn't make for an engaging reading experience.

I'm giving it 3 stars though because although I wasn't a fan of the (lack of) story/plot there's no denying that Barker is very skilful at evoking domestic scenes and delving deep into character motivations.

I don't think I'll read book 3.