Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

60 reviews

karenclare's review

emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death

eveofstagnes's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Minor: Sexual assault

caelfind's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

“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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and War

Minor: Child death

mblanke's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and War

Minor: Animal death

lauramay_reads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Medical content, Trafficking, and Injury/Injury detail

anima_vestaa's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, and War

theothergrl's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Minor: Torture and Vomit

historychatter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

capybara5's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape and Violence

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Torture