When the Greek Queen Helen is kidnapped by Trojans, the Greeks sail in pursuit, besieging the city of Troy.

Trapped in the Greek soldiers' camp is another captured queen, Briseis. Condemned to be bed-slave to Achilles, the man who butchered her family, she becomes a pawn in a menacing game between bored and frustrated warriors.

In the centuries after this most famous war, history will write her off, a footnote in a bloody story scripted by vengeful men - but Briseis has a very different tale to tell . . .

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Everyone thinks they know a little bit about the legendary Trojan Wars - when the Greeks sailed to Troy to retrieve the beautiful Helen (she of the face that launched a thousand ships), after she ran off with the handsome young Paris, and where they stayed for nine long years before they cold breach the walls of the city.

Names of the famous heroes of the Trojan Wars, such as Achilles, Patroclus, Paris, Agamemnon, Hector, Odysseus and the like, trip off the tongue with ease, and there have been some excellent retellings of the male side of this story in recent years - such as Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles. But we rarely hear much of the women who were involved. War was seen to be the business of men,after all.

The Silence of the Girls gives us a glimpse of a completely different side of the story - the story of the women caught up in the siege of Troy. The women who were taken as slaves after their menfolk fell in battle; the women who were treated as the rightful possessions of the victors.

Pat Barker gives voice to these women in the form of Briseis, Queen of Lyrnessus, who was taken as a prize when her city fell and given to Achilles as his bed-slave - the man who butchered her husband and brothers. Unusually, a woman who we do know a little about, since she was the cause of discord between Achilles and Agamemnon.

Through Briseis we get to see what the life of a woman taken in war and forced to become the slave of her enemy is really like - not just from her own experiences, but also from those of the other women around her in the Greek camp.

Much of this story is heartbreaking and anger-inducing, but it also brings a whole new depth and roundness to The Iliad that is immensely enjoyable, and an understanding of how the memory of the fallen lives on through the women that survive.

The relationships between the characters became real in a way I have not experienced before and they seem to come alive under the pen of Pat Barker. This is outstanding writing and it is easy to see why this book has been included in many book prize selections, since it was published.

I have also had the privilege of listening to the wonderful audio book of The Silence of the Girls, which is narrated by Kristen Atherton as Briseis and Michael Fox as Achilles. This has to be one of my favourite audio listens so far, as it is simply mesmerising - I particularly liked the way that the narrators used regional accents for some of the other characters during their conversations, to emphasise the wide cultural make-up of the Greek camp.

I think you really need to know a little about the Trojan Wars to get the best out of this one, but there is still plenty here for those of you that only have a vague idea of what it was all about, because this is essentially a story of love, hate, jealousy, understanding, war, pride, violence, submission and silent rebellion.

This is the most human telling of the tale of Troy that I have ever read, because it can finally be seen from the sides of both the men and women who are part of the story.

A take on the Trojan War from the women's point of view this was powerful but ultimately a little cold: Briesis, the narrator, presents with little affect, making it hard to engage with her story fully. In part this decision by Barker can be understood as representing the impact of the trauma on Briesis, which makes sense, but doesn't allow much of an "in" for readers. The switch to Achilles POV was a bit jarring too, and made rather less sense to me

I have really mixed feelings about this, hence the 2.5-star review on Goodreads. At the start, I was obsessed with the writing style. Barker captured the atmosphere so well. However, the events and the writing style both dwindled eventually. The plot seemed just to be a repetition of camp life and Achilles being weird, and the writing style became increasingly vulgar and tasteless. The repetitiveness gradually got boring, so it was tough to finish this.

I started off loving Briseis but she, too, got boring eventually. Considering this was a book about amplifying the women's voices, she only ever talked about her obsession with Achilles. It was all about what Achilles was doing, why he wasn't doing it with her, etc. Had she been doing more interesting things, I'm sure I would have loved this more.

About halfway through, we get Achilles' perspective -- which kind of takes away from this being the silence of the GIRLS, right? -- and it is marginally more interesting than Briseis's chapters. I would definitely have been more interested in seeing Patroclus's or Agamemnon's perspectives, realistically.

Overall, this book started off really strong but eventually seemed like Barker had no idea where she was going with it.

Last weekend I ran out of books while we were away... Temporarily, and only until I remembered I had the Kindle app on my phone (phew!) so I downloaded this absolute epic of a book. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker is an incredible retelling of The Iliad, and, oh my, I loved it and devoured it in a couple of days. It deserves to be read and enjoyed over and over. I was so enamoured with this book that it made me want to watch Troy again, after many years. And now I wish I hadn't... Not the best film in the world is it?! (With the exception of Eric Bana obviously!)

3.5 stars

The Silence of the Girls reimagines The Iliad through the eyes of Briseis, once a queen and now a slave and ‘bed girl’ to the mighty Achilles. We see the dying years of the Trojan war through her eyes - from a rat infested, disease ridden rape camp with endless days spent spinning the loom to becoming caught up in the squabble between Agamemnon and Achilles that could spell the end of the Trojan war.

For the most part I enjoyed this. I’m not new to The Iliad, and have read a few retellings of it (most notably The Song of Achilles), and I enjoy seeing new perspectives on the story. With this being touted as having a more ‘feminist’ spin, I was expecting the graphic sexual violence accustomed to women of war, coupled with feelings of uselessness and despair from Briseis as we see her try to cope with her new status in life. Many times she condemns her lack of action, simply watching while brutal and horrific things happen to the women around her. It was easy to feel empathy for her, especially at the start, although I found her behaviour to become more and more despondent as the story progresses - almost as though she just gives up and accepts her fate for what it is. She starts to become a possession, and ‘it’ rather than a person. This meant there’s a rather heavy tone throughout the narrative of utter bleakness, which got quite intense at times. In addition the pacing is very slow, with most of the action happening ‘off screen’ as were left behind at the camp with the women and told second hand what has happened. This meant the story itself moves rather slowly with small bursts of activity - much like real siege warfare, but also sometimes rather dull to read.

I also wasn’t counting on the heavy Achilles perspective that still permeates the narrative throughout. For a novel that professes to give voice to the ‘silent women’, numerous chapters are told exclusively about Achilles and his thoughts and feelings (especially the rather odd relationship he has with his mother). All of the action, all of the arguments, centre around him. This almost makes the reader sympathetic towards him, and lessened the heartache that these women were going through. I didn’t want to like Achilles in this version of the story, but especially when coupled with Patroclus, I sometimes found I couldn’t help myself from doing so. I also felt that the Gods themselves were underused here, barely mentioned and used as plot devices rather than utilising the female Gods and their voices - I would have enjoyed their perspectives too.

The writing for the most part is very good, and fully immersive and well described, although the occasional bit of language is jarring. Pat Barker tends to integrate bits of modern ‘slang’ into her conversations, which at times could be quite amusing but also threw me out of the story whenever the soldiers started singing about ‘tits’ or the women mentioned Agamemnon’s taste for ‘the back door’.

I enjoyed this, and feel it does give a new perspective on a famous story that woefully overlooks its female players. I just feel that it could have done more, and gone bigger and used more female voices in the story to greater effect. It’s definitely renewed an interest in The Iliad and it’s many retellings.

I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to our readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me! So thought-provoking - can't wait to discuss it with our senior students!

I love retellings of myths, I love anything to do with Greece, Ancient or otherwise and I loved The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. So this book ticked some significant boxes for me and I was excited to compare it to and contrast it with Miller's work and her version of the story and the characters. And what a comparison it was! Every bit as brilliant as Miller's work but while that Achilles was a bit of a dream boat who had me gooey eyed over his love affair with lover boy Patroclus, Barker's Achilles was a brutal, bloodthirsty, borderline psychopath murderer! No romantic heroes here! And I couldn't help thinking that this telling, with Breseis and her fellow Trojan women reduced to 'prizes' awarded to be slaves and concubines to the victorious Greek leaders, is closer to the reality of the war and women's place in it. Their experience is harrowing and heart rending and Barker gives them a voice by highlighting their silence. Very enjoyable read.

After finishing reading The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker I have been thinking how to review it. Trojan War has been in many stories and it has been told from different angles. This book made me excited about someone finally telling it from women's point of view. My excitement and expectations were not satisfied unfortunately. The Silence of the Girls is beautifully written but the story is not what I hoped for. I hoped for lots of input from female voices but got again mostly squabbles between Achilles and others - same old. There were few poignant moments but I found this book being a bit ironic as it heralded all these female voices and delivered mostly their silence. It's a good book but not what it promised.

I have a major affinity for all things mythology and it has made me read a whole lot of Greek mythology based fiction. I picked up The Silence of the Girls before it received the literary and popular media acclaim. What stood out in the retelling was the fierce voice given to the women. I am sure they were as strong and lionhearted as Barker paints them. To live in the times as volatile as during the Trojan War and survive the mindless bickering of the kings and the princes must have been torture enough.

Barker's heroine Briseis was popularized by the movie but she comes on her own with the author's lyrical writing and so do all the other women who grace the pages.

Unputdownable

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize For Fiction 2019, Silence of The Girls has a barbaric and graphic start as Achilles enters the city walls and conquers Lyrnessus, home of Briseis. She was queen of the land and is taken as a war trophy by Achilles to serve as his personal slave. Achilles is a complex character while Briseis is an astute and perceptive character.

Briseis narrates her story of her life with Achilles, Patroclus, Agamemnon and other Greek warriors, and gives perspective from slave women during the war years of Troy. The second part of the book takes more narration from Achilles and, after a particularly personal grief, becomes more dark and depressing.

This is a very readable re-telling of the Trojan war, or rather the effects on the women during the war. Excellent writing with some stunning scenes and poetic moments. If you enjoyed Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles, you will probably love this one too.

Another brilliant book from Pat Barker. An intriguing angle on the story of the Fall of Troy seen from the point of view of a slave formerly a princess. Achilles and hos famous story from a different viewpoint. A very good read

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this eARC.

We all know the story of Troy right? I actually did an A-Level in Classical Civilisation so I really got to learn about it in depth. And I loved it!
BUT! Too often we weren't taught about the women, especially because of how the Iliad is mostly a book about the heroic men..... So The Silence of the Girls is essentially a book of the Iliad from the women's POV. More specifically, Briseis. She was Achilles' "prize" for overthrowing her city. The one who then was stolen by Agamemnon which caused Achilles to stop fighting in the war until his honour was retrieved.

Though obviously we don't have much way of knowing if the small day-to-day things Briseis did was what actually happened, this book gives a possibility of what the women did and went through during the times of war with Troy. A lot of heartbreak, rape and slavery. We read of what Briseis' relationship with Achilles could have been like. Of what her daily chores could have consisted of.

I for one found this book really easy to read and, even though for the most part this book is written in speculation, I found it to be a refreshing view of the Iliad. The first half especially I was enjoying immensely. The second half was a little bit harder to get through but only because I became impatient with knowing most of the main events still to happen. I wasn't really expecting the ending either, and now I want to go back and read the Iliad and see if that actually happened.

So if you enjoy a historical fiction, especially one based on a well known story, this is the book for you. But I would not recommend it if you are triggered by rape and abuse. Because nothing can really sugarcoat that part of the Trojan war.

A really enjoyable read of a fictionalised Iliad told from the perspective of Briseis whose capture results in her becoming Achilles trophy. Apart from the overuse of the word 'liminal' (not a common word, and to use it 3 times in 1 book seems a bit excessive), i would recommend this to anyone wanting a female insight into the going on of a Greek battlefield.

A very well researched story, totally sucked me into the Greek / Trojan war and whether it really happened or not. Quite bleak but equally quite realistic for what it would have been like in Ancient Greece I imagine. Enjoyed it and was pretty unusual.

Loved this book! I could not put it down. Deffinately one to recommend to my book club. It was brilliant and so well written. Thanks to netgalley for the copy in return for an honest review!

Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls has a very clear feminist message about the struggle for women to extricate themselves from male-dominated narratives. The novel can be seen as a female take on The Iliad, focusing on the changing, unpredictable relationships and situations for the captive Briseis. The terror of her experience of being treated as an object rather than a person speaks for itself, seen through her time in the army camp, during battle, and her relationship with other female characters.

The Silence of the Girls is a novel that allows those who were dismissed as girls - the women trapped in a celebrated historical war - to speak, to be heard, to bear witness. Barker’s novel is an invitation to tell those forgotten stories, and to listen for voices silenced by history and power.

Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5

The Silence of the Girls was a moving retelling that focused on what the women had to endure whilst recounting the events of The Iliad by Homer. It wasn't as breathtaking as other Greek mythology retellings I've read (such as Circe by Madeline Miller) but it was still a rather powerful read.

The book is primarily told from the perspective of Briseis. She was the queen of Lyrnessus until Achilles sacked the city and killed every male- young or old. And what happened to the women of Lyrnessus? They all became slaves to the men who killed their families and destroyed their home. Briseis became Achilles' 'war prize', concubine and slave.

Seeing the events of the Trojan War through Briseis' eyes was interesting because in tales of Greek mythology everything is so focused on The Trials and Triumphs of the Great and Powerful Heroes that no one seems to care about the women, silently suffering in the background.  Through Briseis' inner thoughts, feelings and fears a whole new side to these Great and Powerful Heroes was revealed. A side that saw women as 'war prizes' to be awarded, used and passed on as one pleased, as objects that existed to serve as opposed to human beings with rights and lives that they were crushing every second of every day. Because no one sang songs about the women, theirs was a song of silence: of quiet tears, of broken hearts and of crushed hopes.

However, half way through the book, Achilles started to get some chapters from his perspective which was quite disappointing because I thought it was Briseis' story and I wanted to learn more about her, not him. And while Achilles was portrayed as a very complex character- from his insecurities about his mother leaving to his strong friendship with Patroclus and his hunger for fame and glory- I didn't want to read from his point of view, I felt as if he was stealing the limelight from Briseis. The only thing I got from his perspective was how much he utterly dismissed Briseis.

This was not a romance story. This was not a happy story. This was a story about how although women always ended up paying the greatest prices, nobody seemed to care.

Thank you to Penguin Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was not what I expected at first - written in deliberately colloquial register which jarred at first but I got used to the idiosyncrasy by the end. Some really beautiful passages and overall I did find it very moving. Must read more Pat Barker now.

I knew I would enjoy the story, as anything to do with Troy grabs my interest. This was no disappointment, giving me a different view of Achilles and Patroclus from the eyes of Briseis, the disputed trophy. I enjoyed the mix up of points of view, sometimes from inside Briseis' head, sometimes outside looking at the Greeks from a distance. But the tragedy was always waiting to happen, it was just when...

Having read and enjoyed mythology as a youngster, I found my interest revived with this book. The retelling of a well-known story from the point of view of the women, in particular Briseis is fascinating and beautifully done. The language and description make you part of the story, able to visualise what it must have been like. My first encounter with the writing of this novelist, certainly not my last. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Pat Barker/Penguin Books (UK) for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.