In the aftermath of the Trojan War, Briseis, a former slave, pregnant with Achilles baby, navigates through emotions, friendships and politics, and consequences of decisions.

Told largely from the perspective of Briseis, this is a true character-led novel, with a feminist retelling of a well known story, giving a voice to the women of Troy.

I must admit I hadn’t realised it was a sequel and it makes sense because it references what happened to Briseis prior to this novel, but doesn’t explain it properly…so I would suggest at least reading a summary of ‘Silence of the Girls’ before reading this book.

With the exception of these references, this novel does stand alone. It is so easy to read, full of life, with captivating and endearing characters. From the first page you are fully immersed in this novel, faced with the reality of the cramped and smelly inside of a Trojan Horse, and the reality of the post war camps.

I loved this novel, and highly recommend this and Pat Barker’s writing. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book.

The Women of Troy series by Pat Barker is one of my favourite Greek retellings, she has such beautiful and compelling writing and her take on these well known names really brings them back to life. Loved every second and I cannot wait to continue with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for arc.

This picks up from The Silence of the Girls and is just as evocative and emotional. It details the destruction of Troy, the fates of all the women left behind, stranded on the beaches with their slavers.

I was very excited to read this book, based on my previous Pat Barker's reads, but I think I was ruined by The Song of Achilles and A Thousand Ships before reading this one. Yes, it was excellent writing, compelling characters and the cast were lively. It was heart-wrenching and thought provoking. But for me, it just didn't have the same spark as previous reads did.

I would still recommend it to anyone who is interested in this area of Mythology, just read this one first!

I really enjoyed Barker’s The Silence of the Girls so I was intrigued to find out if the follow up would be as good and, by and large, I have to say it certainly is. The Women of Troy begins with the fall of Troy and then covers the long period that the Greek fighters, along with the surviving women of Troy, were stuck in a kind of limbo, waiting, seeming endlessly, for a fair wind with which to make the journey home. This particular setting makes this novel quite tricky to pull off as there is nowhere near as much action as took place in The Silence of the Girls. Yet, I think this lack of action is part of what makes The Women of Troy so effective in depicting the immense loss and trauma that the women of the story have suffered. Briseis is once again a lead character and her story continues in a way that allows her to examine the way the women of Troy are feeling. Women such as Hecuba, the Queen of Troy and Priam’s wife, Cassandra with her gift of foresight and curse of never being believed, and Helen, the women who many believe to be the cause of this violent and lengthy war. Barker manages to breathe life into these famous women from mythology and makes them feel real, flawed and nuanced. I found The Women of Troy sharp, layered and revelatory in its depiction of the women who are often mere footnotes in the stories of supposedly ‘great’ men and shows them for who they truly may have been.

Pat Barker is a historical fiction Queen. This breathtaking Greek retelling following on fro
“The Silence of the Girls” gives life and realism to the Women of Troy, allowing us to imagine the lives of these women in full colour instead of only in association with the men they married. A wonderful, important, beautiful couple of books.

Like all of Pat Barkers novels this one just hits the spot. Perfect for all of those who are interested in greek retellings and the writing is just beautiful.

It’s taken me a long time to get round to reading and reviewing this book. I started it a couple of years ago but just didn’t get on with it, and put it to one side. But I hate having books lingering on my NetGalley list so I steeled myself to try again. Nope. Didn’t work. So I got the audio version and that was much better. Didn’t exactly convert me to the book but at least I managed to get through it and thus offer a considered opinion. My problem here is that I simply don’t like these modern retellings and reinterpretations. I can see why people write them and why people like reading them, but it doesn’t work for me. We can’t pretend that characters from the past were actually “just like us”. We can’t put a feminist spin on women who wouldn’t even have understood the concept. And although I’ve seen this book described as a feminist retelling, it doesn’t seem to do that, as most of it concerns the men. Briseis is our narrator for most of the book, but she’s hardly a beacon of feminine independence. And putting contemporary vernacular into the mouths of the characters jars with me. I’ve no doubt they had their equivalents of our cuss words, but hearing them voice our ones (frequently and repetitively) doesn’t ring true for me. Too much graphic sex in this book too. Not that I’m prudish about it, but it seems it only features as a way to popularise the story. Why try to impose 21st attitudes onto an ancient civilisation? The original Greek stories work just as well today without being reimagined. They are still powerful. They still work on so many levels. ….so let’s continue to read them without unnecessary intervention.

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

I love this authors writing. It is so immersive.
The pacing felt off in places. It was a good continuation of the story

This was technically very proficient and I think for fans of the genre this will be a real winner. It's well written and an interesting exploration, but I've ultimately decided that Greek retellings aren't for me. This is very good and for fans I'd say give it a go! But it didn't grab me personally.

Thanks so much for the ARC though, as always. I enjoyed trying it!

for me i couldnt get past the first section of the book, immediately graphic and lacking an adequate trigger warning it just wasnt for me. although im sure others will certainly love Barker's writings i had to dnf due to how uncomfortable the first scene alone made me

I loved this book as much as the silence of the girls, the writing is beautiful and lyrical , the characters so well written , it’s a character driven story and I loved every second, thoroughly recommended

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My review is mainly for the first one and because of how I felt I won’t be reading this book.

I felt the focus was too male orientated for a feminist retelling. I also found that some areas of the book is basically a history lesson rather than a novel.
I felt Barkers writing to be slow, uncaptivating and just lacking that wow factor. I didn’t click with any of the characters, I felt in some areas it was gruesome and had shock factors just for the sack of it rather than to actually add to the story. I feel her style maybe just isn’t for me and maybe that period isn’t for me as well. I heard so many good things and for me it just flopped.

Excellent. This is about what happens after the fall of Troy, with the Greek fleet becalmed, King Priam unburied and the women of the royal house of Troy dealing with their fates in the camp. Briseis, thoughtful and capable, was an engaging narrator.

As an avid lover of Greek mythology, this was always going to catch my attention. I've not read any of Pat Barker's previous works, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I enjoy her nuanced and beautiful language.

I think Barker manages to walk the fine line of remaining true to the source material whilst bringing a new tone to the story that feels natural. I probably should read her previous work. 'The Silence of the Girls' to get a more vivid picture, but I don't think it's strictly necessary to enjoy this in and of itself.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy!

Loved that we picked up with the same characters but felt this book was nowhere near as strong as the "The Silence of the Girls". It felt too similar yet was just a less interesting tale overall.

I really enjoyed reading The Silence of the Girls, so when I discovered Pat Barker's sequel on NetGalley I had to submit a request.

I loved the continuation of Briesis's story. Alike most women of Greek mythology, especially in the sagas of the Trojan War, Briseis's voice goes unheard. But seeing her forming these alliances with Hecuba and Calchus in order to survive and get revenge on the Greeks just continues her amazing character development. Only this time Briseis is having to protect her unborn child, the blood of the infamous warrior Achilles, from the aftermath of the fall of Troy.

The language Barker uses is so smooth and flows just how I like it, it allows the story to move at a natural pace, and for all the different settings within the story to be seen perfectly in the mind.

I love Pat Barker’s writing so I did enjoy this book, however it is not as good as her debut novel ‘the silence of the girls’. I would highly recommend that book over this one.

This book picks up where Silence of the Girls left off. Briseis narrates the story after the fall of Troy. With Achilles dead and Briseis being pregnant with his child, she is married to Alcimus. She is now a woman of 'status', but despite this she still feels a connection and responsibility for the enslaved women because of her history.
This is such a powerful read and j loved learning more about ancient Greece & greek mythology through this novel.