Great second part to The Silence of the Girls. I enjoyed seeing things as told by the women in this story. The Women of Troy did feel much slower than The Silence of the Girls with less going on after the battle for Troy but it rounded off the story in a complete way.

I loved the first book in this series and was so excited to pick up this sequel, as it covers the time just after the Trojan War as the Greek ships wait for a break in the weather to enable them to begin their journey home. Once again, Pat Barker has brought a voice and life to these forgotten women as they deal with the trials of living as slaves or prisoners in the Greek camps. We follow Briseis, along with Cassandra, Hecuba and a slew of other women and I loved the interactions between them. I also appreciated seeing how the war had affected not only the women, but also those involved in the destruction. Overall, this was a fascinating and compelling read and I hope Barker continues to bring us stories from this time period.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Where should I start with this enchanting sequel ?

It is a retelling of the Illiad told from the perspective of a woman called Briseis who is one of the most beautiful woman, as she is being subsequently given to Achilles as a war prize to be his concubine.

Troy has fallen and the Greeks are eager to return home with the victorious prizes they gathered along with the victory. But the winning of the war does not come as easily as they might think since the Gods are offended and Priam's body (the king of Troy) is laying unburied and desecrated.

Many of you might think this book is boring, as it follows the post war logistics,  but reading this book you should be prepared for a whirlwind of emotions. From joy to sorrow to acts of kindness to diabolic ones, there are many themes one should pay attention of, such as motherhood in the times of war, love and betraying oneself in order to serve your people.

I think this book is such a gem, worth reading if you are in the mood for historical fiction or Greek retellings.

Many thanks to the guys at @penguinhamishhamilton for the gifted copy

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!

This was amazing, as I expected! Pat Barker delves into the unspoken voices of the women who lived during certain time periods that are dominated in history by the male experience. This was very refreshing, but also incredibly heartbreaking.

I loved The Women of Troy by Pat Barker. After really enjoying The Silence of the Girls early in 2021, I slept on this one for far too long, considering I had an audiobook ARC, and I’m not only addicted to mythology retellings, but also audiobooks. However, I’d listened to another book narrated by the same narrator – a contemporary fantasy – shortly before, and she has a very distinctive voice, which kept throwing me off. But now that I got sufficient distance, I devoured the audiobook within just over a day. The story sets in after the fall of Troy, and covers the period until the Greeks depart. It is again largely told from the perspective of Briseis, Achilles’ war prize (though, of course, that great warrior is long dead now). Central themes are how to regain the Gods’ favour in order to return, the adequate disposal of King Priam’s body and continuing on from The Silence of the Girls, the treatment and the voices of the women of Troy, now slaves in the Greek camp. Pat Barker’s books are on the very literary end of the current boom in mythology inspired books, oriented very much towards an audience traditionally driven by awards and prestige, in contrast to the more commercially oriented Ariadne or Daughters of Sparta. As a nerd, I love that we get such a breadth of stories retelling mythology, reworking it to give the formerly voiceless more of a voice and not continually centering mediocre white men on their power trips (yes, for much of The Women of Troy I would have liked to slap Pyrrhus and knock some sense into him – never mind Menelaus and Agamemnon). Definite recommendation!

Good narrator who gave poignancy and nuance to the characters.



Continuing her theme of giving voices to those silenced by the war of Troy, Pat Barker delves into the aftermath when the spoils – including women – are divvied up between the successful but battle fatigued Greeks. Briseis is once again the narrator, now married to Alcimus and carrying Achilles unborn child. Of course the gods are offended and the Greeks cannot get home.

I liked this one slightly less than the first book. I’m fine if a plot centres on interpersonal interactions rather than external action but I have to admit I was fatigued by this one. I couldn’t help comparing it to other Troy retellings I’ve read and finding that in making her points, Barker had left the story itself behind somewhat. Undoubtably an accomplished piece of writing but I didn’t love it.

Really nice sequel to The Silence of the Girls. I actually started listening to this one first but found myself getting lost, so I went back and read The Silence of the Girls and I got myself oriented! I would recommend reading that one first. This is not officially a sequel and it could stand alone but if you aren't confident on your Greeks you might want to do the same as me!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read a digital ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, it was just different enough that it stood out from other Troy retellings while still keeping close to the source. I loved how it was told from the point of view of Briseis, who is generally overlooked since she was not Trojan royalty, but still played an important part in the story both during and after the war.
Briseis' conflict was so torturous, being torn between the wife of a Greek, but not a free woman, and having to deal with all the hostility and danger that comes with it genuinely made me anxious. The chemistry between the characters was really believable, I loved how the women all rallied together when they needed to even if they were at odds personally. The men were trash, and I liked how it showed how even the "nice" ones are still the enemy to the women as they don't stand up against the horrors that occur, and will happily allow the women to be treated as property as long as it doesn't happen in front of them. And the fact that some of the women thought these men were the good ones really shows how the position they were in was so traumatic, that any ounce of gentleness was met with gratitude,
This book made me realise how retellings told from the women's point of view always infuriate me (in the sense of how trash the men all are), and even knowing the endings doesn't prepare me for the way things always leave off. All in all, this is a good year for Greek retellings. The Women Of Troy is a solid addition and I definitely recommend.

Ahhh Pat Barker. What a joy it was to listen to this and be back in one of the most fascinating time periods.

It’s great to hear the female voice as most of the stories I’ve read have been from the male perspective. This book and The Silence of the Girls gives an important viewpoint.

Anyone who loves Greek mythology needs to read this and The Silence of the Girls. They’re just brilliant. And to top it off, the narrator for this was great too, and helped to draw you in and feel like you’re in the story.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. Some elements I did enjoy, I enjoyed The Silence of the Girls but not this one.

I really enjoyed #TheWomenOfTroy & recommend it to other historical fictions fans.

Told from the view point of Briseis who is pregnant with the child of Achilles, the deceased hero. There are also two chapters from Pyrrhus’ (male) perspective.

The long battle of Troy is over, but the Greeks find they can’t leave due to the weather. In their camp is Cassandra & Hecuba, the daughter & wife of the fallen king of Troy. Some of the women taken from Troy want revenge on the Greeks, but mostly the women are powerless against the will of the violent men of the camp. The feeling of hopelessness didn’t abate, this feeling of limbo is what the people in the camp would have felt and fit the story perfectly.

I liked the style of writing and the narrator was easy to listen to. I will definitely be reading the previous book in this series, though if you know your mythology you can listen to this without having read the first book. I really hope that there will be another instalment to continue the story.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Review of Audio Book:
I initially thought that this reading might be better split between male and female voices, but Kristin Atherton has an excellent range of voices. There is good use of accents - I don't know if this was an editorial decision or her own, but it gives a good emphasis to background characters. Listening to the book in this format actually gave me more insight into some aspects.

Review of Book:
I first came across the idea that ′men are afraid that women will laugh at them, and women are afraid that men will kill them′ in The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, and this is touched upon throughout this book. Although it is more that men and particularly young men crave respect and are dangerous when they feel they do not receive it.

The book starts with the viewpoint of Pyrrhus, the 16 year old son of Achilles, inside the Trojan Horse, frightened but desperate to do something to equal the fame of his father. The fear of death is intermingled with the fear of losing face, and leads to the butchery of an old man. Most of the book is narrated by Briseis who is pregnant with Achilles′ child, and so was given the protection of a husband, Alcimus. This gives her more status than the newly enslaved women of Troy but not enough to protect anyone, so she has to advise and scheme to try and keep them safe from harm. Some of the women are defiant, some despair and they are all grieving for lost family. There is a moment when the Greeks say, ′there are only two Trojans in the camp′, but what that really means is there are only two male Trojans, so the women have also lost their identity. The book is a story of interwoven tragedies, and as in the earlier book, the author extends that to the men as well, but it is the women who have the strongest voices.

It′s perhaps not surprising that a book rooted in a story from thousands of years ago is still so relevant, I thought often of the Yazidi women and the girls stolen by Boko Haram, but there are also phrases that suggest scenarios closer to home. When Cassandra talks of her prophecies, she says, ″I′ve learnt not to be too attached to my own prophecies. They′ve only ever been believed when I could get a man to deliver them.″

This is a sequel that matches the power and insight of its predecessor The Silence of the Girls.

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

Grounds mythic events in emotions and reactions recognisable to a modern reader. The purpose being to draw comparisons between these peoples lives and our own. And with recent events in Afghanistan, it’s easy to understand its point about the contingent nature of women’s rights; contingent that is on men’s wants, insecurities and vanities. Not that Barker is unsympathetic to her male characters, and we get to understand much of their unhappinesses too. The end of war is the end of the certainties that came with it; it’s certainly not an end to suffering or unfairness.

This book is what happens after the fall of Troy. The Trojan women have been taken as slaves even those of royalty.

The story is told from Briseis view and her taking pity on the captured women and taking care of the women.

The narrator did help at times but i also found it a bit flat. Which did make it hard to stay engrossed in the story. But i think this isnt helped by the book itself is slow. (I did found i put the book down more than the audiobook while reading/listening).

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the audiobook for an honest review.

Sadly I enjoyed this much less than Silence Of The Girls (which I also think there should be more of an emphasis on having to read before going into this one). Much like in her previous title, Barker promises a tapestry of experiences and polyphony, only for everything to be ultimately filtered through one character. While at least this time Briseis did show the reader more of the other women, I did find her filtered perception of them to be .... not great (so bothered was I by the use of a slur in discribing Cassandra and the intense fatphobia towards another character later on that it sent me from feeling lukewarm about the novel to it leaving a sour taste in my mouth).
Sadly did not live up to my expectations

Such an interesting take! My first book by Pat Barker but not my last! I am very excited to read her previous book, The Silence of the Girls, as I loved reading about the War of Troy from the perspective of the women living it.

While I can’t say I particularly enjoyed the experience of reading the first book, The Silence of the Girls, because of all the horrors it puts the war victims through, I found it to be an immensely moving and impactful reinterpretation of Illiad. It did a fantastic job humanising and deglamorising iconic (male) figures of Greek mythology while giving voices and personalities to the women caught in the crossfire of the Trojan conflict - especially its resilient protagonist, Briseis, treated more as a tool than a human being.

The Women of Troy continues in that vein, foregrounding the defeat of Troy by the Greeks and its violent aftermath. Although Barker weaves threads of hope, joy and camaraderie between the women throughout the story, this was a draining and frustrating book to listen to at times because of all the sexual violence and misogyny the female characters constantly had to endure, which means the author managed to convey the authenticity of ancient Greek thinking quite believably, I suppose.

Nevertheless, I must admit I found this novel less immersive than its predecessor. Besides contemplating and dealing with the consequences of war, there wasn’t a lot happening, instead, we got more reflective character moments as they pondered their (lack of) choices, decisions, sorrows and regrets. Either this was just not as interesting to read about as the tension and build up to the war, or I simply got tired of reading about abhorrent men treating women like shit and spoiled brats making stupid mistakes out of pride and spite. Achilles’s POV from the 1st novel was replaced by Calchas, the Trojan priest, and Pyrrhus, Achilles’s son overshadowed by his father’s legend, which appealed to me less than the main POV, Briseis. This is where the novel lived up to its title, as a lot of her chapters were devoted to portraying the complex and often conflicting relationships between the women from both sides of the dispute, who happened to be enslaved by the ‘winners,‘ one way or another. I especially liked the character development of Cassandra, and the incorporation of her tragic backstory.

I think The Women of Troy is a well written, albeit somewhat repetitive story with a slower pace than its predecessor, more interested in lingering in the minds of the characters. This one didn’t hold my attention as easily but it did succeed in making me feel strong emotions - whether it was anger or empathy - towards its characters, so I would still recommend picking it up if you enjoyed the first book.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK / Hamish Hamilton for the advanced audio copy for review.

A strong continuation on from The Girls of Troy, sequel of Greek myth retelling The Women of Troy delves deeper into the destruction that the invasion of Troy wreaked on the lives of the women taken and held hostage, post Achilles’ death at the end of the first book. This is extremely dark, as warranted by the story, especially the opening chapter of the invasion via the Trojan horse. Those with sensitive dispositions should avoid, but this is another excellent addition to the canon of Greek myth retellings.

The narrator, Kristin Atherton, is fantastic and I cannot recommend this enough!

Troy has fallen to the Greek invaders yet the heroes of war remain stuck upon their land. The weather fails them, day after day, and their ships remain bound to the shore and unable to carry them home. The initially joyous mood shifts to one of fear over the gods dissatisfaction and then discontent with each other. The men may brawl occasionally amongst themselves but it is the women in camp who bear the brunt of their overflowing emotion.

This is the second of Pat Barker's Greek mythological reimaginings, told from the perspective of the women slaved, raped, beaten, murdered, and mistreated during this time. I found this just as brutal and sorrowful a read as [book:The Silence of the Girls|39866035] and became just as invested in the story that unfolded.

This story gives voice to the silenced women and a new perspective on the renowned heroes whose names are immortalised from myth. It provides the reader with a human face of war and exposes all the bloody, fetid, brutal, and undignified parts of it that are often overlooked in favour of the battlefield heroics that are instead rejoiced.

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Women of Troy’ by Pat Barker in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is narrated by Kristin Atherton and has a running time of 12 hours, 18 minutes at 1x speed.

This is a sequel to ‘The Silence of the Girls’, Barker’s highly acclaimed retelling of ‘The Iliad’, published in 2018. I fell in love with it at my first encounter and have since reread it twice. So, I was very excited to read this second novel that explores the aftermatof the fall of Troy. It is inspired by the tragedy, ‘The Trojan Women’ by Euripides.

Following the sack of Troy, the Greeks are unable to set sail for home due to continuing bad weather. Might the gods be angry about the desecration of Troy’s temples and their priestesses or by the slaughter of boy children and pregnant Trojan women, as the Greeks don’t want to leave any chance of revengeful descendants? Or could it be due to King Priam’s body lying unburied? So many possibilities.

Again, Briseis serves as the main narrator though there are contributing chapters from Calchas, the seer and high priest of Apollo, and Pyrrhus, the 16-year-old son of Achilles, who has serious daddy issues. Briseis is now married to Alcimus, a close companion of Achilles, and is carrying the late Achilles’ child. She now has status among the Greeks and uses this to assist the Trojan women, now considered spoils of war. I was especially moved by her interactions with the doomed Cassandra.

This is a brutal novel in its unflinching depiction of the fates of women in war situations. While set in the ancient world its message resonates down the centuries to the current day as such violence continues to occur.

With respect to the audiobook, Kristin Atherton is a superb narrator and I have enjoyed her reading of many audiobooks, including ‘The Silence of the Girls’. Seeing her name attached to an audiobook is always a plus for me.

Overall, I cannot praise ‘The Women of Troy’ enough.

Very highly recommended.