I adore Pat Barkers writing style and also, if you know me, I LOVE mythology retellings, so this was always going to be a winning combination for me! Book 3 in the Woman of Troy series did not disappoint.

Similar to the other books in the series, the author manages to bring such life and emotion to story we already know and characters we have all heard of. In the Voyage Home we mainly see from the POV of Ritsa, Cassandras slave, Cassandra herself and Clytemnestra all of which were written superbly.

I will say it wasn't my favourite out of the 3 books in the series, but I will forever read any of them and undoubtedly, like this one, will enjoy!

BONUS: The audiobook of this is SO well done, the narrator is 10/10 and adds so much to the narrative with how expressive they are. So fully recommend listening to the book if you have the opportunity!

Thanks to Netgalley & Publisher for the ARC - sorry took me so long to read and review!!!

I love Pat Barker's retelling of the Greek myths and this, the third in a trilogy reimagining Homer's Iliad.
Other new pretenders to the throne can barely touch her.
Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for a copy of this book.

Cassandra, Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Elektra, they are all here in their gory glory. For the full review go to https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/775653270204153856/nastya-s-review-of-the-voyage-home-women-of

The last volume in Pat Barker’s trilogy follows a character we’ve met on the periphery in the previous two novels – Ritsa. A slave to Cassandra – although now Cassandra is a slave too – what does that make Ritsa? And we also meet Clytemnestra who is still grieving the daughter that her husband Agamemnon stole and slaughtered. As with all the novels in this series, we know what is about to happen – this is after all after Troy and the ancient battle between the Trojans and the Greeks, but Barker gives us a ring side seat to what the women felt about it.

Firstly, I really missed Briseis’ voice in this as she was a character I’d really grown fond of in the first two books and wanted to know more about – I would have liked a better ending for her. Having said that I felt that the book was as convincing as the others with its perspective on female struggles that have long been ignored or overlooked by men. The idea that Clytemnestra was so heartless that she wouldn’t be devastated by the loss of her daughter has never sat well with me, and I completely concur with Barker that her motive for murder was clearly Agamenon’s heartless act. I think there are many mothers who would have felt the same up and down the centuries and it is a pity that so few of the men who’ve chosen to write this story cannot understand the intense love and devotion a woman feels to her children. How many of us, given the same situation would not feel a pull to murder?

But this is a story told from several perspectives, and I loved the fact that this novel explores how an ordinary Trojan woman, Ritsa, would experience and view the world and I loved that her story was satisfying. There is clearly more of story left to tell, and the characters that Barker weaves seem to deserve something more, particularly Electra and what motivates her. Such a finely drawn player, repugnant though she was, probably deserves her own chapter going forward.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in this world and will no doubt return to the Greek myths again and again. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for giving me a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several of Pat Barker’s books and whilst this book isn’t the worst, it also isn’t the best. The Voyage Home follows a smaller cast of characters than Barker’s other books which is to its benefit. Ritsa and Clytemnestra are two characters that are connected by the loss of their daughters due to Agamemnon and his Trojan War and they are balanced out by Cassandra, daughter of Priam and priestess of Apollo. I liked how Cassandra was portrayed, however the other characters’ treatment of her did not mesh with their initial thoughts and the Cassandra’s own reiteration that Apollo had cursed her to never be believed.
The plot followed Agamemnon’s journey back to Sparta with his spoils of war, Cassandra and Ritsa and then his subsequent murder by Clytemnestra. The plot seemed secondary to the character development, with specific attention placed on Ritsa’s medical abilities, only for them to never be used.
I think Electra was deviated the most from what I knew her character to be. It was interesting to read a sickly teenager who acts more like a child than an adult. The glimpse of someone who knew exactly what she was doing was very intriguing and I could easily read a whole novel about.
All of that said, the book was well paced and enjoyable.

An interesting premise story surrounding themes of revenge, grief, guilt, and fate, from the point of view of forgotten women, but unfortunately not for me. I found all the characters a bit dull, the dialogue too modern, and since the book played out a prophecy, there wasn't anything that surprised me/engaged me to the plot either. I wish we got a more in-depth look into Cassandra's struggles with retribution vs. her death and more of Clytemnestra's ambitions as well.

THE VOYAGE HOME
&&&&
By Pat Barker
Hamish Hamilton
It's been 10 long years but finally the Trojan war is over and the victorious Greeks are on their way home. As King Agamemnon returns to Mycenae, it's not he and his men who hold the key to his fate but rather two women.
His wife, Clytemnestra, has spent years yearning for vengeance. She hates her husband for his decision to sacrifice their daughter, Iphigenia, to the gods to get a favourable wind to set sail for Troy.
Someone else who loathes the king is Cassandra, the daughter of the slain Trojan king, Priam, who Agamemnon won as a spoil of war and now uses as his sex slave. As a priestess, she has the power to see the future and has long predicted that she and Agamemnon will die together upon their return to Mycenae – but due to an old curse nobody believes Cassandra’s prophesy.
"The Voyage Home is about revenge – the necessity of revenge, the pointlessness of it," says author Pat Barker.
It could be read as a standalone but to really appreciate the full power of it, get hold of the first two books in the series, The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy. It’s breathtaking, bingeworthy storytelling that looks at the Trojan war in a new way – through the eyes of the women captured by the Greeks.

Absolutely loved this perspective of the voyage back to Mycennae and Cassandra's point of view. Pat Baker's greek myth retellings are just amazing.

A Poignant and Powerful Conclusion
Pat Barker concludes the "The Silence of the Girls" trilogy with "The Voyage Home." This installment delves into the psychological and emotional aftermath of the Trojan War, exploring trauma, guilt, and the search for redemption.
Barker's prose, as always, is both lyrical and unflinching. She gives voice to the marginalised and forgotten, particularly the women whose lives were irrevocably altered by the war.
While the pacing may feel off at times, it does allow for exploration of the characters' inner lives and the brutal impact of their experiences. Ritsa as a slave is an interesting perspective on what is happening and Cassandra is beautifully damaged as a character. "The Voyage Home" is a thought provoking read but fell a little flat in comparison to the first two novels. In a saturated market of Greek myth, this may get a little lost in the crowd.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Penguin UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I have loved this series and whilst this didn’t have the magic of Silence of the Girls it was still an excellent read. I think this is because it suffers from the amount of Clytemnestra stories that have come out in recent years, I love the character it’s just been done a lot.

I really liked the different POVs and the inclusion of an unknown persons POV to offer perspective of the other players we know so well.

This is the final novel in Pat Barker’s trilogy telling the stories of some of the women involved in the Trojan War. Books one and two, The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy, focus on Briseis, who was given to Achilles as a prize of war, although I was surprised by the number of male perspectives that are also included in those two books, considering the titles! In The Voyage Home, we leave Briseis behind to follow three other characters as the victorious Greeks return home from the war.

One of these is Cassandra, the Trojan princess and prophet who is cursed never to be believed. Like Briseis, Cassandra has become a war prize – in her case, she has been taken as a concubine by Agamemnon, King of Mycenae. Then there’s Ritsa, a Trojan slave and healer given the job of accompanying Cassandra on the journey to Mycenae and acting as her personal servant. Finally there’s Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, who is grimly preparing for her husband’s return. It’s been a decade since Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to the gods in exchange for a wind to sail to Troy, but Clytemnestra has never forgiven him and is ready to take her revenge.

I enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy and I did like this one as well, but not quite as much. I’ve read several other novels about Clytemnestra and the events of the Oresteia recently (including Elektra by Jennifer Saint and Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati) and I felt that her sections of the novel didn’t offer me much that was new or different. Having said that, the way Barker portrays Clytemnestra’s emotions – her anger, bitterness and grief – was very well done. There are also some atmospheric scenes of ghostly children haunting the palace – although, oddly, chanting British nursery rhymes such as Oranges and Lemons, which pulled me right out of the Ancient Greek setting!

Of the main characters, Ritsa is probably the easiest to like and as a servant, of a lower social status than the others, she has an interesting perspective on the events that unfold. Cassandra is a fascinating, complex character in the unusual position of being both enslaved and the wife of the king. She has already predicted the deaths of herself and Agamemnon but due to the curse she is under, nobody takes her seriously. I would have liked more of the book to have been written from Cassandra’s point of view, but instead Barker concentrates on showing her through the eyes of the other women: Clytemnestra, who views her with suspicion (after all, Agamemnon was her husband first) and Ritsa, who initially resents Cassandra for not being her beloved friend Briseis, who has not accompanied them to Mycenae. Ritsa sees Cassandra as wild and deluded, but gradually starts to have more sympathy for her.

This is a satisfying end to the trilogy, although if you haven’t read the first two books I’m sure you could read this one as a standalone.

Having read and enjoyed first two in-the trilogy , i was keen to read this. and it did not disappoint. Could-be read as a stand alone of you arefamiliar with the Greek myths. itcertainlyis an interesting takeon the story.. told with Pat Barkers usual skill .

A retelling of a period in history from a woman’s perspective. The experiences and fate of Trojan women caught up in warfare a fitting conclusion to a remarkable trilogy if somewhat suffering by unfortunate comparison with the 5* previous two books. Emphasising women’s strengths and weaknesses during a period of repression, hardship and deprivation whilst highlighting their grief and revenge demonstrating the highs and lows women are driven to live through and forced to endure experience during history with nothing changing throughout history. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

he Voyage Home, Pat Barker’s follow-up to The Women of Troy, continues her masterful reimagining of the Trojan myths, this time centring on Cassandra, the doomed prophetess. Barker breathes new life into the ancient tale, exploring Cassandra’s psychological complexity and the harrowing fate of the captured Trojan women as they journey to Mycenae. The book is both visceral and haunting, vividly portraying the tension and violence that unfolds upon Agamemnon’s return. Barker’s sharp, modern perspective on these well-worn myths offers a powerful and unflinching examination of war, power, and female agency. A gripping and thought-provoking addition to her retelling of the Trojan stories.

Read more at The Secret Bookreview.

The Voyage Home is a tender and introspective read, delicately exploring themes of grief, connection, and the landscapes that shape us. The writing is as vivid and immersive as you can expect with Pat Baker’s work, with a lyrical quality that beautifully captures both the external and internal journeys of its characters. The story of Agamemnons murder has been told again and again. But watching it unfold through the duel perspectives of Ritsa and Clytemnestra grounded the narrative giving the myth a refreshing sense of realism. I particularly enjoyed Ritsa's ever evolving feelings of Cassandra- her desire to believe her dangerous ramblings, and her inability to do so due to the curse.

Electra is one of the most captivating elements of The Voyage Home. Her characterisation carries an almost feral intensity, her emotions raw and untamed as she grapples with her grief and longing. Her wildness, however, is tinged with a childish vulnerability that makes her all the more compelling, as her impulsive reactions and unfiltered emotions reveal a deep refusal—or inability—to fully grow past her pain. Her close relationship with her brother amplifies this tension, fraught with love and secrecy, and layered with secrets that I hope are brought to light in another installment.

This is a book for those who enjoy character-driven stories that linger in the mind long after the final page, offering a quiet yet searing exploration of the cost of a human life.

I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

Thank you, Netgalley and Penguin UK, for sending me the e-ARC in return for an honest review.

Let me start by saying, I love a classical retelling. This style of book takes up a quarter of the space on my book shelves.

Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. There were some incredible aspects to it, such as the ghost children haunting the halls or Clytemnestra's fury. I love that Cassandra got to actually be a key character who gets her story told for once, rather than a retelling of Clytemnestra or Agamemnon's children where Cassandra is a casulty in the crossfire. But when compared to the first book of the series...

I think what else ruined it for me was the modern phrases and their modern thoughts that don't reflect the time period of the book. It completely pulls me out of the immersion I slip into and feels quite jarring at times.

The end was very rushed. And anti-climatic. The build up wasn't subtle, it was a slap in the face every chapter. I also wanted to know what happened to Ritsa (although I know for most women in history we never get to find out what happened to them) and to give her a true end to her story. It didn't feel like a fresh take on the story, and didn't do the characters justice.

I first read Pat Barker back in 1983 when someone gave me a copy of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists of which she was one. In the intervening 40 years I have have spent many happy hours curled up reading her books. The Voyage Home by Pat Barker is the latest in her retelling of the Trajan wars. After 10 years Troy has fallen and the Greeks have filled their war ships with plunder. Agamemnon is heading home with Cassandra, Princess of Troy and his war booty. Ritsa, Cassandra’s maid is on the ship too and it is she who tells us the story. Meanwhile back home Clytemnestra awaits her husband and murderer of their child. Epic, page turning stuff.

Following on from the previous books Cassandra travels with King Agamemnon back to his Queen Clytemnestra. With her prophecies always to be ignored, only Ritsa her slave, sort of believes Cassandra's assertion that she and Agamemnon will be murdered the first night in the palace.

As with the previous books we dance around the famous myths from the point of view of a slave. Ritsa isn't quite the narrator that Briseis was, she is more frustrated with Cassandra, more inclined to hate her. There are some really brilliant elements of the book - the ghostly children at the palace, Cassandra and Agamemnon's fate, Electra's character development. If you've read the previous novels then this is obviously the next step, but for me I preferred the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for this ARC. The final book in Pat Barker’s spectacular Women of Troy series, The Voyage Home blends together the myths of Cassandra and Clytemnestra to tell a compelling story of the way that war and trauma echo throughout the lives of everyone it touches for years after the last spear has been laid down. Cassandra is a Trojan princess, cursed to see the future but never be believed. She is being brought back to Greece as a concubine for Agamemnon, a Greek general and the architect of all of her family’s despair. She is carrying his child and her only solace is her visions of Agamemnon’s imminent death. The fact that her death seems to be inextricably linked to his feels like a small price to pay to avenge her people. Meanwhile Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, waits in Mycenae, still nursing her rage after Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter to the gods for a fair wind to get them to Troy. After ten years of plotting her revenge, she’s ready to give Agamemnon exactly the homecoming he deserves. Barker has grounded these ancient myths in gritty, earthy and psychologically realistic narration, making these women feel alive and real and breathing new life into this ancient but still poignant story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the e-ARC.

This adventurous mythological retelling is set after the battle of Troy and follows newly enslaved Ritsa and Cassandra as they travel to their new home.

My first impressions were that the modernity of the prose felt jarring given the context. This truly is a modern take on the tale, with dialogue that feels more 60s East End than anything. I haven't read Pat Barker's work before so this took me by surprise and I can't say I got used to it by the end. Occasionally I would read a line and it would pull me out of immersion.

The story itself feels quite slow and anticlimactic, building towards reaching their home and Agamemnon's demise, which takes place fairly late in the book. Ritsa's ending felt rushed to me, and I was left thinking, 'oh, was that it?'. I think I really struggled to connect to the characters in any meaningful way and so the climax just didn't impress me.

That said, I did like the writing style apart from the odd modern slang in dialogue, and there were certainly moments that made me want to continue on to finish. But, if you enjoyed Madeline Miller's work, you might have similar impressions to me.