The Voyage Home is a modern retelling of two important Trojan women who often do not get much of a voice; Cassandra and Clytemnestra. Much of the book is narrated in the first person by Ritsa, Cassandra's body woman with chapters interspersed from Clytemnestra. Pat Barker manages to convey Cassandra as a petulant child whilst also showing just how lonely and afraid she must have been. Clytemnestra is portrayed as the vengeful, grieving wife and mother who has been waiting for the person responsible for killing her daughter, her own husband, to return home for ten years.

Barker manages to capture the magic of Greek mythology but in a way that is truly accessible for the modern reader. Not many people want to read the likes of Ovid, Homer, and Virgil but Barker is able to take these mythic stories from epic writers, put a feminist spin on them, and offer new perspectives on these stories. She gives a voice to women who were largely silenced whilst being written about by male authors.

I am a Classical Studies student and as such I love any modern retelling, especially those that give marginalised characters a voice and Pat Barker has definitely delivered once again. This is a wonderful retelling and I would highly recommend Pat Barker to anyone who wishes to dip their toe into the classical world.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

There are so many parts of Greek Mythology that we know, or we think we know - but the glorious part of retellings and adaptations (especially ones as incredible as this!) is the ability to continue adding to that pantheon.
The end of Cassandra's story is retold, this time mostly from the perspective of her enslaved maid/confidante Ritsa, who serves as an incredible reminder of the consequences of war on the 'common people'. Agamemnon is still just as awful and boorish, Clytemnestra is still a formidable force that is underestimated at people's peril and Cassandra is still a young woman that was stolen from her homeland and forced into a fatal situation.

I loved reading this story as much as I did Barker's other retellings that don't shy away from the brutality of women's experiences of war. These are not perfect characters to pity - nothing's that simple. But they are encapsulations of human experience; survival, love, grief...all of those remarkable things that unite us all.

I did like this and I am a big fan of Pat Barker but something was missing for me here, I didn't find Cassandra engaging enough and I think I prefer Greek myth with more Greek gods in it. Obviously a very personal thing and I'd still recommend.

The Trojan war is over and Agamemnon is sailing home to Greece where his wife Clytemnestra awaits him. With him are his new wife Cassandra, and her slave Ritsa. The story is told through the eyes of the three women. The war, as always, was brutal and we are never allowed to forget the brutality shown to women and especially to children, whether it's the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia, the brutal murder of his brother's children or the horrors bestowed on the children of Troy. All of them are present throughout the book. The story telling as always is brilliant. We are with the women in their suffering. This is a brilliant end to a fantastic trilogy. I've been waiting for this since finishing The Women of Troy and it hasn't disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

A new book from Pat Barker is a great treat. This is the third in her Trojan women trilogy and, in my opinion, the best. The voyage is that of Agamemnon and his soldiers, returning to Greece and his queen Clytemnestra after the sacking of Troy, bringing with him his newly acquired wife, Cassandra the prophetess. Pat Barker has a wonderful facility for taking the reader inside the minds of her female characters, bringing their relationships vividly and authentically to life, especially in contrast to the power of the men they have to deal with. They suffer great brutality at the hands of these men but they are equally wily and strong in pursuing revenge. The story unfolds through the eyes of Cassandra's slave, Ritsa, the only one granted a relatively happy ending.
An overarching theme of the book is the haunting memory of the innocent children who are killed in wars. The death of Iphigenia is central to the story but although her death is particularly horrifying she is not the only one who dies. These children manifest in Agamemnon's palace in the form of ghostly handprints on the walls and snatches of song. The use of familiar songs from a British childhood starkly emphasises the universality of this theme and I found it especially poignant to be reading this on a day when news reports from arenas of current war included the bombing of a football field where children were playing and also of a school.
Beautifully written, compelling but not an easy read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin/Viking for the ARC.

Pat Barker has this way of bringing whatever she is writing about to life.
I know that is the author's job. But she does it in such a marvellous way. I lived every second of every day with the characters.
I am not going to pretend that I know the story of the Trojan war very well, I have of course read Homer's version of events, amongst others.
I read this tale over two days, finding it very difficult to put down.
I don't know what else to say .
I loved the story. I loved the characters. I'm looking forward to reading Pat's next book. Although I have have read most of her books I have a few of her earlier books to read.
My thanks to the author for the hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bless this book! The lesser known parts of Greek mythology wrapped in a stunning retelling.

Now here’s the thing, I love her books. But reviewing them is always a bit of a pain in the bum to me personally. This one is just great as well. If you are familiar with Greek mythology, you’ll recognise a bunch of names in this book. And this book aligns perfectly with the other books in this series. It’s insightful and interesting. So if you’re really into Greek mythology, and in this case the lesser known part. This is a must read for you!

A tale of vengeance

Pat Barker’s third Trojan War story takes some of the women from the first two novels back to Greece in the fleet of the conquering Agamemnon. They are the Trojan princess Cassandra, now the concubine of Agamemnon and her slave, the down-to earth Ritsa. The highly strung Cassandra predicts her won death and that of Agamemnon, but she is paid no heed.

In the meantime, back in Mycenae, queen Clytemnestra plots the death of her husband as an act of vengeance for his sacrifice of their daughter Iphigeneia at the beginning of the war, ten years before.

It is a powerful myth and has been dealt with many times before, most notably by Aeschylus in his play, Agamemnon. There have been more recent versions too, Colm Toibin’s House of Names for example.

But Barker’s tale is in a class of its own. The weary, aged but still dangerous Agamemnon, suffering from visions of his dead daughter; Clytemnestra with her plan for revenge, moved nevertheless by doubts and hesitation; the unpredictable but zealous Cassandra who wants her own revenge – all observed by the sympathetic Ritsa who sees life as more important than honour. An eccentric Electra and a sinister Orestes complete the picture. Only the first half of the novel concerns the voyage home. The violence in Mycenae, combined with the sense of confused humanity, make this an outstanding conclusion to the trilogy.

The Trojan war has finally ended and the Greeks are on their way home with the spoils of war. These "spoils" include the women of Troy whom they have enslaved.

We see the voyage through the eyes of Ritsa (formerly an "assistant" to Briseis from the previous books) This story is told in the first person which adds to the immediacy and the vivid evocation of the ship etc. She is accompanying Cassandra , daughter to King Priam. As a priestess she was “visited” by Apollo and given the power of prophecy. However, it is a gift which is ambiguous as nobody believes the prophecies she makes, claiming that she is mad (an easy way for her to be “dismissed” and ignored in the way that has happened to many women. Think about the Woman in White many centuries later) Cassandra has been "married" to Agamemnon.

Awaiting them is Clytemnestra (sister to the beautiful Helen) Barker acknowledges that all marriages have a complex history, but this history is certainly a very complicated one, as she must confront her feelings towards Agamemnon sacrificing her beloved daughter for a fair wind to Troy.

The family of Atreus, to which Agamemnon belongs to by birth and Clytemnestra by marriage has been cursed in the past and Clytemnestra is likely to perpetuate this violence and conflict. This rings true because even though a family may not have been cursed literally, there is still trauma passed from one generation to another.

Barker's skill is to bring the women out of the shadows and make them more “alive”. There is obviously stiff “competition”. Colm Toibin in The House of Names has written about Clytemnestra, amongst other writers.

What I love about Barker's Voyage Home is the very vivid evocation of the scenes. The atmospheric, visceral descriptions of the wooden ship on which they sail home (comparable to the start of The Women of Troy with its scene inside the wooden horse) The claustrophobia , labyrinthine nature of the palace with its "ghosts" makes you shudder just reading it.

I also love Barker's use of more contemporary language. With another author I would be underlining "anachronisms" all the way through, but with Barker it's different because she is using this deliberately to make us relate to the characters more. I also love her "earthy" feel, showing her "working class roots". She deals with "slaves" and rulers in an equitable way, never shying away from the bawdy songs of the soldiers for example.

On the subject of "rulers" , leadership becomes a theme. If Clytemnestra confronts her husband publicly it will impact on his leadership. She knows from bitter experience about the compromises rulers must sometimes make.

I feel like I have read enough retellings of Greek mythology for now, but made an exception for Barker as I will do for Madeline Miller.

A crescendo ending to the trilogy

Pat Barker's third Greek myth novel, 'The Voyage Home' centres around the end of the war on Troy, and the return home of King Agamemnon and his remaining soldiers, 10yrs after they set out. As in her other books, Barker chronicles the female perspective: Ritsa, a "catch-fart" or body slave, Cassandra, Prium's daughter and Agamemnon's concubine, and Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife. Whilst the men are sure that Agamemnon's sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia will be forgiven and forgotten on their return to Mycenae, Cassandra views things differently. However, despite being a prophet, ,she was condemned by Apollo never to be believed.

Barker uses modern dialogue and terms throughout her Greek myth novels, rather than attempting to focus on only what the characters would have known at the time. For some reason, in this novel, it felt more noticeable, with children's rhymes and colloquialisms used that wouldn't have been around at the time. However, whilst this initially jarred it didn't detract from the pace and emotion of the story, particularly from Clytemnestra. There is also a strong gothic flavour in this novel, with strange goings on within the Palace, linked to intergenerational cycles of tragedy and revenge. As with Barker's other novels I would highly recommend this as an enjoyable and quick read.

This is the retelling of Cassandra, the princess and cursed prophetess of Troy.
It is dark to some extent, and layered - the supernatural elements were a nice addition.
All the women in this retelling are multidimensional.
I recommend this to anyone who was already a fan of Cassandra’s story and those who are new to her story, but like a feminist recounting of Greek mythology.

The prose 3.5
Characterisation 4.5
Plot 4
Mood 4

I have eagerly awaited this book, wanting to know what comes next for Breisis and the other women. Unfortunately- and this is my only criticism- they are left standing on a beach waiting to be transported to an unknown future. ( There has to be a book 4!)
Instead the story focuses on Cassandra, taken by Agamemnon as a concubine, and Brisa, still a slave but now Cassandra’s maid. They are taken with him on his ‘triumphal’ return journey to Mycenae, his home city.
We are also introduced to Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, left to rule an increasingly impoverished kingdom for 10 years, and secretly nursing a bitter hatred of her husband.
As with the first two tales, the writing is excellent; evocative, thought-provoking and at times disturbing
Unlike the first two books, which focus on the suffering and strength of the captive women, this tale considers the fate of the children both of Troy and Mycenae.
Brisa is an extremely well-written character, Cassandra and Clytemnestra are both complex and driven and all three have good reason to hate Agamemnon, who is an absolute monster, teetering on the brink of madness.

I love a Greek mythology and this third book in the series was just as good as Pat Baker’s other books! I really enjoyed it and will always love her mythology retellings! Thank you for the ARC!

The Voyage Home is the third instalment in the Women of Troy series, and follows Cassandra, cursed prophet and war prize of Agamemnon, and the enslaved Rista, as they journey to the cursed palace of Mycenae wherein Agamemnon’s wronged wife Clytemnestra waits to enact her bloody revenge. Barker switches between first and third perspective as they continue to centre the stories of the unheard women of Greek myth. The story succeeds in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere, both in prose and setting, as Mycenae is haunted by the atrocious acts of house Atreus. Barker explores the responses to the trauma the women have experienced as a result of the war, seen in Cassandra’s acceptance of her fate, Rista’s unrest and hope for more, and Clytemnestra’s fury and desire for revenge. I will say that I missed the perspective of Briseis as I had grown attached to her character in the previous two instalments, but nevertheless still thoroughly enjoyed the new perspectives in this book. I would recommend The Voyage Home to fans of feminist retellings wanting to hear the stories of silenced women.

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely brilliant and engrossing storytelling. This author captivated readers from the very first page, draws you into the lives, loves and horrors of the characters, and you struggle to stop reading.
Loved it, and I’m sure other readers will too.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the review copy.

The Voyage Home is the third book in the Women of Troy series and mainly follows three characters: Cassandra, princess of Troy and now Agamemnon's concubine; Ritsa, her servant; and Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife.
I was looking forward to this book, because it covers a myth which I really like and I wasn't disappointed. Like in all the books in the series, the mythological setting serves as a commentary on the atrocities of war and especially on the horrors which the surviving women have to endure. From the start I got really attached to Ritsa. Most of the story was narrated by her and I really liked her character. Her narration is alternated by chapters told from Cassandra's or Clytemnestra's point of view, and again this worked really well. I thought all three women were very well characterized. Cassandra was very fascinating, and her relationship with Ritsa was very interesting. As for Clytemnestra, I liked how, despite the fact she was bent on revenge, she was mostly a broken, desperate woman. Her fragility was very well portrayed and I really felt for her. Lastly, even if not as intriguing as the three main characters, I also quite liked Electra's portrayal, which I found quite original.

I really enjoyed this third and final instalment of the Trojan War novels. This one continued on to explore the impact of the war on forgotten female voices and I really enjoyed the perspective of Ritsa. I’m not sure how I feel about the added supernatural elements. They were creepy and effective but felt a bit out of place compared to the first two novels. A really great read though that I would recommend to others!

This is the third and last book of the Trojan war trilogy by Pat Barker, celebrated for her powerful historical narratives, offers a fresh take on ancient myths with “The Voyage Home”. This book reimagines the turbulent return journey of Greek heroes after the Trojan War, delving into themes of feminism, rape and violence.

Reading the book was an intense and emotional experience. Barker’s skillful prose captures the profound struggles of these legendary figures, drawing readers into their psyche. The strong, vividly drawn characters, from battle-weary Odysseus to haunted Agamemnon, make the story deeply engaging, breathing new life into these timeless heroes.

I highly recommend “The Voyage Home” book to those who appreciate Greek mythology retellings and historical fiction.

My thanks to Penguin General UK for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley.

The third (and final ?) book by Pat Barker surrounding the events and fallout of the Trojan War. This third episode more than stands up to the strength of the former two. We follow Cassandra and her maid in this book. You can feel the tension and sense of doom on every page. Utterly brilliant.

'Over the years, I must have learned the medicinal uses of... oh I don't know, hundreds of plants, and never yet found one to cure stupidity.'

The Voyage Home ties up the trilogy in a neat, little, blood coloured bow.

Following on from The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy, we follow Ritsa, an enslaved victim of the Trojan war, put in the position of caring for the seemingly insane princess Cassandra. We're ten years outside of the war and the Greeks are returning home. Agamnemnon is returning home to his scheming wife Clytemnestra waiting for the perfect time to take revenge for his sacrificing of their daughter.

I adore Pat Barker's writing style, it's descriptive, lyrical, and just all around beautiful, even when describing less than beautiful things. She has perfected the claustrophobic atmosphere of the haunting prophecy that Cassandra brings.

Huge thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.