Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

3 reviews

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

It is very sexual and has so much rape in it. I realize that’s because it is a retelling of the Trojan War, but I did not like this. It is cruel. 

However, the writing, while not my cup of tea, is quite good. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Genocide, Alcohol, Violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Self harm, Infidelity, Gore, Child death, Slavery, Suicide, and War

beauvisseau's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One word: breathtaking. This retelling of a story as old as time was done so well, you can almost taste the love that the author has for Greek and Trojan mythology. The writing style was impeccable, and I can clearly see all of the conscious choices that the author made regarding things like speaking style, active versus  passive speaking styles and the investment in certain themes. 

Although the main character, Briseis, does not have a highly developed character, I feel that it fits with her state of being. The grief of losing her loved ones but also one's self can turn you into a shell of memories and thoughts.
One point of criticism though, is that I would have liked to see more perspectives of different women there. It is a missed opportunity to switch between Briseis, Patroclus and Achilles, when two of those three narratives have already been explored for centuries but so many narratives are missing.

Amazing work of fiction that truly expands upon the existing narratives and opened my eyes to many new ideas about war, feminism, story-telling, slavery and power. Would recommend to anyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, War, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Genocide, Gore, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia

deckledlens's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is a must-read after you read Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles, for this book tells the story that Miller left out: that Achilles did take war slaves, as many other generals did, and that they suffered the Trojan War the most. Our narrator is Briseis, who in Miller's tale was simply a friend and companion; here, she is a slave who undergoes the crimes of men at war. The story of these women is a difficult one, which makes the story feel "slow" and sad, but that makes it no less important. I really enjoyed the perspective this book gave me. This retelling also allows you to compare author styles in overlapping Greek myths, which I find essential to the genre. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death