Reviews with content warning for Genocide - The Silence of the Girls

Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

47 reviews

kirareads02's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book was a masterpiece. It was close to a five star if it wasn't for that secondary voice that has no name. That has just bothered me. <Spoiler> In my mind it is the voice of the Gods <Spoiler>. This is beautifully told by the women of the story and is a completely new view on a war story. It was heartbreaking and beautiful. It deals with all the complexity complexity womanhood, female friendships, bodily autonomy and consequences of war. I love how the narrator kept saying it wasn't her story she was just a part of it because this is a prominent issue of women always being a passive character in the story of a man and this is the only story I have ever found that acknowledges this.

I could write so much about this book and perhaps I will come back to this review and add more when I think of it. I am very excited to read the second book. I can't think where it would be picked up so I can't wait.

<Spoiler> Also, was there a little shade thrown on that last page about making this story a love story? <Spoiler>

Content Warnings

kitkatkick's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

A fascinating recount of the story of the Iliad, The Silence of the Girls strongly embraces the current push toward reframing history as HERstory. We see the see the infamous tale through the eyes of Briseis, Achilles’ concubine slave and former Queen of Lyrnessys. Despite the fact that her existence was pivotal in the Trojan War, as the cause of the dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon and Achilles’ resulting refusal to fight, we so rarely hear from Briseis or see her discussed as more than an object to be owned, a prize to be won. The Silence of the Girls turns the focus onto her, considering her thoughts and emotions throughout her ordeal and using that perspective to reveal the experiences of other women in her situation.

The Silence of the Girls didn’t strike me as a book that required a background in Greek history or mythology. I’m not saying you’ll get it if you have no idea who Achilles is, but if you’re unfamiliar with Briseis, or Patroclus, or any of the other actors, it seemed like you would get along just fine. And for those of you who do have that background, you get to feel extra smart when you recognize a new character or know what’s coming up.

The reason I gave this book three stars as opposed to more is that to me, the story didn’t do the premise justice. Barker’s writing is certainly wonderful, and in Part One, she captures emotions and truly makes the reader empathize with Briseis. But as we enter part two, we encounter a sudden, jarring shift to including chapters from the male point of view. And not only do we suddenly hear from Achilles, Patroclus, and others, but we shift from first to third person. I understand that it was intended to cover parts of the story that Briseis’ point of view likely couldn’t, but I can’t help but feel it was poorly executed, or even a form of cheating. We picked up this book to hear from Briseis, but as we continue on past the story of Patroclus, we hear more and more of Achilles’ point of view, and less and less of Briseis’. And in that, there seems to be some sort of comment on the overshadowing of “herstory” by history that I don’t particularly have the energy to make.

Overall, I do think this book was interesting, and for fans of Greek mythology I would certainly recommend it for it’s mostly unique perspective. But I feel that it’s more apt for calling attention to the horrors of war than it is to do it’s intended job of illuminating the stories of the women of Troy.

Content Warnings

10rocks's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

nolwenn's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Une lecture géniale qui complete celle du chant d'Achille de Madeline Miller. Avoir le point de vue de Briséis est hyper intéressant!
Je recommande vraiment

Content Warnings

sofipitch's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

I can't believe this book and A Thousand Ships are often represented together as equal. This book is far far superior.

I love the perspective this book has on the culture it's examining. Bc while Briesis is right to be upset becoming a spoil or war, she still remembers that she had slaves and concubines in her own palace. She is always exposed to other women who have different and potentiall worse experiences than her. They also have different opinions on their fate. I think her constant comparison to others is really insightful.

I thought this book would be overly an overly harsh portrayal of Achilles but I actually think it is very nuanced and intelligent. Having some of the book shown from his perspective is really great, you see the difference between Achilles and his legacy versus Achilles himself.

I also like that Barker absolved Achilles of Polyxena's death. However if you are a big fan of the other kings, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, and Nestor, you might not like their portrayal in this, but it's pretty minor.

I think this is my favorite portrayal of Briseis. It is the most nuanced and it also feels the most informed. In myths she kind of disappears after she stops being relevant, so it's up to the author to choose what happened to her, and I prefer Barker's choice to what happened in "The Song of Achilles".

Content Warnings