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elizabeth_its_liz_reading's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!
As some of you might already know, The Song of Achilles is one of my favorite books. This is a totally different story, Briseis’ story is certainly not a love story. It’s about the horrors of war and the many ways women suffer during and after men’s wars. This story is about men’s pride, violence against women and also, the silencing of women’s perspectives. This book was so compelling and well-written. Also very devastating, but worth the read for me. I recommend this one if you enjoyed The Song of Achilles, Circe, A Thousand Ships, or Ariadne. I also think the author has a new book coming out soon called The Women of Troy.
As some of you might already know, The Song of Achilles is one of my favorite books. This is a totally different story, Briseis’ story is certainly not a love story. It’s about the horrors of war and the many ways women suffer during and after men’s wars. This story is about men’s pride, violence against women and also, the silencing of women’s perspectives. This book was so compelling and well-written. Also very devastating, but worth the read for me. I recommend this one if you enjoyed The Song of Achilles, Circe, A Thousand Ships, or Ariadne. I also think the author has a new book coming out soon called The Women of Troy.
eabhajones's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
such fun
katenaylor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
ullsumbra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
pia_gngr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mia_a's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
As I was on a mission to read all of the contemporary Iliad retelling and get disappointed, I have to say I really liked this one. It is (mostly) from Briseis' point of view, and with that showes stories from the background, of the war slaves we don't have chance to hear often. That POV shifts are a bit weirdly done, I get the point of it, as women were always allowed to be in the rooms, but that also makes it real. They feel the consequences, without any input or preparation for it. That is the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. I also think relationships between Briseis and Achilles should've been more detailed. Obviously it is very complex and contrasting, but I feel it could've been talked about more.
queeneallie's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. It was alright. If Barker was so interested in Briseis’ story, why didn’t she tell it instead of telling Achilles’ story from her point of view? A war and rape story told by a woman is still a patriarchal story…
ritaralha's review against another edition
3.0
O Silêncio das Mulheres pretende contar-nos o Canto I da Ilíada visto pelos olhos daquelas que sempre estiveram em silêncio, As Mulheres.
A premissa era muito interessante já que na Ilíada as mulheres não têm qualquer voz, são escravas, sacrificadas ou troféus.
Mas, infelizmente, nesta obra continuam sem qualquer voz.
Tal como em [b:O Canto de Aquiles|17331219|O Canto de Aquiles|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1359986044l/17331219._SY75_.jpg|16176791] continuo a não conseguir apreciar estes retellings.
A premissa era muito interessante já que na Ilíada as mulheres não têm qualquer voz, são escravas, sacrificadas ou troféus.
Mas, infelizmente, nesta obra continuam sem qualquer voz.
Tal como em [b:O Canto de Aquiles|17331219|O Canto de Aquiles|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1359986044l/17331219._SY75_.jpg|16176791] continuo a não conseguir apreciar estes retellings.
madssummer's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
There’s a reason why this particular story has never been told from Briseis’ perspective before and it’s because she has no perspective to contribute. By choosing to tell the story from this POV, I assumed the author would simply betray historical accuracy and accuracy to the original source material in order to use Briseis’ first hand experiences for the progression of the story (as a female servant she would not have been present for approximately 99.5% of Achilles and Patroclus’ personal and plot development). Mysteriously, the author picks a second option where the story is told through Briseis’ eyes sometimes and other times the POV switches to Achilles (first person) which completely defeats the point of the novel. If the entire gimmick of the book is to give a voice to a woman who is hardly mentioned in the myth itself, let alone in retellings, why would some of the most vital moments of the war’s development, of Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship, be told without Briseis being there? The novel only proves the exact same message that it exists to refute: that women’s voices don’t matter.
I think the root of the issue with this book is that there is so little to go off of when telling Briseis’ story and so this book is not a retelling of Briseis’s life and journey, it’s very clearly about Achilles and Patroclus. Yes, Briseis is involved in their relationship adjacently but she is not the main character of that story no matter how you choose to look at it. Achilles and Patroclus have more to lose than Briseis at every turn of the plot. Achilles is facing certain death and a battle against his own hubris, Patroclus is facing the certain death of someone he loves and the responsibility of managing Achilles. Briseis is just there. She’s being presented as the main character of the story except she never becomes an active contributor to the plot development. She doesn’t even seem to be facing death because, in comparison to the prophecy that we know will be the end of Achilles’ life, the fear Briseis might have that the Greeks will kill her is not nearly as dramatic. Not only do Achilles’ problems seem worse and more pressing, but Briseis’ problems are exactly the same problems that every slave woman in the Greek camp is facing, making her perspective even less uniquely valuable. What little character and worth she has - her motivation, her goals, her fears, etc - are paled by those of Achilles and Patroclus. Which is why no one has ever before read Song of Achilles and thought to themselves “wow this story would be way better if this girl who has nothing to do with the plot told it instead.”
That all being said, I don’t know why the author didn’t choose to embellish more. The story is almost entirely mythological to begin with, why wouldn’t you just force Briseis to be more central by including her in discussions between the men instead of just having her listen to them from the next room? You’re already taking huge liberties by retelling a myth, just change the story??
I get that the feminism women’s stories matter schtick was the whole point of the book, but this particular woman’s story didn’t matter before this retelling and the book did absolutely nothing to give her story any relevance or meaning.
Anyway I hated this book. Song of Achilles is better
I think the root of the issue with this book is that there is so little to go off of when telling Briseis’ story and so this book is not a retelling of Briseis’s life and journey, it’s very clearly about Achilles and Patroclus. Yes, Briseis is involved in their relationship adjacently but she is not the main character of that story no matter how you choose to look at it. Achilles and Patroclus have more to lose than Briseis at every turn of the plot. Achilles is facing certain death and a battle against his own hubris, Patroclus is facing the certain death of someone he loves and the responsibility of managing Achilles. Briseis is just there. She’s being presented as the main character of the story except she never becomes an active contributor to the plot development. She doesn’t even seem to be facing death because, in comparison to the prophecy that we know will be the end of Achilles’ life, the fear Briseis might have that the Greeks will kill her is not nearly as dramatic. Not only do Achilles’ problems seem worse and more pressing, but Briseis’ problems are exactly the same problems that every slave woman in the Greek camp is facing, making her perspective even less uniquely valuable. What little character and worth she has - her motivation, her goals, her fears, etc - are paled by those of Achilles and Patroclus. Which is why no one has ever before read Song of Achilles and thought to themselves “wow this story would be way better if this girl who has nothing to do with the plot told it instead.”
That all being said, I don’t know why the author didn’t choose to embellish more. The story is almost entirely mythological to begin with, why wouldn’t you just force Briseis to be more central by including her in discussions between the men instead of just having her listen to them from the next room? You’re already taking huge liberties by retelling a myth, just change the story??
I get that the feminism women’s stories matter schtick was the whole point of the book, but this particular woman’s story didn’t matter before this retelling and the book did absolutely nothing to give her story any relevance or meaning.
Anyway I hated this book. Song of Achilles is better