Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

57 reviews

rosehw's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Gore, Grief, and Pregnancy

thehyacinthgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, War, Confinement, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Death, Violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Blood, Child death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Vomit

mooglemania's review

slow-paced

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

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Miscarriage, Fatphobia, Torture, War, Murder, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Cultural appropriation, and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

Honestly mid. Plot goes nowhere. Characters unlikable, especially the Trojans. Somehow manages to make a book about the Trojan side of the war where the Trojans are more unlikable than the Greeks. The MC is so inconsistent (and not in a character growth kind of way, in a character has no real alliegance sort of way) and is constantly criticising traumatised women and comparing them to one another and just being the worst. Meanwhile the Greeks are portrayed as these backwards savages who have no respect for anything but the MC is still bending over backwards to praise them every chance she gets. Honestly the author writes well but has no business writing these stories. Can't take these Greek soldiers with their "ullo guv'nor" British accents seriously.

pobi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

I didn't ENJOY this book, but it was a really good book. It's just depressing to read about such sad things. I like this one better than the 1st book tho!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, and Child death

Moderate: Slavery, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Rape, War, Grief, Excrement, Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

helenaramsay's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I liked this much more than the first book in the series (maybe more because I read rather than listened to this one and could control more about the experience?) but still found the plot rather boring (moreso than the first one) and the characters generally quite dull. The story covers a period of a few weeks and there is only one central plot point which I found to be resolved incredibly quickly, almost flippantly, when it finally became the focus of the book rather late on. Most of the book is a further exploration of characters involved- agreeably more focused on the actions of women this time than men as I found annoying with the last book- but the protagonist still lacks something captivating or inspiring. If the book were written in the third person rather than through Briseis' eyes, I really don't think you would lose much.

I did like Hecuba, Andromache, and Ritsa though, and would enjoy reading more about women like them if the series continues.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, and Rape

Moderate: Violence, Slavery, and Child death

holly_daze_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Murder, Child death, Rape, and Slavery

iwishihadmoretimetoread's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Gore, Grief, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Vomit, and Slavery

samley's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Child death

meg_sc's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I finished this book in 2 days during my commutes to and from work. It had a hold on me that even travel sickness couldn't break. 

It seems like there are endless perspectives on the same story, and I'm loving reading different interpretations of the Trojan War from different points of view - even when I disagree on a character interpretation, I'm enjoying seeing new takes and how they've formed from the same source material. 

One of the things I like about this series is how it views the Trojan War from the side, using characters who are overlooked and forgotten by the main narrative. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Murder, Death of parent, Rape, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Child death, and War

alexiasophii's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.5

Just like the previous book in this series,   please be careful of the content warnings, they are NOT a lie or minimized, this is a very heavy, graphic, and pain-ridden book. 

This one, differently from the first, is a lot slower. Just like the Greeks are stuck in Troy due to the weather, so we are stuck in a moment in time in the plot. The entire book focuses on a very short time spawn and it is very character-focused. The characters are amazingly done and I really enjoyed it, though not as much as the first one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Murder, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Vomit, War, and Blood