Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - The Women of Troy

The books in Pat Barker’s Troy series always pleasantly surprise me. They are not really the genre I naturally gravitate towards but Silence Of The Girls and now Women Of Troy were both astounding reads. Anyone who is a fan of Madeline Miller honestly must also read these books. I would easily recommend the Troy series over Song Of Achilles because it once again centers women in a story that typical surrounds the actions of men. I liked the way Women Of Troy had a more diverse range of female experience and highlights the varying natures of survival, anger and acceptance of the fate of the women in our story. It really mirrored similar experiences we still face in modern day world where female experience, feminism and fighting against the patriarchy exists in many different ways. Barker writes in such an accessible way with subtle contextual hints throughout her work. There is no huge expectation that you have to be a Trojan expert in order to enjoy the story. Despite a quite a large cast of characters, our women are deeply developed; their connections to one another solid & clear. Upon finishing Women Of Troy I found out there is a third Troy novel coming next year focusing on Cassandra, a character I really wanted more from so I can’t wait—knowing this now it feels like the tease of her potential abundance was intentional. This book only lost 1 star from me because some of the chapter were from a male’s POV and while I know it was essential to the story they were my least favourite chapters. Can’t wait for more Pat Barker in future!

Content Warnings

scarlett4's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? No

4.5

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saoirsebb's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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amylynch's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-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

The Women Of Troy follows on from The Silence Of The Girls. Troy has fallen and the Greeks are now awaiting a change of winds to return home, with the Trojan women they have captured during their campaign.

The narration is mostly via Briesis, who is now a wife of a Greek soldier, who feels a responsibility to the recently captured women of Troy who lack even Briesis' small amount of status in the camp.

Although an interesting perspective on this well known tale, the plot seemed to lack a central driving force. In The Silence of the Girls both the Greek soldiers and the Trojan women have a vested interest in the outcome of the war. Although there is little to nothing at all for the Trojan women in Troy anymore, leaving its shores to the Greek homelands isn't in the women's interest either. So The Women Of Troy is focused on the Trojan women coming to terms with the bleakness of their new lives. This means that the events of The Women of Troy are somewhat detached from one another. And while the variety of responses of the women to their new lives was interesting, their characters didn't really develop. So the events of the book have little ability to change the Trojan women's fortunes, nor do they develop their characters. Which meant the book lacked momentum. I didn't find myself wondering what would happen next or really feeling the tug to pick it back up. When I did pick it up though, it is well written and the characters themselves interesting. So a good read, although not a gripping one.

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itsdanibee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

4.25

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sb_037's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.75

Was struck by how Pat Barker is able to do justice to a "feminist re-telling" by including actually complex women insomuch that they actually disagree with each other on how best to survive in their given circumstances. Pat Barker humanizes her characters and doesn't let you forget about the atrocities her women have had to face - reminding her readers continually that the pregnancy Briseis bears is wrought with confusion.

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