Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

22 reviews

crazytourists_books's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

I wanted to like it and I tried. I really did. 
I pretended that the inconsistency between the points of view and the title of the book didn't bother me (it's more Pyrrhus and Calchas and Briseis of course than the "women of Troy"). I tried not to pay attention at the lack of story (the whole book could be summarised into fifty pages, with no problem). I tried no to pay attention at the anachronisms and inaccuracies (did the writer really think that's they way people spoke in ancient times even soldiers at war? Also, the veil, was something that only elite, free women wore, as a sign of status). And then I got to the drop that made the glass overflow; the fat shaming. Its never OK, never acceptable to fat shame someone, especially when, as here, does not serve any purpose. I doesn't add anything to the plot, nothing would change if it wasn't there. 
I was really underwhelmed, I had high hopes and expectations from this book...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, Blood, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Genocide, Rape, Slavery, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide

Minor: Torture

cosycourtney's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

scarlett4's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and War

unboxedjack's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

I wanted to like this given how much I enjoyed the first book, but…ugh. None of the characters were captivating nor was the plot. Moments of drama and philosophical contemplation made the book readable–especially amidst multiple uses of the r****** slur (how did THAT get past editors?)–but it has nothing to really grab me. The book had promise, but fell so short.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Slavery, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, War, Child death, Confinement, and Pregnancy

lionelle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Slavery, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, War, Violence, Torture, and Confinement

Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia

jenilew's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Blood, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Suicide, Sexual violence, Slavery, and War

booksbutmakeitgay's review against another edition

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Blood, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Vomit

icarusandthesun's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

After devouring and loving the first volume (The Silence Of the Girls) of this series, I was positive I'd adore this one just as much as its prequel.
... but sadly, I didn't.

The story wasn't as captivating as I expected it to be. I suppose that makes sense, though - that the Trojan War is more exciting than its aftermath. Still, I had hoped for something more scandalous, more dangerous, more mythical.

The Women of Troy was an enjoyable read, but - there I say it - boring and forgettable. Pat Barker did a good job capturing the women's suffering, even after the war has ended, and the men's dilemma with the lack of wind that was supposed to carry them home after a long and suffocating war. But it wasn't much more than that.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Blood, and Physical abuse

Minor: Child death

lindseyhall44's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

I’m usually hesitant to pick up sequels, but I’m really glad I read this one.
“The Women of Troy” follows Bresis after Troy has fallen, though the Greeks are not able to return home quite yet. The Gods are angered, resulting in impossible sailing weather and rising tensions. But above all, we see the trojan girls/women forced into slavery, telling a story of those left out in the epics.
Bresis character arc took a significant shift from “Silence of the Girls,” as she is no longer a slave, but the wife of a Greek fighter and the mother of Achillies baby. While her station is improved, Breisis finds her internalized conflict emphasized, because no matter how far she has come, slavery always seems to loom behind her. 
The feminism aspect of this book was phenomenal, and all women got their turn in the spotlight, even if Breisis was telling the story. I appreciated how Breisis tried to understand Helen and didn’t continuously slut shame her as other retelling tend to do. 
I did wonder, however, why Barker chose to include perspectives of the men in the duology, since the purpose was to explore experiences of the women.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Child death, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, and Kidnapping

itsdanibee's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, and War

Moderate: Alcohol, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Vomit