Bookseller Reviews
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Slave women, unsung heroes of Iliad...
This is the story of Iliad without the glamorous battles between incredible men and their heroic actions. Instead it is the story of the women whom they ca... READ MORE
Phenomenal
Gorgeous, emotional and thought-provoking re-telling of Greek myth. Although predominantly (former) Queen Briseis' story, many different women from Greek m... READ MORE
Beautiful and powerful retelling of the Fall of Troy
This is the story of Briseis, taken after her city fell and given as a prize to Achilles. Where Homer's Iliad gave us the story from the perspective of the... READ MORE
Incredibly moving . Gives a voice to the "silent girls"
Pat Barker is no stranger to writing about war themes (her Regeneration trilogy) . she also faces some stiff opposition in writing about Classical stories ... READ MORE
'Silence becomes a woman'
Briseis is queen. Well, that should be was queen. until her city fell and she was gifted to Achilles as a prize of war selected by himself. Her world chang... READ MORE
A standout novel for 2018
Pat Barker's 'The Silence of the Girls' has been one of my most highly anticipated novels for 2018, thus meaning that I was incredibly thankful to receive ... READ MORE
Brutal and beautiful
This is a book I just didn't want to leave! So wonderfully written, and so real. The characters really brought the brutality of life for the captured women... READ MORE
The unspoken history of the Trojan War
In The Silence of the Girls Barker returns to the wartime setting she worked with so well in the Regeneration trilogy but with a few key differences: this ... READ MORE
A standout gem of an author.
A standout gem of an author. Barker writes with such a depth and candor about the true monstrosities of the Trojan war. A harrowing, heartfelt tale that en... READ MORE
Synopsis
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019
Shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards 2018
From the Booker Prize-winning author of Regeneration and one of our greatest contemporary writers on war comes a reimagining of the most famous conflict in literature - the legendary Trojan War.
When her city falls to the Greeks, Briseis's old life is shattered. She is transformed from queen to captive, from free woman to slave, awarded to the god-like warrior Achilles as a prize of war. And she's not alone: on the same day, and on many others in the course of a long and bitter war, innumerable women have been wrested from their homes and flung to the fighters.
Wrestling the epic drama of the Trojan War away from its usual male-centric gaze, The Silence of the Girls seeks out the other story, the women’s story, charting the journey of a sometime-queen across the chaos of history, seeking freedom and the right to be author of her own story.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241983201
- Number of pages: 336
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 22 mm
- Weight: 236g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allAnger and Wrath
This new novel from Pat Barker will be advertised as presenting a new angle on the story of the Trojan War – an examination of Homer’s heroes from the poin... READ MORE
Does Silence Become Women?
“Silence becomes a woman” could well be the subtitle of this immense novel. Not that women must be silent, can only be silent, but it is a state of being t... READ MORE
New perspective on a classic
I loved this book, great writing style, I was sucked into the story and it's a great new perspective on the already known classics. I loved that this book ... READ MORE
Will live long in the memory...
Having read a little of Greek mythology and history including some of Troy, Helen and so on I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read this fascin... READ MORE
Ancient History comes alive
So to start a quick recap of Ancient History... Agamemnon and Achilles come from different backgrounds, but the war in Troy brings them together. ... Witho... READ MORE
An eloquent, gut-punching tale of survival
Pat Barker is a master at simple descriptions which say everything you need to fire the imagination and see the worst of humanity in your mind's eye. She d... READ MORE
Phenomenal!
The Silence of the Girls is bound to be a classic - it is beautifully and powerfully written. Ordinarily this is not the sort of book I would choose to r... READ MORE
A Masterful Retelling
I am really enjoying the MPG of retellings and this one is no exception. Pat Barker has travelled far back in time to put a new slant on the Greek tale of ... READ MORE
Trojan War seen differently
Unusual retelling of the Trojan War seen through the eyes of a Trojan Queen who has been taken captive after the sack of her city. She has been awarded to... READ MORE
Stunning retelling of The Illiad
Here's the thing, I love Greek mythology, but in an abstract sort of way: I tried to read some of the myths when I was a child but they were a bit too dry,... READ MORE
Fascinating retelling of The Iliad
Having read and enjoyed mythology as a youngster, I found my interest revived with this book. The retelling of a well-known story from the point of view of... READ MORE
In love!
This is remarkable, important and beautifully written book. So in love with the way it's written.
Brilliant - enjoyable read and a meaningful book
Her writing flows and you follow the stream of her words slipping seamlessly back in time to the Trojan War seen through the eyes of a young woman Briseis ... READ MORE
A modern narrative on an ancient legend
This story is mainly told from the perspective of Briseis, a captured Queen, after Archilles invades her state. She becomes his slave, along with the other... READ MORE
Intense, immersive and dramatic retelling of the Trojan War
In The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker sets out to give voice to the women ‘silenced’ in previous versions of the story of the Trojan War. Unfortunately,... READ MORE
A retelling from a different direction.
This isn't just a straightforward retelling of the Iliad. In fact it's not that at all. This is the story of Briseis (I even googled how to pronounce her n... READ MORE
Silent women
It took me a while to get into this book. Not because it wasn't great, but because it was so very powerful and painful to read in places. Pat Barker retell... READ MORE
Still too much focus on the men...
I've taken a little time to decide on what to write about this book. That's because I was expecting something from the book that I didn't get, and I didn't... READ MORE
An ancient story from a new perspective
I was initially attracted by the premise of this story, an tale of war, traditionally told from a point of view of power, strength, and masculinity told in... READ MORE
Amazing read
It took me a while to get into this book. Not because it wasn't great, but because it was so very powerful and painful to read in places. Pat Barker retell... READ MORE
Fascinating and compelling
The story of Achilles – or more to the point, the story of Briseis, his trophy woman. The narrative switches between the point of view of the two; from the... READ MORE
Extraordinary, Passionate, Barbaric
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize For Fiction 2019, Silence of The Girls has a barbaric and graphic start as Achilles enters the city walls and conquers Ly... READ MORE
astonishing
For lovers of Song of Achilles or anything Greek mythology related- Barker tells well known stories through the gaze of a women caught up in the Trojan War... READ MORE
Gorgeous tale from the other side of a great war
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I grew up a huge fan of Greek mythology and don't usually care for re-tellings or adaptations. But this book... READ MORE
Their voices no longer silent
My thanks to Penguin U.K. for the opportunity via NetGalley to read and review this novel in advance of publication. It has proved to be one of my favourit... READ MORE
Really good read
Would thoroughly recommend. A story with a different slant.
The Trojan War - from a female perspective
An enjoyable book about the time of Achilles and Aggamemnon at the time of the Trojan war, but told mainly from the point of a captured queen who becomes a... READ MORE
Disappointing
I was excited to read a new novel by Pat Barker but quickly became disappointed by the weak story line and weak writing which did not seem authentic and I ... READ MORE
food for thought
The war of Troy seen with the eyes of the defeated, the survivals, the slaves. The novel is not just a remake of an old story but it also inspires thoughts... READ MORE
Page-turning subversion?
It's page turning because the story (ancient story) is so compelling. It subverts the familiar narrative because of the pov of one of the - otherwise - voi... READ MORE
Amazing book
Truly amazing book. I read it all practically in one go. A tragic, realistic and important account of what war means for women.
Silence becomes a woman...
I’m a great lover of greek mythology retellings and this book fitted right in with the likes of madeline miller and natalie haynes. It gave a voice to the ... READ MORE
Engaging and gripping
I loved this book, it was so gripping and entertaining to read. I loved the writing style overall! As a lover of Greek mythology and the Iliad, this is a w... READ MORE
A really good read
I was sent a copy of The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker to read and review by NetGalley.
This was my first foray into the writing of Pat Barker. I rea... READ MORE
Mesmerising
The Silence of the Girls is a fabulous book. History is traditionally written and told by the victors; this is a story told by the victims. During the nine... READ MORE
Mythological drama revisited - nicely done and original
The retelling of parts of the Trojan War seen through the eyes of Briseis is interesting and an original concept. The upshot is the lowly and pathetic role... READ MORE
Historical fiction
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker is a retelling of the Illiad through the eyes of Briseis.. Briseis was the mythical queen of Lyrnessus at the time o... READ MORE
Such is the fate of the spoils of war...
'' 'Divine Muse, sing of the ruinous wrath of Achilles...Begin where they first quarrelled, Agamemnon the King of men and great Achilles.' And what are the... READ MORE
Miss
w
Disappointing
As a young boy growing up in Cyprus, I was brought up with these stories and hold on to a love for them and the characters within them that I am sure Pat B... READ MORE
Utterly compelling
I think this is a subtle but powerful and subversive retelling of a famous myth. I discovered Pat Barker relatively late but have always enjoyed her books ... READ MORE
Captivating and Shocking
When the Greek Queen Helen is kidnapped by Trojans, the Greeks sail in pursuit, besieging the city of Troy. The Silence of the Girls is the story of the ba... READ MORE
Incredible book about the life of women during ancient war
"I just don't know how you could do that.
Well, no, of course you don't. You've never been a slave."
*Trigger Warning*
*Rape, sexual slavery*
The story ... READ MORE
“... a very different tale to tell”.
The Silence of the Girls “retells” (I use the word lightly) the story of the Trojan War from the view of Briseis, a captured queen who becomes Achilles’ pr... READ MORE
Brutal and tragic
Headlines:
Brutal but gripping
Mythology brought to life
Oppression
I've been meaning to read this book for a few years and the opportunity to listen to t... READ MORE
A unique take on Greek mythology from a woman's perspective!
I’ve only recently started reading novels based on Greek Mythology. This is the second one I have read so far, but funnily enough both books were based on ... READ MORE
The story of Achilles as told by his female slave
Having read The Song of Achilles not that long ago, it seemed rather rash to be jumping straight back into the battle over Troy... but I couldn't help myse... READ MORE
Excellent read
Loved this book, I enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller so thought I would give this book a go both told from the female perspective and makes the greek myths ... READ MORE
Disappointing and dull
What a disappointment this book proved to be. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, with Achilles reduced to an angry brute with unresolved mummy i... READ MORE
Plays a song about femininity
This book propelled the author in my list of favourite feminists. The perspective she chose to embody with the women surrounding the war of Troy is sublime... READ MORE
Just didn't go far enough...
The first book in the Women of Troy series. A retelling of the Trojan war from the perspective of the women. A very very fresh retelling!!
I really enj... READ MORE
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