The Women of Troy

A Novel

By: Pat Barker

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

A daring and timely feminist retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of the women of Troy who endured it—an extraordinary follow up to The Silence of the Girls from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Regeneration Trilogy and “one of contemporary literature’s most thoughtful and compelling writers" (The Washington Post).

Troy has fallen and the victorious Greeks are eager to return home with the spoils of an endless war—including the women of Troy themselves. They await a fair wind for the Aegean.

It does not come, because the gods are offended. The body of King Priam lies unburied and desecrated, and so the victors remain in suspension, camped in the shadows of the city they destroyed as the coalition that held them together begins to unravel. Old feuds resurface and new suspicions and rivalries begin to fester.

Largely unnoticed by her captors, the one-time Trojan queen Briseis, formerly Achilles' slave, now belonging to his companion Alcimus, quietly takes in these developments. She forges alliances when she can, with Priam's aged wife the defiant Hecuba and with the disgraced soothsayer Calchas, all the while shrewdly seeking her path to revenge.

©2021 Pat Barker (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

"Now the publication of The Women of Troy (Doubleday) brings the author back to the bloodied plains where the Greeks and the Trojans fought—here, once again, a staging ground for the battle between the sexes."—The New Yorker

"[Barker’s] insight and compassion are on full display. As is her outrage."—The New York Times Book Review

"This continuation of the Trojan woman's story feels like another victory for every person who was silenced by history, their story stolen from them."—Refinery29

Must Read for Iliad fans

A striking sequel to The Silence of the Girls, picking up seamlessly from the belly of the Horse. Too little is ever told from the POV of female characters in the classics. Somehow it’s all about the Heroes in battle but it is always the women that heroically survive by extraordinary means. Both books from Pat Barker are now permanently added to modern Greek classics list such as Circe and Sing of Achilles.

Totally awesome !

The age old stories seem different when they are written from a different point of view. It is wonderful to read the story from another vantage point. Excellent narrator. Excellent story. Excellent everything.

Good story very well told

Interesting perspective on the well-known myth with a splendid and dramatic narration. Very engaging.

Enjoyable Read if You Need to Escape for Awhile

Although I enjoyed the first book a little more, this story builds upon a lot of the same themes that enticed me in Silence of the Girls so nothing felt especially new just more of what I enjoyed before which is fine. It was nice to see the protagonist grow into a slightly different role, that of the mother, as she gained more power rather than the continued helplessness of the first book. If you've read the first I recommend reading this book as well since it closes her story well though I think the first book could stand on its own too.

Awesome storytelling

One of the better retellings of mythology from a different perspective. Great story and performance

Read this after Song of Achilles

If you are feeling empty inside after reading Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller this is a great look into the female perspective of those events. I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved the voice actor

Fantastic

Beautiful writing, narration,and story! This series is all I could ask for! Thank you

Love the narrator

I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed silence of girls. It’s an interesting interesting story about the slave women of the camps of war.

Superb narration

Fabulous novel. Immerse yourself in this perfectly crafted tail from the unique and riveting perspective of Briseis. So elegantly written — a clean burn with no ash. As remarkable as this book is, what stands out most for me is Ms. Atherton‘s reading of it. She is, quite simply, superb.

Be sure to read the series in order

Beautiful writing but the plot is thin. I love nearly all retelling of the Greek myths, and this telling from the women’s perspective after the Trojan war is rightly anticlimactic.