Zo knap het eerste deel uit deze cyclus was, zo vlak is dit tweede deel. Heel vreemd. In Silence of the Girls bracht Barker een imposante hervertelling van de Ilias van Homerus, vooral vanuit het perspectief van de gevangengenomen Trojaanse prinses Briseis. Ontluisterend en innemend tegelijk. ‘Vrouwen van Troje’ bouwt chronologisch en thematisch voort op dat eerste deel. We zien Briseis – zwanger van de inmiddels gesneuvelde Achilles – nu rondzwerven in het Griekse kamp, na de val van Troje. Ze gaat systematisch langs bij de andere Trojaanse vrouwen en op die manier schetst Barker opnieuw hun eigen, meestal ontluisterend verhaal: het is een opeenstapeling van vernederingen, niet-ingeloste verlangens en verwachtingen, maar ook van gekrenkte trots en wraakgevoelens. De Griekse prinses Helena, die de aanleiding was voor de Trojaanse oorlog, toont zich van haar meest narcistische en manipulatieve kant. Het valt op dat dit deel veel meer vrouwen bevat die het heft in eigen handen nemen, zoals de imposante Cassandra (de Trojaanse prinses met voorspellende gaven die door niemand geloofd worden) of de slavin Amina (een alternatieve Antigone). De mannelijke tegenspelers brengen het er in dit deel nog minder goed van af. Vooral de jonge Pyrrhus, de zoon van Achilles, wordt geschetst als een overmoedige puber die gekweld wordt door de schaduw van zijn vader.
Dit verhaal speelt zich af tussen de val van Troje en het vertrek van de Grieken naar huis, een lange periode waarin stormwind (veroorzaakt door de boze goden) het vertrek ophoudt. Het gebrek aan actie weegt zwaar door in deze roman, in contrast met de vorige, waardoor je voortdurend op je honger blijft. Stilistisch is het allemaal wat minder, en verhaaltechnisch laat Barker enkele opvallende hiaten vallen (zo doet ze zo goed als niks met de zwangerschap van Briseis). Hopelijk weet ze dat in het volgende deel weer recht te zetten. ( )

The fighting is over in Troy, but the Greek armies and their captive women cannot leave because the wind is blowing the wrong way. Briseis balances between the roles and lives she has as a captive and formerly enslaved woman, now a wife of a Greek, going between her husband, her former friends and witnessing the frustrating and futile in-between space between the war that ended and the futures that haven't started yet. ( )

Pat Barker's "The Women of Troy" is a sequel to her "The Silence of the Girls", and was just as compelling a read. The earlier book focusses on the events in "The Iliad", seen from the perspective of Briseis, the captive who was the cause of the anger of Achilles. This book moves the story forward to the time after the fall of Troy. All the Trojan men have been killed, all the Trojan women have become slaves. Again, most of the story is told by Briseis, with a few parts focussed on Phyrrus, Achilles' son, and on Calchis, a priest. The story is bleak, but deeply engrossing, and the character development is gripping. For this reader, both novels capture the spirit of the Bronze Age through the eyes of women. I hope there will be more novels continuing the story. ( )

The brilliant Pat Barker picks up what she left in The Silence of the Girls, bringing us more insight and wisdom through the eyes of the "silent women".

The Woman of Troy begins with the fallen Troy empire and progresses with Briseis as she finds her world changing after Troy's defeat. In the beginning of this one especially, we do have some insight from some of the males, but it remains mostly of Briseis that we hear from, providing inspiration and insight into her world as she stands up and attempts to help others around her given her new position of power as Alcimus' wife.

Beautifully crafted and wonderfully remastered story told with a true gift for words and Barkers hear seeping through the pages. I'd recommend you read The Silence of the Girls first, as that will give you a better foundation leading in to this story, however you can piece things together if you are not familiar with the first book.

The Women of Troy is one of many retellings hitting shelves right now but I'm confident that the well planned, well researched and beautifully composed novel will stand out and shine far above the other works, making this a sure hit with fans of Madeline Miller or just mythology in general. I know I will be reading this again and again as well as looking out for anything else Pat Barker may have in store for us readers.

Thank you so much to netgalley and to Pat Barker and publishers for providing an advance ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

I can happily say that I highly recommend not only The Women of Troy but everything that has been or will be released from Pat Barker. ( )

Lyrical and haunting, and also rich with tangible, everyday detail. This is a stellar example of how evocative and powerful can be the retelling of "known" or "standard" history from the point of view of someone who didn't "matter" at the time. In this case we hear the voice of a woman/slave/hostage-by-marriage observing what these days might be called the toxic masculinity of the victorious and murderous Greek army after their destruction of Troy. I'm glad I'd never read [The Iliad] because now when I do I will have another, trustworthy, version to understand it against. ( )