The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

 Title: The Women of Troy

Author: Pat Barker

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: "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's 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." - Back Cover

My Thoughts

It turns out that this is the second book in a trilogy, and I didn't realize until I had finished it! So if you want to know if it can stand alone, it certainly does. This is exactly the kind of book I was looking to read right now and it really hit the spot. It opens inside the Trojan Horse and then follows the events of the end of the Trojan War, told from several points of view but highlighting the lives of the Trojan women. I love the idea of a modern take on the Illiad!

There are a few instances where some of the language feels slightly too modern, like the use of the word "supernatural" when the wind rocks a cradle, but overall it feels really well done. I already have the first book in the series on hold at the library and I'm going to pick it up today! I'm looking forward to meeting the characters as the author intended in book one!

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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