The Silence of the Girls

A Novel

De: Pat Barker

Narrado por: Kristin Atherton, Michael Fox

From the Booker Prize-winning author of the Regeneration trilogy comes a brave and masterful retelling of The Iliad, as experienced by the captured women living in the Greek camp in the final weeks of the Trojan War.

Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award • Finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction

One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR, The Washington Post, The Economist, Financial Times

Here is the story of the Iliad as we’ve never heard it before: in the words of Briseis, Trojan queen and captive of Achilles. Given only a few words in Homer’s epic and largely erased by history, she is nonetheless a pivotal figure in the Trojan War. In these pages she comes fully to life: wry, watchful, forging connections among her fellow female prisoners even as she is caught between Greece’s two most powerful warriors. Her story pulls back the veil on the thousands of women who lived behind the scenes of the Greek army camp—concubines, nurses, prostitutes, the women who lay out the dead—as gods and mortals spar, and as a legendary war hurtles toward its inevitable conclusion. Brilliantly written, filled with moments of terror and beauty, The Silence of the Girls gives voice to an extraordinary woman—and makes an ancient story new again.

So powerful, so beautiful

After reading and enjoying Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles and loving her sophomore effort Circe more than I can possibly say I was desperate for anything remotely like them. It would be dishonest to say there aren’t similarities between Miller’s works and Barker’s but all three books aim to do something novel and original and all three utterly succeed.
Where Song Of Achilles was a war story with LGBTQ themes and protagonists, and Circe was a feminist retelling of the myth and story of the witch Circe, The Silence Of The Girls is the story of the Trojan War told from the perspective of its most famous captive: Briseis. Through her we see what the sack of a city is really like. We see how the fall of a country effects those who aren’t on the battlefield. Most painfully, we see the fate of the women left behind. There’s no glory here. No beautiful and romantic depictions of war and battle. It’s brutal, cruel, dehumanizing, and visceral. The true and horrible fate of those women and children taken captive is described in honest and unflinching detail. The rape, abuse, and dehumanization these characters endure is equal parts honest and agonizing to listen to. If you’re someone who has a difficult time with stories involving rape and abuse then you might want to give The Silence Of The Girls a pass. That being said I don’t think those subjects are written exploitatively or cheaply, quite the reverse in fact. It’s honest and difficult to listen to at times but it can also be inspiring as we hear the characters find the strength to not just endure but even rise above.
While I don’t find The Silence Of The Girls as beautiful as Song Of Achilles or as profound as Circe there is a powerful, well-written, and superbly narrated story here. Painful and exhausting, beautiful and empowering, Pat Barker has done something really special here and I can honestly say I look forward to more from Barker in the future.

Good story

Entertaining
My only complaint was the accents used. I just cant imagine Greek and Trojans sounding just like the guy who sells me a bacon sandwich down the street

Stirring and Startlingly Good

I consider myself a Greek myth purist, so at first, choosing this seemed unnecessary. After all, isn’t everything about Greek myth already out there for our consumption? But, I’m glad I did, because that long last Briseis— long talked about as an accessory to the mens’ stories of the Trojan War, is given a voice— and the effect is at once startling and powerful. As someone who wrongly took for granted that the women didn’t have exciting arcs in the Trojan War, listening to this made me realize they had tough ones nonetheless: survival.

I loved the story, and I really liked the narrator’s performance. Kristin Atherton’s voice brought Briseis to life— she sounded weary, serious, yet watching her step. Her voice made Briseis relatable and accessible, and even in the tougher turns of the story, I wanted to keep listening to her.

Great retelling, and a wonderful addition to Greek myth “canon.” Who says the guys told the right story in the first place?

A little repetitive but excellent

Kristen Atherton is so expressive and spot on with her portrayal of Briseis. The story itself definitely gets repetitive as far as reiterating Briseis’ grievances over and over again, but still a captivating story.

Fabulous

The consequences of the Trojan War on the noble women of the cities of Troy are amazingly vivid. The characters of the Iliad are brought to life. I loved this book.