The Voyage Home: A Novel

Brilliant storytelling. I read all three in this series and even though I knew practically nothing about Greek mythology I found them all fascinating. I did a lot of googling to find out who was who, but that didn't diminish the pleasure of Barker's novels.

The Voyage Home is a fitting and sorrowful conclusion to Pat Barker's brilliantly reimagined tale of the Iliad--told here from the point of view of the Greek and Trojan women who were victims of vainglorious husbands' and captures. The story focuses on two different women--Cassandra, daughter of Priam and Clytemnestra, mother of Iphigenia, who was sacrificed by Agamemnon for fair sailing winds. The novel explores the multitude of reasons women want and will seek vengeance against the Mycenaean King. It also explores the emotional and familial cost vengeance extracts and ultimately its failure to assuage the pain of what was lost. Brilliantly and powerfully told. Myth and legend told with an entirely fresh and original perspective--that of the women whose lives were destroyed.

I'm a sucker for pretty much any book about ancient Greece, Rome, or Egypt. And tales of the Trojan War - particularly its aftermath - are particular favorites. (Coincidentally, Strauss's opera Elektra is also a fave of mine.) I very much enjoyed the two earlier books of this trilogy, but honestly I read them so long ago that I can't remember how I rated them. The Voyage Home, however, is a winner. For the men reading this review, it's not a feminist retelling of the saga; rather, it seems an authentic telling from the perspective of some of the women involved. And there's a big difference between the two. Cassandra is a fascinating character, as is Clytemnestra, and if the men are buffoons or oafs or worse, that seems to me to just tell it like it is (or was). There are also some good men in the tale, which is another reason that I am not a fan of the "feminist retelling" mantra. I have a few quibbles, including Ms. Barker's use of modern-ish nursery rhymes and the sarcasm of the narrator are a bit too 21st century for me. The ending is also a bit disappointing and almost trite, but I won't give it away. Finally, the cover art on all three volumes of the trilogy seems to me to be amateurish and awful, but chacun a son gout, I suppose. Still a great read about an endlessly fascinating subject.

The gang's all here: Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Cassandra, Orestes, Electra, and others. The lives of these men and women are rooted in myth, but Pat Barker's Troy trilogy is imbued with realism. The story is gripping (and, of course, bloody), providing the reader with a new perspective on a classic tale.

Have read the first two in this series and this one didn't disappoint. Beautifully written and engaging story