Unfortunately I found this to be quite a disappointing conclusion to what had been a strong series.

We had followed Briseis surviving the Trojan War and the Greek camp in the first two books, and this voice had been a refreshing take on an old story. But we sadly lost her story in order to follow Ritsa (a new narrative voice), Cassandra and Clytemnestra,

We all knew where this story was heading, and it felt like it plodded along to reach its bloody conclusion. I increasingly didn't care about the characters and just needed to get to the action.

The addition of the haunted palace of Agamemnon felt strange - the modern nursery rhymes jarred with the setting. Sadly it was just another thing that didn't work for me.

The third installment in this excellent series by the brilliant Pat Barker, this book is mostly told by the voice of Ritsa, Cassandra's slave. Great storytelling, really capturing the sense of place and the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this eARC.
Let me tell you, when I saw this was up, I was SO excited. The first two books had me in a chokehold. I've read them multiple times and loved every second.
However, as a trilogy ender, The Voyage Home was pretty mid-level. The pov changes between characters were hard to detect unless something identifiable happened, and sometimes even that wasn't enough.
It felt more like a filler episode to me, there was so much potential between Cassandra and Clytemnestra that felt overlooked. I would've liked to see more from Cassandra's pov with so much of this story hinging on her.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as much as I loved the first two, however it just fell short for me. I found it to be rather blunt as the characters weren't particularly interesting and I didn't feel much suspense when reading. I wish there was more of a dreading atmosphere surrounding Cassandra as she just seemed slightly too nonchalant in my opinion. The dialogues were quite flat and the book itself sort of lacked in novelty, unfortunately it just wasn't for me this time around :(

I should have written this review ages ago. An amazing retelling with beautiful writing and a lot easier to understand than some retellings. Anyone who enjoys a good story who find this book a joy

I have loved all of the books in this series! It was interesting to read about Cassandra and Ritsa on their way to Mycenae and Clytemnestra waiting at home for her husband’s ship to arrive (and plotting his demise). I thought it was well-written and a great book focusing on the aftermath of the Trojan War on the women involved.

I have absolutely loved everything I’ve read from Pat Barker. The retelling of ancient stories is brought right up to date and the universal themes shine through the writing. Characters who have been merely obscure and difficult names become rounded, living humans and they demand our care, attention and sympathy. Wonderful!

I keep hoping to have my opinion changed on Pat Barker’s interpretation of the classical myths, but sadly I just can’t be convinced. She is a fantastic writer, but not for the ancient world. I don’t believe in her original characters, the dialogue is far too modern and everyone sounds like they are lifted straight from her WW novels, and it’s just not for me. I really don’t understand the hype around her writing, and the marketing has also frustrated me for its inaccurate portrayal of the ancient world….oh dear! I appreciate the chance to review a copy, and I’m glad so many people can at least find access to Classics in this way. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

3.5 stars. I liked it but it wasn't like 'oh I cannot put this down'

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this arc.

I am not too familiar with the myths of Clytaemnestra, Agamemnon, and their children, which allowed me a pretty much-spoiler free read :)

Moving away from Briseis. the narrator of the first two books in the series, Barker hands over to multiple narrators, including Ritsa, slave to Cassandra onboard Agamemnon's returning ship. The cast of characters spans the known Homeric big players as well as newer characters. The writing is every bit as good as you would expect from Pat Barker and, even knowing how story will end, it remains a page turner. I would highly recommend the series.

The story of the Trojan women reaches its climax yet the final part of the trilogy is insufferably dull. There’s little tension in this retelling of the fate of Agamemnon and Cassandra which is quite remarkable given its bloody nature. Characters are unsympathetic and unengaging.

Nowhere near the standard of The Silence of the Women.

For a truly gripping version of this story, read Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati.

I adore Pat Barkers writing style and also, if you know me, I LOVE mythology retellings, so this was always going to be a winning combination for me! Book 3 in the Woman of Troy series did not disappoint.

Similar to the other books in the series, the author manages to bring such life and emotion to story we already know and characters we have all heard of. In the Voyage Home we mainly see from the POV of Ritsa, Cassandras slave, Cassandra herself and Clytemnestra all of which were written superbly.

I will say it wasn't my favourite out of the 3 books in the series, but I will forever read any of them and undoubtedly, like this one, will enjoy!

BONUS: The audiobook of this is SO well done, the narrator is 10/10 and adds so much to the narrative with how expressive they are. So fully recommend listening to the book if you have the opportunity!

Thanks to Netgalley & Publisher for the ARC - sorry took me so long to read and review!!!

I love Pat Barker's retelling of the Greek myths and this, the third in a trilogy reimagining Homer's Iliad.
Other new pretenders to the throne can barely touch her.
Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for a copy of this book.

Cassandra, Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Elektra, they are all here in their gory glory. For the full review go to https://www.tumblr.com/joebloggshere/775653270204153856/nastya-s-review-of-the-voyage-home-women-of

The last volume in Pat Barker’s trilogy follows a character we’ve met on the periphery in the previous two novels – Ritsa. A slave to Cassandra – although now Cassandra is a slave too – what does that make Ritsa? And we also meet Clytemnestra who is still grieving the daughter that her husband Agamemnon stole and slaughtered. As with all the novels in this series, we know what is about to happen – this is after all after Troy and the ancient battle between the Trojans and the Greeks, but Barker gives us a ring side seat to what the women felt about it.

Firstly, I really missed Briseis’ voice in this as she was a character I’d really grown fond of in the first two books and wanted to know more about – I would have liked a better ending for her. Having said that I felt that the book was as convincing as the others with its perspective on female struggles that have long been ignored or overlooked by men. The idea that Clytemnestra was so heartless that she wouldn’t be devastated by the loss of her daughter has never sat well with me, and I completely concur with Barker that her motive for murder was clearly Agamenon’s heartless act. I think there are many mothers who would have felt the same up and down the centuries and it is a pity that so few of the men who’ve chosen to write this story cannot understand the intense love and devotion a woman feels to her children. How many of us, given the same situation would not feel a pull to murder?

But this is a story told from several perspectives, and I loved the fact that this novel explores how an ordinary Trojan woman, Ritsa, would experience and view the world and I loved that her story was satisfying. There is clearly more of story left to tell, and the characters that Barker weaves seem to deserve something more, particularly Electra and what motivates her. Such a finely drawn player, repugnant though she was, probably deserves her own chapter going forward.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in this world and will no doubt return to the Greek myths again and again. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for giving me a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several of Pat Barker’s books and whilst this book isn’t the worst, it also isn’t the best. The Voyage Home follows a smaller cast of characters than Barker’s other books which is to its benefit. Ritsa and Clytemnestra are two characters that are connected by the loss of their daughters due to Agamemnon and his Trojan War and they are balanced out by Cassandra, daughter of Priam and priestess of Apollo. I liked how Cassandra was portrayed, however the other characters’ treatment of her did not mesh with their initial thoughts and the Cassandra’s own reiteration that Apollo had cursed her to never be believed.
The plot followed Agamemnon’s journey back to Sparta with his spoils of war, Cassandra and Ritsa and then his subsequent murder by Clytemnestra. The plot seemed secondary to the character development, with specific attention placed on Ritsa’s medical abilities, only for them to never be used.
I think Electra was deviated the most from what I knew her character to be. It was interesting to read a sickly teenager who acts more like a child than an adult. The glimpse of someone who knew exactly what she was doing was very intriguing and I could easily read a whole novel about.
All of that said, the book was well paced and enjoyable.

An interesting premise story surrounding themes of revenge, grief, guilt, and fate, from the point of view of forgotten women, but unfortunately not for me. I found all the characters a bit dull, the dialogue too modern, and since the book played out a prophecy, there wasn't anything that surprised me/engaged me to the plot either. I wish we got a more in-depth look into Cassandra's struggles with retribution vs. her death and more of Clytemnestra's ambitions as well.

THE VOYAGE HOME
&&&&
By Pat Barker
Hamish Hamilton
It's been 10 long years but finally the Trojan war is over and the victorious Greeks are on their way home. As King Agamemnon returns to Mycenae, it's not he and his men who hold the key to his fate but rather two women.
His wife, Clytemnestra, has spent years yearning for vengeance. She hates her husband for his decision to sacrifice their daughter, Iphigenia, to the gods to get a favourable wind to set sail for Troy.
Someone else who loathes the king is Cassandra, the daughter of the slain Trojan king, Priam, who Agamemnon won as a spoil of war and now uses as his sex slave. As a priestess, she has the power to see the future and has long predicted that she and Agamemnon will die together upon their return to Mycenae – but due to an old curse nobody believes Cassandra’s prophesy.
"The Voyage Home is about revenge – the necessity of revenge, the pointlessness of it," says author Pat Barker.
It could be read as a standalone but to really appreciate the full power of it, get hold of the first two books in the series, The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy. It’s breathtaking, bingeworthy storytelling that looks at the Trojan war in a new way – through the eyes of the women captured by the Greeks.

Absolutely loved this perspective of the voyage back to Mycennae and Cassandra's point of view. Pat Baker's greek myth retellings are just amazing.

A Poignant and Powerful Conclusion
Pat Barker concludes the "The Silence of the Girls" trilogy with "The Voyage Home." This installment delves into the psychological and emotional aftermath of the Trojan War, exploring trauma, guilt, and the search for redemption.
Barker's prose, as always, is both lyrical and unflinching. She gives voice to the marginalised and forgotten, particularly the women whose lives were irrevocably altered by the war.
While the pacing may feel off at times, it does allow for exploration of the characters' inner lives and the brutal impact of their experiences. Ritsa as a slave is an interesting perspective on what is happening and Cassandra is beautifully damaged as a character. "The Voyage Home" is a thought provoking read but fell a little flat in comparison to the first two novels. In a saturated market of Greek myth, this may get a little lost in the crowd.