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Pat Barker

    May 8, 1943

    Pat Barker is celebrated for her incisive novels that delve into the psychological and moral complexities of her characters. Her work consistently explores the profound impact of conflict and societal upheaval on the human psyche, revealing the resilience of the spirit amidst devastation. Barker masterfully blends historical realism with deep introspection, crafting narratives that are both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

    Pat Barker
    Regeneration. Niemandsland, englische Ausgabe
    The Silence of the Girls
    Regeneration - 2: The Eye in the Door
    Union street
    The Ghost Road
    The Regeneration Trilogy
    • The Voyage Home

      • 336 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      The follow-up to Pat Barker's Number One bestseller THE WOMEN OF TROYContinuing the story of the captured Trojan women as they set sail for Mycenae with the victorious Greeks, this new novel centres on the fate of Cassandra -- daughter of King Priam, priestess of Apollo, and a prophet condemned never to be heeded. (When she refuses to have sex with Apollo, after he has kissed her, granting her the gift of true prophecy, he spits in her mouth to make sure she will never be believed.)Psychologically complex and dangerously driven, Cassandra's arrival in Mycenae will set in motion a bloody train of events, drawing in King Agamemnon, his wife Clytemnestra and daughter Electra. Agamemnon's triumphant return from Troy is far from the celebration he imagined, and the fate of the Trojan women as uncertain as they had feared.

      The Voyage Home2023
      3.9
    • Troy has fallen. The Greeks have won their bitter war. They can return home as victors - all they need is a good wind to lift their sails. But the wind has vanished, the seas becalmed by vengeful gods, and so the warriors remain in limbo - camped in the shadow of the city they destroyed, kept company by the women they stole from it. The women of Troy. Helen - poor Helen. All that beauty, all that grace - and she was just a mouldy old bone for feral dogs to fight over. Cassandra, who has learned not to be too attached to her own prophecies. They have only ever been believed when she can get a man to deliver them. Stubborn Amina, with her gaze still fixed on the ruined towers of Troy, determined to avenge the slaughter of her king. Hecuba, howling and clawing her cheeks on the silent shore, as if she could make her cries heard in the gloomy halls of Hades. As if she could wake the dead. And Briseis, carrying her future in her womb: the unborn child of the dead hero Achilles. Once again caught up in the disputes of violent men. Once again faced with the chance to shape history. Masterful and enduringly resonant, ambitious and intimate, The Women of Troy continues Pat Barker's extraordinary retelling of one of our greatest classical myths, following on from the critically acclaimed The Silence of the Girls.

      The Women of Troy2021
      3.8
    • The Silence of the Girls

      • 336 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY 'Chilling, powerful, audacious' The Times 'Magnificent. You are in the hands of a writer at the height of her powers' Evening Standard There was a woman at the heart of the Trojan War whose voice has been silent - until now. Discover the greatest Greek myth of all - retold by the witness that history forgot . . . Briseis was a queen until her city was destroyed. Now she is a slave to the man who butchered her husband and brothers. Trapped in a world defined by men, can she survive to become the author of her own story? THE PERFECT GIFT FOR FANS OF MADELINE MILLER'S CIRCE AND THE SONG OF ACHILLES! *Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Costa Novel Award* Pat Barker continues her extraordinary retelling of one of our greatest myths in The Women of Troy.

      The Silence of the Girls2018
      3.9
    • Noonday

      • 272 pages
      • 10 hours of reading

      Paul Tarrant, Elinor Brooke and Kit Neville first met in 1914 at the Slade School of Art, before their generation lost hope, faith and much else besides on the battlefields of Ypres and the Somme. Now it is 1940, they are middle-aged, and another war has begun. London is a haunted city. Some have even turned to seances in an attempt to contact lost loved ones. As the bombs fall and Elinor and the others struggle to survive, old temptations and obsessions return, and all of them are forced to make choices about what they really want ...

      Noonday2015
      3.8
    • Toby has always protected his sister, Elinor, their bond closer than they can acknowledge. Then comes war, and in 1917 on a French battlefield Toby is reported 'Missing, Believed Killed'. Elinor, an artist now involved in helping surgeons reconstruct the faces of injured soldiers, is determined to find out what happened and writes to the horrifically wounded Kit Neville, the last man to see Toby alive. But Neville is in hospital, himself damaged beyond recognition, and he will not talk - until Elinor asks fellow soldier and her former lover Paul Tarrant for help. But are some truths better left concealed? 'Magnificent; I finished it eagerly, wanting to know what happened next, and as I read, I was enjoying, marvelling and learning.' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun 'A heart-rending return to the Great War. A superb stylist . . . forensically observant and imaginatively sublime.' Independent 'Once again Barker skilfully moves between past and present, seamlessly weaving fact and fiction into a gripping narrative.' Sunday Telegraph 'Strong, truthful and beautifully controlled. Magnificent.' Saga 'Dark, painful, yet also tender. It succeeds brilliantly.' John Vernon, New York Times 'Raw, visceral . . . A fiercely honest account of the effects of war.' Daily Express 'The plot unfurls to a devastating conclusion . . . a very fine piece of work.' Melvyn Bragg, New Statesman Books of the Year

      Toby's room2012
      3.8
    • Life Class

      • 256 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      In the Spring of 1914 a group of students at the Slade School of Art have gathered for a life-drawing class. Paul Tarrant is easily distracted by an intriguing fellow student, Elinor Brooke, but when Kit Neville � himself not long out of the Slade but already a well-known painter � makes it clear that he, too, is attracted to Elinor, Paul withdraws into a passionate affair with an artist�s model. As spring turns to summer, Paul and Elinor each reach a crisis in their relationships until finally, in the first few days of war, they turn to each other. Paul�s new life as a volunteer for the Belgian Red Cross is a world away from his days at the Slade. The longer he remains in Ypres, the greater the distance between himself and home becomes, and by the time he returns, Paul must confront the fact that life, and love, will never be the same again.

      Life Class2008
      3.7
    • Double Vision

      • 320 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      Double Vision is a thought-provoking, Booker Prize-winning novel that explores modern warfare through the eyes of war reporter Stephen Sharkey. After the death of his photographer friend in Afghanistan, Sharkey returns to an England seemingly at peace, yet he is haunted by nightmares of conflict. The narrative delves into the depths of man's inhumanity, both abroad and at home, and questions whether love can serve as a true redeemer amidst the chaos. The novel is characterized by its provocative intensity and emotional depth, making it a powerful commentary on contemporary conflicts. Critics have praised Barker for her ability to create brooding tension and for her superb writing that compels readers to turn each page. Her extraordinary talent lies in combining complexity with clarity, making her narratives both engaging and profound. The characters are vividly drawn, captivating readers from the start and maintaining their grip throughout the story. Barker, born in 1943, is renowned for her acclaimed Regeneration trilogy and other notable works such as Another World and Life Class. She resides in Durham, continuing to contribute significantly to contemporary literature.

      Double Vision2003
      3.3
    • When Tom Seymour, a child psychologist, plunges into the water to save a man from drowning he opens a chapter from his past. The drowning man was Danny Miller, who Tom helped imprison for killing an old woman as a ten-year-old boy.

      Border crossing2002
      3.5
    • Das Gegenbild

      • 255 pages
      • 9 hours of reading

      Familienroman um die Problematik einer aus Stiefgeschwistern zusammengewürfelten Familie sowie die psychischen Folgen des Krieges.

      Das Gegenbild2001