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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
    The silence of the girls
    The Eye in the Door
    Union street
    The Voyage Home
    The Ghost Road
    The Regeneration Trilogy
    • 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
      4.0
    • Sequel to critically acclaimed bestseller The Silence of the Girls Troy has fallen and the Greek victors are primed to return home, loaded with spoils. All they need is a good wind to lift their sails. But the wind does not come. The gods are offended - the body of Priam lies desecrated, unburied - and so the victors remain in uneasy limbo, camped in the shadow of the city they destroyed. The coalition that held them together begins to fray, as old feuds resurface and new suspicions fester. Largely unnoticed by her squabbling captors, erstwhile queen Briseis remains in the Greek encampment. She forges alliances where she can - with young, rebellious Amina, with defiant, aged Hecuba, with Calchus, the disgraced priest - and she begins to see the path to revenge...

      The Women of Troy2021
      3.8
    • The great city of Troy is under siege as Greek heroes Achilles and Agamemnon wage bloody war over a stolen woman. In the Greek camp, another woman is watching and waiting- Briseis. She was a queen of this land until Achilles sacked her city and murdered her husband and sons. Now she is Achilles' concubine- a prize of battle. Briseis is just one among thousands of women backstage in this war - the slaves and prostitutes, the nurses, the women who lay out the dead - all of them voiceless in history. But, though no one knows it yet, they are just ten weeks away from the death of Achilles and the Fall of Troy, an end to this long and bitter conflict. Briseis will see it all - and she will bear witness.

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

      Das Gegenbild2001