Pat Barker (1) (1943–)

TOBY'S ROOM is the second book of Pat Barker's second trilogy of the WWI era. I read the first book, LIFE CLASS, a dozen or more years ago. Liked it so much that I then read the entire REGENERATION trilogy, which was simply superb. And while TOBY'S ROOM is very good, it doesn't quite live up to the other books, seeming a bit disjointed and incomplete to me. But it kept me interested enough to finish it, with its twisted themes of forbidden love and incest, and a storyline that shifts between the frontline trenches and the home front of England. I may have to find a copy of the last book in the set, as Pat Barker's fiction can be habit forming. "So many books ..."

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (altro)

Good story about art and love during WWI England. Raises some interesting questions, such as "What is art?" and "What should and should not be the subjects of art?" I was especially drawn to the protagonist's struggle to remain an artist and create while actively participating in the war. Barker depicts the opposite struggle just as well--the protagonist's girlfriend, safely tucked away in Bloomsbury, rejects the war and everything surrounding it, creating an insulated reality from which "pleasant art" is made. Very well written novel and a quick read.
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[a:Pat Barker|4000|Pat Barker|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1539120639p2/4000.jpg] has written the story of the [b:The Iliad|1371|The Iliad|Homer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388188509l/1371._SX50_.jpg|3293141] from the viewpoint of a woman, the slave and former queen, Briseis, won for his slave by Achilles. Once the wife of King Mynes of Lyrnessus, an ally of Troy, Achilles slew Mynes and the brothers of Briseis, then received her as his war prize. She and Achilles later have a child, but it is the battles and machinations of Agamemnon and the other Greek kings as well as Priam the Trojan ruler which create much of the theater of this story. Barker's writing skills shine, the pace is rapid in spite of the huge cast of characters (I wrote them down) and emphasize the suffering of all during wartime as Briseis bathes the dead and supports the vanquished while mourning her own losses.… (altro)