Clytemnestra: The spellbinding retelling of Greek mythology’s greatest heroine

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That is all that I will disclose, but this is so filled with a beautifully written story of a fearless, yet compassionate coming of age story that encompasses Clytemnestra's young life as a warrior who could fight successfully. It includes her family of origin and her reign as Queen at a time when most men didn't respect women. She successfully rules as she is left for nine years while Agamemnon is off fighting Troy. This war begins because Paris, Prince of Troy, entices Queen Helen to leave her husband, King Menelaus and her young daughter in Sparta. I never knew that Penelope who marries Odysseus of Ithaca, was Clytemnestra's and Helen's cousin.

Every day you try to forget, but at night you dream of the past. This is what dreams are for. To make us remember what we were, to tie us down to our memories, whether we like it or not.” Part of what I love so much about this book was Clytemnestra’s slow descent into hatred. “Hate is a bad root,” her mother tells her. “It takes its place in your heart and it grows and grows, letting everything rot.” And boy, did I enjoy watching her rot!Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy to read and review. These thoughts are my own! Please do not change the beautiful cover, because I plan on purchasing the hardcover for my special collection. This will make a beautiful gift to friends and family. It far exceeded my expectations! I already knew "Clytemnestra's" story from reading "Helen had a Sister," by Penelope Haines, some time ago, which was my introduction to learning about Clytemnestra's life. Although, I enjoyed it immensely, it wasn't as comprehensive and as epic in scope as this one was. This lushly written account is far more detailed, and I don't want to sound unoriginal by saying that this chronicles Clytemnestra's life from the young Princess of Sparta, where she grew up. She was Helen of Troy's sister and this novel illuminates how much they loved each other and, how extremely close they were. The author does a magnificent job of crafting a solid narrative around this central figure. In the course of the story, we meet several prominent characters from the Greek myths such as Helen of Troy and Odysseus among others. Most of these characters are explored/alluded to in the context of their interactions/connection to Clytemnestra’s story, and at no point does the narrative lose focus. Clytemnestra’s anguish, her pain and her need for vengeance are palpable. The pace does falter slightly in the middle of the narrative while chronicling the years Clytemnestra waits for the Battle of Troy to end while she rules over Mycenae with a firm hand, but not so much that you lose interest in the story. I particularly liked how the author chose to end the novel keeping it open-ended yet entirely satisfying. The author provides family trees at the beginning of the novel and a glossary of terms at the end, both of which are helpful resources. There will come a time when songs are sung about her, about the people she loved and the ones she hated. They will sing of her mother, the queen seduced by a god, of her brothers, boxers and horse-breakers, of her sister, a woman so vain who couldn’t stay in her husband’s bed, of Agamemnon, the proud lion of Mycenae, of the wise, many-minded Odysseus, of the treacherous, cursed Aegisthus, of Clytemnestra, cruel queen and unfaithful wife. But it doesn’t matter. She was there. She knows songs never tell the truth.” Clytemnestra is a new look at rhe Helen of Troy myth and instead of focusing on the boring Helen, we instead focus on her lesser known sister, Clytemnestra and her struggles through life cleaning up her sisters mess along with the rest of her family. Casati takes the Greek myth, removes the gods and divine intervention to humanize the story and it truly works. Casati truly breaks down Clytemnestra character and why she is one of the fiercest warrior queen's and mother's in the Greek mythos.

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best . . . A heroine of fierce spirit. With the fire and spark of Madeline Miller and the depths of Mary Renault' MANDA SCOTT Following in the steps of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Jennifer Saint’s Elektra and Natalie Haynes’ A Thousand Ships, Costanza Casati’s novel Clytemnestra sets out to retell the story of Clytemnestra, the Queen of Mycenae, known for murdering her husband, King Agamemnon, after he returned home from the Trojan War.Clytemnestra was an easy read in that its fast-paced and beautiful prose kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It was absolutely riveting, and one of the most compulsive reading experiences I've have in quite some time. My ONLY complaint is that I wish it was longer as I wasn't ready to leave that world just yet.

What's it About? A breathtaking story of love and vengeance through the eyes of ancient Greece’s most notorious heroine. Her sister, in youth, remarks that as a man, she would be one of the strongest fighters in Greece. Clytemnestra, knowing she must be the cleverest of all to prevail, working hard to make herself so. And the story of her parents are very important to the girl, her heritage, reminding her forever of where she came from and what she carries in her veins, not just the royalty, but the strength, endurance, and fortitude to be great, the greatest of all others. The girls are thought to be born from a mortal mother and a god but their father, King Tyndareus, loving their mother for her fierceness, doubts Helen (her sister) as his child.Theseus is a hero, and he does what heroes do,” he says. “Do you know how many other girls like Helen there are?” In scenes like these, Casati redefines our understanding of the term “hero”, reminding us that the celebrated men of Greek myths were selfish, violent brutes who took whatever they wanted with no regard to the desires of others or the consequences.

Clytemnestra is left broken and hollow, like a bird with crushed wings, and the first seeds of hatred take root. Rotten, Villainous Queen Spartan women were raised to be warriors and to fight. Clytemnestra was one of the strongest and thus, Agamemnon was determined to have her. He enlists her father’s help to kill her first husband and baby son. From then on, she lives for revenge. This is a woman who was prepared to wait to get even; she could have created the phrase that revenge is a dish best served cold. Agamemnon continues to give her reasons to hate him. Casati did such an excellent job making Clytemnestra come across as a living, breathing woman, I wanted revenge for her as much as she did. The myths about Clytemnestra speak of what she does. This book provides the reasoning for her actions. While she is despised in the myths, here she is a sympathetic character (at least to me).In old versions of the story, on returning from Troy, Agamemnon is murdered by Aegisthus, the lover of his wife, Clytemnestra. In some later versions Clytemnestra helps him or does the killing herself in his own home. The best-known version is that of Aeschylus: Agamemnon, having arrived at his palace with his concubine, the Trojan princess Cassandra, in tow and being greeted by his wife, entered the palace for a banquet while Cassandra remained in the chariot. Clytemnestra waited until he was in the bath, and then entangled him in a cloth net and stabbed him. Trapped in the web, Agamemnon could neither escape nor resist his murderer. Clytemnestra appears in numerous works from ancient to modern times, sometimes as a villain and sometimes as a sympathetic antihero. [7] [8] Author and classicist Madeline Miller wrote "[a]fter Medea, Queen Clytemnestra is probably the most notorious woman in Greek mythology". [9] You must learn your place among men, Clytemnestra,” he says. His words are whips, slashing at her hurting throat. “You are too proud, too arrogant.”