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

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Clytemnestra is left broken and hollow, like a bird with crushed wings, and the first seeds of hatred take root. Rotten, Villainous Queen Let me repeat that: there is no gods in a Greek myth reinterpretation and it still works as a story. And the writing totally makes sense as to why the characters believe the gods meddle in their lives while actively showing other characters operations and how most of the events were not godly. And the story still works! I have yet to see that in a reinterpretation of books like these. 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.” What's it About? A breathtaking story of love and vengeance through the eyes of ancient Greece’s most notorious heroine. You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own.

Clytemnestra is one of the main characters in Aeschylus's Oresteia, and is central to the plot of all three parts. She murders Agamemnon in the first play, and is murdered herself in the second. Her death then leads to the trial of Orestes by a jury composed of Athena and 12 Athenians in the final play. A passionate picture of a fiercely patriarchal society and her heroine's refusal to be bound by its After the murder of her first husband and their baby son, Clytemnestra transforms her heartbreak into steel. When she is forced to become Agamemnon’s wife, she decides she will be a leader in her own right. He desired her strength because it was a challenge to him. He wished to bend her to his own will, break her. He wanted to show he was stronger by subjugating her. Some men can be like that. Costanza Casati removes Clytemnestra from her sister Helen of Troy’s shadow and skillfully weaves together historical details, mythological elements, and psychological insights, breathing new life into a well-known tale.In her debut novel, Contanza Casati explores this character in depth. The narrative follows Clytemnestra from her early life as a Princess of Sparta, her relationship with her siblings, her subsequent marriage to her first husband and the tragic events that lead to her marriage to Agamemnon and her life as his wife and mother to his children and the events that follow. The author allows us to understand the vilified Queen and her motivations, her convictions and how the people and significant events in her life shaped her into evolving into the fierce and vengeful character she is known to be. Clytemnestra is a complex character. Raised with the training of a warrior yet having to live her life according to the whims and wishes of her tyrannical father and brutish husband, she endures and perseveres and waits for the right moment to assert herself. She endures much abuse, loss and grief, including the senseless murder of her first husband and infant son. But when her daughter is sacrificed in the name of war, Clytemnestra’s rage knows no bounds and she knows what she has to do. I'm already planning a re-read of it and will be purchasing the hard copy version when it is eventually released.. Please do not change the cover. It is PERFECT! Casati’s presentation of Clytemnestra was everything I had hoped for and more. From just the small bits and pieces of the character I’d read before, I knew she was someone I connected with and wanted to know more about, and this look into her mind was just flawlessly executed. The American modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham created a two-hour ballet, Clytemnestra (1958), about the queen. You’ll find yourself sweating in anticipation for the ending — and trust me, Casati does not disappoint. Women’s Righteous Fury

The 2017 novel House of Names by Colm Tóibín is a retelling of the Oresteia, with divine elements largely removed. There are three narrators: Clytemnestra, Orestes, and Electra.Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy to read and review. These thoughts are my own!