Clytemnestra

Product Information

There is alot to enjoy, in Clytemnestra a book readers simply won’t want to put down, or, be able to. In celebration of August’s Women’s Month, Exclusive Books Recommends showcases a myriad of female protagonists, so very different from one another, each unique in her own way, some acting alone but some joining forces to create an almost unbreakable tie. When she’s not reading or blogging, Emily enjoys watching films and snuggling up with her cat, Misty. She loves to explore what makes us human: the eternal motivations, desires and instincts that cross time and place.

I love Clytemnestra, she is resilient, fierce, strong, brave, stubborn, and will do anything to protect the people she loves.

I will recommend this book to anyone who loves history, myths or simply a well-written and absorbing story. Focusing on Clytemnestra’s life from child to mother and queen, this one is also the tale of the lead up to the Trojan War and is impressive in its vast knowledge and fulfilling inclusion of so many recognisable characters.

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. 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.I really liked Clytemnestra's sister Helen, her brother Castor, and sister Timandra, they each had their own unique personalities. Growing up, the princesses of Sparta train in wrestling, spear-throwing and sword-fighting, and are relatively able to do as they please. 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. The heartbroken Clytemnestra takes her revenge on Agamemnon, which in turn provokes their other children, Electra and Orestes, to plot a revenge of their own.

She endures much abuse, loss and grief, including the senseless murder of her first husband and infant son. I am also passionate about mental health so occasionally talk about my personal experiences over the last 30+ years of my life since I became more aware of the fact that talking about them could help me to process them and aid in my ability to cope with them. 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 was fortunate enough to get an advance reader copy of Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati and it was so good! Humanises the long suffering, murderous Queen of Mycenae and follows the events in her life that shaped her into the fierce, powerful and vengeful, legendary Clytemnestra.

Also included are passages from ancient literature, like the Odyssey and the Iliad, supplying contrast and/or completing her own point of view. Despite the fact the movement in the book, much of the action is dramatic, does not stop the fact that it comes to the girl, then woman, at a pace and and all would be overwhelmed.