Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati. Pub Date: March 7, 2023. Rating: 5 stars. If you enjoy reading about greek mythology and love a good heroine, then pick up this book as soon as possible. Clytemnestra is a fierce woman who has been dealt a life most women would not survive, but she is bound and determined to live and make a name for herself. She deals with grief, tragedy, traitors, an abusive husband, but still finds a way to stand her ground and be dominant. I could not put this book down and read it very quickly. The imagery and story of Clytemnestra was stunning and I did not want this journey of a novel to ever end. Go pick up this novel because you will not be disappointed. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #clytemnestra

Incredible.

A detailed retelling of the life of infamous queen, Clytemnestra. My one caveat is that the pace and tone are slow and measured, just like Clytemnestra's suffering and vengeance.

Casati did a great job of showing us what made Clytemnestra, makes you understand her and thus root for her even though we all know this is not right. (What IS right and wrong anyway?) Equally with other characters in the book, their motivations are laid out, and if you know your ancient Greek history, we see the seeds being sown for other famous stories. And with so many big names (Jason, Odysseys, Theseus, etc.) you'd think it would be confusing but Casati does an excellent job of introducing them and weaving them in without confusion.

At times I was willing the story to advance faster but still devouring every detail, every fight, every glance, every scar.

There has been a trend of retelling myths from the female point of view. This is a particularly fine example. Clytemnestra was Helen’s sister and Agamemnon’s wife, and the mother of sacrificed Iphigenia. In this book. She is front and center, a most impressive and well developed character. This has great potential for discussion.

I couldn’t do it. I told myself that I’d do it. I sat there, forcing myself to read words and trying desperately to find enjoyment in them. But 40% in, I admitted defeat and skimmed through the rest of CLYTEMNESTRA.

I should preface this review by saying that I DNFed Madeline Miller's Song of Achilles. I know, I know. There must be something wrong with me. So maybe take this review with a grain of salt … perhaps myth retellings aren’t for me?

I am loosely versed in Greek mythology. I love the cover and also the Cast of Characters at the front, but I hoped the author would breathe life into them and make them come alive for me. I kept waiting for the magic to happen, but it didn’t. And I don’t have time to waste, not with so many amazing books out there in the world to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Sourcebook Landmark for an eARC of CLYTEMNESTRA in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you are familiar with the mythology surrounding the Trojan War, you are probably familiar with Clytemnestra, Spartan wife to Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, who sacrifices their oldest daughter Iphigenia to the gods. This book is told primarily from Clytemnestra's point of view from a young teenager through to middle age as she grows up, training to be a warrior, and a Queen.

Clytemnestra is a flawed heroine, often unlikable for the choices that she makes in her lifelong quest for vengeance against her husband Agamemnon, who forced her to wed him with the assistance of her father Tyndareus. I enjoyed learning more about the mythology of her life specifically, rather than about Agamemnon, or her more famous sister Helen. She faces tragedy after tragedy and never loses sight of her end goal, all while successfully ruling over a city, biased against her because of her gender.

My minor criticism include the fact that the novel experiences several jumps in time, but Clytemnestra never seems to truly age in her narration. In addition, there are a few random sections where other characters are the narrator and it felt slightly odd since so much of the book is told from Clytemnestra's POV. All that said, I enjoyed this study on a infamous woman and its attempt at changing the perspective on her life.

Thank you to SourceBooks Landmark and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra absolutely does measure up to the other great feminist retellings I've read in recent years, such as Circe and Kaikeyi. The writing is not quite as flowery, and I think that's due to Casati background as a screenwriter. The story building absolutely does put Clytemnestra right up there with its contemporaries, and I couldn't put it down. I found the plot and motives compelling, and was rooting for the main character. The events in her life have shaped her, and she uses her power to fight as she can against the people who have wronged her. She is not ruthless, rather a Beatrice Kiddo style heroine, hell-bent on exacting vengeance to whom it is deserved, and she's happy to wait as long as she needs to do so.
I really enjoyed this book, and the opinions expressed here are my own. If you're a lover of this genre, then Clytemnestra is not a book you'll want to miss. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. I just reviewed Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati. #Clytemnestra #NetGalley

The writers of mythology viewed Clytemnestra, princess of Sparta, queen of Mycenae, as a wicked woman for taking a lover and then murdering her husband Agamemnon when he returned home from the Trojan war. But as told in this novel of her life, Clytemnestra was totally justified and her reasons were much more complex than that, and Agamemnon richly deserved to be murdered. Talk about revenge being a dish best served cold!

In Greek mythology, women are routinely shown to be wicked and viewed simplistically, at fault for all the evils of the world (think Pandora). Clytemnestra was evil; her sister Helen ran off with a Trojan prince and caused the Trojan war. It's not that simple and it's time their stories were heard. The men who figure so strongly in Greek mythology don't come off so well here; even the great Odysseus, normally portrayed as the best and smartest of the Greek kings, isn't so heroic here and does some pretty shameful things. Fans of Madeline Miller's Circe or Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships will love this retelling of the life of a queen that the author of the Odyssey and the Iliad deliberately misunderstood and portrayed as evil. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy of the book. In recent years there has been an influx of Greek retellings especially around the women of the Trojan War, so I thought here's another one. This retelling by the author is hands down one of the best to be released. It not only approaches the story from a historical context with no supernatural or divinity, but it does one thing that the others don't, and acknowledges that Clytemnestra and Helen were Spartan women. This aspect that the author features is what really made this retelling stand out. It shows that the author has done her research. I also enjoyed that it brings up Tantalus, Clytemnestra's first husband. I salute the author and have every intention of telling anyone who will listen to read this book.

4.5 stars

“Sometimes I fear that I am becoming the person I am pretending to be.”

A stunning debut that chronicles the rise of Queen Clytemnestra of myth, that dives deep into questions of family, power, revenge, and grief. Casati is an absolute master of characterization, painting each character so richly that they seemed to shine. Clytemnestra was a beautifully compelling and complex protagonist who stole my heart right from the outset, and I was preemptively grieving for everything I knew she was going to have to endure (being a big mythology nerd). The novel is centered around family and painstakingly details Clytemnestra’s relationships with her parents, brothers, sisters (especially Helen), her husbands, and her children. The author truly grasped how to portray each character’s motivations so that the reader can truly understand them, with the possible exceptions of Tyndareus and Leon - those were the only two that I somewhat struggled to grasp.
My only other critiques were that I felt that a few characters were underutilized (namely Timandra - I needed more!) and that it ended before the ending I would have expected in a seeming attempt to finish the story neatly and (somewhat) happily.
This book asks so many deep questions and I’ll definitely be coming back to this one for a reread before too long. If you enjoy mythology, complex characters, compelling psychology, and not putting up with the patriarchy’s bullshit, this is a must read. I’ll be eagerly awaiting Constanza Casati’s next publication, and in the meantime this will be a most welcome addition to my growing collection of retellings.


CW: rape and child rape, incest, child and infant death, child abuse, animal abuse, animal death, alcoholism, violence

Really enjoyed this book, especially getting to know Clytemnestra as a multifaceted human being, not just as a vengeful queen. Her backstory about her first marriage was really sad, and I liked how she and the young Spartan women were shown to be skilled in fighting from an early age. There are a lot of time skips though which feel lacking, especially the huge gap between Clytemnestra being forced into marrying Agamemnon to many years later when she already has three children. It felt like her emotions during those tumultuous times were just too difficult to tackle so the author conveniently ignored them. Agamemnon was described as a wicked, scheming villain right who doesn't hesitate to murder innocent children from the start. This is definitely a book for more mature readers due to its dark themes, but it provides a great modern feminist perspective on the classic stories of Greek epics and Greek tragedies which form a huge part of the (male-dominated) Western literary canon.

I loved this book. Clytemnestra was such a bad ass, and I was thrilled by her story. This retelling was harsh, and it demonstrated how hard life could be for women in the ancient world. Clytemnestra never let herself become broken, and her spirit made her a character that I rooted for. That being said, she was not perfect, which I appreciate. I like when an author allows their main character to exhibit flaws - it makes them seem more real, which in turn makes me feel more connected to them. This book grabbed me and didn't let me go. It is a quick read, in the sense that it leaves you desperate to see the story unfold (even when you know how it will end, if you're a Greek Mythology fan). The story is beautifully told - the writing is stunning. Clytemnestra's tale is not a happy one, but it is gripping and compelling. I really can't find any fault with this book at all.

I am not usually a fan of Greek mythology. I just find it a bit overwhelming because there is a lot going on with it. But I really enjoyed this one. Clytemnestra was such a strong female character and I loved that. I was really drawn into this story. If you don't really like Greek mythology give this one a try. Because I really liked it more than I thought I would.

This was a really interesting read that reminded me of Circe and Daughters of Sparta. I enjoyed learning more about Clytemnestra's life and reading another take on her characterization (my only other exposure to her being in Daughters of Sparta).

I have recently started dipping my toes into retellings/mythology and I have to say that this is one of the best books I have read in this genre. Loved the protagonist, the story, and the writing.

Clytemnestra, by Costanza Casati, is a book that aims to overturn your thoughts about Greek heroes by presenting the story of a woman who has historically been relegated to the shadows of the tales. Written in the tradition of Madeline Miller’s Circe, this debut novel focuses on Clytemnestra, daughter, sister, wife, mother, warrior and queen.

The story begins when Clytemnestra, daughter of Leda and sister to Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, is a princess living in Sparta, a place where women are trained in the martial arts so that they will only submit to the most vicious of men. Although Helen is the beauty, it is Clytemnestra who possesses intelligence, fierceness, and a desire to protect her family at all costs. By the end of the novel, Clytemnestra will have watched her brothers go off to adventure with the Argonauts and witnessed the fall of Troy as the Greeks reclaim her sister Helen from Paris, but the book is about the life of an incredible woman who endures a difficult marriage, suffers immeasurable loss, and exacts revenge upon those who have wronged her.

Clytemnestra features characters and stories from Greek mythology and will delight those who enjoy The Iliad and The Odyssey because it gives readers a chance to revisit these stories through a feminine perspective. There is a family tree located in the front of the book for readers less familiar with the traditional tales. I loved that characters like Leda, Helen, Penelope, Iphigenia, and Clytemnestra all become more than they are in the hands of traditional tale tellers. The book provides a harsh and beautiful look at the lives of women who suffer through great pain to find fleeting moments of love and happiness.

The writing is full of images that stay with you from the Spartan gorge when criminal bodies rot to the bathhouse where Agamemnon meets his fate, but the story truly sings when exploring the complex relationships between the women. Clytemnestra has been vilified in many stories, and forgotten in many others, but this novel celebrates her triumphs and explores her losses, and in doing so, elevates the lives and experiences of all the women whose stories have never been told. I truly enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.

I knew little about Greek mythology, and nothing about Clytemnestra before reading this book. But I was quickly engrossed in the story, and the twists and turns it takes. I forced myself to slow down near the end, because I was sad for it to be over! This is an excellent book, and one that I will definitely be recommending. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While it took me about a hundred pages to get my footing in this story, I'm glad I stuck with it so I could enjoy the breadth and depth of Clytemnestra's story. At its core, I appreciate the story of a strong girl growing into a strong woman, beating the ever-mounting odds and being a source of inspiration for her readers.

I have always been fascinated with Greek Mythology, although it’s been 20 years since it was required reading in my AP English class. I wasn’t aware of Clytemnestra story, but I was hooked from the beginning of this telling. I don’t know how she endured. I’m not sure how she harnessed the rage. The level of patience and restraint she honed into a razor sharp blade throughout the years… the definition of vendetta. Men often mistake women to be the weaker sex. Attractive bodies meant to breed and bend, because of their simpering minds. They forget how protective we are of our children, and this is their downfall. This act will bring out the hidden qualities that men wear on their sleeves. Rage and sorrow paired with patience and cleverness equal a deadly combination. The outside world saw a bold, outspoken, fearless woman who prospered even when men were constantly trying to bring her down. What they didn’t see or care about was the festering wounds of a broken hearted mother whose loyalty would always be with her children. Or the will of a woman with no desire to ever be broken by a man. It was glorious. It was painful. I couldn’t put this book down.

This book was good! There is a glossy at the end, I felt it should've been to the front of the book to help out with terms as the book is navigated. Other than that, it was well written and a long read. Very informative and descriptive. Clytemnestra focuses on love, deception, death, as well as loyalty. Which is something Clytemnestra faces throughout the book. I had a love/hate relationship for her throughout the book, but I definitely recommend!

Full transparency… I’ve never heard of Clytemnestra. And boy am I glad I have now. She’s fearless! From beginning to end. I’d heard of her sister, Helen, but loved reading how much protection and love she had for her. Great detailed account - more of the human nature they possess - of Clytemnestra life. She was Queen. She was skilled. She was amazing …even if she was a cheater! Lol!