3,75/4 ⭐️

“Clytemnestra’s Bind” by Susan C. Wilson is a feminist retelling of the story of Queen Clytemnestra.

I loved how the author portrayed the relationships between the characters; they all feel complex and realistic, adding depth to the story.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to any fan of Greek mythology, and I’ll definitely continue with this series and read Helen’s story next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for the ARC.

TW:
Child death, Murder, Rape, Incest, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Death of a parent

A fresh take on a well-known myth! I'm always a fan of myth retellings but so many have been coming out in recent years that I've been finding it hard to find an original voice and truly original ideas. Clytemnestra's Bind achieved that by focusing a lot more and the relationship between Clytemnestra and her children. I appreciated the insight into her inner conflicts and how she struggled between her emotions and her maternal instincts. It was a very emotionally-driven story, which means sometimes the pacing suffered and was too slow for my taste but I actually didn't mind that much.

Another thing I liked is that no character falls into a cliché: Clytemnestra isn't a revenge-hungry monstress, Helen isn't a brainless beauty, Menelaus isn't a stupid brute... They're all complex characters and have a depth to them we don't often see in myth retellings.

When Agamemnon storms the palace and takes the throne of Mycenae, Queen Clytemnestra’s whole world is torn asunder. Not only has he killed her husband and seven-day-old baby son, but he’s also captured her and forced her to become his unwilling bride. Stuck in her unhappy marriage, she vows to protect her children. When Agamemnon’s attention turns towards Troy, she fears his ambitions will destroy everything she has left.

First, thanks to the author for including the family tree at the start, it was KEY. I consulted it like the Ancient Greeks consulted their oracles. Like all Greek myths, the relationships here are more twisted than a sailor’s knot!

The thread of the story is told in chronological order. We follow Clytemnestra’s POV from when her old life is brutally cut short, to her marriage to Agamemnon, to her children being born. We first meet Iphigenia: meek, kind, and constant. If you are familiar with this story, you witness every one of Iphigenia’s milestones with a sinking feeling in your stomach. Then comes Electra: wild, rebellious, and a dreamer. Lastly, Orestes, the Heir. Never good enough for Agamemnon but always striving to please.

The narrative mostly consists of introspective scenes of everyday life at court: women performing their daily chores and rites for the Gods. I loved the small, intimate moments where Clytemnestra tries to teach her children skills and life values as each child develops their personality. But, the story is punctuated by bursts of violence every time Agamemnon comes onto the page and the contrast is painfully stark. It’s heartbreaking to see the process of how a father who hates his children teaches them that women are to be reviled. How a father’s power & influence slowly poisons the children away from their mother.

After all, this book is about how the House of Atreus, and especially Agamemnon, took everything away from Clytemnestra. Her family, dignity, past, control, and even children. But infuriatingly, even Aegisthus, her closest friend and lover, takes away her secrets. And yet, she gracefully navigates through it all, channelling every ounce of energy to protect her children. I loved her characterization: she is fierce and flawed, and despite all the trauma she’s been through she’s not depicted as a victim. She is honest about her mistakes and blind spots as a mother. Sometimes her attempts at discipline fire back, and sometimes her laser focus on one issue makes her neglect another but that makes her human.

Aside from the grisly first chapter that shows us exactly why there’s a curse on the house of Atreus, the reader only directly experiences what happens to Clytemnestra. Otherwise, we only see her reactions and how she deals with the aftereffects of events. That slight distance from Iphigenia’s fate hurt all the more. A cocktail of anxiety, hope and fear of the unknown rubs salt in the wound. Throughout the story, Agamemnon uses the control of information as a weapon, and in Clytemnestra’s mind we feel how isolating and confining that truly is.

I have seen and heard many retellings of the Iliad. I know the story of how Helen runs away with Paris and Agamemnon is ‘forced’ to go attack Troy to defend his brother’s honour. This part of the story always struck me as a ridiculous pissing contest, which at best ignores Helen’s agency and at worst paints her as single-handedly responsible for the war between the Trojans and Achaeans. Clytemnestra’s Bind is different in the way that it depicts Agamemnon’s involvement in inciting the war. Here he has a direct hand in creating the circumstances that lead to Helen and Paris eloping together, as he simply needed an excuse to sack Troy. This adds a more interesting level of nuance to the retelling that I have not seen before.

It took me so long to pick up this ARC that by the time I did, I borrowed it from my library 😂. Now, I’m so glad I’ve read it because I’m bursting at the seams for the second book! The expected publication date is Nov 2024 in the UK, and in Jan 2025 in the US. Clytemnestra’s Bind ends around when Agamemnon sets off to attack Troy and Helen’s Judgement will pick up the story from Helen’s POV.

Thanks to Netgalley and Neem Tree Press for the ARC, I leave my review voluntarily.

You had me at mythology. I'm a sucker for mythological rewrites, and this didn't disappoint. Highly recommend it for genre fans.

In "Clytemnestra's Bind," Susan Wilson offers a fresh take on the classic myth, focusing extensively on Clytemnestra's complex relationship with her children. This divergence from traditional narratives is perhaps the most compelling aspect of Wilson's retelling. By delving deep into Clytemnestra's maternal instincts and conflicts, Wilson humanizes a character often portrayed in stark, villainous shades.

However, despite the novel's intriguing premise, I found myself wanting more from the story. Wilson's narrative, while rich in emotional exploration, fails to deliver anything groundbreaking. Instead, it feels drawn out across its pages, which, surprisingly, seemed longer than their actual count. The pacing suffers as a result, with the plot occasionally lapsing into repetition, leaving the reader with a sense of monotony rather than progression.

While Wilson's exploration of Clytemnestra's motherhood is commendable, "Clytemnestra's Bind" ultimately falls short of leaving a lasting impact. Readers expecting a transformative or deeply insightful interpretation of the myth may find themselves disappointed by the lack of new revelations or narrative twists.

Overall, "Clytemnestra's Bind" offers a distinctive perspective on its titular character, emphasizing maternal themes rarely explored in mythological retellings. However, its failure to break new ground and tendency towards repetitive storytelling may leave some readers unsatisfied.

This was a hard book to read, not because of it's writing, but because this is the story of Clytemnestra, the Mycenaean Queen. A daughter, a sister, but most of all, a mother. A woman who suffered the worst losses a mother has, by the hands of her husband, her tormentor and her King.
The author managed to express her hurt, her emotions and made me feel her frustration and her pain.
I recommend it for those who loved The Song of Aquiles by Madeline Miller.

Perhaps it’s my life-long exposure to Greek myth and consecutively to the never-ending cycles of violence, sexism, cannibalism and incest inherent to those stories – maybe I’ve become entirely desensitized at this point – but when a retelling turns seriously dark, it almost always gets me by surprise. We look at those stories from the safe distance of millenia past, seldom pausing to consider what the heroes and heroines might have actually felt within their narratives. But Clytemnestra’s Bind forces you to look at the „minor“ players of the Iliad, and with compassion.

This book goes way harder than anticipated. I commend the author for going the extra mile of doing research on Mycaenae and not placing the story in a vaguely ancient Mediterranean setting as many are wont to do. Instead, both the environment and the characters felt real to me - ironically, this brutal novel put me right in the mood for my annual vacation in Greece. Oops.

And some of the deuteragonists give a vastly different, but alluring impression compared to the popular movie and book takes on the market: Menelaus is not just a stupid cockold, Clytemnestra’s sister Helen is more than a naive young woman who elopes with a foreign prince. There is significant build-up for the ultimate betrayal Clytemnestra experiences at the hands of her own two surviving children – dare I say, one she isn’t entirely innocent of provoking.

Clytemnestra’s Bind is ultimately a book about bad parenting on all sides, and if that doesn’t summarize the world of Greek myth, I don’t know what does.

There have been plenty of similar mythology retellings that this novel could be compared to, in the past three years alone, some of which I have yet to get to, but this novel certainly constitutes one of the strongest competitors. I will be reading the sequel and following Helen’s point of view with pleasure.

"Clytemnestra's Bind" provides a perspective on the myth through a feminist lens. In Wilson's interpretation Clytemnestra is portrayed as a character guided by her motives and intentions.

The story delves into themes of power, betrayal, revenge, and accountability that resonate throughout the narrative.

This intriguing exploration of Clytemnestra's journey explores her life as a princess, her marriage to Agamemnon, and the events leading to his downfall. Through the author's depiction, we gain insight into Clytemnestra's turmoil, capturing emotions of anger, resentment, and her ultimate quest for justice. The shadow of losing her daughter and avenging her husband influences her decisions. Which path would you choose?

The book also delves into Clytemnestra's relationships with Agamemnon and Aegisthus. Wilson skillfully navigates the complexities within these connections and their impact on Clytemnestra's choices, prompting readers to reconsider what they believed about the myths.

I was initially hesitant to review this novel for fear of it being another retelling of an age-old myth, but I was pleasantly surprised by its engaging narrative, which will keep you captivated late into the night.

"Clytemnestra's Bind" presents an enthralling reinterpretation of a timeless myth rooted in the tales of Agamemnon and the Trojan War. It challenges readers to reconsider Clytemnestra’s character and the events that shaped her story, really changing how we see the myth.

This is the second retelling of Clytemnestra’s story that I’ve read, and I am so thrilled to be seeing this influx of stories about the “evil” women of Greek mythology.

Before Clytemnestra was a murderer, she was a mother.

By focusing on the years Clytemnestra raised her children, we get a depth of character that impressed me. We see Clytemnestra’s love, not only for her first born to her first marriage throughout the book, we see the love she has for the three children of her forced marriage to Agamemnon. Even when her younger two are focused entirely on the love of their father. I would have liked more depth given to the children, it felt like all three of them were fairly flat. And I really enjoyed the slight twist of Aegisthus’s presence throughout the story. Although Clytemnestra‘s passivity to the will of the gods did end up irritating me a bit.

Also, side note, but I resent just a little bit any Greek retelling that makes me pity Menelaus. 😆

My thanks to Neem Tree Press and NetGalley for this arc.

In Greek mythology, we know the character of Clytemnestra as a villainess in a tale of love, revenge, and blood feuds, a familiar cycle in these stories. A Grecian fleet setting sail for the city of Troy to extract the princess Helen. A queen taking a lover and ruling in her king’s absence. A husband murdered in revenge for sacrificing his daughter to a goddess. A son committing matricide. But have we ever truly considered Clytemnestra’s rationale for her actions? Was she a tragic heroine or a villainess? Susan C. Wilson explores Clytemnestra’s dichotomous depictions in her remarkable novel The House of Atreus: Clytemnestra’s Bind.

Clytemnestra’s Bind centers on the pre-Trojan War life of Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra is the daughter of King Tyndareus and Queen Leda of Sparta and the half-sister of the famed beauty Helen of Troy. The pair wed the brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus respectively, and their relationships set into motion among the most famous and tumultuous stories in Greek mythology.

Clytemnestra’s Bind reimagines Clytemnestra’s story in a decisively feminist way, recalling similar efforts made by authors such as Madeline Miller. Mycenae’s queen is neither saint nor sinner but rather an authentic mix of the two. Fierce and intelligent, Clytemnestra must contend with circumstances foisted upon her at the behest of the men in her life, most particularly Agamemnon.

In Classical Greek society, women possessed little power and agency and operated within their domestic spheres as wives, mothers, and sisters. They raised their children, managed their households, wove fabric, and tended to graves. Women’s movement outside the home was usually limited to attendance at public speeches, sanctuary visitations, and participation in religious festivals.

And yet, Greek playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides offered portrayals of women outside of their traditional roles, often assuming those of a man: ruler, warrior, revenge-seeker. Aeschylus and Euripides in particular wrote about Clytemnestra, elevating her from a one-dimensional Greek woman to into what Natalie Haynes describes as “a woman who refuses to be quiet when her child is killed, who disdains to accept things and move on, who will not make the best of what she has.”

It is within this context that Susan C. Wilson presents her Clytemnestra: a compassionate and pious woman, one whose tenacity and anger are forged in the Hephaestian fires of adversity. That’s not to say Clytemnestra bears no flaws, however.

Her unequal treatment of her children presents perhaps her largest shortcoming. Iphigenia receives all of her mother’s love; the queen treats Electra, who moreso desires her father’s affection, dismissively and with scorn; and the prince Orestes rarely sees his mother and mimics Agamemnon’s worst tendencies. This sets the stage for future dissension amongst the family.

Wilson has a gift for prose and for adapting Greek mythology for a modern age. Her adept handling of the various sources shines through in Clytemnestra’s Bind. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to have read these works in order to enjoy the novel, and anyone familiar or unfamiliar with the myth should appreciate this rendering of the tale. And, readers will find a glossary of characters and Greek terms at the novel’s end.

I do wish there had been some additional world-building and description of Mycenae, Aulis, and other locales in the novel. But that’s not a failing on Wilson’s part; rather, it’s a personal preference.

Finally, I think Wilson very admirably balances the dichotomous representations of Clytemnestra in mythology: tragic heroine and villainess. The novel’s Clytemnestra emotionally reacts to her husband’s many, many sins, paving the way for her future retribution, understanding full well the cost of mariticide. The queen also invokes the Erinyes, the Greek goddesses of vengeance. But readers also understand the catalyst behind her actions - the love and losses she suffered. Clytemnestra deserves both a measure of sympathy and incredulity, as the best Greek heroes and heroines do. It takes a talented writer to accomplish what Wilson has, and I look forward to reading The House of Atreus sequels: Helen’s Judgement and Electra’s Fury.

Thank you to NetGalley, Susan C. Wilson, and Neem Tree Press for a free review copy of this novel. This review was honest and voluntary.

I'm not well versed in Greek mythology at all and tbh it's not a subject I tend to gravitate towards when it comes to my reading tastes.

This however was excellently done and for the first time I'm super excited to read more about a character in Greek mythology. I knew not a single thing about Clytemnestra when I first started this book, and Susan C. Wilson really made her come alive for me on the page and I was immediately transported into her life and her struggles and continuous heartbreak with her horrible marriage to Agamemnon.

As I've stated, I know nothing about Clytemnestra's story so I'm very invested and interested to see where this series goes and to learn more about her.

I've read a very small amount of Greek mythology and have felt pretty meh towards them for the most part, but Susan C. Wilson has singlehandedly made me interested in reading some more.

I know there are more Clytemnestra retellings out there but I think this is the best one for me to start with, and I highly recommend it. Not only was Clytemnestra's story compelling, but the writing was lush and moving.

This was a very hard book to put down and I'm eagerly anticipating the second book!

《 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my ow.》

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was an absolutely brutal book. It took me a few days to move past the opening scenes because they were so devastating to read. And it definitely didn’t get better. But that is to be expected. The House of Atreus is a cursed house. The cycle of death and betrayal is certainly well represented in this book.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Atreides, this book includes infanticide, incest, rape, partner abuse, child abuse, infidelity and more. Those scenes are frequently quite detailed from the perspective of the victim and I urge caution for those that might be overset by reading that.
It took a few days for me personally to be prepared to read the book, once I grasped its tenor from the opening scenes. But once I was ready, I flew through this book in essentially one sitting. This was a great look at what Clytemnestra’s experiences in the palace might have been like. What her relationships with Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Aegisthus were, prior to the fleet sailing for Troy. I think it can be easy to only see her famous choices as based on one action by Agamemnon, but what was marriage to such a man like? Especially as a war conquest of sorts, living on that needlepoint and then seeing your children enduring that environment and how it affects them.
The book is entirely from Clytemnestra’s perspective and is quite good at showing her deliberations and torment as her family suffers more and more. I appreciated the depictions of religious practice and the clear attempts to give depth to many of the characters. While I knew what the major twists were prior to reading, I was definitely still caught up in the moment and keen to know how exactly Clytemnestra would react to each situation. This is a complicated story and figure and a brutal, devastating depiction of a life under those circumstances, without making her a hero or angel.

Clytemnestra's Bind is the first in a new series by Susan C. Wilson. It is a historical fantasy/mythology retelling that does a great job of realizing its world and characters. I look forward to more in this series.

I love Greek Mythology and was excited to pick this one up. I am always curious to see how an author takes on known stories. Susan C. Wilson did a fantastic job with this retelling!

Right away, I was drawn into the story. The writing is very addictive and makes it hard to stop. I enjoy retellings from Greek Mythology, but I always feel like they were all cursed. This story is brutal and sometimes makes it hard to read (as a mom). Wilson does not shy away from gory details and ripping out your heart. As a mother, this one was really hard to read. On the flip side, Clytemnestra’s thought process was very relatable. I understood, and I was all for her actions. The amount of strength she shows for her children is amazing. She goes through so much heartbreak and pain.

I’ve read quite a few retellings and know the gist of this story. I was very impressed with how Wilson drew me in and made me feel like this was a whole new story. I enjoyed seeing this perspective to Clytemnestra.

Overall, I enjoyed this! Before you jump in, check out some of the trigger warnings because it’s a brutal and intense book. The amazing writing and pace have you fly through this one because you can’t stop turning the pages! I can’t wait for the sequel!

Wilson plays fast and loose with family trees, timelines, and characterization, but I wouldn’t have minded as much had these changes led to an interesting take on Clytemnestra’s story. I enjoyed seeing her relationships with her children, but so much of this is just meandering or not worth being retold in this way—I hate adaptations that give Aegisthus a less passive role in Agamemnon’s downfall (here, he “lost no time in trying to persuade [her] to overthrow Agamemnon”) and ones that remove Clytemnestra’s wider family from the story (Helen is an important character in Clytemnestra’s story and we don’t even see them as children together!). These are more common tropes of this type of retelling, but I think the changes Wilson made are even worse.

In this version, Aegisthus is Agamemnon and Menelaus’ brother—why does Clytemnestra actually fall in love with him (I could believe her pretending to for her end goals, but she ACTUALLY loves him)? Why is Menelaus portrayed as a shy, sensitive little brother who just wants to make Clytemnestra feel better and had to ~repress his emotions~ for Agamemnon’s sake? With such a huge focus on her relationships with her family, why not open with her childhood and see her sibling and parental relationships? Why skip over so much of the year(ish) she gets with Tantalus (as opposed to what happens, which is her occasionally reminiscing—less effective than us actually reading these scenes in the beginning).

I had high hopes for this, but I think most of the changes were unnecessary and it was incredibly frustrating. It wouldn’t be hard to focus on familial bonds in Clytemnestra’s story while keeping the family trees, timelines, and characterization consistent within the story AND the original myths.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

In a sea of mythological retellings, did we need yet another Clytemnestra story? It turns out we did! Clytemnestra's Bind is an incredibly well written saga - the first in a series about the women whose lives are upended by the Trojan War. This one tells the story from the perspective of Queen Clytemnestra, sister of Helen and wife of Agamemnon., delving deep in to the tale of her tragic life. Wilson goes all the way back, to her first marriage, forced second marriage to Agamemnon after he murders her first husband and child, and the raising of her children to a father who only wants sons. Clytemnestra's strength of character carries this book through its end, and keeps the reader invested as each new tragedy emerges. As she evolves throughout the story, I appreciated that at heart she remained a mother, and her relationship with each of her children was showcased. Watching as they turn against her, and as her husband destroys all she holds dear, you can feel her desperation, rage, and need for vengeance. She provokes a lot of emotions for murdering her husband on his return from Troy, but this book provides a clear understanding of the motive that drove her to such an act. The book ends as the war begins, and the next in the series involves Helen. I am interested to read Wilson's take on the woman most famous for her beauty.

Thank you to Netgalley and Neem Tree Press for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

The prelude to Clytemnestra’s Bind immediately sets the overall tone of the book. Readers will lay witness to the atrocities leading to the family curse, and the seemingly never-ending cycle of revenge. What begins as a horrific meal unfolds into a tale of brutality and neglect as Agamemnon reclaims his father’s throne and disposes of almost everyone Clytemnestra loves.

When Clytemnestra’s family is torn from her grasp and destroyed she becomes the shell of a woman. The emotional heartbreak she endures, while written elegantly, is torturous for the reader. Grief threatens to overwhelm Clytemnestra as she is forced into marriage with Agamemnon. Yet a small thread of hope rests within her. A hope that she will be able to break the curse of revenge.

Susan C. Wilson does not shy away from the abuse and trauma Clytemnestra and her children endure. Living in a society that does not see women as equals, but as objects to be used to better future gains is horrifying. Clytemnestra has no true power, but she does all she can to protect her children. The depth of love she has for them is clearly seen, as is the pain she feels when they experience the wrath of their father and his brutality.

Clytemnestra’s Bind is a read for those interested in Greek retellings and stories leading up to Troy. While it is tragic and deals with many harder hitting themes, this story is expertly crafted and the words flow across the page.

I haven't read the Illiad and only knew parts of the story, specifically the part with the Trojan war. So this book was kind of my introduction to the other characters in Helen and Menelaus family.
The writing is pretty standard and the character building, quite straightforward. There were parts where the story got interesting and drew me in, and then there were times I got so bored, I wanted it to be over soon. Lots of highs and lows there. Overall, this is a pretty engaging read.
Since I read an advanced reviewers' copy, I am hoping that the tedious parts have been edited out in the final draft.
Rating this 3.5/5

So I am a sucker for a Clytemnestra Retelling, and oh my gods, this book did not disappoint! I absolutely loved it, such a passionate and raw view of the story of Clymtementsra. We follow her as she's thrown into the horrible life of being married to Agamemnon, see her birth her first daughter and see her deal with her unrully daughter Electra. The harsh contrast of Electra and Iphigenia was so fun to read, in other retellings the older wasn't really focused on and the younger was more of a focus, here we got an equel view. As well as a unique view of Clytemnestra's relationship with Aegisthus, we see him a protective noble man instead of a quiet tool in helping her get her revenge. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recomend it to anyone who loves Greek Mythology and historical fiction.