Overall, what do you think of Clytemnestra? (no spoilers)

Overall, what do you think of Clytemnestra? (no spoilers)

I want to say this book was excellent, wonderful writing, a retelling of a story from Greek Mythology. Who would not like Clytemnestra? A strong woman waiting for her time to take revenge on someone who wronged her. A book that was hard to put down and it kept my attention from the first page to the last. I highly recommend, bookclubs will have a lot to discuss.

I loved this novel from start to finish. I was caught up in the story and the fine writing, and felt immersed in a world and culture that was foreign to me. And since I began the book looking forward to reading about that “evil husband-murdering queen” and wound up feeling quite different and sympathetic to her, I’d say brava to the author for that! It’s a terrific novel that I’d recommend to anyone.

Many readers of mythology do not view Clytemnestra as a sympathetic figure, but Costanza Casati presents her, in my opinion, as "more sinned against than sinning," and as a result of this depiction many of us will see another side of this ogre. Casati has written a page turner that even readers who know the story will hesitate to read the ending.

I loved this book. I think it is a good retelling of Clytemnestra's story. Constanza Casati certainly presents her as a sympathetic figure - a victim and yet a strong, resilient, woman. In other tellings she is describe as a monstrous person who killed her husband only to be killed by her children. In this rendition, the whys of what she did are explored - did she exercise revenge or justice? I think justice!

I enjoyed the book. I particularly liked the way the author developed the changing nature of the characters and the changing nature of their relationships with one another.

I totally agree with Maggie. Clytemnestra was very well written. The author made ancient Sparta and its citizens come alive. The portrayal of both major characters and the variety of minor characters made for a rich experience of the time. This version of Clytemnestra complements Aeschylus wonderfully.

A story of a strong women whose life is continually ruined by the actions of tyrants. I loved Clytemnestra's story. While life in Sparta and ancient Greece was often violent and uncivilized, I cheered for this passionate and self-righteous women from start to finish. This is an excellent book.

I very much enjoyed the novel because I liked the title character. I think the author did a great job of bringing her to life without making her seem unrealistic within the context of her own time.

While I appreciated the writing and the author's ability to intertwine multiple characters yet make each an individual, this type of novel in which the characters and society involve so much confusion, guilt, destruction, family turmoil, brutalized victims, vigilante type justice, and bloodshed is not my favorite theme or mood or plot.

This was one of my favorite books of the year. I love mythology and the author made Clytemnestra come alive. For a 500 (almost) page book I flew through it because of the story and the writing style - Short sentences where every word counted. Dialogue so pertinent to the speaker and situation.

I totally enjoyed reading this retelling of a myth I had read many years ago. (As I’m 91 years old I feel I could have been there.)

The author did an excellent job.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I was particularly impressed with the level of detail in the day-to-day life of the main characters. The title character is often relegated to a one or two-sentence description but here, she is fleshed out to be a complete being with feelings and needs.

I think Costanza Casati did a wonderful job of presenting this story. Her detail and depth of describing the characters and scenes is very well done. I enjoyed this novel and appreciated the listing of characters in the front of the book.

I loved this book. From the first page, I was engaged with the characters. I not only loved Clytemnestra herself, but I loved how the other women were portrayed too, Helen, Penelope, Elektra…

I appreciate what the author is doing in this book, but I must say that I didn't love the book. I entered my "reading time" with this book each time with a bit of trepidation.... what awful thing is going to happen now? But I did appreciate the writing style and how we thoroughly entered into the mindset of this complicated woman, a woman who has been demonized through history, yet was acting bravely in a cruel world.

I loved this book and how it told a story many are familiar with in a different light. The author brought Clytemnestra to life with wonderful writing providing a look into why she does what she does, for herself and her children. I finished the book in just a couple of days. I loved how other stories were touched on, Helen, Penelope, Trojan War, etc. It was a book about humans in the Greek mythology which is not a perspective I have seen often.

I think Clytemnestra was somewhat inconsistent. It was said that she cared more for others than she did herself, but I didn't actually believe that. I didn't see it in her character beyond how she protected her family. I never learned what she did as queen to help her people--did she care about their lives, their health, their needs? We do know she thought it was boring to hold audience with the people, but we never learned what the people needed and what she dis to help them. Her entire mental landscape was about being stronger than others, jockeying for power, and revenge.

The novel mentions in a couple of places that in the absence of her husband she ruled wisely and increased the prosperity of her city-state. We don’t see that in action, because that was not the focus of the myth. But the first time she entered the palace, her first act was to protect a young woman, Aileen. And we see her challenge a merchant who was cheating by taking compensation for trade losses but selling his goods to Troy.She could have had him executed but chose not to. I don’t see her as completely self-centered.

I loved Clytemnestra. The writing was excellent, the characters were three dimensional, and the writing style was really interesting. I enjoyed that the story was shown as snapshots throughout her life. This was a great story that showcased a powerful and hated woman who would go to any lengths to get revenge on a man that wronged her.

I prefer the myth to this story.

Janet,
Curious why?

I loved every page of this fascinating story about Clytemnestra. She was a smart, strong, fierce royal living in ancient Greece who sustained unbearable losses and betrayal.

I loved this book and read it over a day and a half while on vacation - couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed reading Greek mythology when I was younger and found that the author’s strong development of Clymenstra’s character provided a great way to contrast other legendary figures and their personal stories and vulnerabilities. I would like to read other books by this author.

It's hard to say that a book on this subject is "enjoyable" but it was a good read about someone who doesn't appear regularly in Greek/Roman mythology. Clytemnestra was fierce and furious, yet loving and caring when it came to her family and lover and, although the story is bloody horrible it speaks to a character who is trying to balance mother/daughter/queen/wife and roles similar to those that contemporary women juggle (well, maybe not queen...).

The book gives backstories of many characters who are not often included in tales of this nature, and the other faces of those Greeks who appear in most stories about their tribes: Odysseus, Leda, Menelaus, Tantalus, Timandra, Aegisthus and others.
It was well-written and moved quickly, leaving me wanting more.