Clytemenestra, wife of Agamemnon, who in the Greek tragic plays The Oresteia by Aeschylus is demonized as a power-hungry disgraceful murderess, here is given a voice and personhood by author Constanza Casati. She breathes humanity into the title character as a multi-faceted thinking and feeling woman who defines her own story. She faces physical and emotional abuse, beset by one tragedy after another, but she is both strong and resilient. She is also consumed by vengeance, impacting her role as ruler, mother, and lover. Cassati's Clytemenestra is a woman warrior in a world of unspeakable cruelties delivered by men celebrated by Homer as heroes who are noble, brave, and good. Clytemenestra shines a light on women's body politics in Ancient Greece, and how not all "heroes" behave heroically.

Recommended for those who are fans of the retelling of Greek epics from the perspectives of the women, like Circe by Madeline Miller or Ariadne by Jennifer Saint.

Juhea Kim's "Beasts of a Little Land" reminds me in some ways of Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" but with much more vivid and captivating characters. Not being familiar with Korean history, it was an eye-opener learning about the Japanese occupation. Kim captures the brutality of colonialism and its costs to subjects – the Korean body as an object of use – physical labor for men, sex for women, and the starvation and death that leads to orphans (JungHo) and girls sold into courtesan-ship (Jade). Introduced to a suite of characters from various levels of Korean and Japanese society, we see individuals at once subject to forces larger than themselves (even the Japanese officers) but finding agency within existing structures in order to survive, oftentimes in morally questionable ways. Kim raises the question through her character-development, what would you do if faced with these circumstances? The two primary protagonists Jade and JungHo remain at the core of Kim's storytelling, leaving and entering each other's lives like stars in orbit, but leaving an indelible footprint on each other, finding at times joy, heartbreak, and human connection in life-altering circumstances. I would highly recommend reading "Beasts of a Little Land", and to note, Kim's ending was one of the most well-executed and beautiful endings in fiction I have ever read. Looking forward to reading more of her work.

I really enjoyed Ariadne and the author's character development. I also appreciated how she used Ariadne as a vehicle to understand the experience of girls, women, and mothers, whether mythical or human. Growing up reading Greek myths, I didn't "see" the peripheralization of females in myths or the patriarchal structure of society for humans and gods alike. From reading Ariadne as well as Circe, my adult mind is "see"ing what I didn't when I was younger. Ariadne covers the gambit in terms of the challenges, interests, and desires of women, given societal restrictions in ancient Greece, and the flightiness as well as vengeance of the gods. I feel like Jennifer Saint acknowledges the place of women in Ancient Greek society (and perhaps a reflection into today) as objects used, disposable, like Medusa. Women and their bodies (or parts) are paraded for male heroes to show their pride, strength, and glory. Women are conquered. Women have very little rights. Women are meant to serve in domestic roles keeping house and bearing/raising children. But even then, there's an ever-present threat from men or gods, of domestic violence and even infanticide. Saint goes a step further, she speaks to the experience of postpartum depression, something that women feel the need to hide or be ashamed of, in ancient Greece or today. And yet, Saint also speaks to the agency women find in their daily lives - that they aren't hollow vessels to be used, but full of strength, desire, intelligence, and action. For me, a standout display of this agency (and protest) was when Ariadne decided to use the loom to weave a pattern of her choosing, rather than a wedding scene dedicated to Hera. I would definitely recommend Ariadne to other readers.

It is a challenge to say anything about the novel Piranesi without giving the plot away. If you enjoy thinking outside of the box, wondering at the possibilities the world, this treatise on "what could be" is for you. While the numeric identification of the halls in the novel can be tedious, you really do get insight into mind frame of the narrator and protagonist, Piranesi, and the enduring power of the human spirit to see goodness in the world. Stick with it - this is a short read but a gem. Think "Memento" meets Ariadne in the labyrinth.

I am so glad I stuck with this book, after the first chapter or so. This is a tale of a pre-teen Canadian girl named Kay growing up in the changing world of the early 20th century, grappling with where she belongs. While aboard a trade ship voyage across the world with her sister Thea and brother-in-law Francis she gets to visit people and places most do not, which helps to shape her worldview as she grows. It also helps create a contrast to which she can unpack her childhood spent with her missionary father, and sister, at a school for indigenous children in Canada.

This novel strikes me as a morality tale, as the protagonists grapple with difficult questions about what is right and wrong, and acknowledging that the decisions you make impact others lives. Thea, who has such certainty in what she has been taught and presents it as such, finds it difficult to outwardly show she has doubts. But the author also does a good job showing the societal muffling of women's voices, feelings, and even physical distress during this time, for the sake of what was then considered proper and womanly.

My initial worry in the first few pages of reading was that there would be a glorification of the righteous white savior coming to save the soul of the "noble savage" (a very problematic and erroneous anachronism). But the author is honest about the realities of European colonialism for indigenous populations and many disturbing outcomes, like culture/language loss, family upheaval, slavery, institutional racism, disease, starvation, etc.

I do wish a first-person narrative from Aren, Kay's brother, was included, but I would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn more about early 20th century history, the cultures of the South Pacific, and those willing to question their own perceptions.

I really enjoyed the Paris Hours. The author did an exquisite job developing the individual narratives of the characters while also interweaving them together. I also liked that the celebrity guest spots of famous Parisians or wanna-be Parisians of the likes of Maurice Ravel, Josephine Baker, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein, which set the atmosphere of the teens and twenties in Paris. The film "Midnight in Paris" paints an almost too rosy picture of life at this time (while acknowledging the protagonist's guilding of it), but Alex George emphasizes its stark realities. He captures the horrors of World War I, Jim Crow laws in the US, the Armenian genocide, gender inequality, etc. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes historic fiction but is also willing to challenge themselves to feel uncomfortable with the past and reflect on what has or hasn't changed in the present.