Reviews

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

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beanpod's review against another edition

4.0

I love modern works on the Greek myths, especially around the Iliad and Odyssey. This take on the tales of Paris and Helen, the Agamemnon’s call to war, and the Orestaia is really thought provoking. All tales are told from the perspective of the women. But also from the perspective of women looking at other women and themselves. To flesh out these major characters and give their lives and actions pain and purpose is a beautiful idea. As is making the men such minor characters. Who knew that I would identify most with Clytemnestra?

tourmaline1703's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have been reading many mythological or historical retellings recently because I adoe these influences on literature, and this was another great mythological retelling. Blending the stories of the Trojan War and Orestes whilst recentering the story onto Clytemnestra, Cassandraand Elektra, Jennifer Saint creates an emotional exploration of grief, family and revenge in 'Elektra.' The worldbuilding is great, and accessible to anyone, whether or not you have previous knowledge of Greek myth.

The writing is descriptive and engaging, allowing you to truly feel the characters' emotions as their lives are turned upside down. The story is told from the three women's point of view, and each character's personality and feelings are distinguishable from the way Saint writes in each of their chapters. The contrast between mourning in sadness, in Cassandra's case, tothe vengeful grieving of Elektra and Clytemnestra is beautifully shown.

I found the plot to be well paced and intriguing, urging you to turn the page and see how everything unfolded. I thought the multiple perspectives were very effective and allowed the timeline to be clear, whilst building suspense for when the stories finally intertwined. I liked the characters as they were well developed and their relationships to each other were interesting.

Whilst this was a great book, I couldn't fully invest myself in it and I felt like I wasn't completely hooked. It is undoubtedly an emotional story, but perhaps due to my prior knowledge, the tension wasn't as tense for me and I didn't feel as upset or shocked at certain actions.

Content Warnings

mandygollaher's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If I hadn't recently finished Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra this might be more of a four star read rather than a three star but unfortunately, because I loved Casati's portrayal of that character so much, it was hard to read this weaker version. I mainly picked up Elektra because it typically makes it onto most historians' lists of "Best Greek Mythological Retellings" and because Elektra's character in Casati's book was interesting and mysterious and I was curious where her story ended up. Also, Clytemnestra cuts off right after a big event happens and it didn't quite feel like her story was concluded. While Elektra certainly clarifies how Elektra is feeling, I kind of wish I didn't know.

This book follows three perspectives: Clytemnestra (Agamemnon's wife), Elektra (Clytemnestra's second-oldest daughter) and Cassandra (a Trojan princess taken as a slave by Agamemnon after the Trojan War). Cassandra's perspective was the newest and therefore the most interesting POV for me personally and she was definitely the easiest character to sympathize with in this book because DAMN, Jennifer Saint makes both Elektra and her mom borderline unbearable in this book. Clytemnestra is duped and done dirty by Agamemnon, (obviously, because, say it with me everybody: "AGAMEMNON SUCKS") and falls into a pit of despair that turns into a need for revenge so strong that it makes her completely ignore her other children. Meanwhile, Elektra is so #RideOrDie Agamemnon that she lacks a single ounce of sympathy for her mother who just saw her first-born child murdered.

Elektra is suffering from some big brain-washing / Daddy issues throughout this entire story and honestly, the discomfort of those sections where she gets jealous of Agamemnon's concubines and slaves because "at least they get to be in his presence" made this a difficult audiobook to pick up sometimes. She also does her best friend so dirty in this book and she just... ugh... I know it's wrong to be anti-women but sometimes there are women who are awful and brainwashed and staunchly anti-women themselves I have no pity for them. Elektra is awful and when she finally realizes at the end that nobody, not even Agamemnon's own brother, actually misses him very much, I was bitterly satisfied.

At the end of the day, I'm choosing to believe that Casati's Clytemnestra is canon, Elektra sucks, Agamemnon is Greek Mythologies greatest villain, and Cassandra deserved better.

henrymarlene's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

danaesb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No

3.0

The Trojan War told from the perspectives of 3 different women - Cassandra, Clytemnestra & Elektra. It gives a different perspective of the war than other retellings that I have read and was interesting.

If you want a Greek mythology read that is fairly easy, this book is very straightforward and the chapters are short and easy to get through.