Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

49 reviews

snikhtha's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

The writing is blunt and on the nose, but I thought it worked well for a retelling set in Ancient Greece. It was a slow pace but only slogged in the first bit of the book.

My main issue with this story is that it stopped before getting to the end of Clytemenstra's life. It stopped before we really got to see the fallout of what she did, and it felt like we stopped in the middle of her arc right before things got juicy. I think it would've been more interesting to see what her mantra of "better to be hated than forgotten" ends up costing her and why she's okay with losing those thing rather than ending on what felt like a "high note".

It's a good book, but if it dived into the latter part of Clytemenstra's life (especially her relationship with Elektra) it would've been excellent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Child death and Child abuse

garnethalo's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

In Jennifer Saint's Elektra, I understood the daughter. Now in Costanza Casati's book, I understand the mother, Clytemnestra. A wonderful read that had me turning the next page with both anticipation and wariness.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Suicide, and Slavery

Minor: Death, Sexual assault, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Alcohol, Rape, Physical abuse, and War

A Greek myth retold. Surrounding the Trojan war. It is a Greek tragedy! Comes with the usual Greek tragedy warnings.

just_one_more_chapter_ok's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An much needed sympathetic take on one of Greek mythology's most reviled women.  From the first time I read the story of Clytemnestra I didn't understand why she was painted as the villain.  While she might be morally ambiguous, she isn't the villain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Slavery, Grief, and Sexual violence

animebloodqueen's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, War, and Suicidal thoughts

emlawley's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Gosh, what a book. I love this feminist, woman-focused retelling of this story and character. It's so important to read these perspectives on the Greek Queens and ruling families, especially as they were treated so apallingly. The book was gut-wrenching in many places - I had to put it down to properly cry at times. It is a tale of overcoming adversity and, fankly, an atrocious situation. It was wonderful to get such an insight into Clytemnestra's character and personality. It addresses lots of difficult subject matter but it written masterfully. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Child death, Child abuse, Slavery, and Sexual assault

acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

 This book was so incredible that I finished all but the last two chapters in one sitting. I truly couldn't put it down. It embodies the "I support women's rights and women's wrongs" trope with the perfect blend of strong female characters and female rage. 10/10. I will absolutely be revisiting this one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Slavery, War, Grief, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, and Alcoholism

Minor: Animal death and Death of parent

sherri_berri's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

Quite good overall! I enjoyed the writing style & indepth characterisations, but there were a few marrative choices that felt jarring to me (namely the pacing felt off due to the

15 year gap and the abrupt changes in POV

). Nonethless, this book certainly made me feel for Clytemnestra and the women in ancient greek mythology, and held my attention (no easy feat) during the faster paced chapters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Child death, and Sexism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Rape, and Classism

Minor: War

cele3222's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Ooosh oosh Ooosh its an epic story
Well written thats fo sure 
Brutal, bloody ,and pulled on my heart strings at times :''''( , the whole thing is pretty dark and twisted and spiteful, vengeance and all the things that make up stories from the Greeks 
Definitely darker than Circe or song of Achilles. But also deffo pulled some of the different myths I had read about together, like w helen /Troy and Achilles and stuff.
I had to Google what happened to her after the end of the book, oosh, makes me want to read Electra.
It was deffo one of the better/bestest retellings I've read of greek myths. 
Layered complicated personal and very human characters . We really understand clythemnestra and why she did what she did... 
I'm glad there were some strands that were not full of hate though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Murder, Grief, Rape, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Child death

kayla980's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The choppy sentence structure took a while to get used to, but the story overall was told well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: War, Rape, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

raebae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, War, Violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Confinement, Alcohol, Murder, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Gore, Cannibalism, Blood, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Child death, and Sexual harassment