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withlivjones's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
There were definitely parts I liked about this book! I thought the development of Orestes’ character was really interesting, how he is only ever wanted when he’s useful for something and he’s often tasked with doing the dirty work, and how that affects his perception of himself and the world. I also really liked the complex relationship between Clytemnestra and Electra, who are two characters with similar temperaments but very different beliefs and goals, and I wish we spent more time in their POVs.
Things I didn’t like so much? I thought that the pacing and the timeline was all over the place - it didn’t feel like ten years passed while Agamemnon was at war, and it was very unclear just how old Orestes is after everything happens to him, he is still portrayed as being very young after so many years have presumably passed. There is a lot of divergence from the original stories, which I typically wouldn’t mind with retellings, but I did mind the fact that Pylades is completely erased from the story :( according to Aristophanes the Grammarian Pylades is the best character in the myth, you can’t just get rid of him! I also just felt like there wasn’t any satisfying conclusion, the book just… ended.
Overall, the prose is lovely and the characters are developed and interesting, some parts of the book are very dark so check content warnings before reading. I just don’t think this is a book I’m going to be thinking about for weeks afterwards.
Things I didn’t like so much? I thought that the pacing and the timeline was all over the place - it didn’t feel like ten years passed while Agamemnon was at war, and it was very unclear just how old Orestes is after everything happens to him, he is still portrayed as being very young after so many years have presumably passed. There is a lot of divergence from the original stories, which I typically wouldn’t mind with retellings, but I did mind the fact that Pylades is completely erased from the story :( according to Aristophanes the Grammarian Pylades is the best character in the myth, you can’t just get rid of him! I also just felt like there wasn’t any satisfying conclusion, the book just… ended.
Overall, the prose is lovely and the characters are developed and interesting, some parts of the book are very dark so check content warnings before reading. I just don’t think this is a book I’m going to be thinking about for weeks afterwards.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Blood, and Violence
fvreads's review
adventurous
dark
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Torture, Rape, War, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The first chapter from Clytemnestra's pov is good but the rest is punishingly slow, boring, and devoid of emotion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Rape and Grief
sab_eth's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder, and Animal death
grisgrisgris's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
jmullins21's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, and War
selkelite's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, and Animal death
Minor: Rape
srm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
I love watching this story unfold in such close narration from these three characters-- Clytemnestra, Elektra, and especially Orestes. Toibin's writing is lovely. I really wanted the story to just keep going and going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Rape, and War
megelissag's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Really strong start (incredible retelling honestly, from Clytemnestra's POV) but then devolved into a muddy, esoteric slog in the latter sections. He's an incredibly gifted writer, but I still didn't get the questions answered that I really thought were universal, to anyone fascinated with this section of mythology: WHY did Electra take her father's side? HOW does she grow up fiercely idolizing the man who murdered her sister? There's very little exploration of that (or Electra herself) in the book other than some half-hearted comparison of her to her mother's cold, masterful political prowess in the end. It can't just be "she didn't know the truth." There is so much rage in Electra's voice, but no real attention devoted to the foundations of her personality, the things inside her heart that made her that way.
I also think, truthfully, that any take on this story that prioritizes the men's feelings over the women's, is automatically unnecessary. It's been like a thousand years, how is it that there is still no satisfying novel about this mother and her daughters? To kill in revenge for one, only to be betrayed and killed by her second daughter? THAT'S the story I'm interested in, and it's not necessarily the author's fault that it's not the book he wrote, but it made it difficult to wade through the last two-thirds of this. Particularly the sections from Orestes' POV, which were sparsely narrated and a bit boring, honestly. (Although I will say it's super interesting to characterize him as a tragically naïve, manipulated child.)
Also? <Spoiler>Fucking bullshit that he let Aegisthus live, especially since he re-characterized the story to give him MORE power, and Clytemnestra LESS. Sure, realistic, but fuck off, dude!!!
Great political worldbuilding, though. Really if you just read the first section and stop there it's fucking brilliant. This story remains heartwrenching no matter how many takes I read on it.
I also think, truthfully, that any take on this story that prioritizes the men's feelings over the women's, is automatically unnecessary. It's been like a thousand years, how is it that there is still no satisfying novel about this mother and her daughters? To kill in revenge for one, only to be betrayed and killed by her second daughter? THAT'S the story I'm interested in, and it's not necessarily the author's fault that it's not the book he wrote, but it made it difficult to wade through the last two-thirds of this. Particularly the sections from Orestes' POV, which were sparsely narrated and a bit boring, honestly. (Although I will say it's super interesting to characterize him as a tragically naïve, manipulated child.)
Also? <Spoiler>Fucking bullshit that he let Aegisthus live, especially since he re-characterized the story to give him MORE power, and Clytemnestra LESS. Sure, realistic, but fuck off, dude!!!
Great political worldbuilding, though. Really if you just read the first section and stop there it's fucking brilliant. This story remains heartwrenching no matter how many takes I read on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Rape and Kidnapping
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