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A review by sol_journal
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
4.0
Thank you NetGallery for the chance at an arc!
4.2 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.
The pacing for this book was a bit strange. At some points, especially in the beginning, it was slow and as the reader goes through Clytrmnestra’s life, there are varying lengths of skips in time to progress to different chapters of it. This slow pacing at first, though, is also due to the heavier introduction to the princesses in Sparta and how Clytemnestra grew to become who she was later in life.
That’s something I thoroughly enjoyed about this book as well though- the peak into Princess Clytemnestra’s life that detailed truly who she was growing up and how these life events totaled up to her being the Queen of Mycenae that she was by the end.
What Costanza Casati did so beautifully is give life to Clytemnestra and the people who directly affected her. We see how bonded she was to Helen before lies and love slipped in between. We see how her mother builds them to be strong even if it’s not all good progress forward. We see her connections to her brothers, her other sisters, how she handles her pain and her traumas, and how she sharpens her blades for retribution.
I’m biased because I always felt Clytemnestra’s rage even when I read the Oresteia for the first time. In my Greek and Roman Tragedies class, I was one of the few if not the only student who defended the queen in my essay and class discussions. So to see this version of Clytemnestra painted out, the one that is justified in taking matters into her hands- I fell in love with it all. Costanza Casati truly did an amazing job capturing everything spiteful me imagined Clytemnestra being.
4.2 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.
The pacing for this book was a bit strange. At some points, especially in the beginning, it was slow and as the reader goes through Clytrmnestra’s life, there are varying lengths of skips in time to progress to different chapters of it. This slow pacing at first, though, is also due to the heavier introduction to the princesses in Sparta and how Clytemnestra grew to become who she was later in life.
That’s something I thoroughly enjoyed about this book as well though- the peak into Princess Clytemnestra’s life that detailed truly who she was growing up and how these life events totaled up to her being the Queen of Mycenae that she was by the end.
What Costanza Casati did so beautifully is give life to Clytemnestra and the people who directly affected her. We see how bonded she was to Helen before lies and love slipped in between. We see how her mother builds them to be strong even if it’s not all good progress forward. We see her connections to her brothers, her other sisters, how she handles her pain and her traumas, and how she sharpens her blades for retribution.
I’m biased because I always felt Clytemnestra’s rage even when I read the Oresteia for the first time. In my Greek and Roman Tragedies class, I was one of the few if not the only student who defended the queen in my essay and class discussions. So to see this version of Clytemnestra painted out, the one that is justified in taking matters into her hands- I fell in love with it all. Costanza Casati truly did an amazing job capturing everything spiteful me imagined Clytemnestra being.