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A review by gnomereader
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
"You must see what is around you and learn to bend it to your will before you are the one who is bent."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It took me a little time after finishing this to just sit with it before I attempted to write my thoughts out. I absolutely LOVED this book. It was so emotional and so incredibly beautiful in the nuances of the writing. Clytemnestra is a character in Greek mythology that I think is misunderstood.
Often with mythology and retellings, stories tend to be shaped and shared with bias, depending on who is telling it. A lot of the time, men are the heroes and the stories are told from their perspectives. The trials they face and the hardships they experience by the hands of the gods are seen as worthy reasons for their actions and they end up praised in the end. Women in mythology are overlooked a lot of the time, or even villainized for just existing.
Costanza Casati turned this formula on its head and allowed the women of the stories to shine. Clytemnestra is one of the strongest female protagonists I have had the pleasure of reading about recently. This book really dives into what she went through and how that influenced her decisions as she moves through her own story. More than just the actions and consequences that follow, this really showed her emotional and mental anguish and reasoning in a way that I felt I could relate to, despite the fact that her world view and experiences are nothing like things I experience in my own life.
I am a fan of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes, and Costanza Casati fits right in with these other amazing authors. I loved the way Clytemnestra's story coincides with books like Circe, Song of Achilles (Madaline Miller), and A Thousand Ships (Natalie Haynes). It was so cool to see the "behind the scenes" of more known events, like the Trojan war, from this new perspective.
Ultimately I have nothing but praise and I could go on forever about it, but I'll end my thoughts with this: if you love mythology as much as I do, don't sleep on this book. It was incredible and it will stick with me for a long while. This is a book I will happily read again, if only to remind myself that there is always more than one side to every story.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It is noble to be gentle, to save others from pain. But it is also dangerous. Sometimes you have to make life difficult for others before they make it impossible for you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It took me a little time after finishing this to just sit with it before I attempted to write my thoughts out. I absolutely LOVED this book. It was so emotional and so incredibly beautiful in the nuances of the writing. Clytemnestra is a character in Greek mythology that I think is misunderstood.
Often with mythology and retellings, stories tend to be shaped and shared with bias, depending on who is telling it. A lot of the time, men are the heroes and the stories are told from their perspectives. The trials they face and the hardships they experience by the hands of the gods are seen as worthy reasons for their actions and they end up praised in the end. Women in mythology are overlooked a lot of the time, or even villainized for just existing.
Costanza Casati turned this formula on its head and allowed the women of the stories to shine. Clytemnestra is one of the strongest female protagonists I have had the pleasure of reading about recently. This book really dives into what she went through and how that influenced her decisions as she moves through her own story. More than just the actions and consequences that follow, this really showed her emotional and mental anguish and reasoning in a way that I felt I could relate to, despite the fact that her world view and experiences are nothing like things I experience in my own life.
I am a fan of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes, and Costanza Casati fits right in with these other amazing authors. I loved the way Clytemnestra's story coincides with books like Circe, Song of Achilles (Madaline Miller), and A Thousand Ships (Natalie Haynes). It was so cool to see the "behind the scenes" of more known events, like the Trojan war, from this new perspective.
Ultimately I have nothing but praise and I could go on forever about it, but I'll end my thoughts with this: if you love mythology as much as I do, don't sleep on this book. It was incredible and it will stick with me for a long while. This is a book I will happily read again, if only to remind myself that there is always more than one side to every story.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It is noble to be gentle, to save others from pain. But it is also dangerous. Sometimes you have to make life difficult for others before they make it impossible for you."