motherbooker's reviews
536 reviews

My Dad the Game Master by Kira Salgy

4.0

Mooncakes Collector's Edition by Suzanne Walker

4.0

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves—The Feast of the Moon by Jeremy Lambert

3.0

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

3.5

Another book in the long list of Greek mythology retellings that focuses on an underrepresented female figure. Or in this case three female figures. It tells the story of Elektra, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. We also get to see the perspectives of her mother and Cassandra, a Trojan princess who will become entangled in their lives. Having just read Clytemnestra, I was interested to experience more of the story from Elektra's point of view. I was also happy to see Cassandra having a bigger part because I've always thought she was a fascinating figure. Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy but cursed her so nobody would believe her. Meaning she was the only one who saw the fall of Troy coming but couldn't do anything to prevent it. Ignored by her father, Cassandra could only sit and watch as Paris brought about the destruction of her family and her city. Women everywhere can relate.

Jennifer Saint brings together the perspectives of these three women to tell the story of Agamemnon beyond the Trojan War. Elektra is a devoted daughter who has fallen for the trap of the patriarchy. She sees his actions as righteous and wants him to come home to her. Unlike her mother, Elektra believes that the death of her older sister was an honour and a necessary deed to help the war effort. Her mother, Clytemnestra, doesn't see it like that. Instead, she goes against her husband and starts plotting against him. She also wants him to come home but for very different reasons. Reasons that Cassandra has already foreseen. She knows what will happen to Agamemnon and what will happen to her. Unfortunately, she can't stop it and can only watch it unfold.

Ariadne didn't blow me away, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book. It started well and I liked the switch between perspectives. Partly because I didn't really engage with Elektra's character. Cassandra and Clytemnestra are the more interesting characters, so the end of the book really slowed for me. We were just stuck in Elektra's revenge story and I didn't care about it. I get that she was the loyal daughter in a patriarchal society. However, she just seemed cold. I think there could have been room to give more to the character. Yes, it plays up the Electra complex but I still don't think it goes far enough. There are a couple of references to wanting her father's arms around her and being jealous of Cassandra but it felt like an afterthought. There wasn't even any insight into the consequences of the patriarchy. We don't see Elektra respond to her own sister's death. I just wanted more from her.

It was a similar way that I felt about Ariadne. It wasn't a bad book but it didn't feel very ambitious. It didn't really try and do anything new or different. There are so many retellings of Greek mythology these days; some of them do really refreshing things. This just felt too traditional in scope. It didn't want to deviate from the original myths but then why bother rewriting it? If you're tackling this material then you need to add something new. Help a modern audience understand these characters. Elektra is just too outdated to be engaging. Either take her much further or make your readers sympathetic to her situation. Instead, she's just an annoying young woman who doesn't really try to understand anything. Just because she's not a typically good character doesn't mean you can't make her sympathetic.

When I first started reading this, I was sure it was an improvement on the last Jennifer Saint book I read but it just didn't happen. There are so many other examples of this story that this just falls a bit short. This is always going to happen when the market is so oversaturated and, unfortunately, Jennifer Saint isn't offering anything that unique. It's a massive shame considering how good her writing is. If this had just been a full story about Cassandra or Clytemnestra then I'd be all over it. Hell, I think there's something to be said about writing a book from Agamemnon's perspective. However, Elektra just wasn't a character I was that bothered about. 

Garlic & the Witch by Bree Paulsen

5.0

Garlic & the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

5.0

Flock Horror by Jennifer Killick

3.5

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

4.0

If any female character from Greek mythology deserved a book of their own, then it's Clytemnestra right? A daughter of Sparta and the wife of Agamemnon. She was the mother of Iphigeneia, the girl sacrificed so Agamemnon's fleet could set sail for Troy. She was also the woman who murdered the great warrior. I mean, talk about drama. We all know what Clytemnestra did, but the reasoning is overlooked. As told in Costanza Casati, we see that she's a fascinating figure who went through a lot at the hands of her husband. Some sources include the fact that she had previously been married before Agamemnon decided he wanted her for himself. He then had her husband and son killed before forcing her into marriage. The fact that he made it to the Trojan War is something of a miracle if that's what he was guilty of.

Yes, there are a lot of feminist retellings of Greek mythology these days. I think Clytemnestra is an example of one of the good ones. It helps that she's such a great character. There are so many layers to her. It might just be that I was reading the wrong things, but I've always seen her described as cold and unemotional. Her murder of Agamemnon is never played as anything other than a betrayal from his wife and her lover. She is the cheating wife who wanted her husband out of the way. However, Casati flips the narrative and focuses on her emotional side. She still has her flaws, obviously. For one thing, her relationship with her second daughter is not great. However, she is much more sympathetic here.

The start of the story is the strongest as we get to see Clytemnestra in her happiest times. Everything seems perfect but we know that something terrible is waiting for her. Casati drags these moments out for as long as possible and it really pays off. When the inevitable happens, it's absolutely devastating. The action then jumps forward and we know we're about to get dropped into the biggest war the world had ever seen. From here, the pacing slows a little. I get that Clytemnestra is waiting for her husband to return but there's a lot of delaying. Once Iphigeneia has been killed, it's all a bit slow. Still, there's plenty to get your teeth into as Clytemnestra deals with her grief.

This book does an incredible job of flipping the typical narrative around this character. She is no longer a villain and an adulterer. Instead, her actions are completely understandable and you spend the whole book waiting for her to get her revenge. This is not just a modern retelling of this story but proof that perspective can have such a huge impact on history. Taken from the perspective of the patriarchy, Clytemnestra did something evil and unforgivable. From a modern perspective, she had immense restraint and courage. When we talk about needing more strong female characters in literature, this is what we mean. Yes, she's got physical strength to some extent, but it's more about her depth. There are so many layers to Clytemnestra's character that spending time in her head is enjoyable even when awful things are happening to her. 

Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson

5.0

It's an understatement to say that there have been quite a few mythology retellings in recent years. The market is pretty oversaturated. I love them but they are all starting to meld into one. The focus on the women in the stories is absolutely fantastic but they all sort of follow the same formula and I find myself more and more disappointed. So, I wasn't sure how I would feel about Herc. I was excited to get to grips with the character but I knew that it could go either way. Honestly, I had nothing to worry about. This book reignited my passion for these types of books. I didn't expect it but it was just so much to read. This is the kind of book that you get excited to pick up. The book that you think about all day and can't wait until you get home to read it again.

I do feel a bit guilty that my favourite mythology retelling this month has been the one focused on a man. However, I think Phoenicia Rogerson approached this in such a great way. We don't actually hear from the great hero and son of Zeus in the book. Instead, we learn of his exploits from the people around him. The book is split into chapters that are dedicated different characters' points of view. This could be his family, friends, lovers or enemies. We see a different side to the great man and it's not always the pretty picture we might be used to. Heracles is a fascinating figure and a great hero. He does so much that it's sometimes easy to forget his darker side. Many people will remember him for his great labours but not as many will remember the whole killing his wife and children bit. This book doesn't want you to forget that.

We see all sides of his personality here and it will be a big shock to anyone who mostly knows him from the Disney film. Heracles is a stubborn man but a brilliant one. He isn't the most intelligent or sensitive. However, there is something about him. He is popular with men and women alike and flits between lovers with ease. I love that you see so many sides of him and get to know a little about each narrator. Even though they're telling us about Herc, we get to know the people in his life. I would absolutely recommend listening to the audiobook because the various narrators do a great job of giving each character a distinct and fantastic personality through their performance. It's really well done and it brings the book to life.

This isn't the first modern retelling of these stories but it's the first that I can think of that's really leaned into it. Rogerson doesn't mess with the setting but she does take some liberties with the language. It's the kind of thing I would have said I'd hate. I didn't. I actually think the language makes this such a fun and easy read. It stood out from the other mythology-based books that I've read lately. It's not afraid to entertain and use some artistic license. A lot of these stories are silly and I find it a bit weird when retellings don't play with that. I'd love to see what Phoenicia Rogerson did with other characters. I can see that other people won't feel the same. Some die-hard fans won't appreciate how Herc's life plays out but that's fine. For me, this book was an absolute joy to read.

My only real issue was that the ending started to get a bit lost for me. There was just so much to get through and so many characters that it just got a bit much by the end. It's a shame because Herc's death should have been a bigger deal than it felt like it was in the book. Still, that's a minor thing and it didn't ruin my enjoyment. I don't think this is a perfect book but I do think it's a pretty perfect reading experience. Would I say the same thing if I hadn't listened to the audiobook? Who can say? It doesn't matter. The audiobook is well worth tracking down if you're interested in this one. 

Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes

4.0

I'm the first person to admit that I'm not the best non-fiction reader. I love the idea of reading more of it and I know that it would be good for me. I just don't have the right frame of mind to do it. It feels like such work, so I never really do it. I made an exception for this book because I really like Natalie Haynes. I'm also a big fan of Greek mythology and will take any opportunity to read more about it. In Pandora's Jar, she explores the portrayal of 10 female figures in Greek mythology. Using literary sources, she traces back the way that they have been represented over time. Most of the time, these women have been shown in a negative light or, at least, as second-class to the heroic men who take up so much space in these tales. Haynes gives these women their moment in the spotlight and finally tells their full story.
 

Natalie Haynes has a knack for making all of this so much fun and engaging. She breaks everything down in a way that's easy to listen to. Not only is she clearly passionate and very well informed on the subject. She is also funny and manages to bring humour into these stories in unexpected ways. Listening to her narrate this book was absolutely the best way to consume it. She brings everything to life. Some of the chapters work better than others but that's always the case in a collection like this. I feel like the chapters on Medea and the Amazons were good but she sometimes got a little distracted. I enjoyed the chapter on Medusa but, having already read Haynes' Stone Blind it wasn't really anything new. Still, everything was so interesting that I didn't really mind any of this. Plus, it's always nice to read something about Greek mythology that puts women at the forefront.

This is a fantastic book about the women of these stories. It is also a great insight into how the patriarchy has controlled the literary canon. We see how easily male writers have demonised these women over the years so the men in their stories can be seen as heroes. For the most part, these tales have been interpreted in a misogynistic way and it's had a lasting impact. Medusa, for example, is known for being a monster that the heroic Perseus slew. But why do we not also speak of the injustice that turned Medusa into that monster?

This is a must-read for anyone who loves classics and the oft-forgotten female characters. Natalie Haynes presents a lot of historical and literary background in such an effortless way. She's a great writer and I can't wait to keep reading her stuff.