Clytemnestra
The spellbinding retelling of Greek mythology’s greatest heroine
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4.5 • 53 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BABYLONIA
Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent . . . meet Clytemnestra, the ancient world's most wronged woman . . .
'Vivid with fury, passion and strength, this is a fabulous myth retelling' Jennifer Saint
'A blaze of a novel, fiery and furious - and alight with murderous revenge' Daily Mail
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She is born to a king but marries a tyrant.
She watches helplessly as he sacrifices her child to the gods.
She bides her time. She plots revenge. She knows how to play this game.
If power will not be given to her, then she will take it for herself.
She is Clytemnestra.
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*Costanza Casati's new Sunday Times bestselling novel BABYLONIA is out now. Discover the captivating tale of the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, Semiramis, and her rise to power.*
'A passionate picture of a fiercely patriarchal society and her heroine's refusal to be bound by its rules'
Sunday Times
'A powerhouse of a novel. Clytemnestra's rage, heartbreak and determination radiate off the page' Elodie Harper
'A thrilling tale of power and prophecies, and the fierce Queen who fought back at those who wronged her' Cosmopolitan
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Casati's impressive debut adds to the growing ranks of novels that reframe the Greek myths from a feminist perspective, with her portrayal of Helen of Troy's twin sister, Clytemnestra. An ominous scene introduces the Spartan princess as she peers into a ravine rumored to be the repository of the remains of dead infants. Then, Agamemnon kills her husband, king Tantalus of Maeonia, and forces her to marry him. Clytemnestra's infant by Tantalus is also murdered, presaging the more familiar loss of another child. When the Greek forces led by Agamemnon are stalled, he sacrifices their daughter, Iphigenia, believing that doing so will appease the gods, who will then unleash the winds needed for the army's ships to sail to Troy so that the abducted Helen can be rescued. That filicide sets the stage for Clytemnestra's ultimate revenge after the Trojan War ends. Simple metaphors illustrate how Clytemnestra differs from her more famous sibling ("Clytemnestra dances for herself; Helen dances for others"), and the author demonstrates her hero's agency and strength with such scenes as Clytemnestra killing a wild lynx. Despite the essential plot beats being well-known, Casati makes this grim tale feel fresh through vivid imagery and nuanced characterizations. It's sure to please fans of the revisionist genre.
Customer Reviews
Very interesting read
I did enjoy this book because it threw light on what to many readers is a well known story. Having learnt something of it from school and then later reading various articles and another lovely book by Lindsay Clarke, The War at Troy, I wanted to see how this one presented the story. Well, I was delighted to see that the author had gone further in 'translating' the historic times and the people living in that world for the modern reader. It especially showed the attitude of some of the characters towards religion in those days; some giving only a nod to it, others deriding the idea that the gods would ever bother about mere humans, while true believers burnt animal sacrifices to their gods and even made human sacrifices.
It seemed to me that the author used very realistic 'templates' to tell the story, so producing very realistic scenes. She could well have travelled back in time to gather her story - or so it seemed to me...
Breath taking
I loved this book, from start to finish. Characters were so rich, story kept me reading and was paced well. I will often think of Clytemnestra and remember her as she deserved.
Amazing
Loved how I could read and vision everything to life with each word -
Could not put it down!!