Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

14 reviews

rustmaiden's review

dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Vomit, and War

gondorgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

herasrevenge88's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoyed this book and wrote down a lot of quotes. I love Greek mythology and retellings, but some thing in the pacing of this book, made certain parts of it harder to get through than others. What got me through the slow parts is the fact that I already know the story of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. I am unsure if anyone who is unfamiliar with their story would be as willing to push through the slow parts of the story. However, I do feel that the writing is very well done. I was cheering Clytemnestra on even while I recoiled at some of her antics. The author does an amazing job of painting, the portrait of an actual woman not just a character of legend. Clytemnestra is flawed, but she also is very relatable and very human. I finish this book feeling like I would have probably done exactly what she had done had I lived her life and experienced these things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and War

thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Clytemnestra is a literary saga of betrayal, heartbreak, grief, and vengeance. Sweeping decades through ancient Greece, Clytemnestra takes the reader on a journey from growing up as a Spartan princess, through marriage, into the Trojan war, and beyond. When you hear the word tragedy, you might think of Shakespearean plays, but start thinking Clytemnestra. Costanza Casati knows her stuff and she's not sugarcoating it!

Spartan girls are trained to be hunters and warriors. But don't be fooled. The women of Sparta do not have equal rights, if any at all. The patriarchy rules with absolution. Murder and rape are commonplace, running rampant along with homophobia, abuse, and enslavement. Power, glory, and pride come before all else. Predictably, this cruel world is filled with monsters - some born and some made. But some of those monsters are relatable, because here's the thing... if what happened to Clytemnestra happened to me... I wouldn't have been as nice.

I'm not a big Greek history buff - I know just the basics. And I was kind of glad I didn't know much while reading this because I didn't see the plot twists coming! Even if you think you know Clytemnestra's story, this book will surprise you. It's definitely a fresh take on an old tale and Casati takes the reader deep into the mind and emotions of Clytemnestra in a way that has never been done before. It's brutal, visceral, layered in complexities, and so well-researched. 

Clytemnestra sneaks up on you like a summer storm - the world growing darker and hazier until lightning strikes! If you're a Greek mythology fan, Clytemnestra is an absolute must read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail