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A review by skconaghan
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Some damned good storytelling.
Of all the women we want to hear from in the midst of a landscape of vile, voracious warriors and ruthless rulers in the Greek epics, here is the one woman we rarely get to walk with (and I’ve walked twice with her this year as I read Saint’s Elektra just over a month ago). Clytemnestra is the one Spartan always cast in the least favourable light, bound by duty, tempted by fierce jealousy and lust, and embittered by hatred for her perpetual torturer. (It’s a miracle she makes it, honestly. Most of us would be minced brains in a bone-bag, if still alive.) Clytemnestra has become my new favourite in 2023 (well, besides Cassandra, that spiritually-sensitive damaged beauty, who will always hold a special place in my heart. Okay, and Penelope. I’d like to read Penelope as the protagonist by Casati or Haynes or Miller or Saint—as these women seem to really know how to shoot electricity into the old Greek stories—and keep my undivided attention for days).
I loved the pace—there was no hurry, and each delightful morsel turned slowly and unexpectedly bitter as the truths unfolded. I mean, it’s not like we don’t know what’s going to happen, but even knowing, we felt the shock and twist of each agony, sensed the deep satisfying sneer of cold revenge, breathed a sigh of relief in the small releases amid overwhelming tragedy.
Maybe it’s because I love living in this one same story over and over again, like a familiar tale told by a grandmother who in each retelling unveils a new hidden perspective, an emotion previously undisclosed, but this is up there with the best ones. Five whole stars.
Okay, so, Natalie Haynes, Costanza Casati, Jennifer Saint, or Madeline Miller—Who will write me Cassandra’s story…? Anyone up to explore the gaudy heart-wrenching details of Penelope’s obsessive love and unwarranted desertion by Odysseus…?
Of all the women we want to hear from in the midst of a landscape of vile, voracious warriors and ruthless rulers in the Greek epics, here is the one woman we rarely get to walk with (and I’ve walked twice with her this year as I read Saint’s Elektra just over a month ago). Clytemnestra is the one Spartan always cast in the least favourable light, bound by duty, tempted by fierce jealousy and lust, and embittered by hatred for her perpetual torturer. (It’s a miracle she makes it, honestly. Most of us would be minced brains in a bone-bag, if still alive.) Clytemnestra has become my new favourite in 2023 (well, besides Cassandra, that spiritually-sensitive damaged beauty, who will always hold a special place in my heart. Okay, and Penelope. I’d like to read Penelope as the protagonist by Casati or Haynes or Miller or Saint—as these women seem to really know how to shoot electricity into the old Greek stories—and keep my undivided attention for days).
I loved the pace—there was no hurry, and each delightful morsel turned slowly and unexpectedly bitter as the truths unfolded. I mean, it’s not like we don’t know what’s going to happen, but even knowing, we felt the shock and twist of each agony, sensed the deep satisfying sneer of cold revenge, breathed a sigh of relief in the small releases amid overwhelming tragedy.
Maybe it’s because I love living in this one same story over and over again, like a familiar tale told by a grandmother who in each retelling unveils a new hidden perspective, an emotion previously undisclosed, but this is up there with the best ones. Five whole stars.
Okay, so, Natalie Haynes, Costanza Casati, Jennifer Saint, or Madeline Miller—Who will write me Cassandra’s story…? Anyone up to explore the gaudy heart-wrenching details of Penelope’s obsessive love and unwarranted desertion by Odysseus…?