A review by kirkspockreads
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book comes out Spring 2023, and I was given this ARC by NetGalley for review.
Critique: This book is too long. Lots of parts need to be cleaned up or cut out altogether and in many places the tense is mixed up. But, since this is an ARC, I suppose that is to be expected and there is still some editing to be done. The author uses metaphor a lot and it gets old quickly. I had to get my copy of Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology” out at one point so I could figure out who some of the characters were and how they fit into the world. I think a map also would have been helpful too. Some of us never got the chance to take an Ancient Greek course in college.
However, this is still a pretty good book. Clytemnestra is a fierce and well-rounded character, as are many of the other members of her family and her children. I especially liked Helen and Timandra. Timandra needs her own book.
I knew most of what was going to happen to Clytemnestra because of The Iliad, but I was very confused by why
Tyndareus, her father, would betray her and let Agamemnon kill her first wife and son and then marry her. The reason for that political alliance needed to be explained better.
And why did the book end when it did? I want to know more about what happens to her after she
murders Agamemnon (what a bastard he was). Does her son come back for his revenge? What about Electra?

Overall, a decent read, and I’m sure anyone who liked Madeline Miller’s works will enjoy this one too.
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