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A review by jayvdw
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I devoured this book.
The book shows the female point of view of the Trojan War and its consequences. This is a point of view not often shown in media and not even considered in the original tellings. For this reason alone I was already very intrigued by the book. The book also does a great job of showing how the wives and daughters of the Greek soldiers and kings deal with and think about their husbands and fathers fighting a distant war for a decade. I found this extremely fascinating to read about.
The second thing I loved about the book, is that it tells the story of three different (but still related) women. This allows the book to really show the different emotions and ideas that the women could have had during the Trojan War. I believe Saint's decision of Elektra, Cassandra and Clytemnestra was an excellent choice. The dynamic and switching between the perspectives of Elektra and her mom Clytemnestra was amazing. Also, I loved the inclusion of Cassandra, this allowed for a totally different angle to the war and because Cassandra is a well-known character often portrayed in media, although we rarely see her perspective of the curse placed upon her.
The main downside of the book for me is that besides offering an interesting perspective on the Trojan War, it doesn't add or explore anything noteworthy concerning the Trojan War. This is not a problem or issue for everyone, but if you're quite familiar with the Trojan War, then the second part (with a total of four parts) of the book might be quite repetitive.
In conclusion, the book shows the female perspective of the Trojan War and the consequences of the war although not adding anything new to it.
The book shows the female point of view of the Trojan War and its consequences. This is a point of view not often shown in media and not even considered in the original tellings. For this reason alone I was already very intrigued by the book. The book also does a great job of showing how the wives and daughters of the Greek soldiers and kings deal with and think about their husbands and fathers fighting a distant war for a decade. I found this extremely fascinating to read about.
The second thing I loved about the book, is that it tells the story of three different (but still related) women. This allows the book to really show the different emotions and ideas that the women could have had during the Trojan War. I believe Saint's decision of Elektra, Cassandra and Clytemnestra was an excellent choice. The dynamic and switching between the perspectives of Elektra and her mom Clytemnestra was amazing. Also, I loved the inclusion of Cassandra, this allowed for a totally different angle to the war and because Cassandra is a well-known character often portrayed in media, although we rarely see her perspective of the curse placed upon her.
The main downside of the book for me is that besides offering an interesting perspective on the Trojan War, it doesn't add or explore anything noteworthy concerning the Trojan War. This is not a problem or issue for everyone, but if you're quite familiar with the Trojan War, then the second part (with a total of four parts) of the book might be quite repetitive.
In conclusion, the book shows the female perspective of the Trojan War and the consequences of the war although not adding anything new to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and War