Scan barcode
A review by danskireads
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
5.0
I adore retellings of Greek myths. I devour them all. BUT they don’t all get five stars. Some can be tediously dull. The author can fail to bring anything new to the character, even as they imagine a famous story from an entirely new perspective. Casati certainly DOES NOT fall into that trap.
This is a fantastic, well-imagined, beautifully told, retelling of Queen Clytemnestra’s story. So often the baddie in a story where there are so many baddies, this retelling is as fresh as it is welcome.
My only complaint is not, in fact, a complaint at all. (This isn’t really spoilery if you know your myths, but if you don’t, this might be sliiiightly spoilery.) The story cuts out before the Orestoia… which is Clytemnestra’s downfall. Perhaps Casati has a sequel planned? I’d LOVE that. If not, you can kinda pick up the story in Jennifer Saint’s Elektra… although I don’t feel the same joy in Saint’s storytelling as Casati gives us.
This was without a doubt my top read for March 2023 and it is my top read for the year so far. If you’re on the fence about picking it up, do yourself a favour and give it a shot. It’s such a rich text. I absolutely loved it.
This is a fantastic, well-imagined, beautifully told, retelling of Queen Clytemnestra’s story. So often the baddie in a story where there are so many baddies, this retelling is as fresh as it is welcome.
My only complaint is not, in fact, a complaint at all. (This isn’t really spoilery if you know your myths, but if you don’t, this might be sliiiightly spoilery.) The story cuts out before the Orestoia… which is Clytemnestra’s downfall. Perhaps Casati has a sequel planned? I’d LOVE that. If not, you can kinda pick up the story in Jennifer Saint’s Elektra… although I don’t feel the same joy in Saint’s storytelling as Casati gives us.
This was without a doubt my top read for March 2023 and it is my top read for the year so far. If you’re on the fence about picking it up, do yourself a favour and give it a shot. It’s such a rich text. I absolutely loved it.