Oh how I wanted to love this book! The title, the cover, the description—all of them were enticing.

But this book is not for me, even though I love books set in ancient, mythical Greece. The reason is simple: the characters felt flat to me. At no point did Clytemnestra seem fully dimensional to me. Nor did Helen or Agamemnon or any other characters. There was a good bit of war and political talk, but, nothing felt like it was truly happening, at least not for me. I hate giving a short, negative review, but I have no more to say.

I did give it three stars, because I do think the writer has a strong voice, and I will give her another book of hers a try in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book.

CLYTEMNESTRA
BY: COSTANZA CASATI

Costanza Casati has written a masterpiece called, "Clytemnestra," that is every bit as fantastic as my favorites called, "Circe," by the great, Madeline Miller. That is a masterpiece also, so this accomplished and ultra talented Author deserves the highest of praise for this novel. I love Greek Mythology, but so few can enchant and make you never want the book to end. That this is right on par with, "Circe," is a testament to how outstanding this retelling of "Clytemnestra," is. Reading it made me feel like I was hypnotized by its poetic prose. It is so addictive I felt like I was bewitched by Costanza Casati's siren song. I LOVED IT! It is also a favorite that I know that I will be recommending and talking about the fantastic reading experience I had to everybody.

Please do not change the beautiful cover, because I plan on purchasing the hardcover for my special collection. This will make a beautiful gift to friends and family. It far exceeded my expectations! I already knew "Clytemnestra's" story from reading "Helen had a Sister," by Penelope Haines, some time ago, which was my introduction to learning about Clytemnestra's life. Although, I enjoyed it immensely, it wasn't as comprehensive and as epic in scope as this one was. This lushly written account is far more detailed, and I don't want to sound unoriginal by saying that this chronicles Clytemnestra's life from the young Princess of Sparta, where she grew up. She was Helen of Troy's sister and this novel illuminates how much they loved each other and, how extremely close they were.

I had no idea that Clytemnestra had a first husband and child. I still don't know for sure if that was this Author's imagination and creative license. I am the type of reader who looks up everybody in this thrilling story and, I couldn't find a record of her first husband and infant son being in her life. Her first husband's name in this retelling is called, Tantalus. Although, this Author has a glossary of all of the characters in this story and she says he was King of Maeonia, and first husband of Clytemnestra. My research revealed him to be a Lydian king, son of Zeus and father of Pelops. It went on to say that as punishment for his crimes (which included killing Pelops), he was forced to remain in chin-deep water with fruit-laden branches over his head, both of which receded when he reached for them. His name is the origin of the word "tantalize". My research has no record of the kind first husband of Clytemnestra who bore her first born infant. Who both were murdered by Clytemnestra's father, Tyndareus, (King of Sparta), who conspired with Agamemnon to kill them, so Agamemnon could have Clytemnestra. In this retelling her father forces her to marry Agamemnon, who she hates for what they did to her first husband and her infant son. This Author may have decided to invent this using her creativity or maybe she knows more than I do. This is my only small quibble with this mesmerizing tale. Not knowing which version is correct.

Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon and it is not a spoiler to reveal what I have written about so far. I love and admire her strong will and goodness except to the ones that wronged her. I knew of her to become the Queen of Mycenae and that she goes on to have more children with King Agamemnon who its common knowledge--that he becomes commander of the Greek fleet during the Trojan War.

What he does is tragic to Clytemnestra and somebody close to himself and further inflicts the worst kind of heartache onto Clytemnestra to incite her to hate him even more, if that is possible. I agreed with her feelings of hatred towards him and was heartbroken as much as she is. Clytemnestra is a wise and loving devoted mother. Helen marries Menelaus, Agamemnon's brother who becomes King of Sparta.

That is all that I will disclose, but this is so filled with a beautifully written story of a fearless, yet compassionate coming of age story that encompasses Clytemnestra's young life as a warrior who could fight successfully. It includes her family of origin and her reign as Queen at a time when most men didn't respect women. She successfully rules as she is left for nine years while Agamemnon is off fighting Troy. This war begins because Paris, Prince of Troy, entices Queen Helen to leave her husband, King Menelaus and her young daughter in Sparta. I never knew that Penelope who marries Odysseus of Ithaca, was Clytemnestra's and Helen's cousin.

It bears repeating that the atmospheric imagery and the poetic prose is so suburb, that it is equally as spectacular as Madeline Miller's masterpiece, "Circe." This is a masterpiece and I feel grateful for the serendipity of my discovery of it being offered as an Advanced Readers Copy on Net Galley. You can't imagine how excited I was to see it on my Dashboard as approved to read and review it. It was pure bliss reading this and my fear is that I have read all of my favorites already and everything else will pale in comparison. If you have any interest in the Classics and in this case Greek Mythology you will absolutely love this as much as I did. You don't need any prior knowledge because the Author lists in the beginning of this all of the characters and what their significance is, with their backgrounds. I didn't need to memorize it because this very talented Author, Costanza Casati explains things so well into her narrative. I will definitely read anything that she writes in the future. If I could give this One-Hundred Golden Stars I would. I highly, highly recommend this! It is definitely a Favorite! Haunting! Poignant! Intimate! Unforgettable! A story that pulls you in at the very beginning and never lets you go. The sights and sounds are a feast for all of your senses.

Publication Date: March 07, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Costanza Casati, and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. I was not required to leave a positive review, but my enthusiasm is because it is a great book!

#Clytemnestra #CostanzaCasati #SourceBooksLandmark #NetGalley

This book was a great read, I really love this era of telling about Greek queens from their point of views and this did not disappoint

“Clytemnestra” is a Greek myth retelling debut novel by Costanza Casati. Clytemnestra wasn’t a beauty like her sister Helen, she wasn’t as people smart as her cousin Penelope, she wasn’t male (and able to have adventures like her brothers Castor and Pollux), and overall she would’ve been “forgotten” except for killing her husband and, eventually, her child killing her. But just like Madeline Miller made me sympathetic toward Achilles (“The Song of Achilles”), Ms. Casati made me sympathetic toward Clytemnestra. I enjoyed the writing, though in a few cases I felt it could’ve been tightened a bit but as this is a retelling of myths, being faithful to the Homeric poems could have been her intent. What I rather enjoyed was the weaving in of multiple versions of the myths, not only about Clytemnestra but also her family and her husband’s family. Overall, if Greek retellings is something you enjoy, give this book a read. Additionally, if you want to read a different take on Clytemnestra where she’s more than just a power hungry Agamemnon hating wife, this book may be one you enjoy.

This book has so much packed into it. I don’t usually read historical fiction, so this took me a minute to get into, but once I was into it, I was very much into it. I was pulled into the story. I didn’t know anything about Clytemnestra going into this book, but I was so fascinated by her that I had to continue the book and read more. After finishing it, I want to research and read more about her. There were some parts that I didn’t think were necessary to the story, but it wasn’t many, and it didn’t take away anything from the overall book. I had trouble putting this book down. I did love the story, and it left me wanting so much more; I will be checking out more from this author.
Thank you, Sourcebooks Landmark, for entrusting me with Arc! I loved it

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy to read and review. These thoughts are my own!

I’m a big mythology lover so when I seen this book; I knew I had to request it.

I really love having a woman’s point of view because most mythology retellings are from a man’s stand point and you don’t get to see the woman’s side or perspective. I hadn’t known much about Clytemnestra because she hasn’t been a main character in any of the stories I’ve read or research I’ve done. She’s very interesting that’s for sure. I’m not sure I’d compare her to Cersi though. I hated Cersi; I didn’t hate Clytemnestra.

This book was lengthy but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There were parts of the book that drew me in and I didn’t want to put it down but then there were also parts that kind of bored me and I just wanted to either rush through it or just put it down. I think all in all, it’s a decent book. Would I have shorten the book, yes but then again it’s not my book. I would definitely buy an actual copy to put with my mythology collection. It’s a great read for people who love mythology retellings.

4 stars!

Told through the eyes of Clytemnestra, ancient Greek’s huntress, warrior, mother, murderess, and queen.

If there’s one story I could read retellings over and over of, it’s the Trojan War. They are always focused on Helen and Paris. I’ve always known Clytemnestra and been curious about her. I absolutely loved this look from her perspective. Helen is a secondary character, and really not all that interesting compared to her big sis. Clytemnestra is the perfect portrayal of revenge and female empowerment in a time when they had none. Even though I knew everything that was going to happen, it wasn’t any less intriguing. I wish this book never ended!

“Gods do not care about us. They have other concerns. That is why you should never live in the shadow of their anger. It is men you must fear. It is men who will be angry with you if you rise too high, if you are too much loved.”

“Lately kings and heroes have dropped like flies, but, just as her grandmother predicted so long ago, queens outlive them all.”

Clytemnestra comes out 3/7.

Clytemnestra gave a much more detailed and nuanced view of the titular character than has been given in the traditional mythology. Told from her perspective, her actions and choices are colored in a completely different way than in other tellings.

I really felt for what she went through; the way that grief and loss can shape a person’s choices. This was a super interesting read, especially if you’re already familiar with mythology!

I really enjoyed this read so much I read it all in one sitting couldn't seem to put it down will definitely recommend to others to read as well thank you so much netgalley for approving me for this arc

4 1/2 Stars.

“How is someone not killed by such sorrow?”

Do you remember Helen of Troy? The woman who launched a thousand ships? This book is about her sister - Clytemnestra.

This book made me feel. Deeply. There were moments that I was in physical pain from the turmoil happening in these pages. It was difficult to put down. The story is fascinating and gripping and THE character development was fantastic. “…loyal to those who revere her, savage to those who oppose her.”

The story of Clytemnestra is one I never fully knew, and this retelling is loaded with…. Everything. I know that sounds lame but there’s so much in this book, we’d be here for a while if I listed everything. AND it would spoil most of the book. “…she has long learned to school her face to dullness. Only the gods know how she is crying inside.”

The writing was blunt but also left enough unsaid for me to think and imagine. She let the story speak and trusted the reader to listen. I never would have guessed that this was a debut novel.

WHAT I DIDN’T CARE FOR:
~There were a handful of metaphors that didn’t make sense/fell flat for me.
~The ending was SO satisfying but also NOT. There was a relationship that wasn’t resolved enough (for me) and left me feeling disappointed.
~There was a romantic relationship that I didn’t understand or like. (This really brought the rating down in my opinion)
~There were some paragraphs and a chapter that I felt could have been edited or left out.

Overall, an impressive book and one that I'll remember. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves Greek mythology and for people who want to connect with the characters on an intimate level. This is an adult Greek mythology retelling so I would recommend for ages 18+

ROMANCE LEVEL: multiple vague open door and open door but not too much detail.
TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNINGS: All of them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Characters - 9
Atmosphere/Setting - 10
Writing Style - 9
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 10
Logic/Relationships - 7
Enjoyment - 9
Total: 61
Divided by 7 = 8.7 (4 1/2stars)

1.1-2.2 *
2.3-4.5 **
4.6-6.9 ***
7.0-8.9 ****
9.0-10 *****

Wow. This book left me in awe. The thing that I love about the sudden uptick in re-tellings of classic mythology is getting the story we all know but from the perspective of the strong women that usually get lost in the shadows of heroes.

As the title suggests, we get the story of Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon and Queen Mycenae. Costanza Casati's writing is fluid and beautiful and the story spills out of the pages in a fury. There were times when I when I wasn't sure if I likes Clytemnestra but all the while respecting her drive to do anything to protect the ones she loves most. She is betrayed and broken over and over but still finds a way to keep going. Like she says, "...queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best..."

This was an interesting book. I'm pretty familiar with Clytemnestra through other things i've read, particularly her killing her husband and the events of Orestes, but she was never the main character, so seeing the story from her pov is new. I also didn't know about her earlier life (the first bit of the book is modeled off later myths about her that I haven't seen mentioned much in other adaptions similar to this), but it added so much context to her story and why she does what she does that it's hard to imagine the narrative without it. The story starts when Clytemnestra is a child in Sparta, and goes through her killing Agamemnon, stopping before any of the later part of her myth takes place. I thought she was a strong, well-written character that gave voice to a famous, and maybe often notorious, character from Greek mythology. It's hard not to side with Clytemnestra here, seeing what she has to go through. While there are obvious parts where the author changed things around (like how Agamemnon meets his end), overall it follows the tone of the original myths well and was a fun read.

This book comes out Spring 2023, and I was given this ARC by NetGalley for review. Some spoilers below, although this is all part of Greek myth so is it really a spoiler?

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, including 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.
3.5 stars

If you enjoy Madeline miller, or myth retellings you will love this. It was hard to put down to do my daily tasks, I ended up reading it in 2 days! Highly recommend it!

I've been enjoying Greek mythology books recently and am happy to say this has joined the ranks! The writing was thorough and captivating, which left me wanting more. The characters were well developed and there were parts where you begin to feel intertwined with them. There were certain parts of the book that felt a little too long/tedious to read though.

Absolutely breathtaking and hard to put down! There have been a lot of retellings of Greek myths from a woman’s point of view, and even a recent story of Clytemnestra, but this is just as good as Electra!

I had a hard time getting into this. As a debut for me and this author, I really did not understand what was going on in this story, but that doesn't (to me) mean that this is a bad story. I just think that this wasn't the book for me as I was not the target audience. But, I can see the good in this.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati is a great historical fiction that shines the spotlight on an enigmatic, complex, and fascinating woman of ancient Greece.

It is just fascinating and fabulous that a woman of Greek Mythology can be so notorious and talked about, but yet has had such a small voice and has been type casted and condemned (traditionally). Well, Ms. Casati is about to change all of that.

Invigorating, addictive, emotional, dramatic, and stunning are just a few words I can find to describe this gem. I was captivated from the very beginning and never wanted it to end.

Ms. Casati has a true talent and has made an ancient historical and mythological figure current, relevant, real, and human.

Just wonderful.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Sourcebooks Landmark for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/7/23.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this author, but I love a Greek mythology retelling, so I requested an ARC. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publishers for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This novel was stunning, particularly for (what I believe is) a debut.

Although there were moments when I felt that the novel could have been shortened, there were just as many where I wished it wouldn’t end. The writing was beautiful and stayed true to the lyrical format/prose of old mythology, while managing to modernize some of the language. The characters were complex and complicated and, although the minor characters were numerous, even they were well-developed and purposefully written. For this genre, this novel really stood out to me in how thoughtful Costanza was in making tangible the relationships between the players and their complex feelings, which I experienced as I read. Again, I appreciated the attention that was given to characters other than Clytemnestra in this regard. It brought the book to life.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, and I definitely recommend it. I will for sure be on the lookout for more books by Costanza.

This was my first book reading from Costanza Casati, and I'm glad I was able to read this. I love Mythology retellings and am always excited to get to read a new project. Clytemnestra was exactly what I was hoping for and really enjoyed the way Ms. Casati wrote Clytemnestra. It felt like the original myth but was beautifully redone and still felt like the same story but different. I look forward to read more from Ms. Casati as I really enjoyed this book.

"In the stark light of the torch, Aegisthus wields his sword. It flashes forward, like a lion’s claws, then back. There is nothing elegant about his movements, nothing graceful. There is a kind of desperation in the way he fights. The sky bleeds above him, then grows darker, angrier. She holds her jeweled knife tight. She waits as he turns his back to her, making his sword whirl, and then she throws it in his direction. His head jerks back in time. He lifts the sword to his face, and her knife bounces off it."