Costanza Casati

Clytemnestra

For fans of Madeline Miller, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and of an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.

A Novel

Apiecalypse Jen

When vengeance calls, and the gods stop watching, what happens to those who have touched the people I love?

Katheryn

One will launch Greece in a thousand ships

The other, the queen hell-bent on revenge

At times, it was difficult to get through because the pace felt so slow. However, in the action packed moments, it was difficult to put the book down. Overall, it was an empowering story and served as a good reminder that you don’t have to be liked by everyone. You just have to be content with your own actions. 

soph 

Carmen Malca

“As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her better. Let her be hated forever.” 

Chloé Dupèré

“As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her better. Let her be hated forever.” 

This book was phenomenal. 

Giving voice to a woman condemned by history, this debut is an epic feminist retelling of the story of notorious Spartan queen, Clytemnestra.

'When vengeance calls and the gods stop watching,
what do we do to those who harm the people we love?'

Wife. Mother. Fighter. Conspirator. Queen. CLYTEMNESTRA.

This is the story of a daughter betrayed by her father. Who watches her sister be destroyed by violence and rape. Whose child is sacrificed to ensure her family's power. Who fights as fiercely as any warrior. Who falls in love with her husband's enemy. Who is hungry for otherworldly retribution against both men and gods...

This is Clytemnestra, the most notorious heroine of the Ancient World. Know her name.

Condemned by Homer and the Greek poets as a sexually faithless, deceitful, murderous woman, Clytemnestra's voice is obscured by the spiteful judgement of history. A judgement that refuses to see her strength and her cunning, her grief and her rage. Costanza Cosati's dazzling debut isn't just a retelling of the consequences of war on women - it is about how women fought their own wars. Because Clytemnestra understood something that the others didn't:

If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

while it does spill some sympathy over the traditionally infamous figure of clytemnestra, i am dismayed to say this kinda missed the mark for me. granted, i am grateful it shed some light on clytemnestra’s backstory like her first marriage to tantalus, which definitely made me reevaluate her, but i can’t shake off the feeling the author is trying a little bit too hard to make her likeable, to the point of giving us a thoroughly modern woman with modern values. she doesn’t feel like the clytemnestra i’ve always known – the story and events are hers, but her character feels more like an oc rather than the fierce, vengeful villain i wanted to see. the entire book is her redemption arc, and aegisthus suffers the same fate. SPOILER: clytemnestra doesn’t even kill cassandra, no she gets killed by aegisthus who erroneously believed her agamemnon’s ally! clytemnestra, our beloved feminist girlboss, would’ve graciously spared the poor girl.

let’s also talk about her relationship with her children. yes, electra always gave signs of being the troubled child, and iphigenia’s death caused clytemnestra to grow cold and distance herself from her remaining children, but nothing so drastic and hopeless that could possibly justify electra and orestes turning on her and killing her to avenge their father.

electra was perhaps the one interesting character, i loved seeing her difficult relationship with her mother, her struggle in living in iphigenia’s shadow. the confrontation between mother and daughter (the scene where electra says “sometimes i think you wish i had died and iphigenia had lived”) was one of the most memorable passages in the entire book, but unfortunately the development ends here and everything that follows is a downward slope. the author tries to resolve the issue of clytemnestra’s future murder by suddenly mentioning in the last few pages that electra was her father’s favourite!, that she didn’t hate him!, while showing us nothing of the sort in the rest of the book, where agamemnon is constantly presented as an astute, brutish monster with zero redeeming qualities. and now you want me to believe he was actually a decent father to electra? perhaps that’s why the author decided to end the book here, which is a pity because i was really looking forward to see the events of the oresteia recounted from clytemnestra’s point of view.

stylistically speaking, it also felt a bit redundant. too many pointless descriptions and way, way too many similes sticking out of those short and snappy sentences (i really hate this writing trend). it does flow well at times and it probably would’ve appealed to 16 yo me, but as a book that was marketed as having “the depths of mary renault” i expected so much more.

while it does spill some sympathy over the traditionally infamous figure of clytemnestra, i am dismayed to say this kinda missed the mark for me. granted, i am grateful it shed some light on clytemnestra’s backstory like her first marriage to tantalus, which definitely made me reevaluate her, but i can’t shake off the feeling the author is trying a little bit too hard to make her likeable, to the point of giving us a thoroughly modern woman with modern values. she doesn’t feel like the clytemnestra i’ve always known – the story and events are hers, but her character feels more like an oc rather than the fierce, vengeful villain i wanted to see. the entire book is her redemption arc, and aegisthus suffers the same fate. SPOILER: clytemnestra doesn’t even kill cassandra, no she gets killed by aegisthus who erroneously believed her agamemnon’s ally! clytemnestra, our beloved feminist girlboss, would’ve graciously spared the poor girl.

let’s also talk about her relationship with her children. yes, electra always gave signs of being the troubled child, and iphigenia’s death caused clytemnestra to grow cold and distance herself from her remaining children, but nothing so drastic and hopeless that could possibly justify electra and orestes turning on her and killing her to avenge their father.

electra was perhaps the one interesting character, i loved seeing her difficult relationship with her mother, her struggle in living in iphigenia’s shadow. the confrontation between mother and daughter (the scene where electra says “sometimes i think you wish i had died and iphigenia had lived”) was one of the most memorable passages in the entire book, but unfortunately the development ends here and everything that follows is a downward slope. the author tries to resolve the issue of clytemnestra’s future murder by suddenly mentioning in the last few pages that electra was her father’s favourite!, that she didn’t hate him!, while showing us nothing of the sort in the rest of the book, where agamemnon is constantly presented as an astute, brutish monster with zero redeeming qualities. and now you want me to believe he was actually a decent father to electra? perhaps that’s why the author decided to end the book here, which is a pity because i was really looking forward to see the events of the oresteia recounted from clytemnestra’s point of view.

stylistically speaking, it also felt a bit redundant. too many pointless descriptions and way, way too many similes sticking out of those short and snappy sentences (i really hate this writing trend). it does flow well at times and it probably would’ve appealed to 16 yo me, but as a book that was marketed as having “the depths of mary renault” i expected so much more.

Phenomenal book. An excellent, savage retelling filled with wisdom and insight. My full review will be posted soon at 

Amanda

Phenomenal book. An excellent, savage retelling filled with wisdom and insight. My full review will be posted soon at eulaliemagazine.com.

The amount of retellings I have read for the myth of Clytemnestra is overwhelming. However, Costanza Casati has wholly rewritten the character for me in ways I did not even know was possible. Casati writes a fantastic insight and backstory into Clyremnestra’s past life and husband before marrying (the horrid) King Agamemnon. There were so many times as I was reading where I had to stop and highlight certain lines or passages! I would recommend this novel for anyone looking for a Greek Mythology retelling that looks deeply into the affects of grief and vengeance.

Riley

« When vengeance calls and the gods stop watching, what happens to those who have touched the people I love? »

the humanisation of a queen treated throughout history as a villain but who was above all a mother, a sister and a daughter consumed by revenge? yes, a hundred times yes. this was unlike other greek mythology retellings, it hooked you in from the start and never failed to impress. 

i have read my fair share of greek mythology retellings, as someone who's passionate about everything greek and i might have found a favourite, 

costanza casati's writing hooked you in immediately, the pace was absolutely perfect and the foreshadowings were sprinkled in the whole book so intelligently. i could not put the book down, eager to know how she'd handle the next big event.

i appreciated the fact that it did not only focus on clytemnestra but also the people around her, her childhood and what made her the queen she became. 

my only regret is that i waited so long to read this. i will definitely keep her works on my radar.

florine

« When vengeance calls and the gods stop watching, what happens to those who have touched the people I love? »

the humanisation of a queen treated throughout history as a villain but who was above all a mother, a sister and a daughter consumed by revenge? yes, a hundred times yes. this was unlike other greek mythology retellings, it hooked you in from the start and never failed to impress. 

i have read my fair share of greek mythology retellings, as someone who's passionate about everything greek and i might have found a favourite, 

costanza casati's writing hooked you in immediately, the pace was absolutely perfect and the foreshadowings were sprinkled in the whole book so intelligently. i could not put the book down, eager to know how she'd handle the next big event.

i appreciated the fact that it did not only focus on clytemnestra but also the people around her, her childhood and what made her the queen she became. 

my only regret is that i waited so long to read this. i will definitely keep her works on my radar.

anarh

Strong retelling of a woman in greek mythology. was really invested in the story for the first 2/3rds of the book, last 1/3rd i felt like the main character kind of fell apart a bit, but also kind of the vibe of the story and the mythology? Felt at times as if the author was forcing the story to take on the events that occurred in the mythology even when it confused the story she was trying to tell - there were moments that didn’t really make sense and some of the character development felt a bit odd - since it was done to justify certain events happening.

I always love strong female characters though!

Daphne Li-Chen

Strong retelling of a woman in greek mythology. was really invested in the story for the first 2/3rds of the book, last 1/3rd i felt like the main character kind of fell apart a bit, but also kind of the vibe of the story and the mythology? Felt at times as if the author was forcing the story to take on the events that occurred in the mythology even when it confused the story she was trying to tell - there were moments that didn’t really make sense and some of the character development felt a bit odd - since it was done to justify certain events happening.

I always love strong female characters though!

Mariella

** spoiler alert **
           One thing I loved about this book is that unlike other Greek mythological retellings or reimaginings we do not see any gods as actual characters. The story plays out as it would okay out today, weather you believe in god (or the gods in this case) or not they never come to intervene. We never see Apollo come down from his clouds or an angry Aphrodite, humans are the monsters just like how they are now. Idk I liked that

Betty

Finished reading this and i loved it.
I love it when authors don't just make main character look heroic and all good but show their morally gray side too alongside with other characters.

Haley Park

It upsets me how they were trying to set her up to be the villain after all she went through. Homegirl did not know a day of peace but overall I love and support her 🫶 

Maria Morales 

All the stars. Casati does a great job of showing the hypocrisy we've all read in previous myths. Men are great and heroic and can do no wrong as long as it's in the name of a cause. But if a woman does it? Immediately vilified. 

I see so many people talk about how Clytemnestra is such a divisive character however (and this might just be me) I think she's only divisive to people who try to ONLY make her seem like a villain. She isn't a villain. She a person wronged over and over again. She was forged in an environment where the only way out was to carve your way out. 

The story enveloped me from the beginning and I'm beyond happy that authors are rewriting women's stories and showing what I've known since I was young: the women are multifaceted and complex and can also be filled with rage.  

Gisela Ayala 

All the stars. Casati does a great job of showing the hypocrisy we've all read in previous myths. Men are great and heroic and can do no wrong as long as it's in the name of a cause. But if a woman does it? Immediately vilified. 

I see so many people talk about how Clytemnestra is such a divisive character however (and this might just be me) I think she's only divisive to people who try to ONLY make her seem like a villain. She isn't a villain. She a person wronged over and over again. She was forged in an environment where the only way out was to carve your way out. 

The story enveloped me from the beginning and I'm beyond happy that authors are rewriting women's stories and showing what I've known since I was young: the women are multifaceted and complex and can also be filled with rage.  

Frida Kahlo

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; if a book is a Greek mythology retelling, I'm going to read it. I find Clytemnestra such an interesting character, so I was immediately intrigued by this. Casati's writing was beautiful and descriptive and hooked me from the first page. Clytemnestra was captivating in her quest for revenge, and I liked how Casati didn't shy away from how brutal she was but still found a way to make you almost root for her. The plot did lose me a little in the second half because of all the time jumps, but other than that, I thought this was a stunning debut, and I'm excited to see what Casati comes out with next.

Heather Harrington

I did give it 2.5 stars but that isn't a badly written book, it is just that I really couldn't get into it. It might have been different if I had the audiobook to go along with my reading. I'm dyslexic and I had a hard time with all the greek names, that isn't on the author but the ancient greeks. But like I said if I had the audiobook then I think that would have helped 100%.

I also really should have brushed up on my greek mythology.

I really didn't remember much about Clytemnestra going into the story and I wonder if that had an impact on my enjoyment. I wish I saw more feminist perspectives but I didn't. I know Clytemnestra was supposed to be a strong character and we did get some of that. And I understand why she did what she did, I would have done the same.

I will probably pick up more books by Costanza Casati and this book again once I get the audiobook then hopefully my rating will change.

Thank you Bookishfirst for letting me give my honest review

Elizabeth Neill

I did give it 2.5 stars but that isn't a badly written book, it is just that I really couldn't get into it. It might have been different if I had the audiobook to go along with my reading. I'm dyslexic and I had a hard time with all the greek names, that isn't on the author but the ancient greeks. But like I said if I had the audiobook then I think that would have helped 100%.

I also really should have brushed up on my greek mythology.

I really didn't remember much about Clytemnestra going into the story and I wonder if that had an impact on my enjoyment. I wish I saw more feminist perspectives but I didn't. I know Clytemnestra was supposed to be a strong character and we did get some of that. And I understand why she did what she did, I would have done the same.

I will probably pick up more books by Costanza Casati and this book again once I get the audiobook then hopefully my rating will change.

Thank you Bookishfirst for letting me give my honest review

          Costanza Casati brings a fresh voice to Ancient Greek myth focusing on the unsung women of Greece, in the same vein as authors such as Jennifer Saint and Madeline Miller. Her academic background in Ancient Greek myth shines through in this beautiful and fierce work featuring Clytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae.

I adored to hear from many of the complex women from greek myth as well such as Helen, Penelope, and Cassandra and the ways in which these women suffer at the hands of a society that sings praises over the cruelest acts of men, while vilifying the righteous quests of vengeance of the women. 

This book is brutal and violent but also stunning and bewitching. The ways in which Clytemnestra is supported and betrayed by those closest to her both lifted and shattered my spirits, and this faithful retelling had me devouring each page even though I knew the tale to come. 

I am thrilled to add this to my "modern classics" shelf and cannot wait to see what Casati has next. 

Minnie Mazuera

          Costanza Casati brings a fresh voice to Ancient Greek myth focusing on the unsung women of Greece, in the same vein as authors such as Jennifer Saint and Madeline Miller. Her academic background in Ancient Greek myth shines through in this beautiful and fierce work featuring Clytemnestra, Queen of Mycenae.

I adored to hear from many of the complex women from greek myth as well such as Helen, Penelope, and Cassandra and the ways in which these women suffer at the hands of a society that sings praises over the cruelest acts of men, while vilifying the righteous quests of vengeance of the women. 

This book is brutal and violent but also stunning and bewitching. The ways in which Clytemnestra is supported and betrayed by those closest to her both lifted and shattered my spirits, and this faithful retelling had me devouring each page even though I knew the tale to come. 

I am thrilled to add this to my "modern classics" shelf and cannot wait to see what Casati has next. 

Clytemnestra

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