Clytemnestra

by Costanza Casati

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Literature / Fiction
Read This If You Love: Madeline Miller’s Circe, Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi

So Leda’s daughters, 

two lethal brides, 

will twice and thrice wed. 

One will launch Greece in a thousand ships, 

her beauty the ruin of her land, 

and the men sent to rescue her 

will come back ashes and bones. 

The other, the queen hell-bent on revenge, 

will rise in the house of Mycenae, 

loyal to those who revere her, 

savage to those who oppose her.

If you are a fan of mythological retellings, Clytemnestra is a book you shouldn’t miss. In other stories, she is Helen’s sister and Agamemnon’s wife, but in this book, Clytemnestra takes center stage. Told through her eyes, we follow her life of being a huntress, warrior, mother, murderer, and queen. While woman are often depicted in classic mythology as having little agency and meek players in a bigger story, Clytemnestra is a fierce fighter who experiences gut-wrenching tragedy. She answers the atrocities with revenge and vengeance. She sees the map of her life and plans her path even when men try to steer it.

More so than other reimagined mythologies, Clytemnestra feels crossed with our modern takes on epic battles ala Game of Thrones. More than once, Clytemnestra felt inspired by the strong female characters from the Martin universe. Additionally, while the gods are certainly prevalent in the book, they don’t appear in a physical and tangible form per usual mythology. Instead, they are referenced more how we might in our current religious culture (save for a few isolated scenes). For these reasons, I feel like Clytemnestra will appeal to both mythology lovers and epic fantasy readers. 

“We will see each other soon. Our lives are being torn apart now, but we will find our way back to each other, just as water always finds its way around rocks.”—Clytemnestra’s thoughts about Helen

Cosati’s crafts a layered story while cleverly weaving together classic literature and mythology. Her writing is on another level and speaks to her depth of knowledge on the subject. 

“This is what dreams are for. To make us remember what we were, to tie us down to our memories, whether we like it or not.”

 A few closing notes:

• The opening pages include family trees and a cast of characters that is very helpful as you read.
• There is a glossary of Ancient Greek terms in the back of the book.