Welcome to Litsy!

I saw Hadestown last night. Did I know what was coming? Yes. Did I still cry? Also yes.

This is one of my favorite Greek retellings right now. I love the sub genre of these stories taking the supposed villains, especially the women, and telling their sides.

#SundayFunday Have a safe and wonderful day today, and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

“There is no peace for a woman with ambition. No love for a woman with a crown. She loves too much is lustful. Her power is too strong she is ruthless. She fights for vengeance she is mad. Kings are brilliant mighty godlike. Queens are deadly shameless accursed.”

Sums up the book.

I remember first reading the scene with Clytemnestra in the Iliad and thinking WTAF!! 🤬 (i wont say why because spoilers) I couldnt believe that the narrative continued on barely acknowledging the abuse (imo) - so i was always going to read this book. It‘s engaging and propulsive but dark and violent too. Women in the myths were horribly mistreated and misrepresented - I‘m glad to see a retelling that puts Clytemnestra‘s experience first.

A novel based on the story of Clytemnestra in the Greek myths was never going to be a light read, but this one felt exceptionally heavy, with no light relief, and some heavy-handed writing and clumsy metaphors.

Book 9/60 #Read2025 @DieAReader
#LetterC #LitsyAtoZ @Texreader

Couldn‘t decide what sort of mood I was in so I‘ve ended up reading 5 books concurrently….

2024 TOP 10 PART 2:
6) The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
7) Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
8) The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
9) Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
10) Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
 
5 Bonus Ones:
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
- Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

This was the audiobook that wouldn‘t end! 😂 There are many things to appreciate about the writing, but it is repetitive. How much physical and verbal sparring does it take to portray Clytemnestra as tough & cunning? There are other annoying descriptive repetitions as well, without all of which would have made it a great novel. I think if Casati had compressed the timeline it would have helped.

Listen to me,” Clytemnestra says. “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. The stronger you are, the more they will try to take you down.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fascinating, beautifully written and filled in this myth in the most lyrical and human way. Wonderful on #audio Now I want to read about her daughter Electra! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Adored this! I went through a phase with Greek Myths a couple years ago, so there were lots of familiar faces & situations but I loved seeing it through Clytemnestra‘s perspective. Her fierceness, determination, her resilience through dark moments. I also enjoyed how Odysseus was presented. Very well done.

Clytemnestra

A debut novel about a strong female. A Greek Mythological story. This book has it all. A wonderful take on a very strong woman.

Full review: https://lsmoore49.blogspot.com/2024/07/clytemnestra-by-costanza-casati.html

@costanzacasati

This was the perfect book to read while exploring Greece. I loved Circe, but not every other Greek myth retelling has worked for me. This one was wonderful. The main character is fierce, ambitious, & powerful. She doesn‘t shy away from pain or revenge. Though I knew the details of her story, they felt fresh, and each betrayal or loss cut like a knife. Her story covers years& I loved seeing her mature. TWs abound, but I really loved this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I credit my Sophomore English teacher for my love of Greek mythology.

Loving all the Greek myth retellings we are getting at the moment. Clytemnestra isn‘t a character I was familiar with, she is Helen‘s sister. This book is bleak and violent in a lot of ways, as the myths often are. I appreciate getting a woman‘s point of view of the Troy story and the events surrounding it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#99ponkindle #ukkindledeal

This book was so compelling for me because not only was it written well, but I didn't know Clytemnestra's original story. Almost everything that happened in the book was new to me, so I was in suspense.

If you don't know any Greek mythology, this is such a captivating introduction. If you are already into it, I believe you'll appreciate her point of view.

Thanks @TheSpineView for the tag!

1. Tagged! All the thumbs up!
2. Mostly inside. Utah gets too hot to be comfortable for long reading stretches outside. 😂 But when the sun starts setting? I‘ll be out on the patio.

#Two4Tuesday

I love looking at random piles of books 😍🥰

These are all the random books I acquired the last 2 months at all different places. Buying books is definitely a seperate hobby than reading books. 🥲😂

This is thorough for sure. On the one hand, that means it felt slow for the first half or so. But it also meant that Clytemnestra, and everyone around her, was very well developed as a character. This was a much more complex portrayal of her than I've ever seen, and I really enjoyed seeing her in all the different roles she took on.

Clytemnestra. The Spartan Queen remembered for murdering her husband upon his return from the Trojan War, finally gets to tell her side of the story.

WOW! I blew through this! Every time I had to put this down, I was constantly thinking about it. I know the myth, so I knew what was coming, but it didn‘t make this any less captivating & lush & engaging. It had the FEEL of mythology, & the characters were so vivid. Everything I wanted. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

Clytemnestra is a great debut! Huntress. Warrior. Mother. Murderess. Queen. All one woman. I haven't read any Greek Mythology since college, but I recognized all the names.

Published May 2, 2023

#netgalley #clytemnestra #sourcrbookslandmark
#MagnificantMay Readathon first book finished @Andrew65
#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Ugh! I got very little reading done this weekend! Hopefully this evening I can finish this awesome book.

It‘s so pretty 🩵💕 this was my birthday month pick for #BOTM it sounds so freaking good

A bit of a slow start, but once it picks up, wow. Love the trend of retelling a myth from the woman‘s perspective and this one is lovely; she was not loved in mythology, but this really gives great insight into why she does want she does. Basically, everyone betrays her and she gets to burn it all down for a while.

I love the smell of preorders in the morning.

#NetGalley #AvailableToday

Wow! What a gorgeous story - tragic and powerfully written with lush lyrical prose and strong descriptive imagery. While I was already very familiar with Clytemnestra‘s story, I was completely riveted by Costanza Casati‘s retelling. I felt and ached on every page from the tragedies that befell Clytemnestra, her daughters and the other women of Greece. #TeamClytemnestra

Now l need to power through this one, which I‘m LOVING! #ARC #NetGalley #PublishesToday #NewRelease #GreekRetelling #DontMessWithASpartan

I really enjoyed this retelling of the life of Clytemnestra. Clytemnestra, as well as many of the other characters, is very well developed and well written. I could really understand why someone put through the things that it is said she went through would resort to the actions that she did. I also like how strong she is in this novel, especially during this period of time. The story had me hooked right from the beginning; I enjoyed this novel.

Is this book any good? No idea!
Has it got good reviews? *shrug* Not sure.
Has anyone you know read it? Didn't check.

Did you buy it because of the edges, Rae? 😏😶‍🌫️

#BookPost

Look at those sprayed edges ❤️

#WinterReadathonDailyChallenge

As a fan of Death in Paradise, any new novel from Robert Thorogood is high on my list (though I forgot to add the Marlow Murder Club to my #SeriesLove2023 list!)

Lanny was my favourite read of 2019 so I‘m looking forward to the new Max Porter book.

I‘m a sucker for a Greek myth retelling and Clytemnestra‘s is an interesting tale!

And on the subject of Greek myth - Pandora Strikes Back!😱

#WinterReadathon