I do not know a lot about Greek mythology, but thoroughly enjoyed this telling of Clytemnestra, the daughter of the Spartan king and the wife of Agamemnon. I did find this book to teach enough without appearing like a text and helping me want to learn more. This book does a fabulous job of taking the reader to the time and place and bringing all the stories alive.
Spartan women were raised to be warriors and to fight. Clytemnestra was one of the strongest and thus, Agamemnon was determined to have her. He enlists her father’s help to kill her first husband and baby son. From then on, she lives for revenge. This is a woman who was prepared to wait to get even; she could have created the phrase that revenge is a dish best served cold. Agamemnon continues to give her reasons to hate him. Casati did such an excellent job making Clytemnestra come across as a living, breathing woman, I wanted revenge for her as much as she did. The myths about Clytemnestra speak of what she does. This book provides the reasoning for her actions. While she is despised in the myths, here she is a sympathetic character (at least to me).
Spartan women were raised to be warriors and to fight. Clytemnestra was one of the strongest and thus, Agamemnon was determined to have her. He enlists her father’s help to kill her first husband and baby son. From then on, she lives for revenge. This is a woman who was prepared to wait to get even; she could have created the phrase that revenge is a dish best served cold. Agamemnon continues to give her reasons to hate him. Casati did such an excellent job making Clytemnestra come across as a living, breathing woman, I wanted revenge for her as much as she did. The myths about Clytemnestra speak of what she does. This book provides the reasoning for her actions. While she is despised in the myths, here she is a sympathetic character (at least to me).