Has some tough sequences, but generally enjoyable.
Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra was a slow start for me, and it had some sections that were a bit tough to read due to the subject matter. But, I think those issues help support the general theme of the book. While things were slow and mostly pleasant in the beginning, they decidedly grow grimmer and darker when the Atreides arrive.
From the first arrival of Menalaus and Agamemnon, the tone begins to shift and it doesn't really relent through the rest of the book. The eponymous Clytemnestra has multiple traumas inflicted upon her and her family members (almost always the female ones) and many of those scenes may be very difficult to read (I would suggest a trigger warning for violence, rape, domestic abuse, incest, etc.). This serves to highlight that life was better when Clytemnestra had more agency in her life, but that she loses that agency as Agamemnon comes to control her.
One thing that struck me as odd, but an interesting narrative choice was the historic realism. The Classicist in me enjoyed the accurate depiction of Minoan/Mycenaean Age Greece, and the inclusion of Greek terminology to set the scene. However, the lack of the fantastic was surprising. While there is certainly much talk of the gods and fate, the supernatural was noticeably absent. No more was Helen and/or Polydeuces fathered by Zeus, rather Helen was the result of infidelity. Castor and Polydeuces didn't share their immortality. Helen wasn't the prize to be won in a contest of the gods. While the source material had these scenes as direct influence of the gods and their natures, the author chooses to ground these scenes in reality, showing that the only nature and influence is that of men.
All in all, this book was quite a read: the book is substantial (400+ pages) and took me quite a while to get through. The beginning was a bit slow pacing-wise, and there's a few big jumps in the timeline of the narrative. The difficult sections further slowed my reading, but those scenes were certainly needed to express the forgiving/redeeming view of the oft-demonized Clytemnestra.
From the first arrival of Menalaus and Agamemnon, the tone begins to shift and it doesn't really relent through the rest of the book. The eponymous Clytemnestra has multiple traumas inflicted upon her and her family members (almost always the female ones) and many of those scenes may be very difficult to read (I would suggest a trigger warning for violence, rape, domestic abuse, incest, etc.). This serves to highlight that life was better when Clytemnestra had more agency in her life, but that she loses that agency as Agamemnon comes to control her.
One thing that struck me as odd, but an interesting narrative choice was the historic realism. The Classicist in me enjoyed the accurate depiction of Minoan/Mycenaean Age Greece, and the inclusion of Greek terminology to set the scene. However, the lack of the fantastic was surprising. While there is certainly much talk of the gods and fate, the supernatural was noticeably absent. No more was Helen and/or Polydeuces fathered by Zeus, rather Helen was the result of infidelity. Castor and Polydeuces didn't share their immortality. Helen wasn't the prize to be won in a contest of the gods. While the source material had these scenes as direct influence of the gods and their natures, the author chooses to ground these scenes in reality, showing that the only nature and influence is that of men.
All in all, this book was quite a read: the book is substantial (400+ pages) and took me quite a while to get through. The beginning was a bit slow pacing-wise, and there's a few big jumps in the timeline of the narrative. The difficult sections further slowed my reading, but those scenes were certainly needed to express the forgiving/redeeming view of the oft-demonized Clytemnestra.