Elektra: No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller from the Author of ARIADNE

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The fact remains, however, that all the able-bodied men of Greece went to fight the Trojans. The rest, as they say, is history (or mythology in this case). Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy and Hecabe , blessed with prophetic vision that nobody believes, her warnings and pleas fall on deaf ears as Troy falls. I shook my head, as though I could dislodge the idea altogether. It would all change, even more so. A hundred men had come to marry her; the next one would take Menelaus’ place in an instant. Cassandra, the Princess of Troy, named the mad daughter. She says no to a God and is cursed with the sight while no one will believe a word she says. Plagued by knowledge, and unbelieved, she does essentially go mad. But only in the way someone not believed can. All because she said no. A woman's grief.

But that’s not their home; they’ve stayed there with the king. He gave them hospitality, but he couldn’t give them what they really need—what Father can.” As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year. I felt a little victory in having prompted him to reply. A breeze rippled across the water, and I felt a yearning all at once for something I couldn’t name. So much was happening—weddings and war—and none of it involved me. “I know what Thyestes did,” I answered, “to your father and to you. How he stole your kingdom.” The only issue I have is that there have been many of retellings featuring Troy and Clytemnestra/Helen recently and so nothing particularly new came to light of me. I have always wanted to grow up to be the woman he thought I would become, the woman I could have been, if only he had been able to stay. To live up to the name he gave me.”

Why did you choose Menelaus?” I asked Helen later. A flurry of handmaidens encircled her, draping her dress, braiding her hair into elaborate swirls, and making countless tiny adornments that were entirely unnecessary. Though the title would have you thinking this story is centered on one woman, it actually follows three separate women during the time of the Trojan War. Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon and mother of Elektra, was by far my favorite of the storylines. I was instantly swept up in her narrative and felt sympathy and heartbreak for her plight. We also follow Cassandra, a princess of Troy with the gift of foresight but the curse that none would believe her. While she isn't a big character in mythology, her story is definitely interesting. A mesmerising retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Perfect for fans of CIRCE, A SONG OF ACHILLES, and THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS. Clitennestra (sempre lei) mostra preoccupazione per il fato delle schiave e per il benessere di Briseide. Sì, avete letto bene. Un'aristocratica, una regina, che si cura di schiave straniere, tra l'altro concubine. Devo davvero sottolineare quanto sia anormale un pensiero simile? È una vera idiozia! Cassandra was one of my favourites to read about. We read her terrible curse from Apollo as she refuses him to rape her (literally whenever Apollo appears on the scene in any myth you know someone will be sexually assaulted). How she’s tormented by visions and people choosing not to believe her- how she’s an outcast. Her inability be believed and stop Troy from destruction. Reading about Cassandra was probably my favourite.

They had gathered at our home in their dozens, these suitors of Helen. How they jostled one another, surging forward, peering at her fluttering veil, eager for a glimpse of the woman named the most beautiful in the world. As the mood shifted, became restive, I noticed how their hands hovered closer to the swords at their hips. Helen noticed it too and turned to me briefly, just long enough for our eyes to meet and a moment of concern to dart between us. Elektra is the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agememnon. Yep, the Agamemnon who led the war against Troy after his younger brother's wife had been "kidnapped" (we don't really know if Helen went there voluntarily or not) by Paris. If he did it to indeed help his brother or because Troy was so rich and he wanted the spoils as well as the fame, we'll also never know for sure. Our father leaped up, overjoyed that Odysseus had saved his triumphant day from almost certain disaster. “I will sacrifice my finest horse!” he declared. “And you shall all make your promise to the gods upon its blood.” and, because of that, i think i now prefer reimaginings, rather than faithful retellings, which is what this book is. A brilliant read' Women & Home | 'A spirited retelling' Times | ' Beautiful and absorbing' Fabulous | 'A vivid reimagining of Greek mythology' Harper's Bazaar | 'Jennifer Saint has done an incredible job' RedThree women. Three different stories. In Elektra, the author weaves the stories of Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra together, allowing us to witness events during the Trojan War from their perspective. Life is rarely kind to the women in Greek tragedies as they live in fear of either the whims of the gods or of men.

I think I preferred Ariadne by Jennifer Saint as I was less familiar with that story. Also I found Elektra infuriating. Her constant obsession with her dad Agamemnon was just hard for me to grasp. I have to give a special mention to one chapter. The chapter depicting Iphigenia’s wedding was a masterpiece. Honestly, it would work as a short story in itself. Saint creates a sense of complete and utter dread that builds and builds until the truth is revealed. I knew what was going to happen but my heart was in my mouth regardless. The writing was beautiful and sensitive and just an absolute masterpiece of retelling classic stories. I would recommend this novel just for that chapter alone. Finally, one day I will be tired of Trojan War's retellings but not today and definitely not with this book! Each character was written with the utmost care, particularly the three main woman, in such a way that I was able to discern one's emotions and actions from one another early on in the story. This is something I find particularly important in books including multiple viewpoints; I could tell one woman from another, and I wanted to hear every perspective in turn. None of the women's stories were a disappointment, and therefore, none of the chapters became boring. Admittedly, I didn't particularly like Elektra, as a person, but her story was just as interesting to me as the others'.

Elektra by Jennifer Saint is a retelling of the classic Greek myth of the same name. It is narrated by three women. First Clytemnestra, the sister of Helen of Troy, the woman famed for launching a thousand ships. She is also the wife of Agamemnon the king who leads this massive siege of Troy to retrieve Helen, the wife of his brother, Menelaus.Next we have Cassandra the princess of Troy who upon refusing the god Apollo’s advances was cursed to be able to foretell the future but never be believed. Finally we have Elektra the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. She is fiercely loyal to her father and becomes bitterly estranged from her mother. Much is written of the men, gods and demigods who fought the 10 year Trojan war but very little is ever portrayed about the.women effected by it. By writing this utilizing the 3 female narrators we finally get the female perspective. They listened to him. He had a gift for bending the will of others to his own purpose. Even my clever cousin was enthralled by him, and I had thought no man’s intellect could ever be a match for hers. Despite these minor issues, being a lover of Greek mythology I truly enjoyed this novel and can confidently recommend it. So, Menelaus would get the prize of Helen and Agamemnon would have the city. No doubt that seemed a fair bargain to them both. It is another feminist story, and these women are by no means shrinking violets. The wives, daughters, and mothers created their own brand of magic and menace as we learned of the dangers and terrible atrocities committed, by them, in the name of love, survival and revenge. Women who carried a grudge: unforgiving and unrelenting. However, I loved the portrayal and depth of Agamemnon’s character in the book – not likeable but it was great to see more depth and colour to this very powerful character in Greek mythology.