Finally, one day I will be tired of Trojan War's retellings but not today and definitely not with this book!

We all know the story, the curse of House of Atreus, fratricide, sacrificing daughter; a long war that began in the name of only one woman; and the prophecy for the seventh child of Queen Hecabe.

How the tale I knew so well could be so Engaging and Heartbreaking still.

This is the story of three women at the heart of the Trojan War whose "their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods."

Clytemnestra, the sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon, a mourning mother!

Elektra, the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, is the light of her father.

Cassandra, Princess of Troy, cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it.

What a great read, I hardly can express my feeling, the story goes on magical, beautiful and fascinating.
Surprisingly and Unbelievably I enjoyed every bit of it! This book was amazing and one of my best reads of this year, one of my best mythology.
Yes, I was surprised because we are talking about Elektra and her mother, Clytemnestra; can't love them both, every time you should hate one of them, but not in this book!
For that, I raise my hands for the brave women, no matter where they are or how they fight!

My huge thanks to Headline Audio via NetGalley for giving me a chance to listen to Elektra by Jennifer Saint, I have given my honest review. Each main character of this book is very well narrated by Beth Eyre, Jane Collingwood and Julie Teal.

Quotes:
You’re a woman. But war is the business of men.

When I had seen all those suitors clamour in the hall for Helen, I had believed they were there because they loved her, but I had been wrong. They hated her. They hated her because she was so beautiful and because she made them want her so much. Nothing brought them more joy than the fall of a lovely woman. They picked over her reputation like vultures, scavenging for every scrap of flesh they could devour.

How did they have the stomach for the fight still, I wondered. How could it be possible to rise every morning to that same grim, relentless slaughter, and then drink and sleep and wake to do it all again?

There is no dignity in being poor. It is a grinding, exhausting existence, and every morning I wake and stare at the dry, plain walls, which seem to shrink closer around me every day.

The gods demand their justice, but we suffer for it, every time.

It was okay, I suppose. Average in every sense of the word. I wish half of it wasn’t the summary of the Trojan War because that is truly overdone at this point but I did very much enjoy the duality and complexity of Clytemnestra.
At first, I thought Elektra was just stupid and headstrong but then I remembered that the Electra Complex is a thing, so… 💀
Anyway, not a great book but not horrible either!
All three narrators were great. Their voices really breathed life into the characters. I just wish they also read out the name of the character at the beginning of each chapter.

I really enjoyed this. Saint is one of an increasing number of authors who are re-telling the Greek myths from new perspectives, usually from the point of view of the women involved: Madeline Miller, Pat Barker, Natalie Haynes, Jessie Burton; but this is the best I have come across. Written and read with clarity and passion it tells the whole story of the causes, conduct and aftermath of the Trojan War, focusing on the much cursed House of Atreus and telling lots of relevant and juicy back stories. The only niggle is that, while mentioning the Furies that pursue Orestes, as in the Eumenides of Aeschylus, Saint does not follow to the resolution of the blood vendetta via the Athenian legal system, which vindicates Orestes but honours the Furies who pursue him for matricide.
Saint calls on Homer, Aeschylus, Virgil, Euripides and others. She emphasises that the characters calling for revenge are the women: Clytemnestra and Elektra; while the men are uncertain or morally feeble.
I listened on audio with three readers speaking the parts of Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra. Excellently done except that Clytemnestra struggled to pronounce ‘Aegistheus’

Perhaps I've read too many Greek retellings now but despite the great reviews for this, it was just enjoyable, nothing that stood out to me. I did like how it focused on different women that are normally forgotten in the original tale but the plot itself and writing left it not being a favourite.

I ticked off two firsts by finishing the audiobook Elektra by Jennifer saint. Before this, I had never listened to an audio book or read greek mythology and let’s just say I’m now hooked to both.

The audio book shocked me at first as the chapters were read by different voice actors but by the end I liked this and it helped me to separate the stories.

As for the Greek mythology, I think that this was a great book to start with as it retells the well known battle of Troy from the perspective of three female characters: Cassandra (Princess of Troy and cursed by Apollo with the ability to see the future but no one believes her), Clytemnestra (sister to Helen and wife of Agamemnon) and Elektra (the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon).

The story was painfully tragic and not for the faint hearted (as with any greek mythology). It includes lots of death, loss, vengeance and grief. I instantly became team Clytemnestra. I thought her storyline was the most moving and touching. I was super frustrated by the injustice Cassandra faced. I found Elektra really annoying and repetitive. I didn’t understand why she didn’t support her mum since she basically never knew her Dad and he was a bad person! But her character did seem somewhat reflective on this (still super annoying and one dimensional tho lol).

In terms of being a ‘feminist’ retelling - I would not say that reading this book made me think of feminism. Perhaps girl power (through Clytemnestra) and more a glance into issues face by privileged women.

Overall I really liked the book and will certainly be reading greek mythology more often!

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Ease of Reading: 4✨
Characters: 4✨
Plot: 3✨
Writing: 4✨
Overall: 4✨

Not having learnt/read anything about the Trojan war since, like, Year 5, and not knowing much at that, this book told me a new and interesting Greek history retelling. It went far beyond the escapade of an army jumping out of a horse. I liked that that was just a small section of the novel, and the story began much before and continued much after.

I enjoyed the three perspectives, my favourite being Cassandra, the princess of Troy. She was well rounded and I loved her story. I didn't really enjoy Elektra as a character, I felt she was a little one dimensional and I'm not sure why the book was named after her as I would say she is the most minor of the three characters. But that wasn't enough to lower my rating.

I gave the plot 3 stars, just because I felt like there was just a lot of back and forth of "I will avenge my father", "No! I will avenge my father", "No no, I will be the one to avenge my father." with no one really ever learning from the past. But if that's what happened, that's what happened and I enjoyed a lot of the surrounding story.

I thought the atmosphere of the book was great and really transported me to Sparta, Greece and Troy. From other reviews I've seen, I would recommend this to people who like me, haven't read a lot of/any retellings of Troy. Very enjoyable and as always, loving the female main characters!

Blurb:

The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.

Clytemnestra
The sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon - her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. Her husband raises a great army against them, and determines to win, whatever the cost.

Cassandra
Princess of Troy, and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall.

Elektra
The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. But, can she escape the curse, or is her own destiny also bound by violence?

Book review:

Having read other books from the author I was expecting an incredible story and unfortunately, this one fell short of some other texts she produced. I loved as always how much power she gives to women inside the story, avenging a time when they were considered to be nothing more than objects. I also loved the characterization and how filled the story was with passion. I am always mesmerized by the ability to portray characters that held strong believes in the past, as I feel it is a value we lost in western society.

Where the book fell short for me was when Elektra's emotional pathos came in, as she ended up being too stuck in her beliefs surrounding the admiration she held for her father, disregarding the atrocious things he did to his own family for his own gain. I felt a lot for the mother, as for me Elektra didn't give her enough credit and judged her mercilessly without ever questioning herself. The ending in fact appeared a bit too abrupt and I didn't love it.

The pacing was also slightly off, as there are some parts where a lot happens at once and then long stretches of quiet. I would have liked for more of an even distribution of these different rhythms to make an even plot, but they ended up being unbalanced and slightly jarring.

Overall, even if I think the retellings of myths to be great, as they open people's eyes to a culture that shaped our past and present and constituted one of the richest inheritances, I have to say this wasn't the best book on the topic. I loved Circe and The song of Achilles more, but I do own Ariadne from Jennifer Saint and can't wait to get into it!

Rating: 3 🌟

I'm usually all about mythology retelling, especially Greek one, but this one was... weird?

*A god wanted to take my virginity, I screamed "no,no" so he spat in my mouth and I swallowed.* - WTF was this. I love dark romance with passion but this just didn't really made any sense, especially as it was less than 5 chapters in. 😬

The book wasn't bad per se, but it didn't excite me. Didn't tease my curiosity. It was kinda flat and then just kept going.

The audiobook narrators I didn't mind, although one of the voices was robot-like and no human emotion whatsoever, at some point I just set it at x2 speed and let my ears bleed through the end of the book.

The ending was slightly more interesting, but not enough for me to actually like the book.

The author did a good job explaining the politics and I did like the world building within the book.

Overall, not terrible, not great. I think to fully enjoy this book will depend on the individual reader and their taste. For me it was 50/50.

Gorgeous audiobook cover tho, I wish it was the cover for the physical book too! 📖

So, this was...a drag. I wish I had enjoyed it, I really do - but it was so fucking boring.

Elektra is a three-POV book, despite being named only after one of its narrators. The plot follows Clytemnestra, her daughter Elektra, and Cassandra, the Trojan princess and prophetess, and takes place in the years before, during, and following the Trojan War. Through Clytemnestra's eyes, we see how Helen and Menelaus came to wed, how she herself and Agamemnon became a couple; Elektra, as the daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon is mostly there to provide an antithesis to her mother's POV and feelings: where Clytemnestra has come to hate Agamemnon, Elektra reveres and adores him, and later comes to fully oppose her mother because of him. Cassandra provides a Trojan point of view, but aside from filling in the gaps left in the narrative due to Clytemnestra and Elektra's physical absence from Troy, her own perspective has little to offer with regard to the house of Atreus.

Overall, I think the book's biggest problem is that it offers nothing new. There is no twist in the narrative, no critical engagement with the primary sources and the myths on which it is based: it is a simple regurgitation of "facts," and, as such, if you are already familiar with the myths, it ends up being extremely predictable, boring, and repetitive. In my opinion, the most exciting dynamic explored in this book was the one between Clytemnestra and Helen - and, perhaps, the one between Cassandra and Helen. Overall, Helen ended up being the character I was most excited to see, as she was presented as very charismatic, extremely smart and adaptable. The relationship between the two sisters, Clytemnestra and Helen, both as two young girls and as mothers, was one of the most interesting dynamics the book had to offer, even though it was barely explored in its later stages. Clytemnestra's arc and inner thoughts alike were almost solely focused on her revenge, but she was still the most interesting out of the three narrators - or, at least, the most active plot-wise.

I seriously like Cassandra's story and character, and I think she is one of the most interesting characters to come out of the Trojan cycle, but I still don't fully get why she was a narrator in this particular book. In the end, I think it had less to do with her character being fundamental to the present story, and more to do with the gaps that would be left otherwise. As I previously said, neither Clytemnestra nor Elektra were present in Troy - and there's only so many messengers you can send without the book being a simple exposition and narration of the Trojan war. I think this is where the "danger" lies with narratives about the Trojan War, especially ones that don't take place in Troy or the battlefield: how much knowledge can you assume on the readers' part? How much is too much? What if it's not enough? As it is both a very popular myth in itself, and the most popular re-telling of a Greek myth, I personally find most of the Trojan War myths to be overdone; at a certain point, you just run out of new things to say.

I also found Elektra, our titular character, to be extremely annoying. She barely had any personality of her own, and her blind faith to and love for her father were just treated as a narrative given, instead of properly explained. ** spoilers ** I mean, knowing that your father willingly killed your own sister and seeing your mother hating him for all those years, would surely have at least some sort of an effect, no? ** end of spoilers ** I am not saying she should have hated him - had she hated him, the subsequent myths around her would not make any sense, after all - but I was hoping we would at least get a reason why she loved him that much.

I also didn't really like the author's treatment of ancient Greek and Trojan religion. Again, there was no care, no attention to detail, no proper explanation as to what, precisely, it was that the three women believed in. Saint carelessly mixed in elements of rituals, belief, godly apparition, beliefs on the afterlife, without ever exploring how they might intersect or contradict one another, how much of the protagonists' religious beliefs were actual beliefs and how much of it was socio-political ritual and necessity.

In any case, I think this is a book suited for those almost entirely unfamiliar with the myths Elektra is based on. If you know what happens to Cassandra and to the women of the House of Atreus, this seriously has nothing new to offer.

A great retelling of parts of the Iliad

Jennifer Saint provides what I hoped Madeline Miller would give me: An emotional retelling of Greek myths with some input that allows us to find new angles in our familiar stories. One caveat: Out of the three women whose perspectives present the story to us, Elektra is the least interesting. Kassandra gets her share of pathos, but this is really Klytemnaestra's account. Elektra is on Agamemnon's side but Saint does such a good job at validating Klytemnaestra's point of view that it strains credibility that Elektra would go to such great lengths to defend her father.

Still, there is a lot here that is great. Where Madeline Miller seems to try to stick as close as possible to what the sources provide, Saint is much more willing to fill in the blanks. Kassandra has great moments with both Helen and Klytemnaestra - and the novel manages very well to really put the women center stage instead of them mostly revolving around men. They are the protagonists of their stories. While I also really appreciate Stephen Fry's takes on the Greek myths, this book is special because it allows its characters more space to reflect on their emotions, making it less encyclopedic and more literary.

I started reading this as text but switched to this audio version around the 20% point and am so glad that I did. It was great to have three different narrators for each point of view character and helped to distinguish them more so than the text alone did.

Despite being named Elektra I think that her point of view was actually the weakest - she was a hard character to spend time with and to want the best for, especially when she didn't recognise what this actually would have been.

Poor Cassandra was interesting and I knew the least of her story before reading (although, I'll admit that unless it was on the Kevin Sorbo Hercules series my knowledge of the actual myths isn't very in depth). I feel like she got the rough end of the stick throughout this whole story.

Clytemnestra for me was the strongest character in this story and I think the novel should have born her name rather than Elektra's but I'll admit it doesn't have the same ring to it. I enjoyed her point of view the most and felt her emotional depth more than the other two and I also think that she is the wheel that the novel turns on.

All three audio narrators were very good and made the story come to life, doing their best to bring it to life.

I personally enjoyed this more than Ariadne which I had found a little underwhelming+ although perhaps that was due to the hype surrounding it. Having lower expectations going into this one may have helped me enjoy it more, or perhaps putting it aside earlier and coming back to it now meant I have read it at the best time.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Greek myth retelling and it definitely won’t be the last!

The narrative switches between the voices of Clytemnestra, Elektra and Cassandra. A wide ranging account it features events leading up to, during and after the Trojan War. The story encompasses the killing of Clytemnestra’s daughter, how Cassandra gains her gift of prophecy and how Elekra tries to escape the blood letting of her family.

I loved how all encompassing this story was - my memory of myths is rather vague but this fleshed out the stories of so many of the great names from Greek mythology. I hadn’t realised how violent and terrible the stories were and I think that the story writing really brings out the human side of those caught up in the tragic events. I really loved being totally immersed in the Greek myths again and I will definitely be reading more in this genre.

I think for me listening to this on audio was quite hard. The voices of the three characters were not distinctive enough for me to identify the different characters as it switched backwards and forwards between the accounts. In addition, the names are very long and unusual so I think I would follow the plot more easily reading rather than listening.

I would very much recommend this book but reading rather than an audiobook.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Headline Audio for a digital copy of this audiobook.

This is the fourth "feminist" retelling of a Greek myth that I've read with distinctly mixed results. One I loved, one I liked well enough but this falls into the same category as Song of Achilles for me - overlong and whiny narrators (I don't include Clytemnestra's story in that estimation).

So Elektra (despite the title) tells us the story of the Trojan Wars through the eyes of Clytemenestra, wife if Agammemnon; Cassandra, sister of Paris and Elektra, Clytemnestra's daughter.

The voice of Clytemnestra is the only one that really caught my interest and Jennifer Saint's description of Clytemnestra watching her eldest daughter be sacrificed was absolutely heartbreaking.

Cassandra comes across as an entitled little madam who wanted what her mother had (the power of foresight) but wasn't prepared to deal with the consequences of asking for it. She seems permanently surprised that no one listens to her and you'd think after decades she'd have got the message.

But I save my biggest disdain for the title character, Elektra. She sounds like a whiny, misunderstood teenager, cutting off her own nose to spite her face. Her endless moans about her father and her mother; her desire to ger revenge; her "sacrifice" after her father's death. It just went on and on. She even manages to disgrace herself when the chance for revenge comes her way.

If this is supposed to be a feminist retelling then two of the three women come across very badly as feminist icons. The only one with any true feminist traits appears, to me, to be Queen Clytemnestra.

All in all I found it too long and with not enough about two of the characters it fell short of a good re-telling.

That said, I listened to the audiobook as an ARC from Netgalley and the voices of the characters were great. It was clearly read and they did what they could with the prose. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the narrators were one of the best parts of this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this! I thought the narrators were fantastic and the story was great. I remember enjoy from my classics classes in university to follow along while still being able to enjoy the story and be captivated by something I feel a lot of people have heard quite a bit.

This greek mythological retelling is told from a multitude of female perspectives. It does not merely allow them autonomy, when the original tales largely held their mute presence and nothing else, but also showcased how they might not have been on battlefields but still altered the course of history with their words, actions, and beliefs.

Jennifer Saint crafted each individual and scene with authenticity and abundant emotion. I felt every ounce of fear, anger, and grief that their stories contained.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an audio version of this book for review.

I enjoyed this book, but I'm glad that I listened to it via audiobook rather than reading it, because the pacing was slower and at times I think if I'd been sat reading it I would have constantly put it down.

We follow the lives of three women during the trojan war: Cassandra, a princess of Troy; Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon; Elektra, their daughter.

Considering the title of this book, I actually felt Elektra's story was very weak, and felt the focus was more on Clytemnestra. Which I have no issue with as such, because I was really invested in Clytemnestra's story. As a mother myself, she resonated with me, and I felt really connected to her pain and grief and the drive that kept her going. Elektra maddened me, tbh, and was my least favourite POV in the end! Cassandra's part was interesting, and I felt for her too, but most of the time I just wanted to be with Clytemnestra.

Overall, this was a good enough read, and it was narrated pretty well too. I enjoyed it enough, and for anyone who enjoys Greek mythology and doesn't mind slower pacing then I'd definitely recommend!

Have not read,downloaded in error,I wanted to purchase the written book not the audio version, sorry

Of course I was drawn to this novel by the cover. Who wouldn’t be?

This period of Greek history was on the school curriculum and I should have paid more attention. So. The first job is to get a hang of the characters and their relationships. I am familiar with the names but less so with the familial relationships. The novel very much focusses on the female perspective, which is refreshing.

Elektra is the daughter of Clytemnestra, who is married to Agamemnon, currently away at war. Her relationship with her mother is difficult and Agamemnon’s return is eagerly anticipated by some, only for him to meet an untimely end. And there is Cassandra, Princess of Troy who can see the future (thanks, no thanks to Apollo) but has no credibility, is not believed as a woman (now, where have we come across that before?).

These three women chart the unfolding course of the Trojan War for the reader and each woman has a unique voice, making it easy to distinguish between individual their take on the situation. They are well thought through characters, whose drive and

There has clearly been phenomenal research and it is an engaging and informative read. The themes of life, to wit the loss, death, betrayal, revenge (to name but a few) are universal and relatable, and can find context in present day. The novel is rich in detail and description, there is colour and vibrancy, and the novel really brings to life this period of fictional history.

The novel is curiously titled Elektra. In fact centre stage, to my mind, is Clytemnestra but the former works better as a punchy book title, which is a shame for the latter – but whose name clearly would not work as a peppy title.

Thank you Net Galley and Headline Audio for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Elektra, the daughter of Agamemnon, who greatly looks up to her father. When he leaves for Troy she is heartbroken and for years longs to be near him. Along with her mother Clytemnestra and the sister of Paris (the Trojan Prince who fell in love with Helen) called Princess Cassandra, this incredibly clever novel tells the story of Troy from many different points of view.

Because I love Song of Achilles with all my heart, I was worried this book would just be another tale about Troy, not really adding anything - but how wrong I was. Elektra adds so much to the story of the Trojan War, with how Princess Cassandra feels watching the war unfold beneath her.

Princess Casandra got the gift of prophecy from Apollo, but no one believes her when she speaks of the dangers.

My favourite point of view was Clytemnestra’s, as it was full of humility, grief, revenge, anger and sorrow.

The audiobook itself was incredibly well done, showcasing the emotions of the characters beautifully.

I think I probably read this book too quickly, hence not giving it a higher rating, but I enjoyed this really interesting perspective of Elektra, though I was expecting more of her story rather than the three perspectives in total that we got from this.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who know more about Greek mythology than I do (which is most people to be fair)…