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

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A good book is when you immerse yourself into reading and are simply absorbed by the story, which is the case for me. Following the story of three different but interconnected women, Elektra takes an insightful look at the complex, rich, albeit sometimes tragic relationships between mother and daughter, as well as the devastation of war on both sides of the battle. A Greek mythology retelling, when done right, takes us into the hearts and minds of seemingly remote characters and makes them come alive. This manages to recontextualize events and choices in terms of family relationships, motherhood, and trauma. Clytemnestra and Cassandra's narratives were undeniably fascinating, and for that, this was a worthwhile read for me.

I’ve been fascinated by the entire drama surrounding the House of Atreus since senior year of high school and having been teaching it for the past 7 years. Instead as Elektra takes the view of the sacrifice being god ordained- she cannot understand why Clytemnestra is grieving and hating her father. and, because of that, i think i now prefer reimaginings, rather than faithful retellings, which is what this book is.She dismisses the voices of other women, steadfastly refuses to take any action for herself beyond moping and grooming a man to commit murders for her, and has a blind devotion to her monstrous father that goes well beyond filial loyalty and dips dangerously close to incestuous/Oedipal obsession. This is without a doubt my favourite book that Saint has released, I never knew just how desperate I was for the voices of Elektra, Cassandra and Clytemnestra until I started to read this wonderful novel. Elektra' is a beautiful, haunting, twisted, and fascinating Greek retelling, inextricably bound to tragedy, mystery, intrigue, and retribution.

This wonderful book is told from the POVs of all three women and each chapter is clearly labelled so you know who’s POV you’re reading at any time. It’s true that these stories almost always focus on men, with the women playing side roles at best, even when they do enough to warrant helming their own stories. A priestess of Apollo who is blessed with the power of foresight but cursed for these visions never to be believed.Her fixation and devotion to the idea of a man that clearly did not exist, I could never understand.

If you’re familiar with mythology you’ll know Cassandra as a princess of Troy who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but like an awful human, she dipped out on him after promising him she would be his lover if he gave her this gift so he then cursed her so that although she does have the gift of prophecy, she will never be believed. I don't want to say boring because I love the story of Troy and all these people involved in it, but here we are. Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra are the women bearing the brunt of a war created by men and gods in this story of Troy. Now I recognize that I don't have to like any of the characters for the book to be good, and that some characters are written with the intention of being unlikable.

I have long been a fan of Greek mythology, and when I see a new retelling, I instantly gravitate towards it. There couldn't be a better opening sentence for me, I was instantly hooked and couldn't put the book down. Clytemnestra is best known as the murderer of her husband, the leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, as depicted in Aeschylus’s play Agamemnon, which is admittedly where I first encountered and fell in love with her. Negative stuff: this book is still no better than Ariadne, but it at least got a little bit interesting after Agammemnon's death.