Clytemnestra: A Novel

Costanza Casati

May 2023 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

"Fans of Circe and Elektra should pick up this powerful Greek myth retelling." —Cosmopolitan

For fans of Madeline Miller, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best...

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods' hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and of an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.

"Crackles with vivid fury, passion, and strength." —Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Elektra and Ariadne

Ratings and reviews

This is thorough for sure. On the one hand, that means it felt slow for the first half or so. But it also meant that Clytemnestra, and everyone around her, was very well developed as a character. This was a much more complex portrayal of her than I've ever seen, and I really enjoyed seeing her in all the different roles she took on.

This book honestly took me by surprise. I will say that I was not expecting to like the book as much as I did because the beginning of the book did start out a little slow. I was also confused about a certain character which made me not like the book at first. But as the book went on, I couldn’t stop reading. Clytemnestra and all her pain was hard to read about, but I couldn’t help but admire how strong she was the whole book. Overall a great book.

About the author

Costanza Casati was born in Texas in 1995, grew up in a village in Northern Italy and lived in the UK for five years. Before moving to London, she attended a classical Liceo in Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, for five years. Costanza is a graduate of the prestigious Warwick Writing MA programme where she earned a distinction, and currently works as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. Clytemnestra is her debut novel.