Elektra

A Novel

By: Jennifer Saint

Narrated by: Beth Eyre, Jane Collingwood, Julie Teal

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

A spellbinding reimagining of the story of Elektra, one of Greek mythology’s most infamous heroines, from Jennifer Saint, the author of the beloved international best seller Ariadne.

Three women, tangled in an ancient curse.

When Clytemnestra marries Agamemnon, she ignores the insidious whispers about his family line, the House of Atreus. But when, on the eve of the Trojan War, Agamemnon betrays Clytemnestra in the most unimaginable way, she must confront the curse that has long ravaged their family.

In Troy, Princess Cassandra has the gift of prophecy, but carries a curse of her own: No one will ever believe what she sees. When she is shown what will happen to her beloved city when Agamemnon and his army arrives, she is powerless to stop the tragedy from unfolding.

Elektra, Clytemnestra, and Agamemnon’s youngest daughter, wants only for her beloved father to return home from war. But can she escape her family’s bloody history, or is her destiny bound by violence, too?

©2022 Jennifer Saint (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

The Fall Of The House Of Atreus

It’s been about a year since we got Jennifer Saint’s “Ariadne”. In that time we’ve gotten Stephen Fry’s “Troy”, Pat Barker’s “The Silence Of The Girls” sequel titled “The Women Of Troy”, and Natalie Haynes’ “Pandora’s Jar”. And with Madeline Miller’s “Persephone” on the horizon It’s seemingly becoming more and more difficult to stand out amongst these other modern reinterpretations of the Greek myths. Nevertheless, Jennifer Saint delivers yet another stellar entry with her novel “Elektra”.
I said in my review for “Ariadne” that I next hoped to see Saint tackle the story of one of the more classically “villainous” women of Greek Mythology like Medea or Medusa. I really wanted to see how she’d write someone that the myths have often depicted as evil or wicked. Zeus must have been listening because in “Elektra” we get Saint’s take on the titular Elektra, as well as Cassandra, and my personal favorite part of this story: Clytemnestra. It’s SO interesting to see what she does with Clytemnestra in particular because despite being one of the more famously villainous women of Greek mythology, it’s shockingly easy to sympathize with and root for her. Queen Clytemnestra was famously married to an absolute dog of a man; Agamemnon. The same Agamemnon who lured their daughter to an island under false pretenses, sacrificed her for fair winds, and then proceeded to murder, torture, or enslave the entire city of Troy. It is not difficult to sympathize with and root for Clytemnestra in the same way we root for Arya Stark in “Game Of Thrones” or Beatrix Kiddo in “Kill Bill” . Yet far too often Clytemnestra is the personification of the “evil wife” in Greek mythology, rivaled in infamy only by Medea. In “Elektra” Saint gives her a voice at last and I relished getting the chance to hear her side.
Through Jennifer Saint’s “Elektra” we get some new and very novel takes on all the women of the Oresteia. Elektra, Cassandra, and Clytemnestra all get their say and finally get to tell us their stories as they see it. Seeing the fall of the house of Atreus as it crumbles from the inside is so compelling I just couldn’t put it down. While there are some difficult passages and moments (Agamemnon is famously a total bastard) I think it’s a pretty rewarding read. It’s certainly entertaining and very competently written. While I still think the authors of “Circe”, “A Thousand Ships”, “Troy”, and “The Silence Of The Girls” are on the Mount Rushmore of great modern retellings of Greek myth/The Trojan War, “Elektra” is a worthy entry from a very talented writer. She only gets better and I genuinely can’t wait to see what we get from her next!

If you enjoyed “Elektra” as much as I have and are looking for something similar definitely check out the BBC production of “The Oresteia” on audible. I’d also recommend the books “A Thousand Ships” and “Pandora’s Jar” by Natalie Haynes or “House Of Names” by Colm Toibin. You should also check out “The Witch’s Heart” by Genevieve Gornichec or “The Wolf’s Den” by Elodie Harper.

A gripping tragedy with an ensnaring performance

I love Jennifer Saint's writing. Her writing winds you on a thread into the spool of her stories. This book is no exception. Her first book Ariadne had an incredible premise, but I wasn't a fan of the ending, which was hopeless and sad. In her new book Elektra, she still uses the medium of a tragedy to tell her story, and while the ending isn't a bright one, there's enough hope to satiate my cravings for a hero's redemption at the end of a story.

Great Story!

I was thrilled when I saw this title come out, as I had loved Jennifer Saint’s “Ariadne”. I found this book to be quite easy to listen to and enjoyed the story.

I found Clytemnestra’s grief for the loss of her daughter to be extremely palpable and touching. I’m not a mother myself, but I was brought to tears at Clytemnestra’s pain at the loss of her child. Her grief turned anger was so flawless that I found it quite hard to not sympathize with her.

Overall great read and would recommend for anybody that loved “Ariadne”, as well as anybody who enjoys Madeline Miller :)

Character Development Needed

I'm a big fan of mythology told from an unusual perspective. So much of what we have in the classics doesn't take the female narrative into consideration and there is a huge opportunity to retell an old story. I've loved the books Circe and Clytemnestra and was really looking forward to getting Elektra's perspective as the daughter who overly-idolized her father and was excited to see that it also included her mother's story and Cassandra's as well.

But...

These characters felt totally one dimensional to me. Clytemnestra was obsessive. Cassandra was a martyr. And Elektra? Elektra was the least likable protagonist that I can remember. She was whiny and entitled and single-minded and shallow.

I hoped this telling would make me think and turn my perspective on its side. It didn't really do that.

Great narrator, story was just ok

This did not grip me in the way I hoped, although I finished the book it sort of petered out about half way through, and I became bored. I probably only completed it because the voice actor was so good.

Loved Ariadne...

I loved Ariadne...so I was pretty disappointed by this version of Elektra. The narrative of her being of slaves of war, constantly whining. . . I struggled to complete it.

I wish the three Narrators read the chapter titles - the name of the character speaking

I found this audiobook annoyingly confusing in a way it doesn’t have to be. At the beginning of every printed chapter (I also have the paper book), it names the woman speaking. In the audiobook, she just starts talking in the first person with a British accent. All of the actors are good. Their voices are slightly different, but not very different! You can figure it out when she says, my daughter Iphigenia, or something like that. But I listen while doing other things, and frequently had to stop and think, “Is this Elektra, Cassandra, or Clytemnestra?

It Just Wasn’t Enjoyable

I stopped a few times and was glad when it was over. Elektra was awful.

2 brilliant women

I didn’t know I could hate a child as much as I came to hate Elektra, she’s so consumed in her privilege that she can’t see the reality outside her life.
I always admired Clytemnestra ferocity but couldn’t relate to her negligence to her surviving children.
And Cassandra, poor baby only trying to fit in.

2 great women one cringe master

Every time Elektra opens her mouth I wish her portion was over. By far she is the weakest character as she is just a female copy of Agamemnon which we already know about and it feels empty.

The readers were wonderful and really brought life to the story. I do with that the story didn’t follow the original myth the the letter. There is wiggle room and yet the author didn’t choose to do that.

Overall it was okay but Elektra is the worst