Elektra

A Novel

De: Jennifer Saint

Narrado por: Beth Eyre, Jane Collingwood, Julie Teal

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

Great reimagining from women’s point of view

I would have rated it higher if it had been truer to the experience of women living in that time period. A lot of liberties were taken that took me out of the realm of believability as it would for anyone who studied the history and gender roles of the time period but overall the story was an interesting new imagining of the women of that time.

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 :)

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

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.

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.

Vengeance is mine sayeth the sister.

Six word summary. Great story... Greek tragedy at its best. I love mythology and the lessons.

Called Elektra but it’s not really about her and she’s unlikable

This is my first time reading this authors writing so I’m not sure if it’s typical that she creates really unlikable characters. Most of the book doesn’t even spend time on Elektra but more her mother and Kassandra- the person the book should really be named after. Elektra is a naive girl who turns out to be a psychopath. She’s possessed with revenge and not in a good way. All the other characters suffer from her meanwhile they’re more likable. The audio performance is great though, that’s what kept me listening.

Elektra Review

I feel like greek mythology and I have become so intertwined. Everything I read now on Audible is Greek Mythology I can't stay away. This book was a bit different as it told the story of three women impacted in different ways from the trojan war: Clytemnestra, Elektra, and Cassandra.

Clytemnestra: Helen's twin sister and Agamemnon's wife.

Elektra: Clytemnestra and Agamemnon's youngest daughter.

Cassandra: One of Hector and Paris' sister's.

I felt the pain these women felt and felt myself changing my opinion of them and the other women/characters as they spoke their truths. I knew bits of their stories, but overall it was a complete new read for me! The writing of Saint is just beautiful, I loved this book so much.

It Just Wasn’t Enjoyable

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

The End of an Era

The story is good and closes to the myth but the end felt for so rushed for such a long build up.