Elektra: A Novel - Jennifer Saint

Written by Jennifer Saint
Read by Beth Eyre
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release date: May 3, 2022
Duration: 10:38:22

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?

PW- Starred review from March 21, 2022
Jennifer Saint returns with a brilliant feminist revision of the Greek myth of the House of Atreus. As in the Aeschylus plays, the lives of three powerful women intersect through war and vengeance: Cassandra, daughter of the king and queen of Troy; Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon; and Elektra, daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. In alternating chapters, each woman relays her own story and is treated to generous and bold character development. Cassandra, kissed by the god Apollo, receives the gift of prophecy and is disregarded by her family despite the fates she sees for them. Agamemnon wages war against Troy beginning with a treacherous act that Clytemnestra cannot forgive. Clytemnestra soon bears Agamemnon’s son, a child she finds difficult to love because of his association with Agamemnon, and joins forces with her nephew, Aegisthus. Saint enriches the tense story with psychological depth, showing, for instance, how Elektra simmers with resentment of her mother and Aegisthus for their betrayal of Agamemnon. The author also does a splendid job managing the timeline, with rich and sustained scenes and seamless jumps. Out of a canonical myth, Saint has built a commanding story of rebellious women. “