Is she the central character? Not really, no.īeing honest, as I read the book, all I could think was that this is more the story of Clytemnestra, her descent into the pits of despair and everything that aided in that journey. Though the novel is titled Elektra, part of me thinks this is something of an identity crisis.ĭo we get Elektra’s tale woven into the book? Yes, we definitely do. As always we have stories of incestuous and abusive relationships, but we also have fratricide, patricide and cannibalism. At one point, it highlights that Helen running away with Paris is only an excuse for the power-hungry brothers to destroy a powerful city that could have been competition for their own heritage in Mycenae.Īs a child, I didn’t really delve into the so-called behind-the-scenes information, but this book really digs deep, looking at the horrific history behind the myth, especially where the two brothers, Agamemnon and Menelaus are concerned. This book delves into the emotions of the women who are victims of the war.

Pretty, blonde Jodie Olliver played the beautiful Helen and we did indeed see destruction. In this play, I had to act crazy and say insane things about how my newly returned brother Paris – played by James Tedeschi – was going to cause the destruction of the town. I was given the role (quite suitable now I think about it more) of Cassandra, the fortune-teller and daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. When I was 9 years old we did a play called Troy at my primary school. Troy is where my love of all things Greek mythology started. So, this book is based before, during and after the sacking of Troy. Need a bit more? Clytemnestra was the sister of Helen of Troy – the face that launched a thousand ships. That being said, I know that a lot of people loved it so I will post the link to my review below and let you make your own minds up.įor anyone who isn’t quite sure who Elektra is she is the youngest child of King Agamemnon of Mycenae and his wife Clytemnestra. I gave the book 2 stars on Goodreads and though that feels a little mean, I am going to stick by that because of issues I personally had with the story. In July of 2021, I reviewed Jennifer Saint’s first mythologically focused novel, Ariadne for my podcast, and though this genre remains one of my favourites the book was not what I had expected.

Elektra by jennifer saint