This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“Every word I speak is unwelcome. My throat is raw from the words that are torn from me when I touch someone, when I look into their eyes and see the blinding white truth. My prophecies rip out my insides, but still they come, unbidden, even as I quake at the consequences. My listeners curse me, they chase me away, they say I am mad, and they laugh.” – Jennifer Saint, Chapter Two: Cassandra, Page 15
“At first, Agamemnon was a generous, joyful ruler of Mycenae, his project uniting all the Greeks a long-held ambition that he was grateful to be realizing. But, slowly, a peevishness began to settle over him and I saw him fretting from time to time. His imperious dismissal of what the slaves might think had been bluster. He couldn’t help letting slip his worries that perhaps he had not stamped out all lingering loyalty to Thyestes in his kingdom. Further afield, the Greeks were scattered across their islands, each with their own king and their own laws. Agamemnon worried that, even with the strength of Sparta and Mycenae together, the other lesser kings of Greece did not always recognize his superiority.” – Jennifer Saint, Chapter Five: Clytemnestra, Page 38
“When I thought of poverty before, I thought it was preferable to the sight of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. I thought that not seeing their smug and smirking faces would make living here a luxurious delight in comparison. I thought that leaving would buy me my dignity. But there is no dignity in being poor. It is a grinding, exhausting existence, and every morning I wake and stare at the dry, plain walls, which seem to shrink closer around me.” – Jennifer Saint, Chapter Thirty-Two: Elektra, Pages 242-243
Is This An Overview?
This is a retelling of the Trojan War and the decisions in
the aftermath through the perspective of Elektra, Clytemnestra, and
Cassandra. Electra is a princess of
Mycenae, daughter to Queen Clytemnestra and King Agamemnon. Cassandra is a princess of Troy. A tale inhabiting Greek culture and mythology. A tale of the gods intervention, how the
people react to what is needed to be done, and cycles of violence. Elektra, Clytemnestra, and Cassandra, each in
their own way try to prevent conflict from escalating, but cannot avoid the
prophecies made. Each tries to influence
how conflicts are resolved, but each is limited by political power and a
culture seeking glory and vengeance.
Each decision creates its own divergent interpretations, a source of
conflict that often has consequences.
Caveats?
The story tries to be consistent with the original story of
the Trojan War. There might not be
anything new for those already familiar with the story.
