Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

86 reviews

ifeltlikereading's review

dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

If you love a good Greek re-telling with gut wrenching emotions, this is the book for you. I COULD NOT put this down. Devoured this under 48hrs and my mind was reeling. Fair warning- this book, while beautifully articulated, has the capacity to trigger emotions. While this depicts how wonderful the storyteller is with their craft, its always nice to know ahead 🫡

I got angry in her stead, cried when she did and burned with the feeling to get revenge when all was lost. I was so engrossed in this story- but while I was there, I started to be grateful to be born in an era where I am able to take a stand for my life. There was a lot of suffering and reading about them is not for the faint of hearts. I became well acquainted with the Spartans, Greeks, Trojans and everyone from Achilles to Helen of Troy. Casati has masterfully weaved Clytemnestra’s legacy in this book and I’d recommend this with all my heart. I love women who don’t back down, and never give up. 😎 Definitive ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 read for me 🧡

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Blood, War, and Violence

oakotoks's review

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

this book is the embodiment of female rage- the anger i felt alongside the protagonist, the sadness all of it was so good. such an excellent greek myth retelling 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, Blood, Sexual violence, and Misogyny

topodibiblioteca's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Slavery, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Vomit, and Suicidal thoughts

inkwellimps's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Child death, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Slavery, and Confinement

Minor: Lesbophobia, War, Incest, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts

freschne's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Misogyny

sopopia's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Child death, Sexual violence, and War

harpsrawx's review

dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

very interesting interpretation of greek mythology classic texts. for one, the gods are not active characters in the story and clytemnestra takes more of an agnostic approach to religion and prophecies. i did enjoy that the trojan war was explained as inevitable, and helen running away with paris was just the catalyst. def called out a lot of misogyny in the original texts without really changing the plot. kind of wish the story had ended with a description of libation bearers but oh well! 

3.5 stars because the prose was slightly cringy at time. author did a lot of telling not showing, she could’ve eliminated a lot of sentences to shorten this book. but overall still entertaining. greek mythology is my MCU!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Blood, War, Rape, and Violence

sarabook's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Violence, Sexism, Physical abuse, Grief, War, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

just_one_more_chapter_ok's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An much needed sympathetic take on one of Greek mythology's most reviled women.  From the first time I read the story of Clytemnestra I didn't understand why she was painted as the villain.  While she might be morally ambiguous, she isn't the villain.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Misogyny, Slavery, Grief, and Sexual violence

cass_herg's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I support women’s wrongs!

I’m a sucker for anything related to Greek mythology, feminine rage, and for historical retellings so this was a no brainer to pick up. Going in I only knew of Clytemnestra as she related to Agamemnon and Helen (aka a murderer and the cruel sister who didn’t compare) and how she was essentially just a “bad wife” foil to Penelope in the Odyssey so I was really excited to see her perspective for actions only ever portrayed from one specific point of view.

I assumed Agamemnon would probably be an ass, but I didn’t realize just how much I’d hate him immediately. He deserved everything he gets in this book and then some and that opinion was cemented for me before I even got to page 100.

It is so interesting how for both the two major losses and points in clytemnestras life we essentially just skip past all the other stages of grief until we get to anger. I think normally I’d be a little upset to skip over those intense and important moments of grief, but here it feels very fitting since the anger is extremely justified. In the case of Iphigenias death, I loved that right before the skip we just get a series of letters from her surviving loved ones. These are also the last words we get from any of those characters perspectives and I think they sum up each character perfectly.

There is so much nuance in this book and it’s honestly one of the most heartbreaking yet empowering stories I’ve read. It’s an incredibly powerful story that gives a lot of poignant commentary on what it is to be a woman, mother, sister, and a daughter. Every female character is multi dimensional with their share of faults but also a strength that is unique and different for each individual and it is so refreshing to read that.

I could probably write an entire dissertation on this book (clearly), but I’ll leave it at this: if you are at all a fan of Greek mythology, read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Child death, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Slavery, and War