Elektra: The mesmerising story of Troy from the three women its heart

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Elektra did exactly that- telling the story of the Trojan War through the lens of three women for whom the heroic battle leads to personal tragedy. Firstly, I absolutely adored this book, even more than Ariadne, but then I’m not surprised as in this novel Saint tackles some of my favourite mythological women and one of my favourite cycles.

Life is rarely kind to the women in Greek tragedies as they live in fear of either the whims of the gods or of men. In this, it's mostly a whimper and daddy worship and mommy hating her husband and taking a lover and then going "Oh, My" when crap hits the fan. Though the title would have you thinking this story is centered on one woman, it actually follows three separate women during the time of the Trojan War.This could have been stronger had it been a more in depth story focusing solely on Clytemnestra or Cassandra but the three POV’s made the story weaker and more surface level. The answers to these questions have no easy answer and are explored in all their grounded and tragic glory, adding human emotion and compassion to these women’s stories. Elizabeth Lee, author of CUNNING WOMEN Elektra tells the stories of three women as each battles to forge her own destiny. Despite adopting an interesting viewpoint through the eyes of Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra, much of the novel’s events are skimmed.

As it happened, I read this shortly after reading Clare Heywood's excellent Daughters of Sparta, which tells much the same story, albeit in a different manner. We read her terrible curse from Apollo as she refuses him to rape her (literally whenever Apollo appears on the scene in any myth you know someone will be sexually assaulted).I know Saint's just following the original text, but my GOD does Elektra get exhausting after a while. It is clear that Clytemnestra ignored her, which added to Elektra’s problems, but I find that Elektra should have been able to reach some reasonable conclusions to past events that she willfully chose to ignore. Saint really puts her own style and voice to these myths in a way that very few have successfully accomplished, and you really are able to fully comprehend all that has happened to the ladies, and just what mindset and reasoning you would have to kill your own mother and whether or not it was morally right to do so.

We learn of Helen's marriage to Menelaus and why she chose him; of Clytemnestra's marriage to Agamemnon and her giving birth to all their children; of Elektra's childhood; of Cassandra's curse and why she received it from the god Apollo.Mind you, this is a messed up tragedy that even gets the furies involved, but most of that is AFTER the war is won.