Giving voice to a woman condemned by history, this debut is an epic feminist retelling of the story of notorious Spartan queen, Clytemnestra
'When vengeance calls and the gods stop watching,
what do we do to those who harm the people we love?'
Wife. Mother. Fighter. Conspirator. Queen. CLYTEMNESTRA.
This is the story of a daughter betrayed by her father. Who watches her sister be destroyed by violence and rape. Whose child is sacrificed to ensure her family's power. Who fights as fiercely as any warrior. Who falls in love with her husband's enemy. Who is hungry for otherworldly retribution against both men and gods...
This is Clytemnestra, the most notorious heroine of the Ancient World. Know her name.
Condemned by Homer and the Greek poets as a sexually faithless, deceitful, murderous woman, Clytemnestra's voice is obscured by the spiteful judgement of history. A judgement that refuses to see her strength and her cunning, her grief and her rage. Costanza Cosati's dazzling debut isn't just a retelling of the consequences of war on women - it is about how women fought their own wars. Because Clytemnestra understood something that the others didn't-
If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.
About the Author
Costanza Casati was born in Texas in 1995 and grew up in a village in Northern Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, under one of the country's most rigorous academic programmes. She is a graduate of the prestigious Warwick Writing MA in the UK, and worked as a screenwriter and journalist. Clytemnestra is her debut novel. It has sold into 18 territories worldwide, is a Saturday Times bestseller, and was shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown Award.
Industry Reviews
Strong and immersive. Well-worth plucking from the pile of chiton-lit * The Times *
Vivid with fury, passion and strength, this is a fabulous myth retelling. A powerful, thought-provoking portrayal of a fascinating and complicated woman framed in beautiful prose. I loved it -- Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne and Elektra
Wow! What a powerhouse of a novel. Savage, passionate and absolutely spellbinding. The recreation of Sparta is astonishing - you feel you are with Clytemnestra, completely immersed in the brutal world she inhabits with her siblings, whose complex relationships are drawn with skill and tenderness. Clytemnestra's rage, heartbreak and determination radiate off the page. I was utterly gripped -- Elodie Harper, bestselling author of The Wolf Den & the House with The Golden Door
A blaze of a novel, fiery and furious - and alight with murderous revenge. Like Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint, Casati offers the female perspective on the old, patriarchal tropes of the Greek myths * Daily Mail *
Rivals House of the Dragon in conspiracies and feminine brutality. Here is a complex and courageous woman, all flesh and blood, simmering with passion. Facing the grimmest of betrayals, Clytemnestra's ruthless desire for revenge powers a thrilling plot. This is an electrifying read that shocks and fascinates in equal measure -- Liz Fremantle, the critically acclaimed author of Queen's Gambit
A heroine of fierce spirit caught in a world ruled by men, finding a way through with a sharp, unquenchable courage. With the fire and spark of Madeline Miller and the depths of Mary Renault, Clytemnestra will keep you reading well into the small hours, and your dreams will be of worlds where women reach for the gods -- manda Scott
