Later, Paris of Troy takes Helen away, precipitating the ten year war between Greece and Troy that told in Homer’s Illiad. The story starts with the marriage of Clytemnestra’s impossibly beautiful sister Helen to Agamemnon’s brother Menelaus, a union that allows the brothers to take back their kingdom from their uncle. Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, Cassandra, sister of Paris and Elektra, one of the daughters of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. Saint tells her story from the perspective of three women. In Elektra, Saint goes all in, tackling probably the best known and most retold of Greek myths – the siege of Troy, from its lead up to its just a bloody aftermath.
While the start of that tale is well known much of the book focussed on stories that are slightly less in the public consciousness. Saint’s first book Ariadne, began with the story of Theseus and the Minotaur but told the tale from the perspective of Ariadne and her sister. From established authors like Colm Tóibín, Pat Barker and Mark Haddon to newer authors like Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint. The last few years in particular have seen a number of authors tackling and re-imagining Greek mythology. The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin.The Greek myths continue to fascinate and challenge both writers and readers. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall. Princess of Troy, and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. Her husband raises a great army against them and determines to win, whatever the cost. The sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon - her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance.
'A brilliant read' Women & Home | 'A spirited retelling' Times | ' Beautiful and absorbing' Fabulous | 'A vivid reimagining of Greek mythology' Harper's Bazaar | 'Jennifer Saint has done an incredible job' Red 'Jennifer Saint has breathed new life into this myth and put her own stamp on it' REAL READER REVIEW 'I was glued to it from beginning to end and could not wait to recommend to my friends afterwards.' REAL READER REVIEW 'The story and its characters swept me up and engulfed me, I could not put this one down' REAL READER REVIEW **The spellbinding new retelling of the Trojan War drawn from the perspective of the fearless women at the heart of it all.**
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