Welcome to Litsy!

"I have been acquainted with the smell of death."

Colm Tóibín's re-telling of the events from the first two plays of “The Oresteia“.

The story is stripped down to its essentials of characters and events. If you didn't know the story in advance, there is nothing really to suggest that we are in Bronze Age Greece rather than any other society before the invention of firearms. This made it curiously uninvolving emotionally for the most part and yet completely compelling.

#coffeeandabook

For someone who really disliked Greek Mythology as a student, I‘ve come to love it as an adult. This is another reimagining of the Greek tragedy surrounding Iphigéneia, beloved daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. This time the action focuses on Iphigéneia‘s siblings Electra & Orestes. Toibin does a good job but the story was a little flat, it missed the intensity that Miller & Barker created with their re-tellings.
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I enjoyed this, it was well written and I‘m glad to see the Oresteia which I love getting some attention in the current vogue of rewriting Greek myths as well as the Iliad and odyssey. Having said that, I have read so many rewritten Greek myths recently it‘s hard to be equally excited after this many. It was good but it wasn‘t A Thousand Ships. I feel bad for comparing but can‘t help it. This didn‘t put any particular spin on it like others have.

Thanks @TheAromaofBooks this book has been on my shelf awhile and I‘m excited to finally get the nudge to pick it up #BookSpin #20 ♥️It also should work for #ReadingEurope2020 #Greece

This is a good example of what Litsy has done to me! This book arrived today from Book Depository. I ordered it because I checked. I know that I saw someone‘s post about and had to have it Right Now. But I certainly don‘t remember. Oy.
#LitsyRecommends

After reading and loving a bunch of Greek Mythology retellings, I ordered this one! #BookMail #BookDepository #HappyDay 💕💕💕

Tóibín takes on a Greek myth and humanizes it. Told alternately from the perspective of Clytemnestra, Orestes, and Electra, the family members grapple with Agamemnon‘s decision to sacrifice his other daughter. Repercussions and murder and intrigue abound.

#RedRightHand #MayMovieMagic
I know, it's a disembodied *left* hand and it's white against a red background, but close enough? The plot does relate: it tells the story of the blood on Agamemnon's hands. With Madeline Miller's popularity, I'm curious what other mythological reimaginings have come out recently: it's time I've tried one.
On the music side- I love this song and Nick Cave. Google the song title and 'Dr. Seuss' for some internet fun 😀

🎶...He had it coming
He had it coming
He only had himself to blame...🎶
Tóibin's memorable novel is based on several ancient Greek tragedies, with an emphasis on Aeschylus' Oresteia. Clytemnestra plots her revenge against her husband, Agamemnon as he returns home victorious from the Trojan War. Aeschylus' original trilogy not only dealt with themes of revenge, but laid the groundwork for Shakespearean cycles of violence & 👇

My handle is just the beginnings of my first and middle names. But Mich also works for Michigan, which is where my mother‘s family was from/still lives and also a place I love to visit!

@kaye

K: The Kite Runner. A: Anne of Green Gables R: The Remains of a Day. E: East of Eden N: Never Let me Go

Not sure I liked the ending but still am glad I read it. It‘s based on some Greek myths so Tóibín is following the essays. Quick read. Lots of violence but interesting story. 3.5 stars.

#currentlyreading #greekathon
Madeline Miller made me do it.

This is a beautifully written retelling of the story of Clytemnestra and her children. This is a book to be savored.

I wanted a #litsyhandle that wasn‘t just a variation of my name (my usual), and I wanted something a little punny and catchy— so my name is a play on the show “Boy Meets World” — Girl Meets Book. ✌🏼

Picked this up at the library! I can't wait to start reading!
#weekendread #firstof2018

This is so cool. Neither of these gifts by @EllieDottie were on my radar, and they should have been. I ❤️❤️❤️Newberry award winners, and I ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️the Iliad even more. Super excited to read!! 💃🏻📚🎁

Thank you again Ellie!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻. #bookgifts #litsyfriends

Second book I have read by Toibin. I find his style both compelling and easy to read.

Using numerous Greek plays as his inspiration & foundation, Toibin connects & expands upon the story of Agammenon sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, & the repercussions. Emotionally the novel is more restrained than the originals. Contrasted with the tempered tone, the violence is shocking. Toibin is faithful to the world of the original, yet this is undoubtedly a modern novel. Belief in the gods is widespread, yet starting to decline. 👇

I like authors who give voices to strong women, women with oodles of character. Hats off to Toibin‘s courage to give first person narrative for Clytemnestra and Electra. I found the Electra narrative the best.

I‘m on a Colm Toibin binge before he delivers this year‘s Ellmann Lectures at Emory in a few weeks. I‘ve always admired the clarity of his writing. It is lovely without ever being overwritten, so it feels effortless, which of course I know it isn‘t. That lovely clarity is on full display here. A warning though, if you are someone who needs to like the characters in a book, this is not for you.

Anyone else love this like I do???? Ancient Greek retelling of Clytemnestra (had to look that spelling up) and Agamemnon. So good.

A retelling of the greek myth of Clytmnestra and Agammemnon. Very well done

As a reviewer for The Spectator says, "Toibin makes the most pitiless Greek myths seem poignant."

Reading during the warm up act for Johnny Rawls last night. This older gentleman was rockin' it Vermont style.

Diving in. Toibin is remarkable in his simplicity while telling a complicated tale. It gets me every time. And at the end of my week of caring for 2 little ones, my body feels a bit like the hand in this photo! I might be getting too old for this line of work.

My #BOTM came in & I got a few books on my roadtrip...not a bad #bookhaul 😊😎🤓

#WEEKENDGIVEAWAY @Liberty The Greeks. Making dysfunctional families the norm since 800 BCE. #houseofnames is a brilliant retelling of the family saga of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and their children. #colmtoibin always gets it right.

A cloudy morning is ripe for cappuccino & Greeks. #houseofnames #morningtime

I loved Toibin's excellent new novel which retells the myth of Agamemnon & his extremely dysfunctional family. Instead of focusing on the perspective of the warrior king he shows the points of view of his wife and children.

My entertainment while supper is cooking 🍳

2 things:

1. Blueberries in my salad was the best decision I could have made today. Arugula + tuna + avocado + pickled red onions + blueberries! Sprinkled with cotija. YUM.

2. Loved this book. I know the story well thanks to a college Greek tragedy course, and so a retelling of it was a thrill for me to read. Toibin's elegant and deliberate writing explored each character's inner psyches SO perfectly and built up to a hugely satisfying ending.

So I may have cheated on The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet last night with this one, but I could NOT resist. I'm almost finished and my heart sings and dances and breaks when it is close to me. It's a retelling of The Oresteia and it is sublime. If you like Greek tragedies or The Song of Achilles, read this!Agamemnon sacrifices his oldest daughter, Iphigenia, and his wife, Clytemnestra, seeks revenge and the family brutally falls apart 💔.

I loved this. The parts told from Clytemnestra's point of view were particularly strong. These stories just never age and there's a reason we keep retelling them. This one is worth your time.

Coco and I sitting down to enjoy our new book.

Camping and reading is one of my favorite summer activities! I loved Brooklyn by Toibin so I picked up this one when I saw it at the library last week. It does not disappoint! He has a unique way of writing about his characters that draws you into their lives and makes you care about them in ways no other author I've ever read has done. #camping

I'm about halfway through this, and really liking it. It's based on The Iliad and the Greek plays based on the Trojan War and the Odyssey. Told from the POVs of Clytemnestra, Orestes, and Electra, it focuses on revenge, family, and misinformation. I think @sprainedbrain would like this one- it has a similar setting and feel.

I went into this without really seeing what it was about and really enjoyed it. The story keeps you going with it's twists and turns and different points of view

What. A. Beginning.

Squee. I saw one of my favorite authors today. Got so star struck when he signed my book that I forgot how to speak and just stared at him like a deer in headlights

🖐📖

Stunning beginning as the focus is on Clytemnestra, but once the narrative shifts to Orestes and Electra the story drags. I loved the beginning, thought the middle was slow, and disliked the ending and thought it was confusing. Parts of this book are written so beautifully though. Mixed thoughts here. I voluntarily reviewed an eARC copy of the book from NetGalley.

We're seeing red on this exciting new release Tuesday! Happy pub day to these fascinating, crimson reads and plenty more! 🚨🎯❤

Murder, revenge and unforgivable transgressions scar the pages of Tóibín‘s latest novel. In his brutal retelling of the classical Greek tragedy, Clytemnestra vows revenge after Agamemnon‘s sacrificial slaughter of their eldest daughter. I appreciated the first-person narrative accounts of the women in this book, although they were rife with hostility. Not recommended for the faint of heart! - Ashley

What an utterly lifeless retelling of the story of Clytemnestra! Who would have thought that a tale so full of murder, deceit and betrayal could be so dreadfully dull? Considering the terrible violent acts that hatred and vengeance spur these characters on to there isn't a single palpable emotion. Better to skip Tóibín's effort and read the fantastic work of Christa Wolf (see comments for tagged books)

The retelling of the myth Clytemnestra and her husband Agamemnon. Agamemnon tricked his wife into bringing their daughter Iphigenia to him by saying she was to marry Achilles. His actual intention was to have her sacrificed.
Clytemnestra begins plotting her revenge and takes Aegisthus into her confidence. Together they plan and execute his murder. The fallout from this act greatly affects her, her other children, and their community. Good story