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House of Names - Colm Tóibín
House of Names
by: (author)
2.67 15
On the day of his daughter's wedding, Agamemnon orders her sacrifice. His daughter is led to her death, and Agamemnon leads his army into battle, where he is rewarded with glorious victory. Three years later, he returns home and his murderous action has set the entire family - mother, brother,... show more
On the day of his daughter's wedding, Agamemnon orders her sacrifice.

His daughter is led to her death, and Agamemnon leads his army into battle, where he is rewarded with glorious victory.

Three years later, he returns home and his murderous action has set the entire family - mother, brother, sister - on a path of intimate violence, as they enter a world of hushed commands and soundless journeys through the palace's dungeons and bedchambers. As his wife seeks his death, his daughter, Electra, is the silent observer to the family's game of innocence while his son, Orestes, is sent into bewildering, frightening exile where survival is far from certain. Out of their desolating loss, Electra and Orestes must find a way to right these wrongs of the past even if it means committing themselves to a terrible, barbarous act.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780241257692 (0241257697)
Publisher: Penguin
Pages no: 272
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Chris' Fish Place
Chris' Fish Place rated it
2.0 Sounds of grinding teeth
I have always had a spot of obsession with the Matter of Troy. Michael Wood's In Search of the Trojan War was the first adult program I was allowed to stay up and watch. So say connect something to Troy and I am there like white on rice (except I prefer brown rice unless I am making risotto. But ...
Blah, Blah, Blah, Book Blog
Blah, Blah, Blah, Book Blog rated it
3.5 House of Names
When I saw this book on NetGalley, I chose it because I read Brooklyn and Nora Webster; but this book was something else entirely. A retelling of the story of Clytemnestra, this isn't something I would normally go for, but I live in a house with Greek mythology fans, and they are obviously starting ...
All about me
All about me rated it
4.0 House of Names
An interesting take on a very old story. By focussing on Orestes more closely, Toibin teased out themes such as karma, regret and redemption.In the absence of the gods, the tragic trajectory of the story is all too human. And like all stories of this nature, it is hard to identify at which point the...
Thewanderingjew
Thewanderingjew rated it
5.0 I found the retelling of the story of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon's deaths to be very well done.
House of Names, Colm Toibin, author; Juliet Stevenson, Charlie Anson, Pippa Nixon, narratorsI really enjoyed the narration of this short novel about a famous Greek myth. In order to retain power and success in battle, Agamemnon has arranged for the murder of his own first born daughter, Iphigenia, t...
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