Helen Had A Sister: A Tale Of Ancient Greece

by Penelope Haines

Helen of Troy's story is well known: Hers was the face that "launched a thousand ships"; that started a ten-year war and brought about Troy's destruction.

But Helen had a Sister.

In a world where women were submissive, she ruled.
In a world where wives were loyal, she was unfaithful.
In a world where honour and blood feuds abounded, she exacted the ultimate revenge.

Born into the Royal House of Sparta, her courageous spirit and passionate love and lust for life marked her as a unique heroine.

Her story is one of betrayal, murder, adultery and revenge set in ancient Greece at the time of the Trojan war. Her character and choices have fascinated people for centuries.

She is Clytemnestra, High Queen of Mycenae

Genres: Mythology, Historical Fiction, Greek Mythology, Retellings, Fantasy, Historical, Greece

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Penelope Haines became a writer when she realized she could gaze out of the window with a glass of wine in her hands and claim to be working.

Her previous occupations of Nurse, Management Consultant, Parent, Farm Manager, CEO and Commercial Pilot failed to achieve this simple clarity.

Her training as a nurse taught her not to kill patients; her training as a flying instructor convinced her to be patient as students attempted to kill her. Penelope’s current status as ‘alive’ is a testament to the speed of her reactions.

Writing detective novels allows her to explore new and creative ways of murdering those who have offended her. So far the results of that exploration have remained purely fantastical.

Penelope's interests are centered round reading, writing, music, theatre and horse-riding. She maintains she is a single minded person, having one dog, one cat, one horse and one husband.

She lives in Otaki, New Zealand. Penelope hopes you will enjoy her novels.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea.]

"Twilight is just a moment of time between light and dark"
- Penelope Haines, Helen Had A Sister: A Tale of Ancient Greece (previously published as "Princess of Sparta")


I didn’t even know Helen of Troy had a sister, so you can tell I’m really plugged into mythology!

Lol — actually, I adore, Greek mythology, and have since I was a child.

I’ve read about Helen of Troy, of course, but I really have not read one thing about Nestra.

I found this book to be exceptionally, well written, fast paced, fascinating, tragic and illuminating.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found everything about the plot Interesting.

If you’re a fan of ancient history, and/or mythology, you really should pick yourself up a copy of this. I learned so much.

I have to warn you that it’s pretty dark.

I knew some of the stuff that happens of course because I do know about the Trojan war, but my knowledge is very much limited to Helen of Troy, not to her sister.

I found the characters extremely interesting, but my favorite was the sunny, smiling golden haired daughter. I just adored everything about her. Can people really exist who are so good?

If you’re looking for a light romp, this is most definitely not it but if you’re looking to know more about history, this is a great book for you to choose.

I found it because of the title .

As I said, in the beginning of this review , I had no idea about the story behind Helen’s sister.

And there was so much tragedy! So much sadness! But it’s an unbelievably fast read, although I emphasize it is not a short story. It is a full length book.

However , it did move at an exceptionally fast pace, but not so fast you get confused.


It’s extremely easy to follow.

The only thing interestingly enough that didn’t interest me all that much was when the Trojan war came up itself but I think that’s because I’ve just read so much about it and I’ve seen movies on it, that I already know the story and I have no desire to really go through it again.

Fortunately, that is not the emphasis here. Although it does come up.

And if I had one complaint, one thing that keeps me from giving this great book a five, it’s that I wish to know a lot more about some of the side characters.

For example, Helen herself. What were her motivations? It’s interesting in that almost every movie I’ve seen about her and almost every book I’ve read really portrays her as not having a lot of emotional depth.

I would have liked very much to see her talk about her motivations and to see her character have a little more focus in the story because she plays such an integral role so I admit I was a bit disappointed about that.

I want to stress that this is a minor quibble. The book is still fantastic. I remain deeply admiring of those who can write historical fiction.

But one thing I will admit I was let down by a bit and wanted more of were her children .

I really wanted to know more about Electra. One can see that there was a lot inside her. And I’m not saying that’s not necessarily good stuff inside her ! Actually, I could not stand her.

But I wanted to know the kids a bit more .

I felt the book does skim over them a little bit without really getting into the complexity of who they are and what their ultimate motivations are.

I think I had I just had that , this would be an easy five stars.

But I still would recommend strongly.

I spent Friday night reading this. It wasn’t a book that I really felt tempted to skim, which I tend to do when I get bored. I finished the whole thing in one sitting. Highly recommended .

[Dee Turner]

The Oresteian trilogy, written by Aeschylus in the 5th century B.C. and first performed in 458 B.C., was a misogynistic and spectacularly successful attempt to reduce the standing of women in Greek society. It is the only remaining dramatic trilogy of the Hellenic world, consisting of three separate plays, called "Agamemnon," "The Libation Bearers (in Greek, "The Choephori,") and "The Eumenides."

This is how Penguin Classics publishing house describes the story of the trilogy:

"Aeschylus (525-c.456 bc) set his great trilogy in the immediate aftermath of the Fall of Troy, when King Agamemnon returns to Argos, a victor in war. Agamemnon depicts the hero’s discovery that his family has been destroyed by his wife’s infidelity and ends with his death at her callous hand. Clytemnestra’s crime is repaid in The Choephori when her outraged son Orestes kills both her and her lover. The Eumenides then follows Orestes as he is hounded to Athens by the Furies’ law of vengeance and depicts Athene replacing the bloody cycle of revenge with a system of civil justice. Written in the years after the Battle of Marathon, The Oresteian Trilogy affirmed the deliverance of democratic Athens not only from Persian conquest, but also from its own barbaric past."

Actually, the story of Agamemnon does not show him to be any kind of moral hero, but rather a man slavishly addicted to wars as a means to enhance his public image. Agamemnon had amassed an army from almost every city-state in Greece, waiting at Aulis for the winds to change so they could sail for Troy to retrieve Helen, who was not abducted but had deliberately chosen to leave her husband Menelaus, Agamemnon's younger brother, for the younger, more handsome, far more wealthy--and probably much better educated--Paris, Prince of Troy.

But as the winds blew stubbornly in the wrong direction for months, Agamemnon was terrified that what were really distinctly different armies would simply get bored and go home. He concocted a plan to deceive his wife, Clytemnestra (Helen's sister, btw--perhaps the inspiration for that old film, "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"?), into sending their firstborn, 15-year old Iphigenia, to Aulis, ostensibly to marry the young and already renown warrior, Achilles. His real plan was to sacrifice his virgin daughter to the goddess Artemis, who was holding back favorable winds because on his way to Aulis, Agamemnon had stupidly killed a deer sacred to the goddess. At Aulis, it should be noted, Achilles was the only man to voice any objection, when he learns that not marriage but death awaits his alleged bride.

Some background here, because this saga has many twists and turns--and we are as yet nowhere near the plot as depicted in Helen Had a Sister! In more ancient times, people had worshipped the Mother; worship of male deities, or a male deity, came about only when strong arm men with better death tech invaded and destroyed Minoan Crete, an advanced civilization ruled by women. (Even today, the highways of Crete, constructed more than a thousand years before Aeschylus, are in much better shape than those in the USA.).

Later 'historians' concocted a wild tale of the Minotaur, about an adulterous Minoan Queen who had an affair with a bull and gave birth to a monster with a bull's head and the body of a man, who demanded a number of virgins annually to keep a brokered peace in Crete. They followed that with the story of Theseus, who enters a labyrinth designed by the great engineer, Daedelaus, who had also built waxen wings so he and his son could fly. (We're far off for just another moment, but it's helpful to know that the son was Icarus, who flew too near the sun, melting his wings, and fell to his death in the sea. Most know that story, at least.)

Theseus could only find his way out with the help of the princess Ariadne, whom he then abandoned. Although a woman was still part of the story, it was Theseus and the adulterous Queen who had top ranking in it. This was the start of first degrading, then violently destroying, worship of the Mother in favor of the male. This tidbit about the Minotaur is important to the Oresteian trilogy because it was Theseus who actually kidnapped Helen, many years before she grew bored with Menelaus and sailed off with Paris. As a young girl, she had been rescued by Agamemnon and his brother.

Everybody knew that Paris had not kidnapped Helen. Agamemnon despised Troy because Troy controlled the Aegean sea and all its trade, taxing traffic there. Agamemnon's Mycenae was a backwater by comparison, and he wanted what Troy had. So the real reason for amassing everybody to attack Troy was commerce, not chivalry.

Historians once thought the story of the Trojan War as related by Homer was a myth. But in the twentieth century Troy was discovered exactly where it should have been, in what is now coastal Turkey. And it had been razed and burned, just as told in the story. So. That's part of the background here.

A separate part of the saga is telling where it concerns Agamemnon. His great-grandfather was Tantalus, a son of Zeus. Tantalus was bad to the bone. At first a favorite of Zeus, he abused the hospitality of the Olympian gods, stole their ambrosian nectar (and also Zeus' dog--nice to know the gods had pet dogs besides three-headed Cerberus, who guarded Hades, or hell), and finally murdered his own son Pelops and served him to the gods for dinner, just to test their observational abilities. HIs punishment was to live forever near fruit trees and a water source, but whenever he tried to consume either they moved away from him. Thus he was eternally denied the satisfaction of food and drink--we get the word "tantalize" from his name. So Agamemnon was cursed, too, belonging as he did to a family that committed every sin in the book and a few nobody else had even considered, before then. But. There's no reasonable way this terrible inheritance could justify the murder of his own firstborn, despite the Greek notion that the sins of the fathers are borne by their children. (A concept Christianity adopted in original sin. Another aside. Sorry!)

Orestes was Clytemnestra's youngest child. Aegisthus, the man who would have inherited Mycenae but for Agamemnon and his family, who killed Aegisthus' father, resulting in Aegisthus' exile as a child--finally returns to his native land while Agamemnon is away at Troy. Clytemnestra falls in love with him. Orestes loves him as a surrogate father but leaves at puberty when Clytemnestra takes revenge for Iphigenia's murder upon Agamemnon's return by killing him in the bath. Orestes has a very strict--some might say prudish-- sense of justice and believes he must avenge his father's death by killing his mother and her lover, who've meanwhile been ruling Mycenae in peace. Orestes returns as an adult and carries out that alleged justice.

Now, how does all of this put Greek women "in their place?" The goddess Athena, the one who grew fully grown from the head of Zeus, was believed by the Greeks to embody reason and all wisdom. She calls for Orestes' trial for matricide while the Furies are pecking him nearly to death and driving him mad as THEIR justice. The Furies are female, and deadly.

Finally, it is Athena who breaks a tie and joins the vote to acquit Orestes of all charges. She rules it was justice that Orestes served when he murdered his mother, and that Clytemnestra had no right whatsoever to seek justice for Iphigenia. (Would the verdict have been different, if Agamemnon had sacrificed his son, instead of only a daughter?) The fearsome Furies are then themselves reduced, from powerful avenging angels to toothless hags, becoming the "Kindly Ones" (translated from the Greek "Eumenides"). Even today that is the overriding model for women and girls across the globe, that they must be nurturing and kind--no matter the abuse heaped upon them by toxic masculinity. Orestes continues as a pillar of justice and the new ruler of Mycenae.

Thus Aeschylus used and abused the very female goddess of wisdom to deny any notion of justice for the Queen of Mycenae and her murdered daughter. Every woman in his story is utterly denied agency except for Athena, whose decision by a man's pen devastated all women, apparently, forever.

This story, Helen Had A Sister, tells the tale from Clytemnestra's perspective. This reviewer found it far more honest than the story Aeschylus wrote--and far more believable.

Congratulations for speaking up for the woman, author Penelope Haines! Patriarchy and misogyny have set their twinned course for wars and the destruction of the planet-- let's change that by truth-telling, even in our myths.

[Elena]

This was an enjoyable read overall, but quite average. I have read quite a few books about Clytemnestra, and Penelope Haines's take didn't bring anything new to the table.

I quite liked Clytemnestra, but she was not as remarkable as I was hoping. Helen, on the other hand, despite the fact she remained a secondary figure, was quite intriguing and I liked all her interactions with her sister.

I also wasn't impressed with Aegisthus, who was too good for my liking, and I didn't like the fact that Clytemnestra didn't see the murder of Iphigenia, but was only told about it. It didn't make the story as tragic as it could have been.

As for the aspects of the book I most liked, the relationship between Clytemnestra and Agamemnon was interesting. It was portrayed as an abusive relationship and I liked how the author showed that Agamemnon was abusive not only phisically but also mentally. Clytemnestra's complex feelings for him were also believable and I sympathized with her.

I also really liked Clytemnestra's relationship with her maids. I loved how faithful they were to her, and how they helped her kill Agamemnon. It was an original touch which I appreciated.

[El]

I want to start by saying, I really really wanted to like this! Sadly, this was A+ concept but C- execution.

One has to presume that the target audience for a work like this are fans of Greek Mythology. When writing a derivative work, one should strive to emulate writers like Mary Renault and Madeleine Miller, and assume your audience already knows canon so that you don't regurgitate it but add novel perspectives to a familiar tale. Clytemnestra, who got a pretty bad rep in the mythology canon, was a perfect subject for a feminist, novel perspective.

Unfortunately, the author wasn't able to rise to her own ambitions. Nothing here feels novel or interesting. It is a litany of familiar events, retold in a very banal way. The author clearly struggled in some parts of the most problematic canon (such as the murder of Cassandra), making up silly and contrived excuses that felt laughable in execution. (At one point, Clytemnestra literally says "She ran into my sword" and it's hard not to remember Chicago's famous line "He ran into my knife ten times!")

The ending also falls flat despite the obvious attempts at tugging at the heart strings. Just, the entire thing doesn't work. I couldn't help but think of how a more skilled author like Miller would've handled the same subject matter (think The Song of Achilles or Circe - in fact, just read those books instead of this one).

P.S. I can't even with "Odysseus was narked" but I must point it out because that line was HEINOUS.

[Caitlin]

TW: rape, domestic violence

For the most part I found this to be fine. The characters were somewhat shallow but likable and compelling enough. I enjoy retellings of famous stories from women’s points of view and this interpretation had some good and interesting takes.

However, the handling of the subject of domestic abuse was irresponsible. It was used solely to flesh out shallow character motivations and strongly understated the effects of domestic violence on its victims. It gave the impression that domestic violence isn’t always that bad because the victim and the abuser can still love each other and have an otherwise functioning relationship. The situation reminded me of the domestic violence in the television version of “Big Little Lies.” Later in the book the character has a small moment of realization in regards to how affected she was by the abuse, but basically as a footnote in service of her relationship with another character. This issue being absent from so much of the book allowed me to keep reading, but is also part of the problem. Bleh.

Additionally the author described a particularly fervent episode of self-pleasure by saying the character “almost raped [herself].” A careless and offensive description that almost caused me to put the book down immediately.

[Veronica Reinhardt.e]

Exceptionally well Written...A Must Read

Too often we let history slip past us because we don’t “connect” on a level of understanding who these people were and how they lived. This tale is an enlightening experience.....to understand the lives of people who inspired thousands of years of legends.
We have all heard of Helen of Troy, but now we can understand the tragedy and reality of the consequences of her actions. Nesta, Helen’s older sister is a much more interesting character, who tries, like most of us, to live a good, meaningful life. Her choices seem honorable, but of course result in both joy and ultimate agony. She was a Queen, intelligent, interesting and kind, only to be destroyed by her great intentions.

[Natalia Langsdale]

I just bought my first kindle and found this title. Needless to say I couldn't put the book down. I'm a passionate fan of history and Ancient Greece so this story of Nestra and her life was the perfect combination. Lovely storytelling skills matched with a leisurely style. The hopeless romantic that I am brought a little tear to my eye at the end with the final scene. Thank you for reviving my long lost passion of reading. It was a beautiful story and I'm anxious for the next one now!

[Jill Haines]

This was an enjoyable read for someone who has a non-Greek background in the classics.
Very good for someone visiting Greece and the surrounding countries.

[Amber Christiansen]

Not a happy story

If you need a happy ending to enjoy a book, then you should steer clear of this book, though any story that stays true to the Greek myths is likely to end badly. Typically, I only read books for the HEA. However, I have always been fascinated by mythology, especially Greek myths. Although there are happy moments within the story, like most Greek myths, this is a tragedy. I felt a wide range of emotions while reading. I laughed and I cried. I loved and hated. Even when I knew what was coming through familiarity with the myths, I couldn't help but feel the emotions. I suppose the ending could be interpreted as bittersweet since in death Clytemnestria gets to go to Hades with the man she loves, but I still feel like it ends on a depressing note.

[JMo]

The Odyssey, Iliad, Trojan Women, the Orestes beloved stories told through the lens of the patriarchal ancient Greeks. For goodness sake, women were played by men. As refreshing as Madeleine Miller, is Penelopy Haines. Finally Clytemnestra’s POV without the moral, “beware enraged women” is the story of a mother deceived into sending her daughter to death at the hands of her father. I pray Haines tackles Cassandra’s story in the future so that her story can be told without the hysterics, usually simplifying her curse!

[Judy Zabolocky]

A new look at an ancient tale

The story about Helen of Troy is well-known. But Helen had a sister, Clymenestra, and she led a fascinating life. The author weaves in background information about strong women, the way slaves were treated, Gods and Goddesses, families, kingdoms, and wars.

I couldn't put it down. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the errors that an editor should have found.

[Christine Cazeneuve]

And what a sister she was

What a great story about a woman I never heard of. Nestra was Helen of Troys older sister and a Queen in her own right. The story starts with Nestra as a young girl right until her death. The author tells a captivating tale that will have you constantly telling yourself - just one more chapter and then I will go to bed. Before you know it it's 2am! Highly recommended read!!!!

[Jane]

Helen had a sister

Very well written, narrated from the point of view of Klytemnestra, who has usually got a bad press. Here she gets to tell her side of the story.....the narrative of the death of Iphigenia is heart-rending, I literally had tears in my eyes. Nobody believes the story that she was rescued and sent to Tauris. Still the cycle of 'wrong amended by wrong' continues........

[Manuel Gómez-Ortigoza]

Good account.
I fully agree with the author that Clytemnestra deserved to have a novel that told her story from her own viewpoint.
Yet, I disliked that Clytemnestra and Helen’s birth account differs from the myth.

[Marjory T Bernard]

Recreating a strong female narrative

Much of history discounts women in the storylines. This book made me recall the joy i felt reading The Mists of Avalon. It makes me wonder about so much in literature and history

[Vivian Dodgen]

Great book to read

I really enjoyed reading about this sister. I didn't even know she existed. Penelope was so thoughtful in describing the life of this woman and her influence on history. Thank you for this insightful book.

[Carolyn Sears]

Surprisingly good!

I don't usually do reviews because I would rather read than write. However this take on the Clytemnestra story is well done and she is usually overlooked in favor of yet another Helen of Troy tale

[Tosh]

I Wanted to love this but simple could read it

The description had me extremely excited and ready to devour and love this book, sadly something quickly became apparent, I'm not sure how to describe it but to say the writing style rubbed me the wrong way.

[Linda K. Cole]

Good historical novel

Very good story. Very informative. Covered a part of the story we never learned about in ancient history. Enjoyed reading.

[Kate]

Good telling of the myths around Clytemnestra, Helen, Agamenon, and Menelaus

[Barbara]

I enjoyed it very much. The history was not familiar with me, so learning new facts was very nice. The plot was very attention keeping.

[Fiona Hewlett-parker]

This is the story of Clytemnestra’s life, Helen makes a brief appearance. It was well told and I especially enjoyed reading the childhood imagined for them by Penelope Haines. I especially liked the perspective that, even then, the stories of The Gods intervening in human matters were dismissed as just that, good stories.

Hate the title though.

[Helena Jones]

I enjoyed Nestra's tale. It is long past time that the woman of the ancient world were heard.

[Geraldine E. Jones]

Good read. Enjoyed it. Would read this author again.

[Sarah Elizabeth Krcatovich]

Such a good read

[Jacinda Horne]

Ok

There are better clytemnestra stories about this is a very easy read though but it could have been so much more she is quite the subject

[common loon]

Great story! Story went by quick and kept me wanting to read more even though we all know the story of Clytemnestra 😕

[Lisa Stoecklein]

I never knew anything about clytemnestra , other than coming across her name while reading other stories. Fascinating take on the story! I couldn't put it down.

[Teresa Araujo]

Interesting Perspective

Great writing that kept me turning the pages longer than intended. Also, I loved the ending. No weird, mushy, or weak end of the story.

[Lauralee]

For centuries, Clytemnestra has had a horrible reputation in Greek mythology. Greek sources have portrayed her to be an unfaithful wife who murdered her husband. She eventually gets her just desserts when her son Orestes kills her with the help of his sister, Electra. However, this novel gives a sympathetic view of Clytemnestra. She is portrayed as a loving mother and a shrewd queen who was effective in managing a kingdom.

In the beginning of the novel, Clytemnestra starts off having a crush on Agamemnon. She dreams of marrying him and living happily in his kingdom of Mycenae. Her dreams of happiness are dashed when she marries him because she realizes that he is a monster. He physically abuses her, and love for him turns to hate. When Agamemnon kills her kind and innocent daughter Iphigenia, Clytemnestra vows to get revenge on her husband. Therefore, Clytemnestra is portrayed as a tragic heroine who has been wronged by Agamemnon.

Thus, this novel is about power, deception, and vengeance. There were a few scenes I found to be unconvincing. I did not buy the epic love between Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus that the author was trying to portray in this book. I thought that Aegisthus did not truly love Clytemnestra but used her as a tool to gain power in Mycenae. Still, Helen Had a Sister was a well-written character-driven novel. This novel gives the reader another look at a maligned figure in Greek mythology. I recommend Helen Had a Sister for fans of Circe, Helen of Troy, and The Silence of the Girls.