Ariadne
Author: Jennifer Saint
Published by: Headline Publishing Group
Pages: 407
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
As Princessses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister grow up hearing the terrible bellows of the Minotaur from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur – Mjnos’ greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year.
When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus defeat the monster means betraying her family, and Ariadne knows that in a world ruled by mercurial gods, drawing their attention can cost you everything.
Ariadne has heard too many tales of women being punished for the acts of men – she is determined to set her own fate. But will her decision to help Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?
My thoughts:
Though the title focuses on one woman, the book itself actually follows two: the eponymous Ariadne, and her younger sister Phaedra.
Ariadne is the newest addition to a stream of novels that focus on retelling the Classical Greek myths from the perspective of the side-lined women, and it will certainly not be the last. I hope not anyway! This is the perfect addition to my much-loved Greek mythology shelf.
Ariadne gives a new voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel.
In one of the most famous Greek myths, Ariadne betrayed her father, King Minos, to help Theseus defeat the Minotaur. But Theseus in turn betrayed her. This is her story. As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up around the monstrosity that is the Minotaur, who also happens to be their brother...
When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as an offering to the beast, Ariadne begins a chain of events which will see the very stars themselves rewrite her destiny. We follow Ariadne and her sister Phaedra throughout their lives seeing their trials, successes, and sacrifices. They tell us their story as women, sisters, wives, and mothers.
I loved the writing. Jennifer Saint tells this story so artfully and beautifully, and I know for sure I will read anything she writes in the future. It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel. The loyalty and empathy I felt for these women and they for each other was incredible, tangible and palpable - a true testament to the talent of the author’s voice. The book is written in a really lovely, effortlessly elegant way that just seemed to flow with ease. It was steady, and really felt like an exploration of the myth when going into it. I could feel myself sinking into the words each time I opened the book and I found myself looking forward to returning.
Saint's immersive novel thrusts the reader straight into the heart of Greek mythology with this wonderful reimaginingand provides another re-discovery of Ancient stories, told from a female perspective. As well as Ariadne, recent releases such as Circe, A Thousand Ships and Pandora’s Sky are finally allowing these strong female characters to have their existence acknowledged at last. For so long it seems that women have been held accountable for men’s actions, particularly in Greek mythology, yet in many cases they triumph anyway through their own achievements. We just haven’t heard those particular versions. This is a celebratory story for women. You can feel the emotional connection between the author and her protagonist in the way she has so beautifully humanised her through this fictional retelling. The story offers a great commentary on the role women play in the world of men and gods and gives Ariadne (as well as her sister) a much-deserved voice.
This was possibly my most anticipated read of 2021 and it was everything I hoped for and more. I devoured this book in a few days and dropped all my other books to focus solely on this one. I’m really happy with this. It is a definite must read for fans of ‘Circe’ and Greek mythology retellings in general.
If you love Greek Mythology, read it. If you enjoy the added bonus of the female perspectives, read it. If you love fiercely independent self-sufficient protagonists, read it.
Overall reaction:
Though the title focuses on one woman, the book itself actually follows two: the eponymous Ariadne, and her younger sister Phaedra.
Ariadne is the newest addition to a stream of novels that focus on retelling the Classical Greek myths from the perspective of the side-lined women, and it will certainly not be the last. I hope not anyway! This is the perfect addition to my much-loved Greek mythology shelf.
Ariadne gives a new voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel.
In one of the most famous Greek myths, Ariadne betrayed her father, King Minos, to help Theseus defeat the Minotaur. But Theseus in turn betrayed her. This is her story. As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up around the monstrosity that is the Minotaur, who also happens to be their brother...
When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as an offering to the beast, Ariadne begins a chain of events which will see the very stars themselves rewrite her destiny. We follow Ariadne and her sister Phaedra throughout their lives seeing their trials, successes, and sacrifices. They tell us their story as women, sisters, wives, and mothers.
I loved the writing. Jennifer Saint tells this story so artfully and beautifully, and I know for sure I will read anything she writes in the future. It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel. The loyalty and empathy I felt for these women and they for each other was incredible, tangible and palpable - a true testament to the talent of the author’s voice. The book is written in a really lovely, effortlessly elegant way that just seemed to flow with ease. It was steady, and really felt like an exploration of the myth when going into it. I could feel myself sinking into the words each time I opened the book and I found myself looking forward to returning.
Saint's immersive novel thrusts the reader straight into the heart of Greek mythology with this wonderful reimaginingand provides another re-discovery of Ancient stories, told from a female perspective. As well as Ariadne, recent releases such as Circe, A Thousand Ships and Pandora’s Sky are finally allowing these strong female characters to have their existence acknowledged at last. For so long it seems that women have been held accountable for men’s actions, particularly in Greek mythology, yet in many cases they triumph anyway through their own achievements. We just haven’t heard those particular versions. This is a celebratory story for women. You can feel the emotional connection between the author and her protagonist in the way she has so beautifully humanised her through this fictional retelling. The story offers a great commentary on the role women play in the world of men and gods and gives Ariadne (as well as her sister) a much-deserved voice.
This was possibly my most anticipated read of 2021 and it was everything I hoped for and more. I devoured this book in a few days and dropped all my other books to focus solely on this one. I’m really happy with this. It is a definite must read for fans of ‘Circe’ and Greek mythology retellings in general.
If you love Greek Mythology, read it. If you enjoy the added bonus of the female perspectives, read it. If you love fiercely independent self-sufficient protagonists, read it.
Overall reaction: