Ariadne

Ariadne, by Jennifer Saint, is a captivating reimagining of the Theseus and the Minotaur myth. The novel centers around Ariadne, the Cretan princess who aids Theseus in his quest to slay the Minotaur. Saint breathes new life into Ariadne, portraying her not as a helpless victim but as a complex woman yearning for agency.The novel explores themes of love, betrayal, and the power dynamics between men and women. Saint's evocative prose transports readers to the Minoan civilization and brings the characters and their struggles to vivid life. Ariadne is a must-read for fans of mythology and historical fiction alike.

Overall this book was a great retelling of Ariadne's story; written from her perspective primarily and that of her sister Phaedra at times.Although some parts had some pacing issues, where chapters seemed to get ahead of itself and time got lost in some parts, it was occasionally hard to tell which point in the girls lives we were in or how much time was passing. The story itself was beautifully well written, focusing on all the important parts of the tale of Ariadne and Theseus, to Phaedra and Theseus, and Ariadne's life with Dionysus. A worthwhile read for any greek myth lover.

I found this a very engaging and engrossing telling of the ancient story from a very modern view of character and motivation, while embracing the worldview the story grew from unreservedly. This can be food for our imaginations, trying to grow beyond the narrow horizons of our own contemporary worldview. The narrative style, too, was suspenseful and compelling, while rich in detail not to be missed but deserving at least a second reading.I loved Saint’s Dionysus, so wise and humane and full of feeling (and how this is plausibly motivated by his life story). This is not unlike Robinson Jeffers' view of the god we find in "The Humanist's Tragedy." Saint's Dionysus' digressions offering his view of the human condition are highlights of the book for me.The reviewer who was troubled that Ariadne and Phaedra were blonds when the ancient Cretans depicted themselves with straight, black hair might note that the women’s grandfather Helios was described as having golden locks in the old stories. And they might be thought of as having inherited his genes. (A sun god may have many dominant genes!) Here we may see a further consequence of taking the old stories seriously.I look forward to Saint's Elektra, whom I know only as a sort of foil to Jeffers' Orestes, who won through the tumult, rejected the power games, and found oneness with the natural world.

I am enthralled with all mythology and recently returned from Crete, where my wife and I intentionally sought out the goddess in all her forms. As such, when Ariadne was on offer, I was excited to buy it and it quickly rose to the top of my reading list. I will admit that many if not most of my problems with this book are details and most readers may never brush against them. First, the most persnickety of details. The Author betrayed her setting on numerous occasions: Knossos is not on or near the sea and the directions the Author cites simply do not match the geography, which is easily surveyed on Google Maps, but which is that much more glaring on the ground. She informs at one point, Daedalus and Icarus appeared as dots in the sky, but then said the molting feathers from Icarus' wings were also visible. She also used utterly anachronistic phrases, the one which glared worst was that one of the characters had to "tune in" regardless of the fact this would only be a possible sharpening of senses in the age of transmitted communications. Yes, these are small details, but details matter when they snap the reader out of the story through their sharpness. I would possibly more easily get past these crashes were the story more fluid. Don't get me wrong: This story is good and the Author shows some mastery over the subject matter: I really appreciated her "looping in" relatively minor characters, but perhaps she tried to gather too many loose strands of the tapestry and would have done better sticking to more streamlined narrative. For my part, additionally, I found the use of Ariadne and Phaedra as major narrators somewhat jarring and not useful. I would rather have heard the story from a single point of view, and occasionally the Author struggles to keep the two isolated, allowing one to "know" what only the other has experienced. I finished the book, which suggests I found the story engaging enough, and I appreciate having made the effort (after struggling to get past some of those details which really jolted me out of the storyline). Overall, the book is good, but not great, not even really good, in my opinion.

book is used but like new condition. also a great book, not super engaging at times though but very descriptive

"A story about broken hearts, impossible loves, blood ties, and destiny... A retelling of the famous legend of the Minotaur's Labyrinth, this time from a female perspective, about the women who suffered, fought, and lived trapped in the consequences of choices they did not make. "Ariadne" is not just a book based on mythology, but a space to reflect on the relationship between family, social roles, power, pride, and love. A mother's love, the love between sisters, the love of a God (or several), and how fighting for your own path can have the most incredible (or terrible) results."

Me gusto mucho los temas que se manejaron y como se manejaron, el cómo la infancia y relación que tuvieron con su madre definió su futuro y la forma en que afrontaban los problemas. Como somos títeres de los dioses. Me dejó con ganas de aprender más sobre la mitología griega.

Beautifully written. A journey through the Greek myths from the female perspective in an honest and strong way. Women who are brave, strong, and incredibly resilient. There is no wallowing in self pity. They make decisions and act upon them. Love it!! Thank you, Jennifer Saint for another masterpiece

Yet again another prime example of the suffering that women have been subjected to under the whims of men. Ariadne, Phaedra, Medusa… the list goes on. Such an emotive and heart-wrenching depiction of Ariadne’s life. From the halls of her overbearing corrupt father Minos, to the deception of Theseus and the betrayal and heartbreak of Dionysus; Ariadne’s strength, love and kindness permeates the pages of her story and reminds me of the importance and makes me proud of being a woman!