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moh_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
An interesting concept, but falls flat in some ways for me. Lots of repeated phrases about dancing, bellowing, rotten chamber, women are the ones who suffer for men's actions, etc.
My largest struggle with the book is that the main women in it feel very passive. At times, Ariadne comes across as unrealistically naive in a way that the author justifies due to large passages of time that the reader has not been present for. There were times where I felt like both sisters had been portrayed as smarter earlier in the book, only to have their words and actions later greatly discredit their intelligence, life experiences, and their prior characterization!
This book made me appreciate Clytmenestra more as a novel that truly gave its main female character agency and intellect while still operating within the limits of myth. This wasn't quite it for me, but I did finish it in one sitting.
My largest struggle with the book is that the main women in it feel very passive. At times, Ariadne comes across as unrealistically naive in a way that the author justifies due to large passages of time that the reader has not been present for. There were times where I felt like both sisters had been portrayed as smarter earlier in the book, only to have their words and actions later greatly discredit their intelligence, life experiences, and their prior characterization!
This book made me appreciate Clytmenestra more as a novel that truly gave its main female character agency and intellect while still operating within the limits of myth. This wasn't quite it for me, but I did finish it in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Vomit
bellerina2000's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, and War
Moderate: Suicide and Incest
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
colorcrystals's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, Animal death, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Child death, Rape, and Death of parent
lilybarna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Love this realm, reading this on the tail of finishing Circe by Madeline Miller. Love how each expert digs into the myths and their implications. Ariadne is strong. Phaedra is strong. I was worried at the start when describing Pasiphae the women would all be victims here (which I mean, they all are) but without reprieve or justice or complexity. They have complexity and pride and courage and are also victims of the vanity of men, that is the duality of women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault
kylosten's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Sexual assault
amandatheactivist's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
misplacedselchie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ariadne is the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë who helps Theseus defeat the Minotaur by providing him with string to find his way through the labyrinth. Both her and her sister Phaedra are instantly smitten with the Athenian hero when they see him.
After his escape, Ariadne flees with him and he leaves her stranded to die in Naxos, whereupon Dionysus finds her. They end up falling in love and getting married. Slowly she finds him becoming more like the Olympians he had previously mocked and it puts a strain on their relationship.
Phaedra ends up being sent to Athens to create peace between their kingdoms and she married Theseus. She, however, has no trust of the hero. Slowly she inserts herself into the politics of the day and helps to make Athens great.
Both sisters find themselves in strained relationships as they get to make their way in a world that doesn't always allow women to take any sort of lead. And as Phaedra becomes more frustrated with Theseus and Dionysus more obsessed with his cult and argument with his brother Perseus, both groups are on a trajectory for pain.
After his escape, Ariadne flees with him and he leaves her stranded to die in Naxos, whereupon Dionysus finds her. They end up falling in love and getting married. Slowly she finds him becoming more like the Olympians he had previously mocked and it puts a strain on their relationship.
Phaedra ends up being sent to Athens to create peace between their kingdoms and she married Theseus. She, however, has no trust of the hero. Slowly she inserts herself into the politics of the day and helps to make Athens great.
Both sisters find themselves in strained relationships as they get to make their way in a world that doesn't always allow women to take any sort of lead. And as Phaedra becomes more frustrated with Theseus and Dionysus more obsessed with his cult and argument with his brother Perseus, both groups are on a trajectory for pain.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide
sarahsbooklife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Death, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Rape, Animal death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, and Gaslighting
agnela's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I wanted to dnf this so hard! There was a time in my life where I would have loved this, but now I want to read about powerful characters, about joy and life and becoming better. But this story just told you a story about wronged women and men who messed it up for them. I understand it's ancient Greek culture thing, but damn, we, now, can tell those same stories in a better way, we can imagine these characters taking different choices, even if they end up in the same places. We can give them healing and humanity. Plus we can give them a better ending, because now we know there are more endings and more tellings of their stories. It's so not feminist at all. Ariadne makes a few decisions in her whole life, and that's how the story moves. I think she has made maybe 3 or 4 choices, and the plot then just deals with it.
The book had a gorgeous cover. The translation had some wobbling with genders and adjectives, although the prose was pretty. But the characters needed so much more polishing and building.
It's not a feminist story if you tell tragic life of a woman from her own perspective. It's not a feminist story to say men use women's labour and have them to point it out themselves. It just means it's female centric, told from a females perspective.
It got better to the end, maybe last 30%, where both women have a bit more agency and clear motivations rather than being naive horny girls or trying to survive. I loved Pheadra's point of view, you can at least tell the girls had different interests and passions. I was rooting for Pheadra to get more involved with ruling the kingdom, but I guess all those lessons and experiences tought her nothing. It's funny how both sister's stories involve being horny, Ariadne starts and Pheadra ends with it. No yes I know Pheadra just wanted to run away, but I don't really believe it. She had already visited Ariadne and Naxos where women could run away, and she didn't even love her children much, which I love by the way. Being a woman and being able to have a baby doesn't mean you want to, will be a good mom, or have to. Not to mention the trauma they experienced in their own home might have heavily contributed to how Pheadra felt about motherhood.
Overall I'm really disappointed. I saw this writer had a book about my beloved Hera and i will not be reading that because I know there will be only suffering and agony for my goddess, and I do not deserve to read about it and neither she deserves it to be write about her.
The book had a gorgeous cover. The translation had some wobbling with genders and adjectives, although the prose was pretty. But the characters needed so much more polishing and building.
It's not a feminist story if you tell tragic life of a woman from her own perspective. It's not a feminist story to say men use women's labour and have them to point it out themselves. It just means it's female centric, told from a females perspective.
It got better to the end, maybe last 30%, where both women have a bit more agency and clear motivations rather than being naive horny girls or trying to survive. I loved Pheadra's point of view, you can at least tell the girls had different interests and passions. I was rooting for Pheadra to get more involved with ruling the kingdom, but I guess all those lessons and experiences tought her nothing. It's funny how both sister's stories involve being horny, Ariadne starts and Pheadra ends with it. No yes I know Pheadra just wanted to run away, but I don't really believe it. She had already visited Ariadne and Naxos where women could run away, and she didn't even love her children much, which I love by the way. Being a woman and being able to have a baby doesn't mean you want to, will be a good mom, or have to. Not to mention the trauma they experienced in their own home might have heavily contributed to how Pheadra felt about motherhood.
Overall I'm really disappointed. I saw this writer had a book about my beloved Hera and i will not be reading that because I know there will be only suffering and agony for my goddess, and I do not deserve to read about it and neither she deserves it to be write about her.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Mental illness, Animal death, Violence, Sexual violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Pregnancy, War, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
rtorrey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Incest, Death, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War