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oz2021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence and Pregnancy
shayna14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
carissa230's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Atalanta is strong and smart. She fights with all her might to do the right thing and win the prize for her goddess. Atalanta never imagines what life can be like outside of the forest and she never imaged what men could be like.
The book weaves a beautiful story about life, love and a womans strength above all.
Graphic: Abandonment, Rape, and Murder
gracescanlon's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Animal death, Suicide, and War
Minor: Abandonment, Rape, and Sexual assault
mjadeh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape
danimacuk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Classism, Slavery, and Incest
icieri's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Pregnancy, Animal death, Sexism, and War
katiefronk's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death
Moderate: War, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, and Animal death
booksandteatime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Death, and Misogyny
shelfofunread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Her latest novel, Atalanta, continues in this tradition but, rather than a woman who has been side-lined from her myth, as in the case of Ariadne and Electra, Atalanta tells the tale of a woman who has been written out of her story altogether.
As a child, I remember being enthralled by the film Jason and the Argonauts when it was shown on the television. All those brave heroes fighting monsters and having grand adventures on their quest for the mythical Golden Fleece. But I did wonder why, given that Jason sails under the goddess Hera’s protection, no women were really involved in his quest. Later, at university, I learned that in some sources there was a female Argonaut: Atalanta. Whilst the account of Apollonius of Rhodes sees Atalanta denied her place on her the ship, other writers – most notably Pseudo-Apollodorus’s Bibliotheca – see Atalanta sailing with the Argonauts under the protection of the goddess Artemis.
Jennifer Saint has also chosen to restore Atalanta to her place amongst the crew of the Argo. But Atalanta’s story is about more than the Quest for the Golden Fleece. Instead we follow Atalanta throughout her life: an infant left to die on a mountainside, rescued by bears and raised by nymphs, through her childhood and adolescence in woodland of Arcadia under the watchful eye of the goddess Artemis. And, after her adventures on the Argo are done, her life continues to be one of fearless independence, strength, and adventure. It’s a captivating tale, and one that Jennifer Saint brings vividly to life in her novel.
Atalanta herself makes a fantastic narrator: strong-willed and fierce, she is determined to live up to her name and be ‘equal in strength’ to any of the challenges that she faces. I also really love the way in which Saint conveys the tensions bubbling away under the surface of her heroine’s life. Although blessed by a goddess, Atalanta is also subject to the will of that goddess. And Artemis, although fiercely protective of her forest and her nymphs, is perfectly capable of being just as fickle in her affections as the rest of the pantheon on Mount Olympus. And as Atalanta learns more of the world away from Arcadia – and of the men who inhabit it – her own wishes and desires will bring her into conflict with the will of her protector.
As in her previous novels, Jennifer Saint brilliantly conveys the world of Greek mythology, humanising the men and women who become embroiled in the schemes of gods and monsters, even as she conveys the range of human emotions and urges that motivate their participation in such schemes. Saint’s passion for the mythology really comes across on the page, with luscious descriptions of the world and its inhabitants. I loved seeing Atalanta written back into her story, and also really enjoyed Saint’s evocation of Artemis, Meleager, and Hippomenes.
I have been a fan of Saint’s work ever since the publication of Ariadne but I have to say that I think Atalanta is her best novel to date. With a compelling and bold protagonist, a page-turning plot, and a richly evoked setting, Atalanta sees Saint on top form and is sure to delight fans of her previous work – and, hopefully, to earn her many new ones!
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the blog tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Murder, Animal death, and Sexism
Minor: Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, War, and Rape