Reviews

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

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sweet_mangocake's review

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

4 out of 5 stars!

This was my first ever Greek mythology story and/or retelling! Like any normal person, I know here and there about some famous gods like Hades, Persephone, Zeus, Aphrodite, Eros, etc. but to actually explore the mythology and the pantheon in depth was a wonderful experience! That being said, this review is coming from the stand point of someone who knows next to nothing from a Greek mythology. So I won't be able to comment on accuracy to actual mythology but on the plot and the vibes I felt reading it.

Jennifer Saint wrote in an engaging manner to an inexperienced audience. The book was adventurous, fast-paced, and very thrilling to read—being absolutely beginner friendly to people like me who know little to nothing about Greek mythology. It wasn't as if she was overexplaining things but just like with any book out there, the readers can guage a lot from context clues and Saint's descriptive language. Discovering the inklings of Greek mythology was a fun journey! There's a Greek god or goddess for everything—small rivers, labor pains(?!), etc. I would occasionally stop reading and search up the lore of the little tales mentioned and it honestly feels like Jennifer Saint knows her myths well and weaves her own little stories & interpretations to existing literature/mythology. The myriad of creatures (i.e., centaurs), symbols (i.e., the Golden Fleece), the islands and their inhabitants (i.e., the Lemnos women lore) make the journey far more magical and entertaining to read. All thanks to Saint's accessible yet vivid writing—the entire time, I kept putting myself in ancient Greece and in a mythological fairy tale because Saint's details helped paint those pictures well.

As for the characters, I have most to say on Artemis and Atalanta. I found the progression of their relationship solid. It's especially this idolization Atalanta had for Artemis that is well executed. Because with the safety that Artemis provides, her shield also sheilds Atalanta from the outside world. She locked them in the little forest and kept all the nymphs to her. So in the end, when Atalanta is wild and free and has found her own name—rather than being the one chosen by Artemis, it sends this jolt of excitement like seeing a character that has grown well in your arms. And the whole book was one convincing testament to why Atalanta deserves to be seperate from Artemis.

Meleager and the Argonauts... well they're men. Meleager was enjoyable—he used his male privilege very well as Atalanta navigated through the Argonauts. I'm glad for the relationship they had (but I also have a lot to say on that matter later on), as having someone's shoulder to lean on has helped her survive that trip. As for the Argonauts, Saint describes the reality of men well. Here we'd have Atalanta at the end of their journey reminiscing about what the other Argonauts are doing and they're out singing songs of their victory, excluding a very important heroine. But Saint's writing is still powerful enough to evoke that feeling of "wow we've traveled together, we started and went on this journey together, and some of us couldn't see it till the end" especially referring to Idmon and Tiphys. That... nostalgia, if that's even the right term, is a pretty difficult feeling to evoke especially with these many characters but Saint has done a great job. Even with Medea, whom I would have liked to read more about. She was a cunning rivalry to Atalanta and it furthered her development.

Now where I have an issue with Saint is concerning Atalanta, Meleager, and Hippomenes. Greek romance and infidelity dynamics are an interesting study if you discard the modern lens. Atalanta, on one hand, grew up in a forest and was sworn to never marry anyone. So I feel like she thinks it's okay to pursue a married guy until their journey ends. But the reason why she thinks that is layered yet ambigious. Is it because of a lack of awareness of social rules due to her rural upbringing? It is because infidelity, sex, and romantic companionship is so heightened and normalized in ancient Greek culture/mythology (as demonstrated by the Lemnos women too)? Or are these characters experiencing a lapse in judgement traveling out in the sea? Could it perhaps be a mix of all of these reasonings?

Either way, this was an interesting space to me but I also couldn't arrive to an answer because of how their romance is treated near the end. I felt as if Hippomenes and Atalanta's story was rushed and inaccurate. Atalanta mentions that since the centaurs knocked her unconscious, she's been thinking of Hippomenes—which is a lie evident in Saint's writing. She did not think about him as often or as intensely as she claims at the end, which just makes her ending feel artificial and rushed. Sure, Atalanta has every reason to change after the fleece and Meleager's passing, but the Atalanta with her father and Hippomenes was unrecognizable. It didn't make much sense on how she never considered Meleager that way. I guess I can settle and thrive on the complexity of her character, but it's still an itch on my mind that prevents this from being 5 stars.

Even gods and heroes are victims to human emotions like pride and foolishness. We think so highly of them, of so flawlessly of them, yet these Greek mythology stories breathe human life and imperfection into them. That's what I gathered from the story of the wild and free Atalanta, the heroine of the Argo.

dragonsly32's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

lwidmeyer's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

qdr_reads's review

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

stellakhukoyan's review

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5.0

what a cool myth, seems exactly like a life story that would be passed down through generations; if that makes sense

amysch's review

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3.75

Saint delivers another wonderful tale of Greek mythology. This one is for the women who seek healing and care about their own accomplishments. This should be a guide for a woman who is looking for a man- someone who is worth it and will match ambition.