Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Ariadne

I really enjoyed this book! I listened to the audiobook and I thought it was really good. This story is a simple retelling of some women of Greek mythology, and I kept having to stop myself mid book so I wouldn’t go check Wikipedia for what happened to these characters before I read it in this book. It was intriguing and had some strong themes throughout; it definitely had a moral to the story and gave me some things to think about, but it was a little shallow in its storytelling. Like others have mentioned, it didn’t show much, only told you straight out what happened. But I enjoyed listening to it and want to dive back into Greek mythologies and retellings!

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camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

Jennifer Saint’s “Ariadne” is a beautiful retelling of the Ariadne myth.

The pacing is slow but steady, enough to keep the reader’s engaged but calm while the tense parts of the myth are spread out.

The ending of “Ariadne” was not one that I was familiar with but suited this interpretation nicely.

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ann99's review against another edition

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sad medium-paced

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

2.0

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miekss's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No

3.0

This book was written overall in quite a lyrical/magical sense but some of the plot lines seemed underwhelming as they either led nowhere or weren’t explored in detail or length, especially when this impacted other character decisions. Theseus’ decision for leaving Ariadne on Naxos was never revealed (the plot line that ran through the entire book) which was frustrating as it seemed the book was being built up to that moment. I didn’t enjoy reading the way Ariadne’s point of view was written in a very ruminative thought manner (but smartly to convey her unknowing’s), however Phaedra’s p.o.v. was a lot easier to digest and moved a lot quicker.

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thestorykeeper's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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prlprl's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

I recently asked Jennifer Saint where she positioned herself in the context of modern feminism in her new book, Atalanta, and her response made me immediately pick up Ariadne to understand better. Sisterhood is, I believe, the overarching theme that applies to the narrative of Ariadne, but beyond blood, Saint describes the sisterhood of women’s suffering for the mistakes of men, which is the anchor with which Ariadne strengthens herself in her story. Heartbreaking. ancient and yet revolutionary in its moderation, Ariadne’s story is told with wisdom and grain of hope that leaves the reader with the most bittersweet of longings by the end.

Made me cry several times on public transport. A gorgeous novel, a must-read for anybody who has yet to. A defining miracle in an age of apathy and projection. I’ve given it 5 for the lyricism, the humility, and the coarse honesty that is woven through Saint’s words.

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