Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Ariadne

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Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

252 reviews

prlprl's review against another edition

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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cursed_sapphire's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

This book was very atmospheric and introspective, and I really appreciated it. Although I think half the reason I loved this as much as I did is because I am a HUGE Greek mythology nerd, I also think people who just want to hear more female voices will find this a good read- it definitely left me with some interesting perspectives to ponder. Overall, this really helped bring mythology alive in a way I strongly appreciate, even if the pacing is a bit slow-- there is a good portion of the book where not much happens-- and if I would have appreciated a bit more depth/time with some of the characters.

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cosmiccarnellian's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

2.0

Inconsistent pace
The exposition is too long
The main plot feels rushed mostly because of the 2 alternating pov

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jo_withabook's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative 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

4.5

One of the most complex Greek mythology retellings that speaks of its protagonist not only as a heroine from a myth, but as a character in a cruel world. I learnt so much from this book, it’s become one of my favourite. The ending was quite disappointing, but important nonetheless. The personification of Gods is uniquely done, making you both root for and despise them. It only made me love Dionysus more.

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andreapap15's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

1.75

If I wanted to read an exact recounting of random myths interspersed with female trauma porn I'd just read an actual greek mythology anthology book

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hannahbailey's review against another edition

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challenging sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I went into this excited to read a Greek myth feminist retelling that WASN'T about the Trojan war and instead focused on Ariadne, sister of the Minotaur and traitor to her family. After trudging through (barely) the clunky prose I was disappointed to discover this portrayal of Ariadne as passive and boring. I kept persisting with the hope that she would either become more interesting or begin her revenge arc, but she did neither. As I'd not read about this myth before I was interested to find out how it ended, and it seemed to be leading somewhere empowering (finally!) for Ariadne. Jokes on me, I was wrong again. The ending left me unsatisfied and a bit speechless tbh. I could go on but to spare you the pain, if you're struggling to get through this, it doesn't get better -- sorry 🤷‍♀️😔

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