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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Gonna start out by saying I LOVE Greek mythology, more than most. And it took me ages to get through this book. I’m not sure if it’s because I already knew the mythology, thus I knew what was about to happen in most scenes, or if the writing didn’t engage me, or a mix of both.
A lot of the dialogue parts bothered me in particular, because characters would speak at Ariadne and we’d just get her internal thoughts instead of any actual dialogue from her in reply. Like let my girl actually speak! Not sure if this was a weird stylistic choice or a mistake of a debut author.
The book got better as it progressed. I thought the relationship between Ariadne and Dionysus could have been more flushed out (like show us HOW he fell in love with her!) Also wish the maenads weren’t just background characters. After all those years on Naxos you expect me to believe she didn’t become friends with any of them!?!? I don’t know what these supposedly feminist retellings have against writing female friendships (Miller did the same thing in Circe with the nymphs). Lost opportunity in my opinion.
I did like how the author handled the story of Hippolytus, but everything else about the book was pretty “meh” to me, except the ending, which I absolutely hated. By the end of the book I still felt like I had barely learned anything about who Ariadne was as a person, so I’m left wondering what the point of it was. I literally said “why” out loud when I closed the book for the final time.
Makes me hesitant to read Saint’s other retellings. She also only wrote of the gods pretty negatively. The gods of Ancient Greece are so complex, idk what the problem is for authors in showing both their light and dark aspects. Why take it upon yourself as an author to write about Greek mythology if you seemly can’t write the nuances and duplicity of the gods?
Still giving it a *generous* 2.5 stars, because I did enjoy some of the prose and the way the author was able to seamlessly tie in multiple versions of the same myth.
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
Per la maggior parte del tempo l’ho considerato senza infamia e senza lode, attorno alle tre stelle, un romanzo che si fa leggere ma non colpisce particolarmente (seguendo il mito da molto vicino).
Ho trovato il finale più che deludente, e sono qui a chiedermi quale sia il senso di tutto il romanzo. Cosa voleva trasmettere l’autrice? Che gli uomini sono tutti infami – eccetto forse Dedalo e Ippolito – e le donne destinate a soffrire e pagare il prezzo di peccati che non appartengono a loro?
Più in generale non ho amato le caratterizzazioni di Fedra e Arianna (lei soprattutto), un po’ sacrificate alla trama con tutti gli anni riassunti in poche righe.
Ho trovato il finale più che deludente, e sono qui a chiedermi quale sia il senso di tutto il romanzo. Cosa voleva trasmettere l’autrice? Che gli uomini sono tutti infami – eccetto forse Dedalo e Ippolito – e le donne destinate a soffrire e pagare il prezzo di peccati che non appartengono a loro?
Più in generale non ho amato le caratterizzazioni di Fedra e Arianna (lei soprattutto), un po’ sacrificate alla trama con tutti gli anni riassunti in poche righe.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love how Jennifer Saint weaves together multiple versions of a myth. It's one of my favorite things about her work. But this ending made me sad! I wanted Ariadne to have her happily ever after with Dionysus and their children. I liked Atalanta better. This one hurt. 😭
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 stars
I’ve been hungry for Greek Mythology retellings recently, and this one really hit the spot! If you liked [b:Circe|35959740|Circe|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565909496l/35959740._SY75_.jpg|53043399], [b:The Song of Achilles|13623848|The Song of Achilles|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357177533l/13623848._SY75_.jpg|16176791], or the biblical retelling [b:The Red Tent|4989|The Red Tent|Anita Diamant|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405739117l/4989._SY75_.jpg|1041558], then you’ll love this book. [a:Jennifer Saint|19734894|Jennifer Saint|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611692824p2/19734894.jpg] has breathed color, depth, and life into the minor characters of Ariadne and Phaedra, giving them lives and motivations outside of the male gods and heroes whose stories they’d previously served as decoration for. I loved it!
I’ve been hungry for Greek Mythology retellings recently, and this one really hit the spot! If you liked [b:Circe|35959740|Circe|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565909496l/35959740._SY75_.jpg|53043399], [b:The Song of Achilles|13623848|The Song of Achilles|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357177533l/13623848._SY75_.jpg|16176791], or the biblical retelling [b:The Red Tent|4989|The Red Tent|Anita Diamant|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405739117l/4989._SY75_.jpg|1041558], then you’ll love this book. [a:Jennifer Saint|19734894|Jennifer Saint|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1611692824p2/19734894.jpg] has breathed color, depth, and life into the minor characters of Ariadne and Phaedra, giving them lives and motivations outside of the male gods and heroes whose stories they’d previously served as decoration for. I loved it!