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A review by blaubeerskruemelchen
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
informative
sad
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
The writing is nice and "lyrical". At times it feels like the author is trying to shove as many greek myths down your throat as humanly possible. Or maybe it's just me... but I never had a guy tell me how he was received on a first date. On top of that it gets a bit mansplainy at times, since all the myths are fed to us through conversation between characters. "Now I will tell you xy"... -.-
All in all a bit much. First it was kinda cool and good exposition, but it soon became a page filler, that didn't feel connected to the story...
The main character was quiet insufferable to me at times.
I'm not sure, if I'd call it a "feminist retelling"... It is told through the eyes of Ariadne, which could count as feminist, but she's described almost the same way she would be through male eyes. ("weak" -> e.g. unable to defy her father, "hyper emotional", etc.) + the book goes to great lengths to tell us how shes totally not on board with how women are treated by the gods and how it's all so unfair and she wont do it and wont let it happen to herself, "she is determined to set her own fate"... but does she though???maybe on the last few pages... it takes her literally the hole book to take action...
But then again: a strong female character doesn't need to be strong in muscle or emotional cold, etc. normally I enjoy reading a strong female character who doesn't just slay her way to the top, but makes a comfortable living against the odds, with the little power she is given. But I didn't see that in Ariadne... as I said: shes pretty much the cliché of a damsel in distress and its not that pleasant to read her thoughts... Great! Now I know that she actually is as naive as the men around her believed her to be.
BUT... Don't we all act this stupid sometimes? Especially with first loves... I don't know... Maybe she enrages me like that because I can't be sure if I'd done anything different in her position... I hope I would've... Can't be sure though.
Her little sister is fine I guess... Great start, didn't like the way she developed.She is quite the opposite of her sister at times, but her character arc pretty much ends where Ariadnes started. So yeah. People in love are fools, I guess?
The hole "feminist retelling" feels a bit like a publicity thing. But who am I to judge whats feminist and what is not?
I don't like how motherhood is portrayed. Ariadne is just popping out one child after the other in family bliss while Phaedra despises her children... First I thought she had postpartum depression and was really excited to have this topic addressed here, but then it just went on and on and by now, I'm pretty sure Phaedra just hates being a mother. Which is totally fine of course, no one has to like being a parent especially in times without birth control etc. My problem lies in the contrast with her sister: one loves being a mother and flourishes in it, the other can't seem to love her children and hates tending to them. It's just not that easy. I'm pretty sure that no one loves their child each and every moment of their lives... No matter how much you love them, at times they are the devil them selves and throwing them out the window seems like the best idea you ever had. But you don't do it, and it passes and you love them and enjoy watching them grow up.
This contrast between the sisters relationship with motherhood is amplified by the time they get to talk about it: Ariadne gets about a page of: oh her life is great and she loves her husband and her children and being a mother. While Phaedras misery is described for two? chapters I think. Ariadne's side of the story lacks nuance.
I think motherhood is a bit more nuanced than this portrayal, which is a shame since it is an important part of the story I read.
One thing I thought genius:
The author incorporates the different versions of Ariadne's myth, by letting different characters tell a different story of the same event.
Oh... and I was quite enraged when I realized that I had confused Ariadne with Medea... That one's on me I guess ^-^;
All in all a bit much. First it was kinda cool and good exposition, but it soon became a page filler, that didn't feel connected to the story...
The main character was quiet insufferable to me at times.
I'm not sure, if I'd call it a "feminist retelling"... It is told through the eyes of Ariadne, which could count as feminist, but she's described almost the same way she would be through male eyes. ("weak" -> e.g. unable to defy her father, "hyper emotional", etc.) + the book goes to great lengths to tell us how shes totally not on board with how women are treated by the gods and how it's all so unfair and she wont do it and wont let it happen to herself, "she is determined to set her own fate"... but does she though???
But then again: a strong female character doesn't need to be strong in muscle or emotional cold, etc. normally I enjoy reading a strong female character who doesn't just slay her way to the top, but makes a comfortable living against the odds, with the little power she is given. But I didn't see that in Ariadne... as I said: shes pretty much the cliché of a damsel in distress and its not that pleasant to read her thoughts... Great! Now I know that she actually is as naive as the men around her believed her to be.
BUT... Don't we all act this stupid sometimes? Especially with first loves... I don't know... Maybe she enrages me like that because I can't be sure if I'd done anything different in her position... I hope I would've... Can't be sure though.
Her little sister is fine I guess... Great start, didn't like the way she developed.
The hole "feminist retelling" feels a bit like a publicity thing. But who am I to judge whats feminist and what is not?
I don't like how motherhood is portrayed.
This contrast between the sisters relationship with motherhood is amplified by the time they get to talk about it: Ariadne gets about a page of: oh her life is great and she loves her husband and her children and being a mother. While Phaedras misery is described for two? chapters I think. Ariadne's side of the story lacks nuance.
I think motherhood is a bit more nuanced than this portrayal, which is a shame since it is an important part of the story I read.
One thing I thought genius:
The author incorporates the different versions of Ariadne's myth, by letting different characters tell a different story of the same event.
Oh... and I was quite enraged when I realized that I had confused Ariadne with Medea... That one's on me I guess ^-^;
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child death, Rape