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A review by lilifane
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
I admit, I was expecting something totally different from this book. A Minotaur retelling from Ariadne's perspective... which it is not. We spend very little time with the Minotaur and Theseus, but a lot of time with Ariadne and her sister Phaedra. We follow them through their whole life as exemplary women in Greek Mythology.
I was a little confused at the beginning but once I realized, what the book was doing, it was a refreshing perspective. Although it was also very bleak and depressing; seeing the Myths, gods and heroes from the women's point of view felt all too real. Hilarious sometimes, seeing the differences to the shining stories I knew from my childhood. Because OF COURSE this is a much more likely scenario!
I really liked how many different kinds of women are portrayed. How differently they use the little agency they have. I loved the that several different sides of motherhood are shown. And I liked the sisters' dynamics a lot, although I wish there was more focus on it tbh.
The writing was very lyrical, it really felt like reading a myth. But it prevented me from connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked to. Since Jennifer Saint follows Ariadne's life from myth to myth and tells many other stories as well, the pacing was off for me, too. Some parts were stretched too much, others way too short. It helped that I really love mythology and was curious what else was in the book and how it was different from what I knew. But it might not be for everyone. Same as the ending, which I think fits the story and message well, but might be disappointing to other readers.
I was a little confused at the beginning but once I realized, what the book was doing, it was a refreshing perspective. Although it was also very bleak and depressing; seeing the Myths, gods and heroes from the women's point of view felt all too real. Hilarious sometimes, seeing the differences to the shining stories I knew from my childhood. Because OF COURSE this is a much more likely scenario!
I really liked how many different kinds of women are portrayed. How differently they use the little agency they have. I loved the that several different sides of motherhood are shown. And I liked the sisters' dynamics a lot, although I wish there was more focus on it tbh.
The writing was very lyrical, it really felt like reading a myth. But it prevented me from connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked to. Since Jennifer Saint follows Ariadne's life from myth to myth and tells many other stories as well, the pacing was off for me, too. Some parts were stretched too much, others way too short. It helped that I really love mythology and was curious what else was in the book and how it was different from what I knew. But it might not be for everyone. Same as the ending, which I think fits the story and message well, but might be disappointing to other readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape