There has been a run of books recently that retell the great stories of Greek myth, some have been outstanding – Circe, Silence of the Girls, House of Names. Ariadne is a deserving addition to the ranks. Accomplished, compelling and deeply moving, it tells the story of the woman who handed Theseus his success against the Minotaur. It’s message – that women’s contribution are rarely acknowledged – is a well worn one. But Saint takes it a step further to suggest that, when men offend the gods, it’s women who pay the price. Both Ariadne and her sister Pheadra pay a high price indeed for their involvement with Theseus and Athens.
At a sentence level Ariadne may not be quite as beautiful as Circe or as potently economical as Silence of the Girls, but this is a minor gripe. Ariadne is a sweeping story with wonderful, fully realised characters and wonderful pace. It’s ending – perfectly pitched – will stay with me a long, long time, I’m sure!

This book is written in a simplistic and straightforward way, it makes it so easy to read and get into the story. I did find the characters under developed; however, I really enjoyed finding out about Ariadne's life to the end.

Greek Mythology is one of my favourite genres so I was so excited to discover this retelling of Ariadne and to be granted early access!

Ariadne is well-known as the daughter of King Minos of Creek and sister of the minotaur in the labyrinth, who she helps hero Theseus to kill. That's where our story starts, but that is only the beginning.

I loved reading about Ariadne. I knew only the basics of her story, nothing about her life on Naxos. I read this book in two days, eager to discover what happened to Ariadne and Phaedra. I enjoyed the split narrative between them but will admit I enjoyed Ariadne's story more.

Jennifer Saint has written a beautiful book that transports you back to ancient Greece. Her descriptions gave me definite wanderlust and are just what you need in the current pandemic situation! Ariadne is a wonderful character and this book tells her story perfectly.

I'll be pushing this book to every reader I know and will definitely be buying a finished copy for myself.

As a fan of Greek mythology, and especially the recent popular retellings of stories retold from female perspectives, I was delighted that NetGalley accepted my request to read and review Ariadne.

This is the debut novel from an author who clearly has a lot of love for the myths. We are taken back to Ancient Greece to the palace of Minos, the bravery of Minotaur killer Theseus and the revels of wine god Dionysus - ie the traditionally male centric stories and characters we know, but now told instead from the perspective of Cretan princess Ariadne. Whilst the lives and deaths of Ariadne and her sister Phaedra do feature in the original stories, this novel aims to fill in the gaps by creating an insight both into the lives of these women and also events as seen through female eyes.

Ariadne is well fleshed out, and by being party to her thoughts and feelings we understand how she is shaped by love and loss; a brave and enduring character who plays a big part in events, but acts with compassion. Phaedra, on the other hand we know from the myth as the shameless stepmother whose tragic end was her own doing, we are allowed now to contemplate the other side of her story, and the book casts a new light on her actions and explores her behaviour by chapters told from her perspective. Women in the myths are frequently shamed and then punished by men (think Medusa), and here we are allowed into their heads to see their world for what it is, and understand why Ariadne and Phaedra both think and acts as they do. This extends to experiences of motherhood, which vary greatly for all females in the book.

Ariadne is written in a simple and straightforward manner, and captures the essence of the classics through descriptions of characters and settings. It is very difficult not to make comparisons with other well-known novels of recent years which also retell the stories from female perspectives. The Greek myths are poetic and evocative, eloquent and iconic, and for me this novel maybe didn’t quite capture the classical voice or tone as much as I had hoped, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ariadne is the daughter of King Minos, the sister of the Minotaur, the accomplice of Theseus, and the wife of Dionysus. Very rarely is she described in any way that is not adjacent to the power of the men who lived their lives alongside her. This book explores the truths of Ariadne as a woman in her own right; as a woman who made her own decisions and faced her own consequences. It also gives a greater voice to the trials of other women in mythology including her mother Pasiphae, her sister Phaedra, and woman behind the monster that was Medusa. The hardships of ordinary women in the harsh society of the mythic Greek world are also touched upon in a hugely considerate way.

As a lover of Greek mythology I was really excited to read this book. The plot itself did not disappoint me, going into satisfyingly deep detail with the structure of the original myths interwoven with believable elements of assumption and invention. Furthermore, I was impressed by the substance of the characters, considering the scant details given about them in the original myths. Jennifer Saint has succeeded in bringing each of the mythical characters to life as unique individuals whilst still managing to maintain a familiarity with their original sources. I thought that Phaedra in particular held a particularly intriguing spark of life.

However, the pace of the novel was quite slow at times and the passive tone made the characters come across as emotionally detached in certain parts of the narrative. Although this did not in any way ruin my enjoyment of the story itself, it did mean that I took a little bit longer than usual to warm up to it and fully engage with what I was reading.

My favourite aspect of this book is how it takes Ariadne’s life and follows it from beginning to end, exploring all of the ups and downs of her experiences. This is a gratifying deviation from the common myth trope which usually sees characters experiencing a single adventure at a singular prime point in their life.

This book was incredible.

I read a lot of Greek mythology retellings and so often they leave me disappointed in how they simplify the characters or shave off the harsh edges to encourage sympathy. Now I have a book to point to which demonstrates how good mythology retellings can be when the subject matter is not only confronted but masterfully utilised.

Saint takes the story of Ariadne, the woman abandoned by Theseus, the wife of Dionysus, princess of Crete and holder of the key to the labyrinth, and puts her and her sister, Phaedra, at the centre of the tale. She tracks their lives through the sprawling mythology they feature in and are connected to, from that of Medea and Medusa to Icarus and Hippolytus. The overall narrative is fabulously varied and exciting but also not so convoluted that you lose track of what is happening. Both the heroes of legend and stories of their exploits and the domesticity and intricacies of women's interior lives are given equal weight and examination. The themes of godly punishments and unequal burdens are explored beautifully, with nuanced and interesting threads throughout that make your heart race when they pay off later.

If you love mythology, read this book. If you love complex and interesting female characters and examinations of women's lives and experiences, read this book. If you love stories of adventure but want the consequences of those adventures to be fully explored, read this book. If you love engagement with dark themes and moral questions, read this book. Just read this book. It was fantastic. I am so glad I read this.

*I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you both to NetGalley and Headline!

Perfect for fans of Circe by Madeline Miller, this retelling of the Minotaur myth gives a voice to Ariadne and places her centre-stage as the heroine of her own story, rather than presenting her as a footnote to the tales of gods and heroic men, like some many other forgotten female voices in Greek Mythology.

Women often have to bear the consequences of men's actions in mythology, yet their voices are often cast aside and they are presented as just mere side characters in the stories of men. The author does an excellent job of exploring the misogyny that is rife throughout Ariadne and Phaedra's story, and they do an excellent job at giving a voice to these characters. This story is presented in dual perspectives between Ariadne and her sister Phaedra, which I found the author did a really good job of and was able to provide a detailed and rich exploration of their lives and womanhood. It always felt authentic, and I felt myself always feeling compelled to read more of their stories.

One thing I struggled with slightly was Theseus' characterisation. Whilst Phaedra, Ariadne and Dionysus' character's were strong, multi-faceted and well developed, I felt that Theseus' character was more one-dimensional in comparison. Whilst this works to reclaim the narrative in some ways, and I understand that the author was trying to convey Theseus' one-sided feelings for certain characters and self-indulgence, I still feel like his character could have been a bit more nuance. The romance between Ariadne and Theseus felt too abrupt, I feel like the story could have benefitted with a bit more development and description of their relationship in order to make Theseus' later actions feel even more like a betrayal. On a similar note, Hippolytus' character could have benefitted with more development as his character felt quite under-developed and flat.

Going into this book I was keen to see how the author would interpret and present certain parts of this myth, especially when it came to Phaedra (spoilers ahead) who accuses her Hippolytus of rape after he rejected her advances. In a lot of interpretations Phaedra is though of as a villain. It is a delicate topic, especially since Phaedra's actions lend itself towards a overt belief by certain aspects of society that women lie about rape because they are malevolent and are trying to punish innocent men. What Phaedra does is terrible and wrong, however this narrative is often applied to discredit other people's trauma. It's a sensitive and complicated topic, just like Phaedra is a complicated character. Whilst I was hesitant to see how author would handle this character, I really think that they did an excellent job. We're provided with such intimate descriptions of Phaedra from a young age, and presenting the story partly from Phaedra's perspective really gave her story the detail, insight and care it needed.

Certain aspects of the pacing, such as the ending in the final part, felt a little rushed at times. However, I was satisfied with the ending and the pacing overall. Ariadne is immersive and beautifully written debut novel that explores the bonds between women, and of their betrayal, shame and rejection at the hands of men and the gods. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to the author's future work. These women have a voice, and it is important.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for allowing me an advance copy to read.

Women always seem to bear the consequences of men’s actions in mythology and yet are never at the forefront. This new wave of female perspective classic mythology retelling changes this (Atwood, Miller, Haynes). Those familiar with these myths can be excited to see where these retellings will go and others can experience them for the first time through a modern lens.

Saint writes richly and explores themes of misogyny so prevalent in the classical world and gives the daughters of Minos their own voices, motherhood and maternal shame, female bonds and jealousy.

Ariadne and Phaedra were both well fleshed out and authentic but I don’t think there was some development lacking in the male characters - namely Theseus. It is interesting to see from Phaedra’s POV (if you are familiar with mythology you’ll know her as the salacious stepmother) although it was slightly jarring to suddenly jump into her POV after so many chapters of Ariadne’s.

Overall, a beautiful debut with rich prose and sympathetic characters.

Following in the footsteps of other recent books which recount the Greek myths as seen from the womens' perspective, this was an enchanting read. It tells the story of Ariadne, who famously helped Theseus to kill the Minotaur. It then follows Ariadne and her sister Pasiphae as they both leave Crete, their lives with gods and heroes.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

Ariadne’s story is one of the bonds between women, and of their shame, rejection and betrayal at the hands of men.

This re-telling of the minotaur myth gives voice to the female actants, and is compassionate of the monster. It dissects the worship of heroes (celebrities?), and the 'trolling' of females in the public eye, all very relevant to social media today. It also confronts the various natures of motherhood.

Saint’s expertise in classical mythology is evident throughout. However, her enthusiasm for the subject leads to a tendency to over-egg the pudding. While the classics-overload works in places, such as when Dionysus tells Ariadne of Semele, elsewhere it is mis-judged. For instance, just when the reader is in a romantic clinch with hero Theseus, we are torn from his arms to sit through his life history. The first couple of chapters read like a ‘classics for dummies’, as we are given Ariadne and her family’s life history.

Similarly, despite Ariadne’s first-person narrative, the reader is at a remove, certainly in the early stages. On occasion, Ariadne’s voice inclines to the historical, in the style of written texts of classic myths, but at odds in a teenage girl. While familiar to readers of the likes of Robert Graves and Roger Lancelyn Green, it does little to revitalise these age-old stories for a modern audience.

At times, the point of view shifts to omniscient, such that Ariadne, a mortal girl, has knowledge of past, present and future.

Occasionally, the dialogue falls flat, mainly when the vehicle for exposition of a further myth.

Actions and dialogue tags include much fist-clenching, and squeaking and squawking.

All these issues are either not as prevalent in the latter half of the book, or they are not as obtrusive.

A game of two halves, then. Overall, compelling.

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC.

As a Madeline Miller fan, I was hugely excited to read more Greek mythology inspired work and Ariadne is a brilliantly written book.

Ariadne follows the story of the daughter of King Minos, her growing up with her brother, the Minotaur and her sister Phaedra, her seduction by Theseus and her later meeting of Dionysus however the key theme of this book is much more simple - how women are punished for the actions of men. The women in this book are beautifully written, inspiring, hurting and strong, with voices with so much to say and yet you watch them used as pawns and lessons by men and their ego and sins. Pasiphae is a particularly interesting and heartbreaking character, after King Minos tries to fool Poseidon regarding the sacrifice of a grand bull, he makes Pasipahe, his wife, fall in love and breed with this bull, thus creating the legend of the Minotaur. Pasipahe is a shell of her former self, violated and broken, loving her child and yet haunted. Reading this was enraging and heartbreaking at times, to say the least, but that is sadly the nature of both history and mythology - men rise off the backs of women.

The writing is beautiful, the prose exquisite, making this a beautiful, tragic book I would highly recommend. Where women didn’t have a voice, Jennifer Saint gave it back and it’s a story worth hearing.

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review.

My favourite kind if story is a greek mythology retelling so I jumped at the chance to read this and I was not disappointed. The story of Ariadne is tragic and brutal and Jennifer Saint has written it so beautifully. From Ariadne's early years as the Cretan Princess, daughter of the sadistic Minos and sister to the ferocious minotaur to the deceit of Theseus and her salvation and then demise at the hands of Dionysus and feuding Perseus....this story will thrill and horrify you....one of the beat greek mythology retelling I have ever read and it will be placed alongside the works of Madeline Miller and held in the hearts and minds of many a reader!

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint is an immensely accomplished debut, as a retelling of the myth of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete, and sister to the fearsome Minotaur who roamed in his labyrinth below the island, slaying all he encounters. When Prince Theseus of Athens comes to Crete as part of the annual sacrificial tribute demanded by Minos when he defeated Athens, he is determined to slay the beast. Ariadne falls in love with the handsome young Prince and agrees to betray her family and help him defeat the Minotaur in return for his help fleeing the island and the controlling rule of her father. However all is not as it seems, and soon Ariadne is left wondering if she will pay the ultimate price for her betrayal and her foolishness.
For anyone familiar with the myths, this beautiful retelling is worth revisiting for its focus on the female characters, not just Ariadne but also her sister Phaedra and even her mother, Pasiphae, and their motivations. For those unfamiliar , it is a good story, very well told , and with enough background woven into the telling to ensure the reader is not confused by the often complicated histories and relationships of the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in exploring the Greek Myths. The writing is absolutely beautiful and makes the story more engaging and accessible, and I was surprised to find it was a debut as it felt very polished while reading..
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel and the themes within the story but I felt it was hard to connect to any of the characters. The pacing was also quite slow so this wasn't the easiest read to get through. That being said, if you love Greek mythology and are looking for an escape into that world, this is a good book to try.

I really enjoyed this. I've always had such a love for Greek myth and this retelling of Ariadne's story did not disappoint - Jennifer has a really compelling and gorgeous writing style.

It did take me a while to get into this story, however when I was into it, I found it really hard to put down. In the original myths wasn't Ariadne infatuated with Theseus at the start? I wanted to see more of that relationship and that part of the myth fleshed out a bit more. I cared little for Theseus' stories, even if they were semi-important for plot development, but I really wanted to see how she felt and how wild her mind was running.

The myths surrounding Dionysus have always been so fascinating to me - and seeing more of his character was brilliant and I LOVED these parts of the story. Childish Gods!

Thanks so much for the ARC! This debut is well worth your time, if not for the Greek myth element, but for the stunning and lyrical writing.

'Circe' by Madeline Miller is the perfect comparison for this book. If you read and loved 'Circe', then 'Ariadne' is going to be a book for you. Equally if you haven't read 'Circe', if you enjoy anything to do with Greek mythology, the role of women in an ancient society with parallels to modern day, or a sweeping story in an amazing setting, this is a book to pick up.

The writing is really beautiful with moments where the language and metaphors are so stunning that you can only applaud the author for her talent. I personally knew little of the myth around Ariadne outside of Theseus' story, which is ironically a massive point made in the book, but I won't soon be forgetting Saint's retelling of this fantastic character.

I also was not expecting a dual POV, but was very glad for it to have sections with a character of a totally different mindset, also tackling issues of a woman's place in society and challenging the 'natural' duties of a woman.

Overall, a fantastic read if you want to be swept away to a completely different world.

Never trust a god, or a man

There is a real growth industry in the fictional reconstruction of Greek myth from the heroine’s point of view. Some versions are excellent: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, Circe by Madeline Miller. Some are just ok: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. Some are not that good at all: For the most beautiful by Emily Hauser. This, of course, is only my opinion. So, where does Ariadne fit into this list?

First, the story is not just that of Ariadne – it is also the story of her younger sister, Phaedra, and indeed her mother, the unfortunate wife of Minos, Pasiphae. And while I am thinking about it, the story of lots of other Greek myths too, mainly involving the ‘destructive power of toxic masculinity’. For, although the various strands of the myth of Ariadne and her family are well told, and the narrative generally flows very clearly, the underlying theme is that men are destructive, self-opinionated, selfish liars. This goes for gods and heroes both. If that is a theme that attracts you, then you will enjoy this novel immensely, and perhaps gain some inner satisfaction from it. Theseus, Zeus – they did not treat women well, there is no doubt, but I reckon they did not treat anyone well, especially Theseus, who was responsible for the death of his own father and son, as well as the wrongs he did against Ariadne and Phaedra.

The author writes well. She knows her Greek myth intimately. Her central theme carries weight. However, I felt it lacked balance, when its only sympathetic male character is a decrepit old man, the judge, Rhamanthus.

The story of Ariadne is one I've known of for quite some time so it isn't new to me therefore that may have influenced my reading of this book as I just didn't find I was as gripped as I had hoped. A positive is it is a wonderful tale of sisterhood and a female focused side of mythology and I enjoyed how it looked at the personalities and flaws of these legendary characters. However I just felt there was a lot of telling and I didn't feel as connected with the characters or what they were really feeling through it all.

The novel is a retelling of the story of Ariadne, who gave Theseus the thread and weapon which allowed him to kill the Minotaur and escape, so ending the slaughter of innocents. However, after agreeing to flee Crete with him, Ariadneis abandoned on Naxos, where she meets and marries the god Dionysus, while her sister Phaedra marries Theseus.

Saint's debut has smooth-flowing prose that makes for easy reading. The ending was truly brilliant, as it brought the long-desired tension and confrontation. Ariadne finally is given a voice in her feminist challenge to Dionysus. His actions and the huge outpouring of grief brings notes of Greek tragedy into the mix.

I enjoyed the novel and the way in which Ariadne sometimes made references to how women from other Greek myths had been wronged. However, the description of the book sold this as a feminist retelling where Ariadne gets a voice of her own. Unfortunately, I did not feel it met my expectations of what a feminist retelling should be. While technically correct that Ariadne has her own voice - the story is told from her 1st person perspective - she did not get to speak up until the very end. For the majority of the book, Ariadne was portrayed as quite a passive character whose life seemed to revolve around men. Passive can work if the author's intention is to emphasise the tragic victimisation of a character, but the story didn't read like the tragedy of Ariadne, either. Her characterisation would benefit from more development of internal thoughts to make readers sympathise and engage with her more.

Although her life revolving around men is historically accurate, there could have been more scenes featuring Ariadne and Phaedra together, as some female solidarity could have really lifted this book; the time they spent together just focused on their being love rivals of Theseus, or pointing out that semi-incest is bad.

Saint sticks to the myth faithfully, however, there was definite room for embellishment, such as when Ariadne is stuck on Naxos. Ariadne requires either more agency throughout the novel, or more tension built up in her internal thoughts that pushes her to the breaking point at the end. Because the myth plot is often already known to readers, the point of difference has to come from added tension or conflict, like the Dionysian rites. For the majority of the novel I was waiting for this to be felt - and there was the great buildup of tension and conflict in the last third.

Overall, it was an enjoyable novel that centres Ariadne, but wasn't the mind-blowing feminist retelling that it could have been.

Review to be published 24th April 2021 https://www.instagram.com/the_literarylinguist/

They say the old stories are the best and never was this more apparent than in Jennifer Saint's blistering debut "Ariadne". Our protagonist's voice is distinctive and really sets the tone from the beginning, immersing us in the tale. Saint has utilised her skills as a former English teacher to make Ariadne's story accessible and relatable. Her attention to detail is exemplary and the book is a beautifully transporting read, as Saint illuminates the lives of the women hidden throughout history. Euphrosyne's story had me weeping buckets. I loved Jennifer Saint's fresh depiction of these age old characters and didn't want the book to end. I can't wait to hear what she does next and would love to see "Ariadne" on the big screen.