Synopsis
As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything. In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne's decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover's ambition? Ariadne gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel.
- Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
- ISBN: 9781472273864
- Number of pages: 400
- Weight: 620g
- Dimensions: 236 x 156 x 44 mm
Customer Reviews
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Whatever happened to the Minotaur's sisters?
Retellings of Greek myths are like catnip to me. I loved Song of Achilles, Circe, The Silence of the Girls and A Thousand Ships. Like them, Ariadne is told... READ MORE
Let me tell you a story....
As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up around the monstrosity that is the Minotaur, who al... READ MORE
A Must Read... A New Favourite
I had such high expectations for this book.. it exceeded each and every one of them more than I can describe. Jennifer and her publicist were kind enough ... READ MORE
I expected more...
DRC provided by Headline via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Representation: pansexual secondary character
Content Warning: death (graphic), ... READ MORE
I am woman, hear me roar!
I’ve always been fascinated by the Greek myths and legends, a love which I seem to have passed on to my eldest daughter who reads every book of Greek mytho... READ MORE
I don’t know anything about the relevant myths so it was great to discover them for this first time in this way.
I really love when an author writes in the more detached way that myths and fairy tales are written in, so I knew Ariadne was going to be a good selection ... READ MORE
The twist and turns of destiny is never easy
'I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing make me doubt the value of myself.' Ariadne page 229
Let's start by saying that ariadne is Jannifer... READ MORE
Feminist Greek Mythology Retelling
Engrossing retelling of the Theseus vs The Minotaur myth told from Ariadne’s point of view. This is a prime example from the new wave of retellings of Gree... READ MORE
A retelling of Greek Mythology centering women in the storytelling.
A retelling of Greek Mythology centering women in the storytelling, the titular Ariadne and her sister Phaedra. The story starts in the Cretean princesses ... READ MORE
Retelling to Watch For
I love mythology retellings, and I was really excited to read this! It did not disappoint.
My only issue?
Pacing was disjointed. We spent a rather good c... READ MORE
Enjoyable read
This is a really enjoyable and well written read. It is such a good story and it flows in such an easy way making Greek mythology accessible to all. With... READ MORE
Brilliant Retelling
I was invited to review an ARC copy for Ariadne via NetGalley for @jennifer.saint.author
I love Greek Mythology and I have been obsessed with the storie... READ MORE
Simply captivating
I don't know where to begin this review. I loved this book so much, but I think it might have left me scarred for life! The characters are incredibly solid... READ MORE
Beautifully Written & Powerfully Poignant
A powerfully poignant and female driven retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur. In the same vein as Circe by Madeline Miller, Jennifer Saint explores the pr... READ MORE
Refreshing and enjoyable
"Ariadne" by Jennifer Saint is really refreshing and enjoyable. It could feel daunting reading a book about Greek mythology which is usually heavily male ... READ MORE
A brilliant debut- loved it!!
After reading A song of Achilles and Circe by Madeline Miller I absolutely fell in love greek mythology and retellings, so as soon as I saw Ariadne was set... READ MORE
A solid debut
This is not the book I thought it would be. Mostly, I think that's a good thing. Saint's prose is lovely; evocative, lucid sentences weave themselves into ... READ MORE
Female perspective of the minotaur myth
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 gi... READ MORE
A brilliant retelling of the classical myth
I love my Greek Myths so have been looking forward to reading Jennifer Saint’s debut novel Ariadne. I know the story of Ariadne, the Minotaur and Theseus f... READ MORE
Two sides to every story
4.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Two sides to every story
I really enjoyed Ariadne by Jennifer Saint and was also incredibly impressed to learn ... READ MORE
Bewitching and mesmerising
A bewitching mesmerising re-telling of classic myths from a female-centric view; I loved it. This is the story of Ariadne the Princess of Crete and her sis... READ MORE
Absolutely beautiful
Ariadne is a compelling story about sisterhood, the strength of women, and the whims of Greek gods and heroes.
In Ariadne we follow the titular heroine t... READ MORE
Well written but less keen on feminist view of Ariadne yarn
A book based on Greek myth will always be a book I am quick to grab. This book, on that basis, is a winner solely for breathing fresh breath into this less... READ MORE
Delicious retelling
I have been terrible at reading recently. I keep getting distracted and struggle to focus and switch books every 50 pages or so. But Ariadne was exactly wh... READ MORE
Stunning
Wow - Saint hit this one out of the park. Ariadne kicks off with the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and then moves onto the aftermath of those events fro... READ MORE
Wonderful story
Loved this book - couldn't put it down and read it super fast!
Really liked the feminine take on the original myth - the female perspective. It's nice to r... READ MORE
An alternative view of myth and legend
Ariadne is the daughter of Minos, King of Crete. She lives a life of privilege but behind this is fear. Fear of her father and his plans but also fears o... READ MORE
An Exquisitely Written Greek Retelling
‘What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to rui... READ MORE
Five stars
I was fascinated by Ariadne from the very beginning. In her book, Jennifer Saint tells the story of a Cretan princess, daughter to Pasiphae and Minos, whos... READ MORE
Fantastic
Ariadne was my most anticipated book of 2021 and it didn’t disappoint. I love Greek Mythology and knowing very little of Ariadne I knew I needed to read th... READ MORE
A powerful of women, men and gods
Ariadne is a character in one of the Greek myths. Along with her sister Phaedra they are daughters of King Minos, and they play their part in the story of ... READ MORE
Bursting with female determination and bravery
Feminist Greek mythology, where Greek myths are retold from the perspective of a strong female protagonist, is proving a popular sub-genre, and Ariadne by ... READ MORE
An enjoyable reimagining of the classic Greek myth and what happens afterwards
'Ariadne' by Jennifer Saint, published by Wildfire Books, is a retelling of the Theseus and the Minotaur legend from Greek mythology, this time told from t... READ MORE
I love this book!
One of the most anticipated books of 2021 and I really can see why. I was so lucky to receive a proof copy and I could not put this book down.
As Princesse... READ MORE
I can't wait for Jennifer's next book!
Beautiful and lyrical in its prose I absolutely loved this book. Recently the retellings of the classics are now from the women's view point and Ariadne an... READ MORE
Bringing the women to life
Really enjoyed this book, it definitely succeeded it is aim to bring life to the women of Greek Mythology. I also loved its portrayal of the Gods, as flawe... READ MORE
Not for me
This book had so much potential, but it just felt a little flat and never really got off the ground.
I liked both Ariadne and Phaedra, though I found bot... READ MORE
Incredible debut
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint is an incredible retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, told from the perspectives of Princesses of Cre... READ MORE
A beautifully transporting read!
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 dist... READ MORE
well written
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... READ MORE
Compelling
There has been a bit of a fashion recently for Greek myths retold from a feminist standpoint and Ariadne is a great example of the genre.
I didn't know ... READ MORE
ARC
As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur e... READ MORE
4.5 stars
Headlines:
Feminist and sisterhood
Bittersweet
Betrayal
I’m so over Greek mythology men
I was captivated by the writing and story of Aridane’s world very ... READ MORE
Tales of Greek Heroines
"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods".
I had the story of The Minotaur when I was in school, and it was never very clear what happened to Ariadne, ... READ MORE
Well written but lacking personability
I love Greek Mythology and I have been obsessed with the stories of the Minotaur and labyrinth since I was a child and my auntie told me the story.
I tho... READ MORE
Great debut! Ariadne & Phaedre's story
Really enjoyed discovering a back story to Ariadne, for so long just a means to an end for Theseus. There seems to be a definite trend for this modern ret... READ MORE
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