“Ariadne” - Jennifer Saint

 

🏺”Ariadne” is another retelling of ancient Greek mythology that centers the forgotten female characters as the main protagonists and tells their hitherto untold stories. Ariadne is a princess of Crete and daughter of King Minos. She will make a gamble for love, only she will not realize how great the risk truly is, and from what quarter.

🏺 I thought this was a great follow up to Madeline Miller’s “Circe”; in “Circe” we briefly meet Ariadne, and she is a kindred spirit of her aunt Circe, and a loving sister to her half brother the Minotaur. Saint gives Pasiphae a different treatment than we saw in “Circe” - she’s significantly more compelling here. Saint’s retelling of Scylla has a different origin story from what we saw in “Circe” but her end is similarly tragic. Overall there is harmony between the other plot points between the two novels.

🏺The theme of “Ariadne” is the fickle favoritism or antagonism of Olympians for mortals and lesser divinities, particularly the females. Medusa, Pasiphae, Ariadne, and the other notable female characters exist at the whim of the Olympians. Their favor could life them to the greatest heights but their anger could reduce them to bearing harsh punishments, often for the wrongs of others. Medusa was made into a grotesque villain for Poseidon’s wrongdoing. Pasiphae is made to lust for a bull as punishment for her husband, Minos’ deceit.

🏺My favorite aspect of “Ariadne” is the relationship between Ariadne and her younger sister Phaedra. Despite conflicts, these two try to do right by one another, even when circumstances beyond their control make this nearly impossible.