Ariadne: The Mesmerising Sunday Times Bestselling Retelling of Ancient Greek Myth

Product Information

American composer Irwin Fischer composed "Ariadne Abandoned" in 1938, a short piece scored for solo piano or orchestra. [44] Ariadne is a major character in Mary Renault's historical novel The King Must Die (1958), about the Bronze Age hero Theseus. One year Theseus, Prince of Athens, offers himself as a sacrifice to the beast and Ariadne is instantly infatuated with him. She decides to help Theseus kill the Minotaur, betraying her family and country. The mesmerising retelling from the woman at the heart of one of Ancient Greece’s most famous myths.**

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne sees in him her chance to escape. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that drawing the attention of the mercurial gods may cost her everything. Broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes brilliantly retells the story of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective. She presents a kaleidoscopic view of the war and the women involved in a series of episodes narrated by Calliope, the Greek muse of epic poetry. A fresh take on the Iliad brimming with wit and atmosphere.As if we hadn't learned from our shattered mother and her monstrous spawn that all a woman can do in this world is take what she wants from it and crush those who would stand in her way before they squash her down to nothing." Ariadne betrayed her father and her country for her lover Theseus. She eloped with Theseus after he killed the Minotaur, yet according to Homer in the Odyssey "he had no joy of her, for ere that, Artemis slew her in seagirt Dia because of the witness of Dionysus". The phrase "seagirt Dia" refers to the uninhabited island of Dia, which lies off the northern coast of the Greek island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. Dia may have referred to the island of Naxos. It just wasn’t what I wanted I guess…. too bad, I would liked to have gotten the beautiful UK edition.

As other reviewers have pointed out, retellings are usually supposed to build upon the base myth and add things to better the story and fully flesh it out, not recount them step by step, which is what the author did, and it led to the story falling extremely flat and having no feeling behind it. Ariadne realizes early that it is a man's world and even more a God's world and that their actions were done to make then feel better about themselves and have the power and control that they desire and too often being cruel was just ... - beverlyj Minos put Ariadne in charge of the labyrinth where sacrifices were made as part of reparations either to Poseidon or Athena, depending on the version of the myth; later, she helped Theseus conquer the Minotaur and save the children from sacrifice. In other narrations she was the bride of Dionysus, her status as mortal or divine varying in those accounts. [16] [17] Minos and Theseus [ edit ]Barthes, Roland, "Camera Lucida". Barthes quotes Nietzsche, "A labyrinthine man never seeks the truth, but only his Ariadne," using Ariadne in reference to his mother, who had recently died. This critically acclaimed novel is a retelling of Homer’s Iliad, told from the perspective of Briseis, a Trojan queen who is captured and forced to become the concubine of Achilles. It is a brave, powerful story about survival and resilience, which in no way shies away from the horrors of war and the cruelty women suffered at the hands of their enslavers. There are harrowing scenes including child murder, gang rape and suicide making it a ruthless story, but one that should not be ignored.

This book is written in a really lovely, effortlessly elegant way that just seemed to flow with ease. It was steady, and really felt like an exploration of the myth when going into it. I could feel myself sinking into the words each time I opened the book, and found myself looking forward to returning. Karl Kerenyi and Robert Graves theorized that Ariadne, whose name they thought derived from Hesychius' enumeration of "Άδνον", a Cretan-Greek form of " arihagne" ("utterly pure"), was a Great Goddess of Crete, "the first divine personage of Greek mythology to be immediately recognized in Crete", [29] once archaeological investigation began. Kerenyi observed that her name was merely an epithet and claimed that she was originally the "Mistress of the Labyrinth", both a winding dancing ground and, in the Greek opinion, a prison with the dreaded Minotaur in its centre. Kerenyi explained that a Linear B inscription from Knossos "to all the gods, honey… [,] to the mistress of the labyrinth honey" in equal amounts, implied to him that the Mistress of the Labyrinth was a Great Goddess in her own right. [30] Professor Barry Powell suggested that she was the Snake Goddess of Minoan Crete. [31] There are alternate versions to the myth, and one I prefer to others, and this seems at first to follow my preferred ending, yet still ends tragically. When presented with such an option that would make an amazing novelization, Dionysus immortalizing Ariadne as he did his mother, to not use that inspiring, beautiful version seems like an immense waste to me. ESPECIALLY since this is marketed as feminist. Nothing says feminism quite like a needlessly tragic ending, am I right? (Heavy sarcasm) So of course I’m disappointed.ARIADNE gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this exceptional debut novel is perfect for fans of CIRCE, A SONG OF ACHILLES, and THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS.

Linguist Robert S. P. Beekes has also supported Ariadne having a pre-Greek origin; specifically being Minoan from Crete because her name includes the sequence dn (δν), rare in Indo-European languages and an indication that it is a Minoan loanword. [8] Family [ edit ] This story of Ariadne, princess of Crete and daughter of King Minos, reimagines the classic tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. It is the compelling story of her whole life rather than one event in it, and by widening the reader’s perspective we are skilfully given an insight not just into the novel’s captivating heroine but the stories of other women such as Medusa, Semele, Pasiphaë and Phaedra. The men, too, are well drawn, allowing for a deeper insight into why they act as they do without excusing their failings. Ariadne’s relationship with Dionysus is fascinating and the alternate perspective of Theseus a refreshing take in light of past misogynistic retellings. Beautifully written and utterly immersive. Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1825). "Ideal Likenesses". The New Monthly Magazine, 1825. Henry Colburn. p.485. Saint’s immersive novel thrusts the reader straight into the heart of Greek mythology with this wonderful reimagining of the story of Ariadne.’– iPaper The author did a great job of introducing other tales within the main story. We learn about how Medusa became a monster and what drove Icarus to fly too close to the sun. I really enjoyed the opening chapters about the Minotaur and how he came to be the monstrous beast he was known to be.What happens after the monster is defeated and the princess leaves with the hero? Jennifer Saint’s ARIADNE is a shimmering tapestry of two sisters bound by deceit and the shadows of family history. . .With a fresh voice and keen insight, Saint adds flesh and bone to an ancient myth, drawing the reader into an uneasy world of ever-afters.’– Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of THE NIGHT TIGER im really happy with this. it is a definite must read for fans of ‘circe’ and greek mythology retellings in general. Were you more drawn to Ariadne's or Phaedra's chapters? Why do you think the author chose to include both of their perspectives? It’s just really a shame because as much as I dislike “and they lived happily ever after” because I don’t mind a bit of pain, I REALLY don’t like to read about all women needlessly suffering at the hands of or because of men and that being the only message I take away from this novel when it was advertised as a “brilliant feminist debut” and WHEN THERE WAS AN AMAZING ALTERNATIVE WITHIN ESTABLISHED MYTHOLOGY.