TEST
It’s hard to avoid spoilers here. The story of Ariadne – daughter of King Minos, gatekeeper of the labyrinth, doomed to be locked up on the isle of Crete to care for her brother, the Minotaur – is famous to many a Greek mythology fan, and Jennifer Salt does not deviate far from the main body of the legend.
The story goes that Ariadne was charmed by Theseus, Prince of Athens, who has been captured and brought to sacrifice to the Minotaur. In equipping him and allowing him into the labyrinth, where he slays the Minotaur in the process, she betrays her people. Theseus promises to take her away from Crete with him to become his bride, but instead sails on without her. In some versions of the telling, Ariadne is looked upon with pity by Dionysus, who takes her to the isle of Naxos and makes her his wife, eventually raising her to demigodhood after her death at the hands of Perseus, his mortal half-brother.
Asterion is the minotaur’s name in this Ariadne, and Ariadne is devoted to her brother, faithfully demanding his yearly blood sacrifice – until she falls for Theseus. The usual drama happens – she sacrifices her brother in the name of the true love seems to lie in wait for her. But in Saint’s hands, one can hardly blame the girl as she rages devastated in his wake, abandoned.
Nor can we blame her sister (one of Salt’s few additions to the story), Phaedra, also seduced and carried away by Theseus, who slowly begins to learn what her husband has done during his adventuring. Her dawning horror makes her turn to her stepson Hippolytus, whose rejection drives her to madness, and suicide, while he meets his death via deus ex Poseidon.
This retelling of the tale both simplifies and splits the narrative between Ariadne and Phaedra, and both tales are ultimately equally miserable. If you’re looking for some fun and mischief with the God of Wine, don’t go looking here – you’ll get baby goats ripped to shreds instead.
Salt does not hesitate to blame the men here – Theseus for his obvious perfidy, raping and cheating (he even goes so far as to lie to Phaedra about Ariadne’s death); Dionysus for leaving Ariadne on Naxos to go gamboling and for his cold, angry rivalry with his brother. All of this is true in the original myths – The Gods suck, and women are tossed about in their tumult – it’s a story as old as time, but Salt seems to forget that both female-identified Gods cause havoc and straight retellings, even with a strong narrative voice attached, tend to be boring. It’s strongly implied that sisterhood would be the only salvation either Ariadne or Phaedra could receive, completely ignoring the ending of Ariadne’s traditional myth to go instead with a semi-downer, sisterhood-is-powerful ending. In short: the narrative says that the majority of the men in this book suck.
That’s all well and good, but it’s a narrative I’ve read thousands of times, and at this point a rote retelling doesn’t bring excitement or newness. Only Salt’s engaging, full-blooded prose saved this one for me and keeps it from D territory. Ariadne may satisfy readers who enjoy a soapy Greek myth telling, but if they hunger for new ideas they will not find satisfaction here.
NOTE: This book contains on-page suicide, explicitly depicted, bloody animal slaughter and includes heavy discussion of rape.
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Grade: C
Book Type: Fiction
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 08/05/21
Publication Date: 05/2021
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Lisa Fernandes is a writer, reviewer and recapper who lives somewhere on the East Coast. Formerly employed by Firefox.org and Next Projection, she also currently contributes to Women Write About Comics. Read her blog at http://thatbouviergirl.blogspot.com/, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thatbouviergirl or contribute to her Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/MissyvsEvilDead or her Ko-Fi at ko-fi.com/missmelbouvier
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Clarification question, sorry! What is the addition Saint makes with Phaedra? Is it just the explicit connection of the sisters’ stories?
A more explicit connection and the fact that they actually see each other after Naxos, which as far as I can remember doesn’t happen in other tellings.
I am reading this now and am enjoying it. Yes, it is a retelling but it’s one that gives the women of myths a voice and elevates their story. Saint’s storytelling took me a while to get into but her descriptions are gorgeous and she does a wonderful job of showing the nuances between women whose power will always be lessened by the men around them.
It’s, thus far, not as good as Circe, one of my favorite reads of the past few years, but it’s a gift to all those who loves feminist takes on the stories that have shaped civilizations and education for centuries.
To me, it was wayy too direct in the retelling. Lots of pretty word images, but the message is one I’ve read a million times.
And yep, Circe is much better, but that’s my thought.
Well, it is is a myth we all know.
Yep, and that’s why it should be retold thoroughly if a retelling is to be bothered with.
I guess I disagree. I think this retelling puts the story of the women in the forefront in a way I find compelling. Different strokes, as they say.
Different strokes, indeed. I thought the rah-rah sisterhood message was pat and trite, but to each their own.
I loved Miller’s Circe. She takes the bones of the legend and builds new flesh and blood on top of them, not just for Circe herself but for various other characters. For example, Prometheus appears briefly at the beginning of the book, but he is vividly portrayed and his interaction with the young Circe is part of what sets her on her path. Daedalus and Icarus play somewhat larger roles, and they broke my heart. Miller turns the rationale for turning men into animals on its head. Miller’s Circe and Song of Achilles were among my favorite reads last year.