Ariadne

By: Jennifer Saint

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

The mesmerising retelling from the woman at the heart of one of Ancient Greece's most famous myths.

Ariadne, Princess of Crete and daughter of the fearsome King Minos, grows up hearing stories of gods and heroes. But beneath the golden palace something else stirs, the hoofbeats and bellows echoing from the Labyrinth below. Every year its captive, the Minotaur—Ariadne's brother—demands blood.

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.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne's decision to risk everything for love 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. 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.

©2021 Jennifer Saint (P)2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Critic reviews

"Exquisitely written and exceptionally moving, this is a mythical retelling to savour." (Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den)

"A lyrical, insightful re-telling." (Daily Mail)

"If you like Madeline Miller's Circe and Song of Achilles, you will eat up Ariadne.... Saint makes it a page-turner." (Glamour)

great audio, horrible storyline

the narrator did an amazing job, but the story was not to my liking.

Boooooring

There is absolutely no reason why it would be better to read this version than the original Greek myth. There is a lot of internal monologue, but the story of what has happened could be told on no more than 20 pages.
Until now I thought Ariadne to be cool, but in this version she is pretty much whining all the time. She contemplates and contemplates what she should do, and this is more or less followed by her inaction, at least untill the very end.
Also, way too much of misandry in this book for my taste - and I consider myself to be a feminist!
I also disliked the narrator. Her voice is as bland as the story.