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

Product Information

Saint breathes new life into the forgotten women of Greek mythology with a novel that's both incredibly absorbing, and full of heart. While I watched him work, he told me how he had learned his craft traveling from place to place until his extraordinary skill attracted the eye of my father, who made it worth his while to stay in one place. Later I learned that to Minos the labrys represented the power of Zeus, used to summon the thunder—a mighty display of dominance. I watched how she flung herself into the music and transformed it into a graceful frenzy, and I followed suit.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. This novel is an attempt to weave together elements from various myths to form one whole coherent story around the tragic figure of Ariadne.Complex—and bold…Fans of Madeline Miller's Circe will enjoy this faithful retelling that centers the often-forgotten women of Greek myth. After a few years, Ariadne and Dionysus are staying together for the kids and hoping that a couples vacation to Athens will spice things up. For example, as she offers a detailed depiction of the infancy and development of the Minotaur—Ariadne’s half brother—the monster ceases to be horrifying and instead becomes slightly ridiculous. Ariadne’s life has always been touched by the gods, as her mother, Pasiphae, is the daughter of Helios, god of the sun. Although many years have passed since then, when I remember Daedalus, I see a young man full of energy and the fire of creativity.

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? As the women navigate their changing positions of power, they court disaster at the hands of both gods and men. A worthy hero, Perseus, was born from the golden rain of Zeus, who had visited the lonely, lovely Danaë sealed in her roofless bronze chamber with only the sky to look upon. For centuries, Greek Mythology only focused on the men, but lately we’ve seen some authors working to flip these narratives on their head — showing us what these myths are really made of. Her punishment, to fall into obsessive love with a bull, resulted in the Minotaur, Ariadne’s half-human, half-bull brother.This means that the bulk of the novel is concerned with Ariadne’s seclusion upon Naxos, married to Dionysius. Far from giving her escape from her cruel fate, she was immediately set upon in an endless chase by the crimson-streaked eagle bent upon eternal vengeance. Ariadne, Princess of Crete and daughter of the fearsome King Minos, grows up hearing stories of gods and heroes.

The creature whose bellows would make the floors of our palace rumble and shake as the time grew near for his annual feeding, despite his burial far below the ground in the center of a twilight labyrinth so dizzying that no one who entered could ever find their way back to daylight again. Ariadne lives with the sound of hoofbeats beneath the palace, as the minotaur roams the labyrinth below. Here she would pause, her silence painting a more vivid picture of Orion’s pitiful struggles than her words ever could. Incensed with an animalistic lust, the desire made her conniving and clever, and she persuaded the unsuspecting Daedalus to create a wooden cow so convincing that the bull was fooled into mounting both it and the maddened queen, hidden within. VERDICT This will appeal to older teens interested retellings that give voice to women's stories; offer it alongside books by Madeline Miller, Adèle Geras, Elana K.As you can see, the cover is absolutely stunning and I was really excited to have this book facing out on my bookshelf.