Book Review: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

‘Ariadne’ is a novel by Jennifer Saint and was published in 2021. It follows the Cretian sisters, Ariadne and Phaedra during their youth, growing up above the lair of the Minotaur, and their fates after Ariadne’s coil of thread aids Theseus in his escape from the labyrinth.

I was startled when I read this book at how quickly Saint had paced it, with Ariadne and Theseus escaping Crete within just a handful of chapters. This was a skillful play on Saint’s part as I, like many other readers may have been familiar with the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and perhaps even Ariadne’s role in the story, but had no clue of what happened next.

Ending Ariadne’s love story with Theseus so promptly, with him abandoning her on the island of Naxos, had left me baffled. I was keen to find out what was to happen afterwards, and Ariadne’s second love story, with her Godly husband, God of wine and theatre, Dionysius, with whom she had five sons.

I adored this novel, how Ariadne grows up on Naxos and grows into herself. She has a gentleness and a kindness that leaves people enamoured with her and her romance with Dionysius is beautiful and compelling. I loved seeing this unfold and eventually sour when compared to Phaedra’s immediately hostile relationship with Theseus and then her blossoming affections for his illegitimate son Hippolytus.

It provided a strong, feminist commentary on the myths many of us know, and demonstrated the power of the women often forgotten when telling the original stories. It was an exciting and compelling read with a gut-wrenching, emotional ending. I cannot wait to read more of Saint’s work.