Ariadne’s main claim to fame is the assistance she gave to Theseus in escaping the labyrinth wherein the minotaur dwelt. How the creature got there, why Theseus went in, and what happened when he got out is a good tale, a classic Greek myth in which Ariadne plays a bit part. But in Saint’s novel, Ariadne takes centre stage, princess daughter of king Minos of Crete, who sells out her father’s kingdom and throws her lot in with Theseus and Athens. No spoilers, but let’s just say it doesn’t turn out well, at least initially.
Saint fleshes out Ariadne’s story, and that of her younger sister, Phaedra. They mix in exalted company; in addition to Theseus, the god Dionysus, genius inventor Daedalus, Amazonian scion Hippolytus, and rival hero Perseus all pop up, along with their back stories.
Between the godly and heroic deeds of the menfolk, Ariadne and Phaedra flip flop between adoration of their physique and contempt of their attitude to women. The new lover always seems to promise different, better, but turns out just the same.
Being Greek, we expect it to end tragically for most, only the gods get off Scot free. The prose is pitched between modern and archaic and makes for an unchallenging read.
If putting Ariadne
centre stage was meant to be a feminist statement, I am not sure it works. She
is rather passive, Phaedra less so, and both remain defined by their romantic
attachments and domestic circumstances. This is perhaps why the Greek myths
have little to say of the women. There is, however, a lot of moaning about a woman’s
lot and whinging about men in general and heroes in particular.
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