Atalanta
Ratings30
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings30
Average rating3.5
The heroic story of the only female Argonaut, told by Jennifer Saint, the bestselling author of ATALANTA (UK, Sunday Times, April 2023) ELEKTRA (UK, Sunday Times, May 2022) and ARIADNE (UK, Sunday Times, April 2021). 'Brilliantly evocative' Women & Home | 'A spirited retelling' Times | 'Beautiful and absorbing' Fabulous | 'A vivid reimagining of Greek mythology' Harper's Bazaar | 'Jennifer Saint has done it again' Red | 'Jennifer Saint can do no wrong' Glamour When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment. Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta, is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason's band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place in the legends in a world made for men? Praise for Jennifer Saint's books: 'A lyrical, insightful re-telling' Daily Mail 'Relevant and revelatory' Stylist 'Energetic and compelling' Times 'An illuminating read' Woman & Home 'A story that's impossible to forget' Culturefly
Reviews with the most likes.
I feel sad that I no longer want to read books like these. I love the retellings of mythology from the perspective of underrepresented women in the stories. What I don't love is the demonization of the men alongside them. We do not need to emphasize the weakness of men to draw attention to the strength of women. The women can be strong just because they WERE strong.
All of these books fall into this same pit: every man is terrible, every woman is cunning and smart. That's not true in real life and it's not true in mythology either. I feel like it cheapens the story of the women to have it so heavily focused on how all the men around them are terrible. It also makes me trust the narrative less, as none of use are perfect.
It doesn't help that I already know all of these stories as a scholar, so I know what is coming down the line.
I'm giving this three instead of two because it was well-written. The story was accurate, which some others of this genre are not.
There's no emotion in this book and I found myself not caring for any character or the story whatsoever, which left me pretty disappointed ☹️
7/10
I enjoyed this book, but wanted more. I had barely heard of Atalanta before and that was a chief motivator to read it. And I did find out more about her, and I liked how the author explored the role of women in antiquity and the reactions of the various men to Atalanta joining the Argonauts and her journey to be accepted by them and prove herself, as well as dealing with the prejudice of the wider world. All that was good. I also really liked the narrator, and the prose. It flowed really well.
I'd just say that outside of Atalanta, every character was bland. If I didnt already know about Jason and Hercules and Peleus, I'd barely be able to differentiate them. Because of that, the plot and character interactions just didn't do much for me.
I was nervous to give Jennifer Saint another try after I really did not like Elektra but I thought I might give her another chance since I enjoyed her debut, Ariadne, so much and WOW I am so glad I did. I am not a quick reader and I devoured this in 3 sittings. Atalanta's quick wit and fierce voice makes her a character you want to root for from start to finish. Jennifer's beautiful one liners spill off the page and stick with you in the best way. And I adored the ending. This could be one of my favorites of the year and one of my favorite retellings of all time.
