Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
LLBC Rating: 10/10
Book Synopsis: Ariadne tells classic Greek Mythology through the eyes of the women scorned only to propel the male storyline forward. Two sisters, and princesses of Crete, tell the tales of Theseus and Dionysus that they did not want you to know.
This book put all of us on to a mythological retelling kick. When we finally discussed it in the last meeting, we agreed that we wanted to read another. In fact, it made me realize how many retellings are actually out there for us to enjoy. The female perspectives of these famous stories show these myths in a much different light than what we usually hear. The treatment of women in Greek Mythology is usually glossed over, but Ariadne serves to give these women the recognition they deserve.
We started book club this month with a presentation from Quin on the Greek Myth origin story. She also kindly introduced us to the big thirteen. The big thirteen (actually fourteen, you'll see why) are as follows:
Zeus: King of the Gods and God of the Sky
Hera: Goddess of Marriage
Poseidon: God of the Sea
Demeter: Goddess of the Harvest
Hades: God of the Underworld
Athena: Goddess of Wisdom
Apollo: God of Music, Prophecy, and Medicine
Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt, Wilderness, and the Moon
Ares: God of War
Hephaestus: God of Fire
Aphrodite: Goddess of Love and Beauty
Hermes: God of Trade and Thieves
*Hestia: Goddess of the Home and Hearth
*Dionysus: God of Wine
* Interchangeable as the twelfth Olympian. Hestia left Mount Olympus when Dionysus came along to make space for him and keep peace between the Gods. There are only 12 seats on Mount Olympus for the Gods, but there are thirteen on the list because Hades does not sit on Mount Olympus.
This introduction was helpful in further understanding the month's theme, as well as getting us excited to read the book. However, we all agreed that very little knowledge of Greek Mythology is needed before picking up Ariadne. Whenever a character is initially introduced, Saint typically references another related myth to give the reader context. Saint makes certain that all of the necessary information is added so the reader has all of the knowledge they need to understand the message.
OUTING: To celebrate the August theme, we threw a party! I know, I know, another party (see November, December, February, and March). What can we say?! We love to party! Anyway, at our first meeting we each chose a greek god or goddess from a cup, and this told us our fate (a sort of Oracle, perhaps?) and this was the Olympian we were to craft a cocktail to honor.
It was so fun and we were able to get pretty creative! You can see all of our finished cocktails in all their glory over on our Tik Tok @ladyliteracybookclub.
We also could not pass up the opportunity to watch the ever so incredible, and almost equally inaccurate, Disney film, Hercules. Don't worry, we sang every last word to that incredible soundtrack. It was such a great time and writing about it here has us so excited to show you what is in store for next month!
THE FINAL MEETING: The ending of this month's book left us all with much to discuss at the final meeting. Actually, the entire book left us with plenty to discuss at the final meeting. The topic of conversation centered mostly around the final chapter of the book and how it was the perfect representation of how women are portrayed in Greek Mythology.
Of course there are too many great things to say about this book to put into one blog post, so we will leave you with this. Run, don't walk, to your nearest book store to pick up your own copy of Ariadne. We are so glad that these retellings are gaining popularity and the real stories of these women are being told. This platform for women is long over due.
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