Jennifer Saint

Atalanta

An exciting, lyrical new retelling of the trojan war stories from Jennifer Saint, the bestselling author of ELEKTRA (UK, Sunday Times, May 2022) and ARIADNE (UK, Sunday Times, April 2021). 'A brilliant read' Women & Home | 'A spirited retelling' Times | 'Beautiful and absorbing' Fabulous | 'A vivid reimagining of Greek mythology' Harpers Bazaar | 'Jennifer Saint has done an incredible job' Red 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

Liv Gliese Johnsen

I needed to remember who I was, who I had always been. A woman who was unafraid

Wow. My favorite Jennifer Saint book yet. I didn't know any mythology about Atalanta going into this book, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn her story. I can't wait to come back and read this one again! 

Paige Leitner

the writing is DELICIOUS and i love atalanta so so much she is an absolute girlboss. the ending is suprisingly satisfying, i didnt think i would like it as much as i did.

the way atalanta was treated by almost every man she talked to was so typical of greek men and SHE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER.

and again she was just such a girlboss i LOVE her

matti horckmans

this was absolutly perfect. 

the writing is DELICIOUS and i love atalanta so so much she is an absolute girlboss. the ending is suprisingly satisfying, i didnt think i would like it as much as i did.

the way atalanta was treated by almost every man she talked to was so typical of greek men and SHE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER.

and again she was just such a girlboss i LOVE her

Jennifer Saint really blew me away with this one; I was pleasantly surprised, as her first two novels were not this strong. This is her strongest and best book yet, by far (although I'm really excited to read her next novel, Hera, and have high hopes for it!).

Saint does Atalanta's story justice here. Atalanta is a strong and inspirational character. I really loved reading about her time with the Argonauts, but I also appreciated that this book details her entire life. I could have used a cast of characters, as I got the Argonauts a little confused.

This is a strong myth retelling, and I loved Saint's characterization of Atalanta. However, it suffered slightly from a phenomenon I've noticed in some modern feminist retellings; that is, making many famous men from myth automatically the "bad guy." It made sense to make Peleus, one of her fellow Argonauts, an antagonist, but having Theseus make a brief cameo only to make him a jerk didn't feel right. Jason also wasn't painted in the best light, and I just get a little tired of these kinds of retellings putting down men of myth, who have been heralded as heroes for generations; it doesn't make them three-dimensional, IMO. I understand it's supposed to flip these traditional myths on their head, but it has to be done right. The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood is the best example, in its portrayal of Perseus. But at least he is a fully fleshed character. Amalia Carosella does a great job with Theseus in her books. Some authors focus on reclaiming women of myth and their stories (which I am all for!) but some of their male characters suffer needlessly because of it almost for shock value. There is a way to do it better.

And of course, not all of the male characters in this book are automatically evil or bad. I really enjoyed Meleager and Hippomenes, as well as Atalanta's fellow Argonaut, Orpheus. They were a bit more fleshed out.

I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions and characters. Overall, this is a well-rounded myth and it was beautifully written. You will love Atalanta's character immensely and immediately!

Amanda

Jennifer Saint really blew me away with this one; I was pleasantly surprised, as her first two novels were not this strong. This is her strongest and best book yet, by far (although I'm really excited to read her next novel, Hera, and have high hopes for it!).

Saint does Atalanta's story justice here. Atalanta is a strong and inspirational character. I really loved reading about her time with the Argonauts, but I also appreciated that this book details her entire life. I could have used a cast of characters, as I got the Argonauts a little confused.

This is a strong myth retelling, and I loved Saint's characterization of Atalanta. However, it suffered slightly from a phenomenon I've noticed in some modern feminist retellings; that is, making many famous men from myth automatically the "bad guy." It made sense to make Peleus, one of her fellow Argonauts, an antagonist, but having Theseus make a brief cameo only to make him a jerk didn't feel right. Jason also wasn't painted in the best light, and I just get a little tired of these kinds of retellings putting down men of myth, who have been heralded as heroes for generations; it doesn't make them three-dimensional, IMO. I understand it's supposed to flip these traditional myths on their head, but it has to be done right. The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood is the best example, in its portrayal of Perseus. But at least he is a fully fleshed character. Amalia Carosella does a great job with Theseus in her books. Some authors focus on reclaiming women of myth and their stories (which I am all for!) but some of their male characters suffer needlessly because of it almost for shock value. There is a way to do it better.

And of course, not all of the male characters in this book are automatically evil or bad. I really enjoyed Meleager and Hippomenes, as well as Atalanta's fellow Argonaut, Orpheus. They were a bit more fleshed out.

I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions and characters. Overall, this is a well-rounded myth and it was beautifully written. You will love Atalanta's character immensely and immediately!

I really want to love Jennifer Saint's books - however, with every new one I read I'm just disappointed. I'm always expecting so much more

sharkie

britt

this book was all telling and absolutely no showing. it felt like i was back in the fifth grade reading the abridged children’s version of the odyssey, except it’s jason and the argonauts. twas legitimately snooze town.

i think the worst part of this book is that barely any of it focused on atalanta’s actual myth. and atalanta herself was so extraordinarily boring. like this bitch was raised by bears. why does she act so normal. this book was such a missed opportunity. 

also my biggest gripe with this book, which could just be personal preference, is the near complete lack of physical character descriptions. like i get not knowing what atalanta looks like considering she is the narrator and the only she would’ve seen herself was in the reflection of water, but like not even being told her hair color? what the fuck did peleus look like. he was just a floating pair of glaring eyes to me tbh.

if anyone wants to read an actual good take on the myth of atalanta, i recommend quiver by stephanie spinner. it’s short, but a thousand times better than this.

This was so nice. I always had a soft spot for Artemis and the stories surrounding her. Jennifer Saint tells Atalantas story so beautifully, Im very happy with the book after having some trouble reading Elektra... 

Marie

Francesca Starecheski

A tale of a woman wild and free, as any lioness must always be

It's no surprise to anyone that I love a Greek myth retelling but I have to admit, with new retellings being released in what feels like an almost endless stream, 

. This is partly why I cut down on these retellings for a while but also why I've been struggling to write up a review for this particular book.

very excited for Atalanta to get her own book

, as she is definitely a much-overlooked character and one I haven't read nearly enough about. This probably helped when I picked up this book because, contrary to Jennifer Saint's previous works (

) where I knew the original pretty well, here I had virtually no expectations of how the story would play out beyond the main points.

 in this book as opposed to the previous two, and I really enjoyed the journey Atalanta undertakes with the Argonauts and the challenges they have to face. Saint's 

 so it's always a pleasure to read. The settings are vivid and gorgeous, and the dangers many, so I was often sucked into the story, even though 

The main issue I have with this book is essentially the same as with the previous two as well: 

they are marketed as feminist retellings, but there really isn't that much feminism in here

. The female characters are barely given any agency beyond what was already there in the original. Atalanta is a wonderfully strong woman who grew up without any of the social constraints other women were subjected to, enjoys the favour of a goddess, and is keen to prove she is equal to the men who constantly belittle and undermine her.

And yet, she is very quick to adapt to social expectations, barely challenges the dominant power structures and easily defers to a man in everything. She is often passive to circumstances and the only work of deconstruction and personal growth she engages in relates to her romantic relationship, which is questionable at best. Most of the book is actually Atalanta narrating the male heroes' exploits instead of her own, even in those (extremely few) times where she is given a chance to demonstrate her superiority to them both in cleverness and skill. Passivity worked well with Ariadne, who was an entirely different character and made a different point, but it just clashes with what Atalanta's character is supposed to be. Once again, 

retelling a story from a woman's point of view is an interesting and important work and one that is absolutely necessary, but merely doing that is not enough for it to be a "feminist" retelling

Overall I had some fun with this book, I enjoyed seeing a different myth being retold and 

it was entertaining enough, but not much more than that

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Beatrice

It's no surprise to anyone that I love a Greek myth retelling but I have to admit, with new retellings being released in what feels like an almost endless stream, I have burned out a little on the genre. This is partly why I cut down on these retellings for a while but also why I've been struggling to write up a review for this particular book.


I was actually very excited for Atalanta to get her own book, as she is definitely a much-overlooked character and one I haven't read nearly enough about. This probably helped when I picked up this book because, contrary to Jennifer Saint's previous works (Ariadne and Elektra) where I knew the original pretty well, here I had virtually no expectations of how the story would play out beyond the main points.


There is definitely a lot more action in this book as opposed to the previous two, and I really enjoyed the journey Atalanta undertakes with the Argonauts and the challenges they have to face. Saint's writing is rich and flows nicely so it's always a pleasure to read. The settings are vivid and gorgeous, and the dangers many, so I was often sucked into the story, even though certain sections kind of dragged on and felt a bit too "filler-y".


The main issue I have with this book is essentially the same as with the previous two as well: they are marketed as feminist retellings, but there really isn't that much feminism in here. The female characters are barely given any agency beyond what was already there in the original. Atalanta is a wonderfully strong woman who grew up without any of the social constraints other women were subjected to, enjoys the favour of a goddess, and is keen to prove she is equal to the men who constantly belittle and undermine her.


And yet, she is very quick to adapt to social expectations, barely challenges the dominant power structures and easily defers to a man in everything. She is often passive to circumstances and the only work of deconstruction and personal growth she engages in relates to her romantic relationship, which is questionable at best. Most of the book is actually Atalanta narrating the male heroes' exploits instead of her own, even in those (extremely few) times where she is given a chance to demonstrate her superiority to them both in cleverness and skill. Passivity worked well with Ariadne, who was an entirely different character and made a different point, but it just clashes with what Atalanta's character is supposed to be. Once again, retelling a story from a woman's point of view is an interesting and important work and one that is absolutely necessary, but merely doing that is not enough for it to be a "feminist" retelling.


Overall I had some fun with this book, I enjoyed seeing a different myth being retold and it was entertaining enough, but not much more than that.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I have always been a fan of Greek Myths, but it is first recently that I discovered how many myths involves or is about women. And I truly appreciate these retelling.

This retelling in particular was powerful. I loved Atalantas story. She is a character I haven't heard about before, even though she is a part of pretty many myths apparently. I loved how strong she was, and honestly, I am normally not into feminist litterature as I often find it forced, but one thing that could get my blood boiling is this retelling. The audacity of (most of) the Argonauts once they had returnet! The audacity of her farther!! The audacity of half the characters in this story!!! I could write stories! But I guess that has already be done, cause I just read it. Jennifer Saint is brilliant in the way she weaves the female characters story and the contrast she makes to the male characters and that was beautiful! I can't wait to read the other retellings.

I have always been a fan of Greek Myths, but it is first recently that I discovered how many myths involves or is about women. And I truly appreciate these retelling.
This retelling in particular was powerful. I loved Atalantas story. She is a character I haven't heard about before, even though she is a part of pretty many myths apparently. I loved how strong she was, and honestly, I am normally not into feminist litterature as I often find it forced, but one thing that could get my blood boiling is this retelling. The audacity of (most of) the Argonauts once they had returnet! The audacity of her farther!! The audacity of half the characters in this story!!! I could write stories! But I guess that has already be done, cause I just read it. Jennifer Saint is brilliant in the way she weaves the female characters story and the contrast she makes to the male characters and that was beautiful! I can't wait to read the other retellings.

I loved this book, Atalanta was such a strong, wonderful character to read. I loved the portrayal of her as a woman with strength, confidence, heart, and fearlessness. 

Atalanta

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