#AtalantaBook by Jennifer Saint (2023)
Publication Date: 13 April 2023
Page Count: 368
Rating: 🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹
My thanks to Headline Wildfire for an eARC and to Headline Audio Wildfire for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition, both via NetGalley, of ‘Atalanta’ by Jennifer Saint. The audiobook is narrated by Beth Eyre.
The cover art with its rich oranges is stunning and certainly drew my eye. Happily its content proved excellent.
This is Jennifer Saint’s third novel in which she reimagines the story of a female figure from Greek mythology. I had enjoyed both ‘Ariadne’ and ‘Elektra’ though ‘Atalanta’ is now my favourite of the three, likely because she is a mythological figure that I already admired and found inspiring.
While I knew about Atalanta’s prowess as a runner and how she sought to defy her father’s attempt to marry her off, I wasn’t aware of her role as one of the Argonauts.
Saint has combined elements of all three of the ancient accounts about the fleet-footed maiden. Here her time with Jason and the Argonauts gets the most attention.
Atalanta narrates the story of her life. When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, he is disappointed and orders her to be left exposed on a mountainside. She attracts the attention of a passing mother bear and is raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. In time Atalanta takes her place among the community of nymphs that attend Artemis.
Atalanta is a skilled runner and huntress. When news reaches the sacred forest of Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece, Artemis commands Atalanta to join the Argonauts not only to prove her worth but to represent Artemis on the voyage. While there is initial resistance to a woman joining the crew of the Argo, Atalanta persists. She presents her account of the legendary quest and the Calydonian boar hunt that follows it.
The final section of the novel gives an account of Atalanta’s famous footrace in which she outruns potential suitors as well as her final fate.
I was also pleased that Jennifer Saint confidently retained the gods, goddesses, and various mythical creatures. None of the stripping away of the numinous and supernatural as in some recent reimaginings. I especially appreciated her depiction of Artemis, who was quite severe in her punishments for those who transgressed her rules or disrespected her.
With respect to the audiobook, Beth Eyre has a warm, clear voice that quickly drew me into the narrative. I have enjoyed a number of audiobook titles read by her in recent years and I trust her ability to capture the essence of a novel and its characters.
Highly recommended.