#Blogtour Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Atalanta by Jennifer Saint.

'From the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author comes a new story of a legendary woman from Greek mythology.' Spurned by a king. Raised by bears. Blessed by a goddess. The only female Argonaut.

About the Author

Thanks to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. Since September 2022, she has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics Department there. In between, she spent thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. Ariadne is her first novel, Elektra is her second, and Atalanta is her latest mesmerising mythological retelling. Follow @jennysaint on Twitter or visit jennifersaint.com

About the book

Exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside her 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 of legend in a world made for men?

Review

At the core of this retelling is erasure of the only female Argonaut and why her presence has been gradually clipped away in popular narratives. In fact the entirety of the book leans into the role of women in mythology, their treatment by men regardless of whether those men are of myth, of reality or of a mixed nature. Atalanta deserves her space.

It's fascinating how the role of any mythological figure can be cast, written of and perceived in both a positive or negative light, depending on who does the retelling. I think that's why this niche and the retellings or old myth new angle is particularly popular in the book world at the moment - it allows the writer to step away from tales for the majority by men written for men, hence certain recurring themes and the way women are portrayed.

The angry, the reactionary, the vengeful, the woman waiting to be consumed and ravished by any old god, demi god or just a man in general. How refreshing to encounter the character resuming her rightful place in the stories, fighting the presumptive narrative and battling to carve out her space.

Artemis is the pinnacle of feminism is this story, her warnings and prophecies become self-fulfilling ones, because the punishment for not heeding them lends itself to a similar narrative that men deem appropriate for women who refuse to bend the knee. Does that make Artemis the faux feminist?

It's a great read, the author does a fantastic job of breathing new life into forgotten mythology.

Buy Atalanta at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire pub date 13th April 2023, £16.99 hardback, eBook & audiobook. Buy at Amazon com.