Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Dominique

This was a great retelling of the myth of Atalanta. When Atalanta was born, her father, the king, was upset that he now had a daughter and not a son. The king ordered Atalanta to be abandoned and left to die. However, the goddess Artemis takes pity on her and saved her. A bear took care of Artemis until some people came and found her. She grew up and was a great hunter and a fast runner.
But her father makes her come back home because he needs her to marry and produce a heir to take over when he dies. She agrees but will only marry a man that can outrun her. If the suitor cannot outrun her, then he must die. Many men try to outrun her, but they fail. Hippomenes, another suitor, falls deeply in love with her and asks Aphrodite for help. Aphrodite, who is the goddess of love and beauty gives him three apples and instructions on what to do. Upon winning the race, the two marry.
I really liked how the author put little conversation between the gods and goddess throughout the book--it made the book much more interesting.