The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Myths) Paperback – 7 Feb. 2008

I only read this as it was recommended by my 16 year old nephew and I knew he'd quiz me about it! I have read other Margaret Atwood books and this is very different...I assume following the story of the Odyssey. It was funny and light and I read it in no time!

Told in an unusual way, Atwood picks Penelope to be her main character as she delves into Greek Mythology and brings it to life in the 21st century.Penelope is Odysseus’ wife and whilst she’s not as “popular”, I did at least recall two things about her:1) When Odysseus had not returned in years, many men took over the palace grounds and hounded Penelope to pick one of them as her next husband. To bide time she would claim to be weaving a cloth (a shroud, if we are being pernickety) for her father-in-law, but each night alongside her twelve maids, she would unpick the day’s work to slow the decision down… but I never knew anything more than just this line, Penelope was always a sub-story and not the main story. Nevertheless I had always admired her for this.2) When Odysseus finally returned, he killed all his wife’s pursuers and her maids.Why the maids? It’s a question that isn’t clearly answered in any of the textbooks that analyse the myths, and so Atwood offers her take on it all.I mentioned earlier that the tale is told in an unusual way and again there are 2 aspects why I think this:1) The book is told from two perspectives: from Penelope’s voice and also a singing chorus from the maids.It is told in modern times, i.e. Penelope is reflecting on her events from the underworld but also well aware of the current times playing on in the world.2) Both aspects added such uniqueness to this tale, that there is no doubt that you’ll recall this book in years to come, whether you enjoyed or did not.When I was studying classics in school, women in greek mythology always appeared to shine because of their beauty and not their brains; but Atwood alongside Miller, Barker, Haynes and many others are changing my perceptions and are teaching me the ingenuity, quick thinking and determination that many of these unsung heroines exhibited numerous times throughout their lives.Atwood’s style is self-assured and provokes the reader to question, to think and to learn.Having gone into this story knowing only two things, not only do I now understand these in more detail, I also know much more about Penelope’s childhood, personality and her marriage. Penelope’s story is fascinating and not well known, I am grateful that Atwood has allowed Penelope to be the star in her own story and come out of the shadows of Odysseus.

👍👍👍

Atwood's choice of material from "The Odyssey" does not come as a surprise, considering her penchant for drawing focus on the disenfranchised. "The Penelopiad" throws light on the darker and less prominent aspects of the Greek myth. Atwood is concerned not with the adventures and exploits of Odysseus, but rather his long-suffering wife, Penelope, whom he leaves behind in his palace to lend arms to the Trojan War, as well as the twelve maids whom Odysseus hangs with the help of his son Telemachus, when he returns to reclaim his palace (and Penelope) from the ravenous Suitors. These last are noblemen who descends on his kingless abode to contest for Penelope's hand in marriage, and enjoy wanton access to Telemachus's inheritance that they slowly drink and feast away in his absence.The story is told from Penelope's perspective and interspersed with the choruses of the twelve hanged maids (Penelope's closest and most trusted and the youngest and prettiest, as the narrative soon reveals) from the netherworld, as she revisits her guilt at not being able to stop this heinous act from happening. With the advantage of retrospection from Hades, Penelope corrects some glaring errors to the myth. For example, she recounts her own unfortunate childhood (victim of unsuccessful drowning by her father, King Icarius of Sparta) and informs the reader that contrary to the popular retellings that held her up as a model for modesty in her reticence as she pulled down her veil in answer to her father's plea for her not to follow her husband Odysseus back to Ithaca, it had been an attempt to hide her mirthless laughter: "You have to admit there was something humorous about a father who'd once tossed his own child into the sea capering down the road after that very child and calling, 'Stay with me!'."The story, complete with the bitchiest exchanges between Penelope and her cousin, Helen of Troy, who is cast as a self-centred vamp here, as well as Penelope's own tenuous relationships with both her icy mother-in-law and resentful teenage son, Telemachus, sets the background for a rather domestic and intimate look within the much-loved myth. Penelope's own rather irreverent perspective of the gods and deities belies her desperate circumstances as a powerless woman in those times, as she says: "I wanted happy endings in those days, and happy endings are best achieved by keeping the right doors locked and going to sleep during the rampages". Clever, eloquent and biting.

Atwood’s skilled hand has crafted another incredible book! The Penelopiad is a very interesting retelling of a classic epic poem but with a feminist twist! I love it! 5stars 😎