Margaret Atwood: The Penelopiad

[MonkeyCatcher]

Has anyone else had the chance to read this yet?

Publisher Comments:

The story of Odysseus' return to his home kingdom of Ithaca following an absence of twenty years is best known from Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus is said to have spent half of these years fighting the Trojan War and the other half wandering around the Aegean Sea, trying to get home. But what of his wife, Penelope? In addition to weeping and praying for the return of Odysseus, she cleverly deceives the many Suitors who are swarming around her palace, eating up Odysseus' estate in an attempt to force her to marry one of them. The Odyssey draws to an end with the slaughter of the Suitors by Odysseus and Telemachus, the hanging of twelve of the maids who have been sleeping with the Suitors, and the reunion of Odysseus and Penelope.
Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and to the twelve hanged Maids. The Maids form a chanting and singing Chorus which focuses on two questions that must pose themselves after any close reading of the Odyssey: what led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to? The story as told in The Odyssey doesn't hold water: there are too many inconsistencies. In The Penelopiad, Penelope provides the answers.

I finished reading this book a few days ago, and is becoming the normal with Atwood, I absolutely loved it. The fresh twist on the famous story of Odysseus is absolutely brilliant, and Atwood's fabulous writing only further enhances one's enjoyment while reading this top rate novel.

It is a quick read - being only 198 pages, and with rather large text - but the story still delivers as much enjoyment as does a 500 pager, in my opinion. Being a big fan of Greek Myths, it was extremely interesting to see the story told from Penelope's point of view, and reading all the extra tid bits of information that came with it. Atwood obviously put a lot of background research into the writing of the novel - it was extremely interesting to read all the little-known facts that have been put into the novel (such as the fact that Helen of Troy was in fact Penelope's cousin), as well as to read about the back story of the now infamous Penelope.

A highly recommend read, as are all of Atwood's works. This book will definately be one of my favourites for the year, there is no doubt about that.

10/10

 

[venusunfolding]

loved it! One of my favorite reads from last year. It's the better of the three that they've released in that series.

I love dit. WHat did you think about her theory of the maids?

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

loved it! One of my favorite reads from last year. It's the better of the three that they've released in that series.

I love dit. WHat did you think about her theory of the maids?

I thought that that was very interesting. It seems to fit, but I don't think that it is the truth. It was fun to read about though.

 

[venusunfolding]

this was the second Atwood I've read and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to start Blind Assassin to discuss with everyone here.

I also really enjoyed how she used the maids to act as a Greek chorus to help tell the story. I had it on my staff picks at work for a while, and was telling every customer who wanted something good to read about it.

 

[StillILearn]

this was the second Atwood I've read and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to start Blind Assassin to discuss with everyone here.

I also really enjoyed how she used the maids to act as a Greek chorus to help tell the story. I had it on my staff picks at work for a while, and was telling every customer who wanted something good to read about it.

I recently finished rereading The Blind Assassin too, and I'm looking forward to this one. Really, I can't imagine not reading anything Atwood writes.

 

[KristoCat]

Ooo! I had never heard of this book before I saw this thread. I love "well-known story with a twist" novels (like The Mists of Avalon, about King Arthur) and this went on my TBR list right away.

 

[Ell]

I've just started reading this.

The voice of Penelope seems so much like Atwood, herself, that I can't help but picture Penelope AS Atwood - curly hair and all.

If any of you have seen or heard live interviews with Margaret Atwood, you'll see what I mean -- the droll, flat delivery; the twinkle in the eye that says she's not entirely serious, and that biting, sarcastic, wit!

 

[Rogue]

I just finished "The Penelopiad" today and I loved it. The story is gorgeous and I adore all these funny bits of information, like Penelope being afraid of the long walks with her father, for fear of him shoving her of a cliff or the detailed description of her mother eating a fish.

The story of the maids was fascinating and sounded quiet believable. I found it interesting that they were always described as "the maids" and almost never singled out or named. They were treated as a collective, which reflected the nature of servants in that time period perfecly.

The book was a wee bit short but really great to read. The one thing I missed was an outline of her life after the slayings untill her death.

 

[StillILearn]

I've just started reading this.

The voice of Penelope seems so much like Atwood, herself, that I can't help but picture Penelope AS Atwood - curly hair and all.

If any of you have seen or heard live interviews with Margaret Atwood, you'll see what I mean -- the droll, flat delivery; the twinkle in the eye that says she's not entirely serious, and that biting, sarcastic, wit!

I'm listening to this on tape. Ell, and Laura Merlington does sound a bit like Atwood. The maids chant their parts: soun-diing like, girl-chil-dren, jum-ing rope!

You could see if your library has or will get this unabridged audio edition for you. I think you'd enjoy it. It's by Brilliance Audio and it's only two tapes.

I'm about half-way through.

 

[StillILearn]

Finished. What a delight. That Atwood is a wicked writer.

 

[KristoCat]

I loved this book too. I constantly marvel at the way Atwood evokes such depth and complexity with such simple, flowing sentences. Her characters are fascinating too - they reveal things slowly, and never completely. The reader is always left guessing what their true motivation is, or whether or not they can be trusted. For example, I don't trust Penelope. I think the maids are the ones who are telling the story closest to the truth.