Delightful
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A delightfully witty take on a Greek Myth. Although it's a little short and I'd have preferred more, this is a excellent book - a must for any fans of the Odessey who have a sense of humour.
Atwood's re-writing sometimes put me in mind of Alec Rowe's excellent audio plays (Operation Lightning Pegasus and Odysseus on a Iceberg) but not as farcical, and from the perspective of Penelope.
Highly recommended.
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thought provoking
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The Penelopiad is a fairly short read, well paced and a very witty and ironic take on the Odyssey story from the point of view of the woman left behind. Leaving aside the wit and humour, it is very thought provoking in terms of the position of women , both high born and slaves , in what is always claimed to be the start of civilisation proper, and yet mortal women were virtually powerless, and left out of all the high adventure. As always margaret attwood's prose is a joy.
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Laugh Out Loud Funny
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I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.
The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.
Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.
The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.
The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.
(First published in Imprint 2005-11-05 as `Myth Novels')
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A pleasant read, but doesnt match synopsis
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The Penelopiad is the story of what 'really' happened at the Ithacan court during the 20 years that Odysseus was away, written by Penelope after her death. In fact her account in this book differs little from Homer's version - she was loyal and faithful, and the murder of the maids upon his return was due to the fact that they had not been given 'permission' to be raped! So readers hoping for an alternative version may be disappointed.
However the story by the maids (which is also included) does give hints to the contrary, making suggestions which counter the common interpretation. And in fact Penelope makes an ambiguous statement at the end, which leaves one wondering whether this account (written from the underworld) is in fact the truth. So by the end of the book the reader is no wiser than at the start.
One of the most interesting aspects concerns her relationship with the other characters when in the underworld, as some chapters concern her life there. However what makes this book great is the style of writing. It alternates between Penelope's tale and that of the maids, which is written in wonderful, and often hilarious verse. Penelope's account (in prose) is also witty while at the same time powerfully emotional, and at the end there is a bazaar chapter in which Odysseus's actions are tried in a modern criminal court!
The characterisation is slightly limited and the book could benefit from being 100 pages longer, especially as the text is in quite narrow margins and parts of it are in spaced-out verse. Despite these slight shortcomings I have given the book 4 stars because the idea is original and the writing, whether prose or verse, is excellent.
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Playful and fun story telling
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A new twist to the tale of Odysseus for me, in the point of view of his clever and sly wife. About what she got up to whilst he was away and how she ran the kingdom and brought up their son. A light easy read, great for a holiday on the beach. The book is written in a subtle gossipy style and as long as you don't expect to be drawn into Odysseus epic journey you should enjoy this bok.
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