This was my first book by this author (yes I own The Handmaid's Tale and yes I'll try to pick it up soon,thank you very much) and it was… ok.

I liked the idea of the reimagining of the lliad (or the Odyssey to be more exact), so that we can get the story from Penelope’s point of view, a character that is known in Greek mythology for just being there, patient and loyal and standing in the background in order to allow her husband to shine. Odysseus, a man celebrated for being cunning and quick thinking, a man who cheated his way around everyone, enemies, sirens, gods, men and women alike, and in the end was glorified and got to avenge his own self. I would say that this book allowed me to think of Odysseus in a very different light than when I as studying Homer’s work in school.

However, there were moments in this book when I felt that the feministic message got lost in a wave a bitter monologue. Not that the females didn’t have enough reason to feel that way, considering that during those times a woman was the equivalent of and limited to being property that could produce heirs and food. It was the way that the author chose to pass along the message of feminism that felt a bit… lukewarm to me. I would also have appreciated a little more information on the historical side of things, even if it was the product of fiction, considering the limited amount of evidence for that time. I just wanted Penelope, the main character of the book and the women surrounding her, to have a spot in the limelight, since they haven't been given that chance. To be the main characters in their own story and not side-characters in someone else’s. But eventually I got nothing than what I already knew from studying the Odyssey (or watching the film even).

A generally good book, but at the end of the day I was mostly insterested in the first and last fifth of this book. I will definitely read more Atwood in the future, though, especially The Handmaid’s Tale, which is her most talked about book and is patiently waiting on my shelf.

I was initially interested in reading this book, however my tastes have shifted and I do not think I will be able to get to it now. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a digital copy!

This book BROKE the reading slump for good. Seriously, thank you SO MUCH Margaret Atwood because I was hooked throughout this whole read and it felt so good to just sit and enjoy a book fully without feeling like something is holding me back. I'd read only one of Atwood's books before this and enjoyed it, though not totally fallen for it, so I'm really glad that this one grabbed me so much more. I'm also a really big fan of ancient history, especially the myths and legends that come from those cultures, and to read such an intelligent re-imagining of The Odyssey was so much fun.

First off, I love Atwood's sense of humour. Her writing is witty and her tone is laced with a sharpness that is really appreciated. I found while reading that I fully embraced Penelope as a character, even with her flaws, and did not give one jot about Odysseus' whereabouts or adventures. Penelope's circumstances were far more interesting, and the Greek play styling of the chapters of the twelve maids were so interesting. They were angry, and bitter, and alarmingly relatable even in this modern age. This was a book to highlight social injustice - sexism and classism being at the forefront of it's themes.

There was nothing that I didn't really like. I found it a humorous and interesting read, and while Penelope was not perfect (weepy and dismissive) and Helen's characterisation was a bit one-dimensional, this book was not wholly a story. It's a message. And for me, it rang loud and clear! I really wish it had been longer because I'd have LOVED to read more. This was a fine first read from the Canongate Myths series for me, and if this is the kind of book I'll get then I'll definitely read more of them.

I’m not sure what the object of this book was. Is it feminist? Is it simply a retelling of the story? Is it meant to be exciting? Why is Penelope so boring? Why is she so underdeveloped if she’s the main protagonist? I didn’t get it. If this is what the retelling of women’s stories is like, I’ll pass on more as this just made Penelope out to be a weepy, pain in the arse who didn’t really have any agency. So much more could have been done with this to give it some flesh and some vibrancy. The Greek gods must be disappointed to be so dull.

I want to also mention that what the blurb implies will happen, doesn't. To me, it felt like an obligation that had to be done and so was hastily and poorly finished. I feel like I'm repeating myself but just what are we expected to get out of this?

I'm really disappointed that this was my first time reading Atwood and I didn't enjoy it. I really enjoy reading about mythology and classic stories, but I found Atwood's writing style was dry and dull to read. I felt no connection to any of the characters, and I basically had to force myself to finish this. Usually I love retellings as well, especially concerning giving more of a voice to women, but this a massive miss for me. I just felt no investment in finishing this.

However, that may just be me. A lot of people seem to love The Penelopiad, so this could be a one-in-a-hundred scenario where I'm one of the few people who was bored by this.

Sing, goddess

As expected Margaret Atwood’s short novel purporting to be the autobiography of ‘faithful’ Penelope, wife of Odysseus, is clever, witty, well-written and perceptive. There is much to enjoy from the feminist/female perspective: Plain-Jane Penelope’s catty antipathy towards her lascivious cousin Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world (and the Underworld); Penelope praised for her faithfulness, Odysseus for his success with other women (and goddesses); clever references to modern times, showing how less has changed than might be expected. All this is good.

However, this is a very short novel and possesses a sting which sometimes has little depth. I am not totally convinced by how the author portrays the treatment of Penelope’s slave girls, although it is a thought-provoking point of view. As for the suitors, they get pretty short shrift – there is little sympathy for them – and quite rightly too!

This is a reinterpretation of Homer's The Odyssey, told from the perspective of Penelope and the twelve maids. I liked Atwood's ideas and the language was a lot more accessible than I expected it to be but it didn't feel like a fully formed story and I really struggled to get into it.

A strange and short retelling of the story of Penelope, as only Margaret Atwood can.
This book seemed to fit in quite well, after I had just finishing Circe by Madeline Miller, but I am not sure if I really enjoyed this. The chapters telling the story of the maids in Greek drama form were not really for me, but I did enjoy Penelope telling her side from beyond the grave. A bit iof a curate's egg this one.

I came to this book expecting beautiful sentences and a great re-telling of a wonderful story and I was not disappointed. The novel tells the story of Penelope, in Penelope's voice, with chorus provided by the 12 maids hanged by Odysseus and Telemachus for fraternising with the suitors. I loved the way Atwood has approached this project. Penelope is full of sass and has a really distinctive voice that resonates well with a modern sensibility. The narrative is interspersed with interludes from the chorus, which take many forms, including an anthropology lecture and a sea shanty. As you would expect, the novel flows beautifully and at just over 200 pages, it is a feasible one-sitting read. I loved it!
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Being one of many people who had tried and failed to read The Odyssey this was very approachable and I enjoyed the reading about the life of Penelope. An interesting take on a difficult read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I'm going through a Greek Mythology obsession right now so this book was perfect. I loved the character of Penelope and how Margaret modernises her almost. The underworld is atmospheric and realistic and I really enjoyed how the characters greek lives affected them eternally.

It was little too fast-paced for me, it is a very quick/short read, and I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. But the writing was strong and I loved the characterisation.

A delightful interpretation of the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus, written from her perspective. You don't need to know The Odyssey to be able to read and appreciate this - it's accessible and fairly short. I really enjoyed it.

I loved this book, I am a huge fan of mythology and having a story finally told from the female view point is refreshing and interesting.
The hindsight aspect of analysing the actions and rumours of her famed husband Odysseus' exploits, her own and those of the people around her kept it fresh.
A well rounded, modern flip on a well known myth.

A poetic, dreamy and funny retelling of the story of Penelope. It's entertaining and very insighful at the same time.
I liked the retelling of this part of Odissey as Penelope is always considered the very faithful spouse but hardly a person with other characteristics.
This books also reminded me of another one I really like, Christa Wolf's Medea.
Strongly recommended and really great.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Canongate Books

I remember reading The Odyssey as a child, but I honestly don't think I gave Penelope a second thought (I don't think Odysseus did, either!).
This is Penelope's side of the story, told by her and her 12 unfortunate handmaidens. It shows how men ruled all aspects of life, even when they disappeared on their adventures for 20 years.
It's a very theatrical retelling - the handmaidens deliver their chapters in poetry, song and little plays. Penelope has a very modern turn of phrase (let's just say that I don't picture an ancient Greek!), perhaps something she has learnt in the fields of Asphodel, perhaps!
Penelope comes across as very clever, cunning even. She distracts and holds off the attention of the many suitors who are sponging off her riches. She has no love for her cousin, Helen of Troy, either. She is to blame for Odysseus disappearing for 20 years, after all.
A funny, insightful retelling of Penelope's story, and the story of the injustice suffered by the 12 poor handmaidens. The men don't come out of this story at all well, by the way!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this.

Margaret Atwood gives us a reworked reinterpretation of Homer's The Odyssey that lends itself rather well to our present day in its contemporary echoes of our MeToo movement today. We have the abandoned for 20 years, but faithful Penelope learning to manage the court in the absence of her philandering husband. Numerous suitors come to court, Penelope commands the twelve maids, slaves in reality, to be used and abused, to deal with them. The inherently flawed Odysseus spent the first 10 years fighting the Trojan War, and the following 10 years having adventures, having a riotous time before finally returning to Ithaca. He is painted as a over-hyped, testerone fuelled, hypocrite, barely deserving of the saintly Penelope. Oddysseus orders the twelve maids to be murdered, feeling they have betrayed him and left a stain on his sense of honour. However, Penelope herself, overwhelmed by guilt at this heinous act, does not come out this tale well.

Atwood has each character give a defence of their behaviour from their own perspective, spinning the most positive picture possible in their efforts to redeem themselves. They have no wish to be held accountable or feel any sense of responsibility. This feminist focus on the little known twelve maids from Homer skirts around the periphery of the idea that these powerless women were asking for what they got and deserving of their harrowing fate. Atwood gives them a voice, in which they bitterly lay out their side of the story. When we see much of what happens to women and the treatment of them in society and social media, it begs the question whether much has changed from the ancient times retold by Atwood. This is a short, but darkly humorous, witty, poetic read that is thought provoking and entertaining. Many thanks to Canongate for an ARC.

A retelling of Penelope and Odysseus, from Penelope's point of view. It starts with the games to see which is the best suitor for marriage, by a running event. The fastest man wins the hand of marriage to Penelope. Odysseus cheats with the help of her uncle and she sets sail to Ithaca. To become queen. She leads a lonely life with no friends. Odysseus is to set sail to Troy to get back Helen who has run off with Paris a Prince of Troy from her husband. While Odysseus is at war and doesn't return for 20 years, Penelope is left to run the kingdom. Many suitors soon become aware and try to gain her hand in marriage as they think , they well get rich quick. Penelope holds them off with the help of 12 maids whom she has raised to be loyal to her and they set about a plan, for the most famous story in history of sewing a shroud, telling them she will chose a suitor once it is finished. But each night Penelope and her maid set about unraveling it so it never becomes finished.
A great insight in to the story that it so often over looked, of a great woman who kept the kingdom alive while her husband was off fighting wars and bedding goddesses. Never once did she waver from her loyalty to him and was rewarded by having all her maids killed, which is truly a sad story that they didn't deserve.
A good book anyone who loves greek mythology.

I have read a previous edition of The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood many years ago, but I can remember not really appreciating it the first time around. I had not read The Odyssey and on the day I read The Penelopiad I was looking for an easy read.

This time around I can honestly say I loved it. I still haven’t read The Odyssey and I cannot say I have plans to but the introduction from Margaret Atwood explained it well enough for me to understand it.

In The Odyssey the story of Odysseus’ return home after twenty years is told. His story tells of heroic deeds and sex with goddesses. He is well known for his wit and his wily ways.

Penelope is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife but also as intelligent. She successfully tricks her suitors into waiting for her to make a decision on her new husband but doesn’t actually make one as she is waiting for her husband to return.

The Odyssey closes with the slaughter of her suitors and with her son killing the twelve maids who were sleeping with the twelve suitors.

I liked that the introduction not only outlined the original story but also Atwood’s focus in the retelling.

“I’ve chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and to the twelve hanged maids. The maids formed 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 inconsistences. I’ve always been haunted by the hanged maids; and, in The Penelopiad, so is Penelope herself.”

The Penelopiad shows a different side to Penelope than the one who was portrayed in The Odyssey, it gives her a voice where she didn’t previously have one. A voice that shows she sees what her husband was really like even if she only realises once she is dead.

“I knew he was tricky and a liar, I just didn’t think he would play his tricks and try out his lies on me. Hadn’t I been faithful? Hadn’t I waited, and waited, and waited, despite the temptation – almost the compulsion – to do otherwise? And what did I amount to, once the official version gained ground? An edifying legend. A stick used to beat other women with. Why couldn’t they be as considerate, as trustworthy, as all-suffering as I had been? …Don’t follow my example.”

I thought the chapters on slave girls were amazing. I thought the first Chorus line in particular was amazing.

“We are the maids

The ones you killed

the ones you failed



We danced in air

our bare feet twitched

it was not fair



with every goddess, queen and bitch

from there to here

you scratched your itch



We did much less

than what you did

you judged us bad



you had the spear

you had the word

at your command



We scrubbed the blood

of our dead

paramours from floors, from chairs



from stairs, from doors,

we knelt in water

while you stared



at our bare feet

it was not fair

you licked our fear



it gave you pleasure

you raised your hand

you watched us fall



We danced on air

the ones you failed

the ones you killed.”

One of the things I enjoyed was the different theories put forward about Penelope’s real actions and also, the possible reasons why the maids were killed. I also found the theory on the real significance of the 12 murdered maids.

The Penelopiad was an amazing story as usual but the writing style was also fantastic. I love the different methods used by Margaret Atwood to tell the story: the choruses and the trial in particular, were favourites of mine.

The Penelopiad could be described as having a feminist stance but it is not just that. She is giving a voice to a character who previously didn’t have one. A characters whose story is not told in The Odyssey . It wasn’t just Penelope’s characters who was given a voice though it was also the maids. This was often dealt with in a humorous and witty way as illustrated by the passage below:

“And so I was handed over to Odysseus, like a package of meat. A package of meat in a wrapping of gold, mind you. A sort of gilded blood pudding.”

I enjoyed the fact that the book left me with more questions than answers.

The Penelopiad was definitely a 5* book for me.

Well, what a read! I read a couple of Margaret Atwood's novels before and was absolutely fascinated by them, so when I had the opportunity to read this retelling of The Odyssey from Penelope's point of view I couldn't let this chance go by! As usual, Atwood doesn't disappoint. Despite being essentially a monologue with chorus intermissions, this is a gripping read: I would have easily finished it in one sitting, but life got in the way... Of course, this is helped by the fact that it is a fairly short book. Still, I felt it to be exactly the right length.

In this faux memoir, we view daily life through Penelope's eyes, and are granted front row seats to one of mythologies greatest romances... or was it? Most people are familiar with Odysseus and his wonderful travels, but for once we are invited to leave adventure to one side and consider what it must have been like to be left behind. As the years go by, during and after the Trojan war, Penelope is left to manage her household in Ithaca, which for her is a foreign land, at a time when women (even princesses) weren't exactly at the top of the social pyramid. Left to fend for herself and unsure of who can be trusted, Penelope grows wonderfully in her role as head of the household. A highly intelligent woman, she develops her managerial abilities and devises clever schemes to improve her household's revenue and living conditions. Until a group of suitors decides she needs a new husband to manage her...

Building on a well-known myth, this book manages to bring a fresh perspective to a classic tale. We are privy to all of Penelope's worries, traumas and dreams and this is essential in improving our understanding of an often side-lined character. She truly feels real, with her frustrations and family pressures, her need for love and friendships, and her struggles against societal norms and a teenage son. Penelope is a well-rounded character that develops significantly through the novel, and definitely holds the scene. Other characters are less developed, and while this would normally be a definite negative for me, in this case I found myself accepting it unquestionably: it is The Penelopiad after all! I loved the chorus intermissions with their different styles and formats, and found them to be an extremely original way of portraying a collective voice from frequently ignored characters (in this case, the servant girls) and to introduce controversial narrative points.

Under the cloak of myth retelling, The Penelopiad offers an excellent starting point to reflect on issues still current today, such as gender and socio-economic inequalities or marriage and parenting. Highly recommended!

The first Greek myth I was ever aware of was The Odyssey - aged seven, I went on a long car journey with some family friends who had it on an audiobook.  Having come in halfway through, I remember sitting in a kind of confused rapture as I heard about the sirens and Circe and the crew turned into pigs.  Penelope was only ever an extremely marginal character, barely considered while the action was actually going on and only important as an end goal.  The archetypal dutiful wife, Penelope sat at home patiently waiting twenty years for her husband to return, running the kingdom, fending off suitors, sewing, and weeping, weeping and weeping.  On its publication, many hailed The Penelopiad as a feminist retelling of Penelope's story, but Atwood herself objected, pointing out that granting a voice to someone long unheard does not need to be an inherently feminist act.  Still, in casting light on the tale of the One Who Stayed At Home, The Penelopiad does have a somewhat subversive feel - when Odysseus came home and cleared his home of all the suitors, he also hanged all twelve of his wife's maid - just what exactly had the ever dutiful Penelope been up to?

Speaking from the afterlife as she wafts through a twenty-first century Hades, Penelope recalls her early family life in Sparta.  With a detached kind of puzzlement, she details how her father was so very kind aside from the time he tried to drown her, moving on to her adolescence when Odysseus was able to trick his way into gaining her hand.  Penelope was pleased with him, although her glamourous cousin Helen made fun of his comparative poverty and lack of height.  Going against tradition, Penelope is taken back to her husband's kingdom of Ithaca upon her marriage where she finds herself ignored and patronised by both her mother-in-law Anticleia and Odysseus' old nurse Eurycleia.  Still, she finds happiness in the birth of her son Telemachus - until of course Helen ruins everything.

There is a distinctly theatrical feel to this novel - very fitting of a story that is quite literally a Greek tragedy.  Alternating chapters have the chorus of Penelope's twelve slain handmaidens speaking in verse, and then Penelope's own monologues to the reader would also not be out of place onstage.  It did not surprise me to discover that such adaptations had indeed taken place - somehow I would imagine this being more effective than any attempt to take it onscreen.  Not only are there numerous meta-fictional scenes featuring the maids but a major theme is about the unreliability of memory and the narrators themselves.  Penelope is aware that her husband was a trickster and that little of what he said could be trusted and she has her own views on what he has been doing while ostensibly making his way home.  She has had to play a dangerous double game to keep ahead of the suitors and manage the maids and has had to lie even to those close to her.  As they speak in their chorus, the maids disagree with some of what is said and refuse to forgive Penelope for her complicity in their deaths.  What is the truth of what has happened?  Presenting this onscreen would lose the ambiguity.  This is a story best fit for the theatre.

Like so much of Atwood's fiction, Penelope's main source of tension is with another woman - even in death, she is bitterly jealous of Helen, who wafts through the afterlife with a cluster of admirers still chasing after her.  It is interesting that Atwood has chosen to reanimate Penelope - one would think that femme fatale Helen or bloodthirsty Clytemnestra would be more appealing - even melodramatic Cassandra.  Penelope is the one who stayed home, the epitome of modesty, keeping the home fires burning, yet even this most domestic of women but Atwood makes it clear that her adventure has been no less than that of her husband.  She has told no fewer lies than he, been no less deceitful or manipulative - far from being the saintly wife, Penelope is gossipy and spiteful, calling Helen 'poison on legs' and muttering snide asides.  From the afterlife, she tells Helen that modern theories have it that the Trojan War was in fact over trade routes, while Helen snaps back that she should have gotten over her jealousy by now.  Yet Penelope's sorrow for the deaths of her maids and her constant pursuit of them across the afterlife, desperate to make amends, seems genuine.

A significant theme of the novel - novella? - is that of justice.  The maids point out that they were the lowest of the low, that they had nobody to speak for them and that men did what they would.  At one point, Atwood even conjures up a courtroom scene where the maids put their killers on trial.  Penelope's defence is questionable.  They haunt Penelope and Odysseus across Hades, their deaths are something of which the great man can never cleanse himself, repeatedly fleeing his wife to be free of them.  We sense Atwood's sympathy for what the lives of their real-life counterparts must have been - raped with or without their master's permission, disrespected, slaves all their lives, and then murdered.  But yet, there still remains the suspicion over what was at the truth of matters.  Emphasising that mythology was passed on via oral tradition and that definitive answers are impossible to find, Atwood has clearly done her research, never quite making explicit whether or not Penelope was unfaithful, or what was in the truth of her heart.

But some of the theories which flutter past within The Penelopiad are fascinating.  The dream Penelope had immediately before her husband's return, of the white geese being slaughtered, Atwood suggests that in fact her forboding was for her maids rather than the suitors.  There is even the theory that the twelve maids represented a lunar cult, with Penelope at its head.  Yet, the notion of the women as a feminist sisterhood rings false - the maids do not trust Penelope - Atwood is always suspicious of females in her work and this is no different.  So much of the action of The Penelopiad mirrors what has happened within The Odyssey.  Odysseus was never a conventional hero, relying on trickery rather than physical courage.  Penelope was no less typical a heroine and may indeed have been more culpable than she admits here, but her story is well worth the hearing and the pondering.  A mixture of poetic and playful but with shades of the piteous, The Penelopiad is a modern myth to remember.