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List Price: $13.00Amazon.com's Price: $10.53 You Save: $2.47 (19%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 7 to 12 days
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 398
EAN: 9781841957982
ISBN: 1841957984
Label: Canongate U.S.
Manufacturer: Canongate U.S.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: September 14, 2006
Publisher: Canongate U.S.
Sales Rank: 30326
Studio: Canongate U.S.
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Margaret Atwood returns with a shrewd, funny, and insightful retelling of the myth of Odysseus from the point of view of Penelope. Describing her own remarkable vision, the author writes in the foreword, “I’ve 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. I’ve always been haunted by the hanged maids and, in The Penelopiad, so is Penelope herself.” One of the high points of literary fiction in 2005, this critically acclaimed story found a vast audience and is finally available in paperback.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Very enjoyoable
Atwood's retelling of Homer's, "The Odyssey", provides a glimpse of the epic poem from the perspective of Penelope, the fateful wife of Odysseus. Through Penelope's interpretation of events (from Hades) the reader is exposed to a feminist perspective that appears to transcend the late eighth century BC period in which the epic is thought to have been written. Penelope's gaze provides a view of women as property, unable to make decisions, personal or otherwise, without the approval of a male. Telemachus' ... Read More
Rating:  - Light, Fun and Witty but Ultimately Aimless, Disappointing
2 and 1/2 Stars.
'The Penelopiad' is a sharp and clever novella, infused with Atwood's usual wit and charm. But beware: this is merely Atwood-lite.
Let me first start by saying that I am a huge fan of 'The Odyssey', it's one of the earliest books I've read and, as such, will forever occupy a small corner of my heart. So when I found out that one of my favorite authors, Margaret Atwood, would be putting her own personal twist on Homer's classic tale I became ecstatic. But I think anticipation ... Read More
Rating:  - Delightfully Cheeky
Margaret Atwood can write in many tones, but cheeky has to be her best. She made the story of the long-suffering Penelope and the insufferable Odysseus a delight to read, with character revelations poor old Homer couldn't possibly imagine and a chorus of maltreated maids that not only provided commentary but the real backbone of the plot as well.
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo
Rating: - A Lackluster Protagonist for a Lakluster Story
Disappointing. My hope was for a retelling of The Odyssey that would give a richer, more intriguing and unique viewpoint of Penelope and her maids over the twenty-year span of Odysseus' absence. What it instead ends up being is a boring recounting of Penelope crying, filling up the time doing nothing, or being sarcastic about life now that she inhabits the Underworld. She speaks in far too modern a tone, and sounds much more like a feminist mouthpiece than anything else. The book also assumes knowledge of the Odyssey- ... Read More
Rating: - Light, satirical and racy
Definitely different than any Atwood I've read. Told from the perspective of Penelope, Odysseus's long suffering, devoted wife, about what really went on during his travels ... and most of it is not flattering of Odysseus or, frankly, of Penelope. This story is light and satirical, if a bit racy at times. An amusing and extremely quick read that broke up the heavy subject matter I have been reading as of late (e.g., The Road, No Country for Old Men). Makes me want to go back and read The Odyssey all over again!
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Dewey Decimal Number: 398
EAN: 9781841957982
ISBN: 1841957984
Label: Canongate U.S.
Manufacturer: Canongate U.S.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: September 14, 2006
Publisher: Canongate U.S.
Sales Rank: 30326
Studio: Canongate U.S.