About this title: Telling the story of Homer's "Odyssey" from the point of view of Penelope and her 12 hanged maids, the bestselling author of "Oryx and Crake" draws on Greek mythology for Volume 2 in the Myths series.
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Description: Good. Dust Cover Missing. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. 1841957178 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Fine. Almost in new condition. Book shows only very slight signs of use. Cover and binding are undamaged and pages show minimal use. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Canongate U. S
Date Published: 2005-10-05
ISBN-13:9781841957173ISBN:1841957178
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Canongate Books
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9781841957982ISBN:1841957984
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Shows a little wear and toning. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 199 p. Myths. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf Canada, Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780676974188ISBN:067697418X
Description: Good in Good jacket. HC/DJ has minor shelf wear, tape residue to boards/inside cover, slight slant to spine, pages tight and clean. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Canongate U. S
Date Published: 2006-09-14
ISBN-13:9781841957982ISBN:1841957984
Description: Like New. Like new softcover in excellent condition, no writing, non-smoking home, clean text, binding tight, Christian business. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781841957043ISBN:1841957046
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
"I like Atwood, particularly her poems. This book was pretty terrible. Under the guise of exloring the myth of Penelope from the womans' perspective, it rendered Penelope as impotent as characterised modern housewife home reading glossy mags. In fact a glossy mag tone seemed to pervade the book, and little stabs at poetry through the chorus were oddly terrible. Like a different author intirely. Sad, but I am staying away from Atwood for a while after that."
"I decided to give Margaret Atwood another try after my disappointment with The Blind Assassin and got The Penelopiad to read. It's short.
The story is told from Penelope's point of view and is amusing to read. However, it's also quite bleak. Her mother wasn't around to look after her, her father tried to drown her when she was a child, her husband was in love with her cousin, Helen of Troy, her mother-in-law didn't think she was good enough for Odysseus, her husband's old nurse took charge of everything, leaving her nothing to do, and her son, Telemachus, was not happy with how she handled his inheritance.
The Maids' Chorus is original and poignant, and adds another element to the story besides Penelope's, which, it is revealed at the end, shows a different version of events.
I was confused, though, as to what part the maids were playing in this story. Towards the end they tell the reader not to worry, they were only symbolic, and that the reader mustn't feel sorry for them, but then there follows a modern court-room scene (VERY funny) where they demand justice for their deaths.
"The book wasn't really a two star rating, but I think it would appeal only to a very limited audience.
If you like the retelling of ancient myths with a modern feminist twist, then you'd find this interesting.
I think Penelope-wife of Odysseus-is a great character. The opening line is probably the best in the book as Penelope retells her side of the story in the afterlife (You have to read the book for the line or other people's reviews.) It's funny that Odysseus gets to indulge in orgies with goddesses and fight monsters, but apparently Penelope must remain faithful for 20 years to a faithless man, protect his kingdom in Ithaca, raise a wayward son AND fight off all eligible suitors (who only want the cad's land.) Unfortunately, Odysseus' repayment for her fidelity is to murder all would-be suitors and hang her twelve maids. This reaction could induces a girl to take a lover if only to alleviate the bordom (Homer could have been kinder to this literary heroine.)
The twelve hanged maids comprise the funny, often overly dramatic Greek chorus. Atwood has a wicked sense of humor with both her poetry and prose."
"Margaret Atwood is and will remain one of my favorite writers, and her retelling of the myth of Odysseus and Penelope, titled "The Penelopiad," is a great illustration of why. Her prose here is, as always, innovative and alive. Penelope, our narrator, grabs the reader immediately with her confessional tale, and I could barely put the book down. Told from her home in the fields of asphodel in 21st century Hades, Penelope reflects on the events of the Odyssey as well as the newfangled happenings in current society. She is most troubled, after all this time, of the hanging of her twelve maids by her husband and her son after they had slaughtered the treacherous suitors. The killing of the suitors made a certain amount of sense; they had pressed her to forget Odysseus and choose a new husband, eating up the wealth of her kingdom and plotting against the life of her son. But the maids were slaves whom she had raised from girlhood, and even in death their murders hang heavy on her soul. As she recounts her side of these famous events, the maids act as a sort of Chorus, interjecting every other chapter with admonishments and questions that take many different forms: poems, songs, jump-rope rhymes, even an anthropology lecture. This slim volume is well worth reading and is a brilliant insight into a character known almost entirely for being the single adjective, "Faithful.""
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