Wednesday, 2 May 2012

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (reread)

Last month, I read the wonderful Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, a retelling of the Trojan War.  In my 'Read Alongside' section I recommended Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad and doing so made me itch to read it again.  I first picked it up in 2005 when it first came out (I was 19 at the time) and I loved it so much that I recommended it to everyone and even bought my sister a copy for her birthday.  I wanted to see if the book had stood the test of time.

Summary:
Told from the perspective of Penelope and twelve of her maids, The Penelopiad recounts what happened to everyone left behind whilst Odysseus was on his many voyages after the Trojan War.  Was Penelope as loyal and devoted as she made out to be?  The Penelopiad is part of the Canongate Myth series.

Thoughts:
The good news is that The Penelopiad definitely passed the test of time for me.  It's a short book but from the first sentence ("Now that I'm dead I know everything"), I was engrossed and I breezed through the whole book in under a day, just what I needed after reading stuffy non-fiction all week.  At the simplest level, The Penelopiad is a well told, engrossing story with an interesting cast of characters.

On the second read I understood the character of Penelope and the subtle hints in the book a lot more.  On goodreads there are quite a few negative reviews of this book, people complaining about the 'militant feminism' or Penelope's 'whining' and it was only on a second reading that I understood what these reviewers had missed - Penelope is such an unreliable narrator but it's up to the reader to work it out for themselves.  We don't get what really happened from Penelope, we just get her spin on the story, what she would like to have happened.  There are no conclusive answers, not even from the maids.

I also found myself appreciating the way Atwood wrote Odysseus more on the reread. There's just the right mix of honesty, lies, tricks and honest deception.  I liked his portrayal in Song of Achilles too, he must be one of those characters authors love to write.

The Penelopiad definitely isn't for everyone - if you don't like Atwood's other work, you won't like this, but it is a fun retelling of The Odyssey that has more to it than meets the eye.  Recommended.

Source: Library
First Published: 2005
Score: 4.5 out of 5
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27 comments:

  1. B2 May 2012 at 19:11

    I couldn't get into this one. It's the only Atwood I've read that I don't really really like. Maybe because I wasn't very familiar with The Odyssey when I read it?

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:02

      I think I wasn't familiar with The Odyssey when I first read it, but I can't be sure. Maybe it's because it is very different in style from Atwood's other books?

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  2. Anonymous2 May 2012 at 21:58

    I really liked this book, too. I have been reading the Canongate Myth series off and on for the past couple of years.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:02

      I love the Canongate series too, I'm reading Baba Yaga soon. One day I would like to have read them all.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2 May 2012 at 23:32

    I tried listening to the audiobook of this, but I think it's one of those books that would be better for me to actually read. And on your comment regarding Odysseus, I have read several Trojan War books and authors love him! The only book where it didn't seem that the author loved him was Priam's Daughter.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:03

      I agree this would be better read as so much of Penelope's character would depend on the tone of voice the narrator uses for Penelope. What other books on the Trojan War would you recommend?

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  4. Celeste853 May 2012 at 10:52

    This sounds like something I would like - I read my first Atwood in years the other day ('Surfacing') and am now really excited to read more. I don't mind a bit of militant feminism either :)

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:04

      I've nothing against militant feminism either :)
      I like Surfacing but think that this, Cat's Eye and The Handmaid's Tale are stronger.

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  5. Beth3 May 2012 at 14:12

    I saw Atwood speak about this one when it was first published. I never got around to reading it because I had never read The Illiad or The Odyssey and thought I wouldn't have a clue. Loving Atwood, I'm sure it's a stellar read but I'd need to familiarize myself with the story before committing.

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  6. Lindsey3 May 2012 at 15:41

    I enjoyed this one as well. I think you have to go into it with an open mind, since it's very different from The Blind Assassin or The Handmaid's Tale.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:04

      It is very different. I loved The Handmaid's Tale (must reread it soon) but haven't tried The Blind Assassin yet.

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  7. Loni3 May 2012 at 17:16

    I remember really enjoying this book too. I agree that if you're not already an Atwood fan, you shouldn't start with this one. You make me want to re-read it.

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  8. Ellie3 May 2012 at 18:19

    I haven't read Song of Achilles yet although it's on my TBR but I loved this one. I really like the Myths series in general for looking at myths from different angles.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:05

      I love the myth series, I'm going to read Baba Yaga soon. i'm sure you will love Song of Achilles, it's a beautiful book.

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  9. Andi3 May 2012 at 19:30

    This one has been on my wishlist for a ridiculously long time. I think my library has it available via e-book on Overdrive, so I'll have to move myself along and see what I think of it. The first line is definitely eye catching!

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:06

      My library has overdrive now, it's very exciting! I think the success of this book as an audio version would completely depend on the narrator as Penelope's character could come across all wrong.

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  10. Anonymous3 May 2012 at 20:02

    I've read a few of the other books in the Canongate Myth series but haven't read this one yet. I'm hoping to read The Song of Achilles soon so will keep this one in mind as well.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:06

      Which books from the series would you recommend? I haven't read as many as I would like, although I'm reading Baba Yaga soon.

      Enjoy Song of Achilles, it's a beautiful book :)

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  11. JoV3 May 2012 at 21:16

    I love it too. I love Atwood's short story, but didn't like The Handmaid's Tale. I should try her other books soon, I got Cat's Eye on my shelf. When it comes to Greek Myth though, I like what Madeline Miller did for The Song of Achilles better. There I go again, raving about the book, yet again... :)

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:07

      I'm glad you loved it too, although I do agree that Song of Achilles is a stronger book. We should start a petition for it to win the Orange Prize!

      I very much enjoyed Cat's Eye and it's completely different to The Handmaid's Tale.

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  12. Unknown4 May 2012 at 12:20

    Thanks for the well-written review! This is one of Margaret Atwood's books that I have not read, but it keeps being brought to my attention in inadvertent ways. Just requested it from the library~
    Beth :-)

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:08

      Hope you enjoy it Beth, let me know what you think.

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  13. nomadreader4 May 2012 at 21:58

    I enjoyed Song of Achilles and several people (including you, I think!) recommended the Penelopiad to me. I picked it up at the library and am really looking forward to reading it. I'm glad to see it stood the test of time for you!

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)5 May 2012 at 15:08

      Let me know what you think of it when you have had a chance to read it. One of the reasons I don't generally reread is that sometimes books that I remember as being great don't stand up on the second time round.

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  14. Ryan5 May 2012 at 15:50

    In recent years I have turned around on Margaret Atwood and this is one of the books I'm looking forward to reading now that my grudge is over.

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  15. Unknown19 May 2012 at 02:13

    This is one of the few Atwoods I have yet to read. Maybe I'll read The Song of Achilles first!

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