Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Penelopiad

I love a good myth retelling, especially when a voice is given to a woman who has been denied a voice. Margaret Atwood has always been good at giving voices to just such women. This was an emotional read. My heart goes out to Penelope. It's so easy to forget she suffered at home, alone, when you read about Odysseus traveling the world and having adventures. It's unfair to her, and this book reminds you of that and makes you feel what she felt. My only wish is that she had gotten a happy ending after all she went through.

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azalia's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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smallcasualbooktok's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

really really good. i loved the chapters from the maids. i love an unreliable narrator and this definitely had that in spades. atwood writes unlikeable female protagonists so well (the edible woman, alias grace, etc). and i loved how it illustrated even though penelope spent her whole life playing the perfect, modest wife, whether she was or wasn’t, that will not save you when you’re at the whims of men and the patriarchy. In her relationship with Helen, who by all means was not the dutiful wife or woman, the reader can see penelope’s internalized misogyny and anger that a woman so clearly not living by the rules could be in the same if not better position as she. not to say atwood’s helen is perfect either. would recommend for anyone who’s an atwood fan or looking to get into her works. triumphant final chapter. the themes prominent in atwood’s writing are as usual present here. i loved this short story

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sofipitch's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'd been looking forward to reading this book for so long I was disappointed by how short it was, I read it in a day, practically one sitting. I expected the epic that Song of Achilles or Helen of Troy had been and was let down. Especially considering how hard it was to actually get a copy of this book at a reasonable price. Otherwise I enjoyed it. I liked the choice to focus on the maids and their murder. I also like that the story doesn't stick only to one version of Penelope, the maids tell the story not of the faithful wife but of the cheating one. Which considering her cleverness and lying in the Odyssey would not be surprising. I think I might have enjoyed that character more. I also dislike the way Helen was portrayed, I think if you can see the feminist retelling that the maids were raped and used by the men it's easy to see how the same could be said of Helen.

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