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A review by caroline_mclaughlin
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Not sure I like Margaret Atwood’s writing after reading this and good bones and simple murders. I liked one of her poetry collections, and I actually found the poetry to be the best part of this book. I just wished she had written a few poems about these same topics instead of a full book where she didn’t really have anything new to add. Maybe this was very “new” when it was written, but I think now, with the many other takes on Greek myth, this is far less interesting.
Unfortunately, it falls into the same trap many retellings told from a woman’s perspective seem to fall in: placing the main focus still on the main male character with some extra commentary, rather than really fleshing out the new protagonist. I also felt as though this book was lacking in love. No one seemed to really care for each other (Helen was awful, Odysseus is as bad as the rumors, Telemachus is less admirable, and even Penelope seems distant). This made it hard to care about anyone, and with the short length of the story and the somewhat repetitive writing, it was impossible to feel anything emotionally towards the outcome. Overall, though this may have been an outstanding work when it was written, it has been surpassed by other retellings, and I would suggest simply reading Circe instead.
Unfortunately, it falls into the same trap many retellings told from a woman’s perspective seem to fall in: placing the main focus still on the main male character with some extra commentary, rather than really fleshing out the new protagonist. I also felt as though this book was lacking in love. No one seemed to really care for each other (Helen was awful, Odysseus is as bad as the rumors, Telemachus is less admirable, and even Penelope seems distant). This made it hard to care about anyone, and with the short length of the story and the somewhat repetitive writing, it was impossible to feel anything emotionally towards the outcome. Overall, though this may have been an outstanding work when it was written, it has been surpassed by other retellings, and I would suggest simply reading Circe instead.