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  1. $18.19 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

The Penelopiad

by Margaret Eleanor Atwood

The Penelopiad Cover

ISBN13: 9781841957173
ISBN10: 1841957178
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

“Homer’s Odyssey is not the only version of the story. Mythic material was originally oral, and also local — a myth would be told one way in one place and quite differently in another. I have drawn on material other than the Odyssey, especially for the details of Penelope’s parentage, her early life and marriage, and the scandalous rumors circulating about her. 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.” — from Margaret Atwood’s Foreword to The Penelopiad

Synopsis:

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.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
librarylapin, November 18, 2009 (view all comments by librarylapin)
I absolutely love Margaret Atwood's work and I love fictionalized recounting of women's stories so I was very happy to find this book. Unfortunately I was completely disappointed when I read it. Penelope seems almost shallow in this retelling with her simplistic perspective. I would expect a stronger, more potent, voice coming from Atwood. The character was very disappointing and I found the rivalry between her and Helen to be horribly stereotypical (beauty vs. intelligence). The story is fun and the poetry is wonderful so I would still recommend the read but don't expect Atwood's usually amazing quality of writing on this one.
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Maya.Brandon, January 16, 2009 (view all comments by Maya.Brandon)
Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad is a distinctly fresh revisionist telling of a classic myth. She adeptly rights the wrongs from which Pallas Athena allowed Odysseus to escape blame. The feminist spin is both truthful and pointed as well as contemporary and comical. A wonderful pleasure read!
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(2 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
daniaddp, September 4, 2006 (view all comments by daniaddp)
this book was incredibaly good. I was assigned to read this book for highschool and i loved it! i could not put the book down when i started reading it. i found it so interesting how penelope lived her life. as i read i wondered what would happen next. this was a fantastic book!
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(19 of 32 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781841957173
Subtitle:
The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus
Author:
Atwood, Margaret Eleanor
Author:
Atwood, Margaret
Publisher:
Canongate Books
Subject:
Folklore
Subject:
Odysseus (Greek mythology)
Subject:
Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology
Subject:
Penelope (Greek mythology)
Subject:
Fiction-Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology
Copyright:
Edition Description:
American
Publication Date:
November 9, 2005
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Pages:
119
Dimensions:
8.04x5.32x.82 in. .70 lbs.

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