Start reading The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Myths) on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

 
 
 

Try it free

Sample the beginning of this book for free

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Myths)
 
 
Share your own customer images

The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (Myths) [Kindle Edition]

Margaret Atwood (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
Print List Price: £8.99
Kindle Price: £5.69 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £3.30 (37%)
* Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.69   -- --
Hardcover, Large Print --   -- --
Paperback £6.29   -- --
Audio, Cassette, Audiobook £15.19   -- --
Audio Download, Unabridged £8.99 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial

Product Description

Review

a feminist viewpoint of which Homer could nary have dreamt -- Observer

Review

"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'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 Introduction to The Penelopiad
See all Product Description

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 259 KB
  • Print Length: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Canongate Books; New Ed edition (21 Oct 2005)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002VNFNGA
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #13,615 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

    •  Would you like to give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Margaret Atwood Page
Margaret Atwood
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
82 of 84 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars What Homer never told you 27 May 2006
By cambert
Format:Paperback
Atwood is a shrewd and witty writer and this book shows her at the top of her form. She transmutes her unwieldy source material - Homer's Odyssey - into a playful, honestly felt exploration of the foundations of love and family. Here the heroic becomes human and the humdrum underpinnings of legend are exposed.

Penelope chafes against posterity and how it exemplifies her as the faithful, stay-at-home wife. She's not interested in being an archetype; she's remembering the awkward in-laws, her uncouth teenage son, Odysseus' stubby legs. Homer sings hymns to Odysseus and his wily ways; Atwood shows us what it's like to be married to a dishonest man. Helen of Troy is here too (she's Penelope's cousin) and she's just like you knew she really would be - vapid, catty, only real when reflected in a man's eyes.

Running beneath the humour is the story of everything that Penelope has lost: her home, her husband, her youth, her friends, her life, her truth. Our narrator is a weary shade, viewing the world from the dim, grey realm of Hades. But having left behind life, she's also left behind the illusions that go with it. Dead she might be but her vision is clear, her humour is bone-dry, and her story is full-blooded.

If you've read the Odyssey, this novel will mean all the more to you. If you haven't, it will inspire you to search out 3,000 year-old Greek epic poetry. Either way, treasure this book.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Playful and fun story telling 14 July 2007
By Kittykat
Format:Paperback
A new twist to the tale of Odysseus for me, in the point of view of his clever and sly wife. About what she got up to whilst he was away and how she ran the kingdom and brought up their son. A light easy read, great for a holiday on the beach. The book is written in a subtle gossipy style and as long as you don't expect to be drawn into Odysseus epic journey you should enjoy this bok.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Wickedly Funny 4 May 2007
By sainte-carmen
Format:Paperback
A knowledge of the classics is not essential for understanding or enjoying Atwood's adaptation of the Penelope myth. It's clear that the author thoroughly enjoyed herself, and Penelope radiates a humanity that is often missing from some of Atwood's earlier creations. This book is full of wit and humour as well as poetry. Some of the images will stay with you long after you've finished the book.

Try this for a thoughtful but entertaining read.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Myth carries on... 11 Jun 2010
By Ms. E. K. Groom
Format:Paperback
The Penelopiad is a novella by Margaret Atwood as part of the MYTHS collection, which involes the rather interesting process of famous authors tweaking and re-writing a chosen Greek myth. Being somewhat curious about Canongate (the company resposible for this), this was the first of the Canongate books that I read.

The story begins at the end, with a dearly departed Penelope spending all eternity in Hades. Here, she tells the reader the story of her life

Structured similarly to a classical Greek drama, the storytelling alternates between Penelope's narrative and the choral commentary of the twelve maids--who are given no names, or barely one voice. The chilling image on the back of my book--sees the twelve maids hanging from the rafters--for in the end that is all they were. The story deviates from Penelope, who sees herself as a woman who was denied a voice--to the actual characters that were denied everything--the maids.

Penelope is deliberately naive, and Atwood's dry humour pours into every page. I have no doubts that this book is strongly feminist, despite Atwood stating otherwise. This is probably the books only downfall (and that is coming from a female reviewer!). However, the book should simply be taken for what it is, and asborbed for its disturbing logic and beauty.

Penelope is a metafictional narrator, because she describes herself and the story as a popular myth - while this is quite weird -it is very much welcome in a story in which the purpose is to twist and alter the myth (without making it beyond recogntion like THE HELMET OF HORROR does).

I recommend reading THE HISTORY OF MYTH by Karen Armstrong (also by Canongate) alongside this book, as they compliment each other nicely
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea but a too short to fulfill its promise 15 Mar 2007
By Helenbookworm
Format:Paperback
I am a big fan of Margaret Atwood and am always pleased to have a new book of hers to read. I am also a fan of Homer though it always irked me that while Odysseus got to live enchanted on an island with a goddess for several years his poor wife had to beat of dozens of money grabbing suitors with nothing but her wits to help her. I thought the basic premise of this book was great but though the beginning was strong it was so short that I felt that the character of Penelope was not sufficiently developed. I am glad that it did show the poor maids, much maligned in the Odyssey, in a more favorable and balanced light. However it all felt a little two dimensional for my taste. I still have to give it 3 stars for being an original idea.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Expensive Greek mythology fanfic 14 Jun 2007
By I Read, Therefore I Blog TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
The jacket blurb for this book is somewhat misleading. Whilst Penelope's intention is to set the record straight as to what really went on with the suitors whilst Odysseus is away, in fact Atwood cannot resist throwing some doubt in at the end as to whether Penelope is really telling the whole story or just trying to spin it. The notion of Penelope being as adapt a liar as Odysseus is fascinating, but is never explored in depth and in truth, whilst Atwood gives Penelope wit and intelligence, there is something about the way she speaks that is curiously anachronistic. Whilst you can explain some of this from the set up (she is in the Underworld, monitoring the world as time goes by), the fact that she is so familiar with using modern phraseology and slang does grate. I also found Penelope to be a strangely passive character and ironically, nowhere near as strong as I always saw her in The Odyssey because Atwood is careful to describe her isolation and lack of allies (apart from the twelve maids who we never really see her interact with). I found this to be frustrating because far from being someone who helps to shape her destiny (particularly by unpicking the shroud at night), she comes across as someone who's really just waiting to be rescued.

Atwood uses the maids as a chorus in the book to give their side of the story and also cast doubt on what Penelope is saying. She does this by writing in verse and whilst it's well written and amusing, it doesn't give them such a dramatic voice and whereas the effect should be to make you emphasise with their fate, I found it too superficial to do so.... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Margaret Attwood is always interesting and thought-provoking and in this book she comes up with a very convincing retelling of the myth of the virtuous Penelope waiting for her... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. JE Barff
2.0 out of 5 stars I hated this book...
Although it was interesting to find out the background to Penelope's story I didn't actually like the woman who was revealed nor did I like Attwood's style which I thought was... Read more
Published 2 months ago by zizzie
5.0 out of 5 stars A great continuation of the old tradition.
This is a retelling of the old Trojan War story of Penelope, the most faithful wife in ancient myth. Read more
Published 2 months ago by IvyFlorence
4.0 out of 5 stars A breeze
This is a light read which adds a little muscle to the bones of Homer's famous character, Odysseus, from his wife's perspective. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Milo di Thernan
1.0 out of 5 stars Not a great story
I usually love all of the Greek mythology based books, however I struggled to finish this and it was really boring.
Published 6 months ago by Joanne
5.0 out of 5 stars a great read
a great read and modern take on such a wonderful story. wish it was longer and was sad for it to end. more please!
Published 6 months ago by C.A.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Idea - Lazy Writing
Retelling the story from the perspective of Penelope and the Maids is an excellent idea, but this rendition is irksome and lazy. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Paul Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Poor Penelope...what a rascal Odysseus is...
I really enjoyed this. Margaret Atwood always writes combining humour, human values and sound common sense with a basically feminist perspective, and the result is always... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2011 by Mary Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars Dazzling retelling of a familar tale
The Penelopiad sees Margaret Atwood retelling parts of The Iliad and The Odyssey from the point of view of Odysseus' wife Penelope and the twelve maids that he slaughtered. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2011 by Jimbo
5.0 out of 5 stars Odysseus re-read
I've read and studied the Odyssey several times, although a number of years ago now, and have enjoyed (and sometimes rolled my eyes at) to many conflicting views of Penelope's... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2011 by R. G. Brizi
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Popular Highlights

 (What's this?)
&quote;
Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does. &quote;
Highlighted by 46 Kindle users
&quote;
it’s always an imprudence to step between a man and the reflection of his own cleverness. &quote;
Highlighted by 45 Kindle users
&quote;
I wanted happy endings in those days, and happy endings are best achieved by keeping the right doors locked and going to sleep during the rampages. &quote;
Highlighted by 42 Kindle users

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
Kindle price change 0 30 Dec 2010
› See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Discussion Replies Latest Post
fiction discussion forum
Nobody reads on the loo do they ? not really - and yet so many people have books in the loo ! 		6 10 minutes ago
fiction discussion forum
Novels set in or about pubs? 		0 1 hour ago
fiction discussion forum
Ideas for gentle reads for more mature people 		66 1 hour ago
fiction discussion forum
Self-published books: pain or gain? 		6114 6 hours ago
fiction discussion forum
Come on - why don't we write our own book right here in the fiction forum ? I'll do the first sentence, and then jump in....hold on, here we go... 		7206 7 hours ago
fiction discussion forum
Can anyone recommend a good book 		94 8 hours ago
fiction discussion forum
What are you reading now? 		8450 8 hours ago
fiction discussion forum
What is the POINT of zombie novels, exactly? 		134 8 hours ago
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums

Look for similar items by category


There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)
      Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. Privacy Statement Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. Delivery Information Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. Returns & Exchanges