The Penelopiad cover art

The Penelopiad

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Penelopiad

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Margaret Atwood, Laural Merlington
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £9.93

Buy Now for £9.93

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly

For Penelope, wife of Odysseus, maintaining a kingdom while her husband was off fighting the Trojan war was not a simple business. Already aggrieved that he had been lured away due to the shocking behaviour of her beautiful cousin Helen, Penelope must bring up her wayward son, face down scandalous rumours and keep over a hundred lustful, greedy and bloodthirsty suitors at bay...

And then, when Odysseus finally returns and slaughters the murderous suitors, he brutally hangs Penelope's twelve beloved maids. What were his motives? And what was Penelope really up to?

Critically acclaimed when it was first published as part of Canongate's Myth series, and following a very successful adaptation by the RSC, this new edition of The Penelopiad sees Margaret Atwood give Penelope a modern and witty voice to tell her side of the story, and set the record straight for good.

©2005 O.W. Toad Ltd. Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Magic Women's Fiction Marriage Funny Thought-Provoking Witty Ancient History Ancient Greece
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

"As potent as a curse"
"Fabulous . . . Determinedly irreverent"
"A witty desecration . . . Atwood plays with vigour and ingenuity"
"Atwood takes Penelope's part with tremendous verve . . . she explores the very nature of mythic story-telling" (MARY BEARD)
"Pragmatic, clever, domestic, mournful, Penelope is a perfect Atwood heroine"
"Half Dorothy Parker, half Desperate Housewives"
"Atwood and all authors named above are able to grasp the female experience perfectly in myths dominated by men, creating beautifully rounded and realistic characters from those created as ornaments and prizes by Homer"
"Nothing short of genius"
All stars
Most relevant
If you have read the Odyssey and know your mythology there's not a lot more here to engage a reader. The concept of telling the story from a different angle is interesting but could have been expanded more. I didn't really feel any emotion for Penelope, just absorbed her story. having said that, portraying the maids as a Chorus was very clever and the narration very good. Interesting listen.

Interesting concept, not enough depth

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Pure genius once again, Atwood never fails to open my eyes. I wish this book was about when I did Latin and Greek at school!

Witty and brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It made a change to hear from Penelope - the world's most famous wife...about time

intriguing and engaging

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good story, well written, well read, apart from the chorus rendition, which I didn’t like.

Interesting point of view

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As current retelling of Greek mythology keep downplaying the systematic rape and murder of women, it is refreshing to have Penelope's tale retold. and to see her own ambiguity in her relation to the maids and Helen of Troy. Truly masterful. Wonderful narration.

Essential

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews