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The Penelopiad

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The Penelopiad

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Laural Merlington, Margaret Atwood
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Summary
WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY THE AUTHOR

Now that all the others have run out of air, it’s my turn to do a little story-making . . . So I’ll spin my own thread.

Penelope . . . immortalised in legend and Greek myth as the devoted wife of the glorious Odysseus, silently weaving and unpicking and weaving again as she waits for her husband’s return from the Trojan war.

Now, in Atwood's wise and witty retelling of the myth, Penelope wanders the underworld, spinning a different kind of thread: her own side of the story – a tale of lust, greed and murder.©2005 O.W. Toad Ltd. (P)2012 Canongate Books Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Magic Marriage Funny Thought-Provoking Witty Ancient History Ancient Greece
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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

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This was a brutally honest, feminist retelling of the Odyssey. It didn't hide from the darkness of the story, it called the bluffs of the hero worship and idolising of the main male characters and showed us a glimpse of what they got up to in the shadows. Excellently crafted and researched, I just wish there had been more of it.

Brilliantly written, but wanted more

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A great take on an old story. Gets in your head when you listen. Chorus grates at first but then works very well. I'm teaching the Odyssey so it helps me offer alternative interpretation. I love the end in particular and it offered great theories about the moon goddesses /maids. I also loved the court room idea. Margaret Atwood as ever makes you think again!

Mindblowing

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It takes a lot to make me stop an Atwood, but someone cheaped out on recording the important chorus parts and it's just awful for immersion.

Awful production stopped me listening

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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

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