br33na's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
DNF at 70%
I cannot believe I am DNFing this! I am just so painfully bored and underwhelmed, which is truly tragic because I love all the ingredients here, but this is a spiceless dish.
Let me be explicit. I thoroughly enjoy Atwood's writing. I love Helenistic myth. I adore feminist retellings. I think the project is a wonderful and important and worthwhile endeavour. This one just doesn't do it for me.
I don't know if I've been spoilt by other retellings and stories from marginalised creators, but I just didn't get anything more out of the book itself than the very good premise. And this is Margaret Atwood doing Peneolpe's perspective of the Odyssey, but it's just fine, very light and one note on the feminism when there is a whole lot more to say, particularly with the handmaidens as many others have pointed out, as well as it not being very sex positive or sympathetic to the plight of slaves - which wouldn't be as big a deal of this wasn't a feminist retelling and technically being told from a modern time with Peneolpe reflecting on two thousand years. It's just kinda very white middle class feminism and boring to boot.
I'm sorry Margaret and to anyone who thinks this makes me a bad feminist. I just think we deserve more interesting stories and a greater grasp of kyriarchy and intersectionality in our post-millennium feminist literature.
I cannot believe I am DNFing this! I am just so painfully bored and underwhelmed, which is truly tragic because I love all the ingredients here, but this is a spiceless dish.
Let me be explicit. I thoroughly enjoy Atwood's writing. I love Helenistic myth. I adore feminist retellings. I think the project is a wonderful and important and worthwhile endeavour. This one just doesn't do it for me.
I don't know if I've been spoilt by other retellings and stories from marginalised creators, but I just didn't get anything more out of the book itself than the very good premise. And this is Margaret Atwood doing Peneolpe's perspective of the Odyssey, but it's just fine, very light and one note on the feminism when there is a whole lot more to say, particularly with the handmaidens as many others have pointed out, as well as it not being very sex positive or sympathetic to the plight of slaves - which wouldn't be as big a deal of this wasn't a feminist retelling and technically being told from a modern time with Peneolpe reflecting on two thousand years. It's just kinda very white middle class feminism and boring to boot.
I'm sorry Margaret and to anyone who thinks this makes me a bad feminist. I just think we deserve more interesting stories and a greater grasp of kyriarchy and intersectionality in our post-millennium feminist literature.
navithefairy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
savento95's review against another edition
3.0
Quick and easy read. Enjoyed having a feminine angle for these tales, but it was still a bit vague. I wanted more--detail, story, elaboration, dramatization.
4lberj's review against another edition
3.0
Una "novela" muy interesante, aunque no estoy seguro de si podríamos denominar de esa manera. Está muy bien contada y respeta la Mitología Clásica para transmitirnos la versión que tiene Penélope de todo lo que le sucedió en su vida y, especialmente, del asesinato de sus doce criadas a mano de Odiseo. Todo ello lo hace desde una perspectiva actual, como un "espíritu" que recuerda su vida muchos años después, añadiéndoles ciertos comentarios u opiniones de lo más interesantes. Sin embargo, me ha dejado bastante frío, ya que se trata más bien de un resumen de su vida que de una novela como tal.
Es muy interesante, eso sí, la incorporación del Coro, que en ocasiones se torna muy original por la manera en que lo trata [a:Margaret Atwood|3472|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282859073p2/3472.jpg], además de que le aporta riqueza al texto, al "jugar" como complemento para la historia que nos narra Penélope, aportándonos datos o puntos de vista en los que la protagonista no hace hincapié o no menciona.
Es muy interesante, eso sí, la incorporación del Coro, que en ocasiones se torna muy original por la manera en que lo trata [a:Margaret Atwood|3472|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282859073p2/3472.jpg], además de que le aporta riqueza al texto, al "jugar" como complemento para la historia que nos narra Penélope, aportándonos datos o puntos de vista en los que la protagonista no hace hincapié o no menciona.
valdezinator's review against another edition
4.0
tbh the intro of how the book started off after she died in the fields if asphodel was rlly cool.
my fave part was when penelope talked abt contemporary culture from the viewpoint of someone who died a long time ago.
3.5 ⭐
my fave part was when penelope talked abt contemporary culture from the viewpoint of someone who died a long time ago.
3.5 ⭐
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
2.0
Erm, well, this was a disappointment.
I really didn't like the way Atwood wrote Penelope. She was soooo annoying! It wasn't even like her thoughts/feelings were unwarranted, but the way she spoke/thought really got on my nerves. She felt, in all honesty, like a child.
I also didn't like the way Atwood framed the narrative. It felt so disjointed and fragmented. It's the present Penelope reflecting on her life, from the initial stages of her marriage till she's in the underworld. I thought the jump from past-to-present Penelope, alongside the constant switch from prose to verse, made the narrative feel so jumpy. It just didn't work.
This would have been so much better if Atwood drew it out a little - probably as a novella or even a novel. She could have given a bit more of a backstory to Penelope and convinced me of her feelings for Odysseus. It just didn't work!
I really didn't like the way Atwood wrote Penelope. She was soooo annoying! It wasn't even like her thoughts/feelings were unwarranted, but the way she spoke/thought really got on my nerves. She felt, in all honesty, like a child.
I also didn't like the way Atwood framed the narrative. It felt so disjointed and fragmented. It's the present Penelope reflecting on her life, from the initial stages of her marriage till she's in the underworld. I thought the jump from past-to-present Penelope, alongside the constant switch from prose to verse, made the narrative feel so jumpy. It just didn't work.
This would have been so much better if Atwood drew it out a little - probably as a novella or even a novel. She could have given a bit more of a backstory to Penelope and convinced me of her feelings for Odysseus. It just didn't work!
whatrhi_isreading's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vanderweerdt's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amabile_cocco's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the premise behind this more than the execution. The form was interesting - the chorus line pieces had a clever progression - and I liked the idea of spinning Odysseus' story around and making it about the female figures. However I think the writing was a bit muddy. This really felt like the thesis project of a graduate student earning a degree in Greek mythology, women's studies, and creative writing. Not that those are bad things - just that this felt a bit forced.