Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Penelopiad

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

80 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

challenging lighthearted mysterious 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

4.5

A fantastic Odyssey retelling with a bold narrative voice, lots of female rage, and some really interesting and unique interludes from the twelve maids Odysseus killed. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is fun to read. I only wish Helen was written with a bit more empathy - I’m quite tired of retellings that just portray her as a promiscuous mean girl, it’s overdone and boring. Overall, a definite must-read for anyone who likes Greek myth.

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garnethalo's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A beautiful Greek Myth retold. From the eyes of Penelope and the twelve maids, you won't see Odysseus the same way.

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cepbreed's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.5

I first fell in love with Penelope after reading Emily Wilson’s version of The Odyssey. I say this with a bit of shame but it’s the only play or epic I’ve read all the front matter for. I loved The Odyssey when I was a freshman in high school and I loved it even more after Wilson’s interpretation. I’m all for un-deifying Odysseus which is what attracted me to The Penelopiad. All of this build up and genuine interest in the character did me no good while reading this book. I just felt like Atwood’s interpretation fell flat for me. I loved the inclusion of the twelve maids’ voices and the theory of Penelope as “female-goddess cult leader,” but everything else was nothing new. Maybe it’s all the praise Atwood gets and the richer Penelope centered readings that have come out in the past few years. I still really enjoyed this though; I was reading another Penelope focused novel but I DNFd it because it was so boring. Finishing a book is the bare minimum but it says something.

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annamorgan27's review against another edition

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dark funny sad tense 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

3.25

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risemini's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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tessr's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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christylouise's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny 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

3.25

The way Margaret Atwood doesn’t mention Penelope’s age until after her wedding/consummation to Odysseus is marvellously done. It reads like a punch to the gut.

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