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kjm19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Parts of it felt too conversational and contemporary for my liking - but I appreciate this was intentional.
Loved the elements of poetry and stage play writing, it was very impactful in telling different sides of the story. And I enjoyed that Penelope’s prose was diaristic mainly and set in the present.
The last few chapters were very good and I managed to finish them in one sitting after spending a while reading the initial 65% of the book. The whole 12 maids imagery analysis - chefs kiss - and then their never-ending revenge on him in future lives.
‘We’re no more real than money’
‘Pretty maids, all in a row’
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, and War
reading__redhead's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Hate crime, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, and War
sburchart's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Body shaming and Abandonment
laurenzokro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I also think that the discussion of age was a really interesting angle, one I hadn't taken into consideration when reading/learning about <i> The Odyssey </i> - to look at a few examples, how Penelope was only 15 when she got married to Odysseus, how young the suitors were (relative to her) once they started courting her, and how the maids essentially grew up with Telemachus. All of these instances felt like a true reinvention of the story, and helped put a lot of other aspects into a different context - in particular, one where Odysseus was not a clear-cut hero.
It was also interesting to look at how Atwood depicted the double standards of feminism, showing that even Penelope could be hypocritical / an unreliable narrator - after all, the maids end up distancing themselves from her in the underworld due to her treatment of them when they were being assaulted by the suitors (using them as a way to leverage information), especially ironic when considering how heavily Penelope criticised Helen's use of her sex as power and leverage against others.
Favourite quote: "Ask the Three Sisters, spinning their blood-red mazes / Tangling the lives of men and women together. / Only they know how events might then have been altered. / Only they know our hearts. / From us you will get no answer." (p. 69)
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Murder, and Sexual harassment
tessr's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
elanuruysal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Sexism
ajs279's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
angiesesameseed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence
leazzz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and War
sas_ram's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: War