Reviews with content warning for Slavery - The Penelopiad

I had to read this as a high school freshman right after my English class finished The Odyssey, and I really loved it then. It has a very second wave feminist approach to Penelope's story and Odysseus's brutal slaughter of her twelve maids, alongside all Penelope's suitors, and it made me realize how much of an aside, an afterthought, the maids were treated as in The Odyssey itself, as well as all the ethical and gendered issues present in classical mythology. I was at an age where I felt like I was constantly given conflicting advice about girlhood then punished no matter what advice I took, and so the main framing of the story hit home. But looking back now, it's... very second wave. In a cliche and kind of predictable way. And I wish we'd gotten more perspectives from the maids themselves, not only their generalized and preachy choruses and Penelope's external, often patronizing take on them. And there's so much crap Margaret Atwood keeps doing that I really only revisited this to see what I think now, and I don't plan to read any more Margaret Atwood after this.

Content Warnings

pinksl0thslippers's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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? Yes

4.75

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sophiagl's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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dakotach7's review against another edition

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dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

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readerette's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I found some of the literary devices confusing, like mixing in the maids singing and performing. However, the whole concept is quite creative and compelling, and I love stories that take the viewpoints of supporting characters. It reminds me of Madeline Miller's works (Circe, Song of Achilles), but more abstract, and perhaps darker. It also leaves holes, still, in the story of Penelope and Odysseus--this is not a book of answers, but one of questioning what is "known", of offering another way of thinking about Odysseus and Penelope and her maids, or maybe even more than one way. I was never quite certain I was getting the whole truth from Penelope, or if she as a character knew the whole truth, herself. It made it difficult to put the book down!

Content Warnings

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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? No

3.0

I've got mixed feelings about this. It was a quick, easy read and it's certainly an interesting take on the story but I was expecting a little bit more depth in terms of the characters. I can see why people love it but in the end it wasn't really my sort of book. I probably should have anticipated that, considering I've never particularly clicked with most of the Margaret Atwood I've read and I don't know that much about Greek mythology. However I was hoping it would work for me because I enjoy retellings.

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