A review by savvylit
The Penelopiad, by Margaret Atwood
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
The Penelopiad should be required reading right alongside The Iliad and The Odyssey. Margaret Atwood has so skillfully mirrored sparse, Homeric storytelling in this saga. However, this isn't the sort of feminist retelling that gives Penelope a fascinating or redemptive arc. Rather, just as in the original stories, Penelope spends the book being the waiting wife. That's not to say that she's at all happy to wait, though. Penelope is tragically resigned to her lonesome fate. Given her equally lonely childhood described in the earlier parts of The Penelopiad, her forced self-reliance makes sense as her default state. That's what makes this book so well done - The Penelopiad feels like an incredibly realistic portrayal of Penelope's life. In reality, people don't necessarily get to become heroes of their own stories.
The absolute best part of The Penelopiad is the chorus of maids. In the chorus-narrated sections of the book, Atwood plays with form in the most delightful ways. There's a shanty, a courtroom drama, poems, and more! It was thrilling to see what the maids would say next, and how they would say it. Furthermore, the maids' very presence in this story is key to the feminist bend of this retelling. The maids are mentioned so off-handedly in the original stories - despite the devastatingly misogynistic nature of their slaughter.
Lastly, the segments featuring Penelope speaking from the underworld reveal her innate snarky and dry sense of humor. One can almost imagine the heroine she could have been having she ever been afforded more agency when she was among the living.
The absolute best part of The Penelopiad is the chorus of maids. In the chorus-narrated sections of the book, Atwood plays with form in the most delightful ways. There's a shanty, a courtroom drama, poems, and more! It was thrilling to see what the maids would say next, and how they would say it. Furthermore, the maids' very presence in this story is key to the feminist bend of this retelling. The maids are mentioned so off-handedly in the original stories - despite the devastatingly misogynistic nature of their slaughter.
Lastly, the segments featuring Penelope speaking from the underworld reveal her innate snarky and dry sense of humor. One can almost imagine the heroine she could have been having she ever been afforded more agency when she was among the living.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexism, Death, Murder, and Misogyny