The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood
Atwood reimagines Homer's The Odyssey through the eyes of Odysseus' wife Penelope in this novella. It is a short but powerful book that gives a voice to the lesser known characters of this world-famous tale and reimagines it through the eyes of those whose lives were shattered by the Trojan War and its aftermath. Its dry sense of humour and surprisingly dark themes make for a sharp and enjoyable read, typical of Atwood's stories, and is a must both for fans of the author and those of mythology retellings.
Penelope. Immortalised in legend and myth as the devoted wife of the glorious Odysseus, silently weaving and unpicking and weaving again as she waits for her husband's return.
Now Penelope wanders the underworld, spinning a different kind of thread: her own side of the story - a tale of lust, greed and murder.
The Myths series brings together some of the world's finest writers, each of whom has retold a myth in a contemporary and memorable way. Authors in the series include Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, David Grossman, Natsuo Kirino, Alexander McCall Smith, Philip Pullman, Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson.
