Brief synopsis: Based on Homer's Odyssey, but from the viewpoint of his wife Penelope, this story tells the story from home while Odysseus is out slaying Cyclops and the like. There are also some chapters from the "chorus line" AKA the maids.



I read The Odyssey in high school, but for some reason that one and Oedipus Rex kept getting mixed in my mind, but as I read The Penelopiad, I started really remembering the original story. I really enjoyed getting to read it from Penelope's point-of-view. It was a super short book (less than 200 pages), so it was fairly easy to get through and read really easily, unlike the original.

 This story starts at the marriage of Penelope and Odysseus, but has other myth ties as well - such as Helen of Troy being Penelope's cousin, and how she's actually the entire reason for Odysseus' famous journey. This was a very light read.

I was also excited to read my first story from Margaret Atwood, who has hit a knew peak with the television adaptations of The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace. If Atwood's other novels are as easy to read as The Penelopiad, then definitely sign me up!

I would definitely recommend this fun take on the traditional Greek myth.