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Penelopiad

by Margaret Atwood

2005, 198 pp.

Rating: 4.5

I love mythology in general, and The Odyssey in particular, so I was hoping to love this book. I did. Margaret Atwood's retelling of the famous myth from Penelope's point of view is brilliant and quite humorous. As she tells the story from Hades, we get Penelope's take on her father, Odysseus, Telemachus, and Helen among others. You probably have to know the story of The Odyssey fairly well to really get the full impact, though. If you're familiar with the original myth, you must read this re-telling.

This was my fourth Atwood, and I'm looking forward to reading even more of her work during the second Canadian Book Challenge.