Penelope Breaks Her Silence

It is not very often that we get to hear from characters of Ancient Greece that have been sidelined in history, in favour of the heroes that dominate the narrative. Such is the case for Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, whose narrative is retold and reclaimed in Margaret Atwood's, The Penelopiad.

Penelope's Story

Written from beyond the grave, The Penelopiad is Atwood's way of allowing Penelope to tell her version of the events, from her birth, to the Trojan War, to the years spent waiting for her husband to return. Penelope relates this story thousands of years after the events of the Odyssey, so not only has she had years to think of the events, but she is also aware of present day culture; it is as if she is sitting there with you, pointing out how her life is different from yours. The writing is beautiful, the story unique, and the use of the Greek Chorus is a wonderful addition to a tale that should be considered a classic.

However, I was slightly disappointed by the relationship between Penelope and Helen, especially considering the fact that they are cousins. While Atwood narrates Penelope's story as a way of reclaiming her own life, the view of Helen seems extremely harsh, and Penelope's feelings towards her cousin are slightly overwhelming at times.

Regardless, I am really happy I finally read this book after talking about it with classmates for months: 3.5 stars! If you have any comments, questions, or review requests, please comment below, email me (theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com) or follow me on Instagram (@theopinionatedbookworm1).

Comments

The House of the Spirits

A good friend of mine once told me, "if a book has a rating of 4 or more stars on Goodreads, it is probably a safe bet that you will like it." This is why I almost always choose my books by their Goodreads rating, a strategy I am currently rethinking after reading The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. With an average rating of 4.23/5 on Goodreads, I thought I was going to love this book, and for the first four chapters, I did. However, as the story progressed I started to struggle, which has led me to believe that when choosing books I might need to employ tactics that do not solely rely on Goodreads ratings. The Patriarch Isabel Allende's novel takes place in early to mid twentieth century Chile, and tells the story of landowner Esteban Trueba, a man who went from rags to riches using nothing but his mother's honourable last name. Esteban is a classic example of an upperclass patriarch; he believed that by going back to the land of his mother's fami...

The End of the Reading Rut

This reading rut I was in was a painful experience that unexpectedly came to an end when I picked up Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. I was taken on an unexpected journey, torn open while reading about the love story of Eva and Shane. Now that the story is over, I wish it had never ended. 7 days to fall in love, 15 to forget Fifteen years after Eva and Shane first fell in love, they meet again during a writers panel hosted by a mutual friend. Although they had not spoken to each other since their love ended, they were forever in each other's thoughts when writing their respective novels, a fact that only they were aware of. Even after so many years, their feelings are still electrifying, but one question remains, can they overcome the events of the past? Sometimes, reading a romance novel can seem formulaic, but this story broke every formula I have ever experienced in my literary adventures. Each chapter told me something about Eva and Shane that I genuinely did not expect. On...

The Kings and Queens of Old

For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep, nearly obsessive, fascination with the past. The stories I was drawn to were ones of kings and queens, knights and wizards, myths and legends. Regardless of the truth behind these stories, the language and the heroic characters that populated the tales created a romantic attachment that lasts to this day. Even now, I prefer stories of fantasy and adventure to those of real life, and in admitting this I feel like I have failed in my duty as a bookworm, as I only just finished reading The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, even though it was published in 2018. The Lost Queen I have to sincerely thank Netgalley and Atria Books for giving me access to this ebook, because it was truly a wonderful adventure. The story begins when Languoreth, daughter of a King who still follows the Old Ways of their ancestors, is a child who just lost her mother and must learn to navigate womanhood in a changing world. As the years pass, Languoreth ex...

The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

Search This Blog