The Penelopiad: the Myth of Penelope and Odysseus

Publisher Marketing: In Homer s account in The Odyssey, Penelope - wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy - is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan war after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumours, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and - curiously - twelve of her maids. In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged Maids, asking: "What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?" In Atwood s dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the storytelling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality - and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery." Review Citations: Kliatt 01/01/2007 pg. 20 (EAN 9781841957982, Paperback) Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 229 (EAN 9781423307792, MP3 CD) Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 229 (EAN 9781423307785, Compact Disc) Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 229 (EAN 9781423307778, Compact Disc) Library Journal 01/23/2006 (EAN 9781423307778, Compact Disc) Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 229 (EAN 9781423307761, Analog Audio Cassette) Kliatt 03/01/2006 pg. 54 (EAN 9781423307761, Analog Audio Cassette) - *Starred Review Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 229 (EAN 9781423307754, Analog Audio Cassette) Ingram Advance 11/01/2005 pg. 66 (EAN 9781841957173, Hardcover) Entertainment Weekly 10/28/2005 pg. 92 (EAN 9781841957173, Hardcover) Library Journal Prepub Alert 07/01/2005 pg. 54 (EAN 9781841957173, Hardcover) New York Review of Books 09/21/2006 pg. 61 (EAN 9781841957173, Hardcover) Quill & Quire 10/01/2005 pg. 29 (EAN 9780676974188, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Atwood, Margaret Margaret Atwood is the internationally renowned author of such novels as "Oryx and Crake, Alias Grace", and "The Edible Woman". She is a novelist and a poet, and has also authored short story collections, critical studies, screenplays, radio scripts, and books. Contributor Bio:  Merlington, Laural Laural Merlington has recorded well over one hundred audiobooks and has received several "AudioFile" Earphones Awards, including one for "Never Say Die" by Susan Jacoby.