Book Review: Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

As I sit in a huge, soft leather chair at the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, I have been enjoying a number of books that are not normally on my list of things to read. I brought a number of my own books with me, but chose to accept this as an opportunity to read a few books that are not normally at my fingertips.

I spotted Margaret Atwood's book Penelopiad on the book shelf and decided to have a read. I am ashamed to say that as a Canadian woman, I have never picked up one of her books before this weekend. Non-fiction and chit lit have usually been my books of choice, so this felt like as good a time as any to broaden my horizons and to pick up something that had more "literal" value that my typical choices.

I must say that this was one of my quicker reads. At 198 pages, this book was double spaced and engaging, so it took me only a few short hours to read.

The story is about Queen Penelope and her hard, troubled life. She was a clever, but plain looking girl that was born into royalty. Her hand in marriage was won by a fine man named Odysseus. Once married they quickly left for Ithaca where Odysseus was the ruler.

Once at Ithaca, Penelope was quite isolated and wept most of the time. She did have a good relationship with her husband, but that was very much short lived since he left her for twenty years. He left on a mission to find her devious cousin, Helen, who ran off with the prince of Troy. He was told by an oracle that the mission to bring her back would fail unless he went. So, off he went.

This book was primarily written from Penelope's perspective from Hades.

Favorite Quotes:

Page 43 of Penelopiad:

Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will no stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dropping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.