The Penelopiad
by Margaret Atwood
I won't waste too much time on this review. I didn't like it. I don't go in for modern, feminist appraisals of ancient works. The one good thing about this book was the poetry. At least in the beginning it had a cute Musical feel to it. Then it went militant. If this is an accurate example of Atwood's work then I will have to take a pass on her books in the future.
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11 comments:
I enjoyed the book, but the chapter where she presents the lecture on a patriarchal system replacing the matriarchal goddess cult got on my nerves, so I understand where you're coming from
I felt the same way about The Edible Woman and have had trouble reading Atwood ever since.
I wasn't sure I wanted to comment on the book at all but I had mentioned that I was reading it on a few other blogs so I thought I'd better give a brief statement. It wasn't just the feminist angle that I didn't like but all of the characters didn't jive right. I could not feel sympathy for anyone. At least it was a quick read.
Petunia, I'm glad you did post about it. I have felt uncomfortable in the past when writing about books I disliked, especially if they are well-beloved books, but I think that many people out there could agree with you when reading this book, so it's important that there aren't only positive reviews, that those who want to review the book negatively don't hold back.
Besides, I always enjoy reading about books, even the opinion I'm reading is very different from my own. Conflicting opinions can often create very interesting discussions. I find that over Message Boards I often enjoy threads that express an opinion I disagree with more - because otherwise, I just read the post, nod, and have nothing to add.
Nymeth, I read your review on Penelopiad last night and saw that you really liked it and lamented that it wasn't longer.
I could have said a lot more and my original post was quite long but I felt that I said all that I needed to say in these few short sentences. I just really, really disliked it. I appreciate your grace and understanding.
I usually enjoy Atwood's novels, but this one was just silly to me. It was not what I had expected. I was greatly disappointed.
Uh oh! I might have a real disappointment in store for me. I'll be reading this book for the Summer Reading Challenge. But I ADORE Atwood! I will try to remember to let you know if I hate it too, because then you'll know that you might safely be able to give other Atwood books a try. The thing about her is that all her books are SO different in style that you can love one and dislike another. A lot of people who aren't otherwise Atwood fans like Alias Grace, for example. And a lot of real Atwood fans didn't like Oryx and Crake.
But I really know what you mean about being wary of stating your dislike for popular books. Right now, I am *GASP* not really enjoying The Road. And there are people saying in my comments that they can't wait til I finish because they loved it so! I keep hoping I'll warm up to it.
My Utopia-I am glad to know that I'm not the only one.
Dewey-I would be very interested to know what you think when your done, with both The Penelopiad and The Road. I'll be watching for you.
I had wanted to read this, but I probably won't get to it until 2008. I loved The Handmaid's Tale.
I recently read the Penelopiad and did not like it at all. I don't enjoy things from a feminist angle and I tend to think classics should be left alone. The major problem with the book, in my opinion, was that Atwood seemed to have tried really hard to be witty and satirical and all that, but failed epically.
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