3.5 stars.

This is a highly intelligent and witty retelling of the Odyssey from Penelope's point of view. She is an intelligent, quippy, and highly sarcastic woman telling her tale from the underworld following her death. She recounts the tale of her life from a feminine point of view, describing the state of the world through the eyes of a woman. There are dark and brutal examples of the highly mysogynistic patriarchy that Greek women faced during this time. Though Penelope is telling her tale, we are also given an undercurrent of falsehood, as her story does not match that of the twelve maids who were killed by Telemachus following Odysseus's return. It's clear that the story is different depending on who is telling it and that the narrator will always make the story lean in their favor, leaving it difficult to know who to believe. Atwood's manipulation of this tale is fantastic and I adore her writing. She is able to spin such a fantastic tale.