Reading Order
The Penelopiad Reading Order
Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad (2005) is the novella that retells the Odyssey from Penelope's perspective — and from the perspective of the twelve maids who were hanged by Odysseus on his return, their murder presented by Homer as an afterthought but here becoming the central crime that Penelope must account for. Written for the Canongate Myths series, it is a compact, witty, deeply feminist reimagining of the Homeric tradition that asks what the female characters in the Odyssey were actually experiencing while Odysseus spent twenty years away from home.
Where to start
The Penelopiad
Complete The Penelopiad Book List
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The Penelopiad
Margaret Atwood·2005·Complete stand-alone — 200 pages. No prior knowledge of the Odyssey is required, though readers who know Homer's poem will find additional resonances throughout.
The Penelopiad — Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to have read the Odyssey to enjoy The Penelopiad?
No — The Penelopiad works as a stand-alone novella and assumes no prior knowledge of Homer. Atwood provides all the context necessary to follow Penelope's story. However, readers who know the Odyssey will find additional layers of meaning throughout — the twelve maids' refrain, the references to Telemachus and the suitors, and the ending's treatment of Odysseus are all richer in the light of Homer's original.
What is The Penelopiad about?
The Penelopiad is narrated by Penelope — Odysseus's faithful wife — from Hades, looking back on her life: her childhood on the island of Sparta, her marriage to Odysseus, her twenty years waiting for his return while repelling the suitors, and the hanging of the twelve maids she was fond of who were accused of sleeping with the suitors. The novella alternates Penelope's first-person narration with choral interludes by the twelve maids, who have been waiting in Hades for twenty-five centuries to tell their side of the story.
How does The Penelopiad fit in Margaret Atwood's reading order?
The Penelopiad is a short, accessible Atwood — a good starting point for readers new to her work who want something brief and complete, or an excellent companion for readers who have already read The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, or The Blind Assassin and want to explore her range. It is the most formally experimental of her shorter works, using the choral ode and the myth retelling in ways that anticipate her later interest in alternative perspectives on canonical narratives.
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