oh wow, she has written a lot! I must confess I was really put off by the Penelopiad- as a classicist it just really peeved me. Penelope's husband has been away for 20 years and she's got annoying suitors eating her out of house and home, I don't think it's some feminist hot take to excuse her crying by saying she's descended from a nymph, I would 100% be crying in that situation and I am just a regular human descended from humans...but maybe I should let bygones be bygones and pick up one of the others you've rated higher.
I wasn't a massive fan of the Penelopiad either tbh, however her other retellings (Hagseed) was great. Atwood's feminism can be frustrating (she has never even declared herself as a feminist) and I do think some things she writes are a little harsh on women. But she is an 85 year old so I guess that is something to take into consideration. I also think her more literary works (The Robber Bride etc) just have a better flow and tone. When she is retelling or even in The Handmaid's Tale, her witty voice is hidden by the seriousness of those works.
oh wow, she has written a lot! I must confess I was really put off by the Penelopiad- as a classicist it just really peeved me. Penelope's husband has been away for 20 years and she's got annoying suitors eating her out of house and home, I don't think it's some feminist hot take to excuse her crying by saying she's descended from a nymph, I would 100% be crying in that situation and I am just a regular human descended from humans...but maybe I should let bygones be bygones and pick up one of the others you've rated higher.
I wasn't a massive fan of the Penelopiad either tbh, however her other retellings (Hagseed) was great. Atwood's feminism can be frustrating (she has never even declared herself as a feminist) and I do think some things she writes are a little harsh on women. But she is an 85 year old so I guess that is something to take into consideration. I also think her more literary works (The Robber Bride etc) just have a better flow and tone. When she is retelling or even in The Handmaid's Tale, her witty voice is hidden by the seriousness of those works.
One of my favourite authors!
Great taste 💛
love this! I’ve only read The Handmaid’s Tale and the Blind Assassin more recently so far and I enjoyed both.
those were the two I started with 💛