3 CDs. Read by Laural Merlington.

I put this book in my Audio Bookbox.

Taking this from Carlissa's Audio Book Box

Review from AudioFile: In this sly updating of a famous Greek myth, Odysseus's wife, Penelope, gets to tell her version of events. What was she really up to while Odysseus traveled the wine-dark sea? Margaret Atwood's Penelope is a smart, wry, and witty storyteller. Laural Merlington dramatizes these characteristics admirably. She reads Penelope's narration with verve and clarity, capturing the dry humor and philosophic tone that Atwood has written into the character. To add further philosophic comment, Atwood transforms the 12 wayward maids killed by Odysseus upon his return into a Greek chorus. Their words are produced by the layering of multiple tracks of Merlington's voice; it's a disembodied, comforting effect that works well, given the maids' discomforting message.

Finished listening to this today. I will never think of The Odyssey the same way again!






6/30/07 - Sending off in Big John Lefty's Audiobook Box.

Picked out of BigJohnLefty's audiobookbox.
I am sooooooo excited to listen to this one!
I will journal again after I have a chance to listen.
Thank you for including this in the bookbox!

I listened to the whole book today on my trip home from Medicine Hat (a 4 hour drive!).
I think I have a love/hate thing with one. The story was VERY good (a unique take on the old mythology) and I enjoyed the story a lot when the narrator was just being Penelope. She was easy to listen to and very funny at times.
When she turned into the 'maids' it drove me crazy! One voice sounded like it was straight from munchkin-land and another sounded like the ugly stepsister from Shrek - abrasive!
The story itself was enjoyable, but found the courtroom scene to be too much of a 'soapbox moment'.
I think I will try 'reading' this book to see if it changes the experience for me.
Thank you so much for including this in the audio bookbox - I will find a new listener for it soon.
:)

Mailing to Paulsbooks as a surprise along with a bookray she is signed up for.

(aka PaulsBooks) Thank you minerva101 for this lovely surprise!!! You are always thinking of me! Thank you for your kindness! I will enjoy listening to this!

This was a very interesting version of the story of Penelope and Odysseus from Homer's Odyssey. I enjoyed listening to the story. However, I have to agree with minerva101, the maids were a bit much as well as the rapes and hangings. The killing of the suitors and maids was gruesome and sickening.

I am waiting for another bookbox and will include this for another reader!
Thanks for sharing!

Going into booklady331's cd only bookbox.

Taking out of the CD-only bookbox. I definitely look forward to listening to this one. Thank you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I finished listening to it yesterday. I'd listened to Cat's Eye and genuinely disliked it for the most part, but was told each of Atwood's books are so different that I should give others chances; I'm glad I did! The writing style was much the same... and it might have been the same reader, but I definitely liked the characters, storytelling, and themes here much more.

I suppose you could call the rest of this full of SPOILERS but I don't use a ton of details so read at your own risk:

I've always loved the Greek myths and Homer's epics, and telling the story from Penelope's point of view was a refreshing twist that was done well, I thought. I have to disagree with some of the other reviewers here- I actually liked the chorus. Maybe it was all the Greek plays I was forced to read in high school, but I thought that technique worked well and gave voices to their side of things; otherwise I'm sure I would have so easily sided with Penelope here that it wouldn't have been a very thought-provoking read. When characters tell their own stories and show themselves as perfect, it bores me to death. Sure some of the voices were a little strange, but there were only a few instances where individual maids speak on their own, and it was nice to know they WERE individuals, not just "the maids". I really liked the creepy effect the chorus had on the story, and I'm sure it wouldn't have been as interesting to just read that on the page. I guess it was a risk and to me it paid off.

Nor was I bothered by the description violence- I guess I have a high threshold for some things. It needed to be horrible to be powerful and I loved that it was. And in this story, the powerful part for me was that in their world, people can struggle in life to be heroic but acting so quickly, without thinking or feeling, has consequences. The idea that Penelope inadvertently doomed the girls that were hanged by asking them to ingratiate themselves with the men is a fascinating twist I'd never considered; her guilt and reactions feel so real and shocking-- I love the intensity of emotions concerning the suiters, the maids, and Odysseus' return.

I really loved getting inside of her head throughout the book-- her thoughts about Helen are priceless, and I could really understand how & why she acted as she did in the Odyssey, instead of just chalking it up to "true love". And the explanations of why she didn't recognize her husband were also great. It feels like Atwood took a very long time thinking about the character's behavior and analyzing it from many different angles, and I appreciate that. It's difficult to take such a well-known figure and do something new & complex and actually make it work well, but I really enjoyed the result here. She reminds me that these characters are still human and might act just as real mothers and sons and husbands act today, except that those who tell the stories might gloss over the "normal" details and go for the more unique parts of the stories.

Setting aside to put in another CD-only bookbox when it comes my way soon. Thanks for sharing, all!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Adding to Carlissa's Audio BookBox. Enjoy!

Looks like this book has been jumping from one bookbox to the next. Maybe I should save it for Suefitz's box next? : D
Have been wanting to read this one so glad to find an audio version of it.

This is a very enjoyable read. I am in the "love the chorus" camp. In fact, I hit replay several times because it was just so fun. The "reality version" of Odyseus's journey was also funny. I did not like the last courtroom scene though and I wish the book has just stopped before that.
Reserving this for to KathyB who selected it from BookObsessed's audio bookbox.

Received today from Azuki - thanks!

On it's way to Rannie!

Thanks Kathy, I've been eying this at the bookstore for awhile now - can't wait to give it a listen!
----
I echo Minerva's remarks on this one.

Adding to Big John Lefty's Cd Only Audiobook Box. Enjoy!

Chosen from BigJohnLefty's CD-Only Audiobook box

First of all, count me in on the 'pro-chorus' side. It was a nice bit of variety, and I think it worked especially well in an audio version of the book. Also, the perspectives on both Helen and Penelope were interesting. I'd read some modern interpretations of this story which focused on Helen's vanity and sluttish behavior before, but I'd never read, or thought, about what it was like for Penelope, to be married to a man renowned for his ability to deceive and manipulate.

Finally, I thought the courtroom scene was fascinating. KateKintail is right, Atwood is always surprising us with something different, and up until that point, she hadn't really startled me. So I really liked that part. The only question I'd raise is how she'd reconcile her analysis with the female archtypes of Maiden/Mother/Crone. Because it was really the nurse Anticleia, the Crone figure, who identified the twelve maids and condemned them to death.

I recommend this to future readers, because it's quick and fun, and still gives you plenty to think about. But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?

Yikes! I just realized I hadn't journalled this months ago when it arrived. I am SORRY! It's heading out to the car, to be listened to when I finally finish Wuthering Heights (I guess I haven't been driving enough; it seems to be taking forever to get through WH).

I have to be one of the absolute worst bookcrossers about journaling a book after I’ve read it… It’s so much easier just to pick up another… So now it’s been years, and I’m going to take the book to release. As a theater person, and one who taught mythology/ography, I tend to really enjoy new twists to all tales. And I am most definitely in the pro chorus camp, and love how well that works in an audio version. Which is of course, not at all surprising lol

Accidentally erased the notes I made on which book went into which LFL as I spread them around. Oops.

Accidentally erased the notes I made on which book went into which LFL as I spread them around. Oops.