The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

I really don't think I'll be able do this one justice. I really can't recommend it highly enough. But I'll give it a try. This is Atwood's contribution to the Canongate Myth Series. For those of you who may not have heard of this series, the concept is simple -- contemporary authors remake famous myths. I read and reviewed another book from this series, Dream Angus, by Alexander McCall Smith which I reviewed here. This book is Atwood's interpretation or re-interpretation of the myth of Penelope and Odysseus.

She describes it like this in the introduction, "But Homer's Odyssey is not the only version of the story. Mythic material was originally oral, and also local -- a myth would be told one way in one place and quite differently in another. I have drawn on material other than The Odyssey, especially for the details of Penelope's parentage, her early life and marriage, and the scandalous rumours circulating about her. I've chosen to give the telling of the story to Penelope and the twelve hanged maids. The maids form a chanting and singing Chorus which focuses on two questions that must pose themselves after any close reading of The Odyssey: what led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to? The story told in the Odyssey doesn't hold water: there are too many inconsistencies. I've always been haunted by the hanged maids; and, in The Penelopiad, so is Penelope herself."

Atwood is such a great writer, that she even makes the introduction interesting and entertaining. Then the very first line of the book hooks you and you're suddenly ensconced in Penelope's world. "Now that I'm dead I know everything." Thus Penelope begins telling her story from Purgatory where she is still trying to piece together the puzzle that was her life. I love that Atwood gives us complete access to Penelope's thoughts, fears, and desires. She begins with her somewhat troubled childhood and tells us the story of her life both before and after her marriage. The chapters alternate between Penelope's story and the Chorus of the hanged maids. Atwood brings everything into sharp focus with vivid description and beautiful language.

"I can't make myself understood, not in your world, the world of bodies, of tongue and fingers; and most of the time I have no listeners, not on your side of the river. Those of you who may catch the odd whisper, the odd squeak, so easily mistake my words for breezes rustling the dry reeds, for bats at twilight, for bad dreams (pg. 4)."

I don't know that I have the answers to the questions that Atwood poses in the introduction, but it doesn't really matter, either. This is a multi-faceted story with rich characters, especially Penelope, that can't be easily pinned down. It would take someone much better qualified than me to actually do this one justice in a review. But, just take my word for it -- this book is a treat -- plain and simple.

This is my last book for the Once Upon a Time II Challenge except for The Midsummer Night's Dream, which I'll read on June 20. I have read the introduction and other supplementary material in the edition I have in anticipation of this one, which I'm excited about. I have thoroughly enjoyed this reading challenge and have liked all the books that I've read. Two of the books that I read were by authors that I hadn't read before -- Coraline by Neil Gaiman and Transformations by Anne Sexton. Neither of these were books that I would have picked up before this. This is actually the first time that I've successfully completed a challenge. But, I think that the fact that I've discovered new authors and a whole new genre of books that I enjoy is the best part of it all. Thanks, Carl!!

Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith

This book is part of the Canongate Myths Series in which contemporary authors were asked to retell a particular myth in a new way. From the preface, "Myths are universal and timeless stories that reflect and shape our lives -- they explore our desires, our fears, our longings, and provide narratives that remind us what it means to be human." Alexander McCall Smith took the myth of Angus who is a part of the Celtic mythology of Ireland and Scotland and re-imagined him. He tells the story of Angus in a series of short stories going back and forth between the earliest days of Angus to the present day.

Angus is a relatively benevolent god who visits people in their dreams and reveals to them their true love. Everyone who sees Angus loves him. " And as they slept, Angus went round the room, stopping here and there, leaving a dream with this one and that one, generous in his dispensing."

The story entitled, "I Dream of You", tells the story of how Angus finds his own true love. Just as he does for others, his true love comes to him in a dream. This beautiful woman continues to come to him in his dreams, but he can't convince her to stay with him. He refuses to eat or drink and does nothing but sit and think about this woman. Until finally, his father, Dagda, was convinced to send people to seek out this girl before Angus dies from love sickness. They find the girl and take Angus to her village but refuse to let him see her right away. He must first consult her father who initially refuses to allow Angus to take her away. Dagda intervenes once again, and Angus is allowed to have her if she agrees. However, it turns out that she spends a year as a woman and a year as a swan. When Angus approaches, he immediately spots the most beautiful swan on the lake and knows that it's Caer. "Angus stood upon the shore. He stretched out his arms, and they were wings, great swan-wings, white to the pinions; he became a swan. She saw him, turning her neck as swans will do, and he flew to her. Then together they rose above the waters of the lake and circled its shore several times. The sound of their beating wings was the sound of a heartbeat, the sound of blood in the veins, the very sound of life; and they rose, and flew away to the north, to be together, lovers as swans, as man and woman. Angus, giver of dreams and love, now the recipient of both."

I've already ordered another title from the Canongate Myths Series entitled Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. This is a retelling of the myth of Odysseus from the viewpoint of Penelope and her maids.

Once Upon a Time II

Yes, I'm joining another challenge. I know it's kind of like watching a train wreck. I haven't been very successful in the past, but I just can't seem to help myself. They all seem like so much fun. So, I'm joining the Once Upon a Time II challenge hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. It runs from March 21 to June 20 and the rules are:

• Quest One: Read five books from any category or combination of category (myth, folklore, fairy tale and fantasy).
• Quest Two: Read one book from each of the four categories.
• Quest Three: Choose EITHER Quest one OR two AND also read Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

I'm choosing Quest Three in which I'll read five books from any category and A Midsummer Night's Dream on June 20. I'll choose five out of the following:

• The Secret Garden
  
• Dream Angus
• Coraline
• Penelopiad
• Transformations
• Son of a Witch
• Mirror, Mirror
  

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

A friend gave me a nice 'gift' edition of this book several years ago for my birthday. She said it was one of her favorites from childhood. It's one of those books that I somehow missed growing up. I wasn't as avid a reader as I am now, but I did read more than most kids I knew. But, this one slipped through the cracks. I'm so glad my friend gave it to me, and I'm glad I finally pulled it out of the middle of one of the teetering towers of books taking over my house. I loved it. Most of you reading this will have no doubt read this book, but in case there are still those who haven't read it, it's basically a story about two children who are thrown together through a series of circumstances beyond their control. Mary Lennox is a spoiled, willful, 10-year old child living with her parents in India. She's given everything a child could possibly want, except love and affection. She has little contact with her parents and is raised by her Ayah, a nursemaid. The reader learns how Mary came to be the spoiled, unhappy child that she is on the first page of the book.

"Her father had held a position under the English government and had always been busy and ill himself, and her mother had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with carefree people. She had not wanted a little girl at all, and when Mary was born she handed her over to the care of an Ayah, who was made to understand that if she wished to please the Mem Sahib she must keep the child out of sight as much as possible. . . She never remembered seeing familiarly anything but the dark faces of her Ayah and the other native servants, and as they always obeyed her and gave her own way in everything, because the Mem Sahib would be angry if she was disturbed by her crying, by the time she was six years old she was a tyrannical and selfish a little pig as ever lived."

During a terrible cholera outbreak, both her parents are stricken and die suddenly along with many of the servants. The few servants that remain flee to escape the epidemic, and Mary is forgotten and left alone. When she is discovered, it's decided that she'll be sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, England. Mary soon learns from the housekeeper that her uncle and his home are both eerily strange.

" It sounded like something in a book and it did not make Mary feel cheerful. A house with a hundred rooms, nearly all shut up and with their doors locked -- a house on the edge of a moor -- whatsoever a moor was -- sounded dreary. A man with a crooked back who shut himself up also!"

Mary is given two rooms in which she is allowed to live and is told not to go poking around the house. But, Mary soon discovers that there's more to this house than meets the eye. She hears a mysterious cry in the night several times and begins to investigate. She stumbles upon a hidden room in which there is a little boy alone and crying. She soon learns that Mr. Craven has a son who lives a life similar to the one Mary had lived in India. Colin is given anything he wants and knows that the servants must obey his every command, which has made him a very disagreeable little boy. Colin's mother died giving birth to him, and his father hasn't had much of anything to do with his son since. He secretly blames the child for his mother's death and is also afraid that the child will become a hunchback because he's such a sickly, feeble child. Neither Mary nor Colin have ever had a friend, but they find a kinship in their similar circumstances and slowly build a friendship.

Colin is not the only discovery that Mary makes. She stumbles onto a secret garden that has been neglected and locked up for the last ten years (since the death of Mrs. Craven). With the help of a robin, she discovers the hidden key and enters the garden. Mary becomes obsessed with restoring the garden. It's obvious even in its present state, that it was once a very beautiful place with a air of magic. She enlists the help of Dickon, a local village boy with the ability to 'talk' to animals, in helping her bring the garden back to life. The garden begins to work its magic on Mary and Colin and finally plays a role in changing the lives of everyone in the story forever.

This is one of those books that should be read aloud. The language is beautiful. I have no doubt that I'll read this book again at some point. Hopefully to my future grandchildren!