A monthly book club organised by The Society of Young Publishers committee in the bustling heart of London. Turn up to a central London venue and share your thoughts on the book of the month… Wile away the hours sipping tea (or cocktails!) and have a good old argument about plot, character, genre and anything else that comes to mind. Each month is a different genre and you can put your favourite book forward for reading via our Twitter feed.
Book: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Genre: Greek Myths and Stories Retold
Synopsis: In Homer’s account in The Odyssey, Penelope – wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy – is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife, her story a salutary lesson through the ages. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan war after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumours, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home after enduring hardships, overcoming monsters and sleeping with goddesses, he kills her suitors and – curiously – twelve of her maids.
In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged Maids, asking: ‘What led to the hanging of the maids, and what was Penelope really up to?’. In Atwood’s’ dazzling, playful retelling, the story becomes as wise and compassionate as it is haunting, and as wildly entertaining as it is disturbing. With wit and verve, drawing on the storytelling and poetic talent for which she herself is renowned, she gives Penelope new life and reality – and sets out to provide an answer to an ancient mystery.
“Now that all the others have run out of air, it’s my turn to do a little story-making.”
If you are planning on attending this month, please RSPV to syp.londonbookclub@gmail.com. This is just to give us an idea of numbers, but please feel free to come along even if you don’t get round to letting us know – all are welcome!