I’ve read the entire Penelope series by Claire North.
Feminist, comic, engaging, and insightful, the retelling of Penelope focuses on her queenhood on Ithaca and female solidarity.
This final book focuses on the climax of the story and the complex emotions and chain of events triggered by Odysseus coming home. I love the ambiguity of the king coming home to an island that has functioned without him. There’s a cathartic element to everything coming to a head.
A very interesting take on this oft told tale! Shout-out to the wonderful character of Laertes, Odysseus’s eccentric father who lives in a palace/pig farm. Penelope is always great as a controlled and complex woman. Her fraught relationship with Telemachus feels very psychologically true.
Highly recommend this series for lovers of retellings of Greek mythology.
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