This is more like a 3.75 because things got laid on a bit thickly at the end, but I really did enjoy it, sometimes lots. It didn't really have the jaw-drop quality of a 5-star, and I didn't really like the shuffle of satirical styles with the maids' interludes. Penelope's narration was wonderful, though, and I liked the parts in Hades and I loved the easy and precise language. The chapter titles are great. "Helen Ruins My Life" is a keeper.

When this myths series started a few years ago, I was all excited, because that's pretty much exactly my alley. Retellings of these elaborate stories in modern styles are necessary because not everyone is up for Homeric translation, but some of us really do appreciate details like Odysseus's faithful dog, as well as language that's allowed to be more frank than classical poems, or artful in different ways.

Unfortunately I couldn't get through Jeanette Winterson's book at the time, and though I also had this one, I didn't try til now. A mistake! I should read more of these, and also I should read more Atwood.