I read this about a year ago, but yesterday I had the chance to see it being performed live at the Fringe festival in Edinburgh by the very young company Cambridge Shortlegs, so I decided I should write a few words about it. 
 For me to rate an Atwood's book with only three stars is an extremely rare occasion. It's not that it's not good, or that it doesn't fulfil its retelling purposes. It clearly grants a voice to those who weren't given one in the original myth. But the way it does so is so in your face that it lacks Atwood's natural charm for subtle criticism. Although, her dark humour is there alright. It's the text's saving grace and what makes it undoubtedly Atwoodian. 
 The performance was incredibly good, I'd say. The scene when (view spoiler)[the maids are raped (hide spoiler)] was very impressive and visual. Cambridge Shortlegs clearly does not shy away from the hard scenes. It was refreshing. I think I'd rather recommend seeing The Penelopiad being performed rather than reading it. It just gains a new dimension that certainly favours the directness and sarcasm present in the text.