For Penelope, wife of Odysseus, maintaining a kingdom while her husband was off fighting the Trojan War was not an easy task. Already aggreived that he had been lured away due to the shocking behavior of her beautiful cousin Helen, Penelope must bring up her wayward son, face down scandalous rumors, and keep more than a hundred lustful, greedy, and bloodthirsty suitors at bay.

And then, when Odysseus finally returns and slaughters the murderous suitors, he brutally hangs Penelope's twelve beloved maids. What were his motives? And what was Penelope herself really up to? Margaret Atwood has given Penelope a realistic and witty voice to tell her own story and set the record straight for good.