Review - Daughter of Necessity

Daughter of Necessity
by Marie Brennan
Date: 2014
Publisher: Tor
Reading level: A
Book type: short story
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: Tor.com

By day she crafts; by night she unmakes. Surely somewhere, in all the myriad crossings of the threads, there is a future in which all will be well. Marie Brennan offers an intriguing new spin on a classic tale.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a case of "it's not you, it's me". There was really nothing wrong with this story. I just wasn't crazy about the style (it's very detached) and I didn't find the characters that engaging.

It's basically a short take on Penelope (wife of Odysseus) and what she was up to with that loom while she was waiting for her husband to return. Here, we're offered an alternate explanation as to why she was undoing her weaving every night (and it wasn't just to stall).

If you're really into myths and old stories, or have actually read The Odyssey, you might get more out of this one. For me, though, it was just okay.

Quotable moment:

She retires for the night, trembling, exhausted. Frightened. And exhilarated. When morning comes, all is as it was before, her problems unchanged, her desperation the same. Gathering her courage, she goes back to the loom.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing & Editing: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall Rating: 2.71 out of 5 ladybugs