Odysseus

I wonder what Odysseus' mother was doing and how she appeared  as a ghost. Maybe Homer wanted us to leave the book with our heads full of thoughts about Penelope, the suitors, Polyphemus and maybe even Tiresias.  After the story Odysseus might have insisted to Penelope that he went to the last place he had to go on the adventure, the place where men do not know the sea.  I find myself wondering what it would have felt like for Odysseus to see his mother as a ghost, maybe shocking or upsetting.

Maybe after the story Odysseus has another adventure. Why didn't Odysseus reveal himself  to the people of Ithaca straight away?  Why did Athene tell him to go to the swineherd's shed in the shape of an old beggar?  

This book inspired me to read more books of Greek mythology because it was a brilliant book.  When Odysseus' dog died the moment he saw it for the first time in nineteen years, I felt moved. 

I liked the part where Odysseus sees his beautiful island, Ithaca, again.  I'm not too keen to read the part about the Cyclops again.  If I were Penelope I would have done the same the she did, check it was Odysseus not just one of the suitors in disguise ,trying to win her hand in marriage. When we finished reading the book I wanted it to carry on, telling us whether Telemachus would have to fight for ten years or if it really was a happy ending.