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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
boat_tiger's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I liked it but I kept wanting more after the end of each short story. This is the first book of short stories that I have read of Margaret Atwood's so I am not used to it I guess.
My favorites were "Giving Birth" and "The Resplendent Quetzal". All in all I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it as she is one of my all time favorite authors. I just wish there was more to each story.
A little piece from my favorite story, Giving Birth:
"But who gives it? And to whom is it given? Certainly it doesn't feel like giving, which implies a flow, a gentle handing over, no coercion. But there is scant gentleness here, it's too strenuous, the belly like a knotted fist, squeezing, the heavy trudge of the heart, every muscle in the body tight and moving, as in a slow motion shot of a high-jump, the faceless body sailing up, turning, hanging for a moment in the air, and then--back to real time again--the plunge, the rush down, the result. Maybe the phrase was made by someone viewing the result only: in this case, the rows of babies to whom birth has occurred, lying like neat packages in their expertly wrapped blankets, pink or blue, with their labels scotch-taped to their clear plastic cots, behind the plate glass window.
No one ever says giving death, although they are in some ways the same, events, not things. And delivering, that act the doctor is generally believed to perform: who delivers what? Is it the mother who is delivered, like a prisoner being released? Surely not; nor is the child delivered to the mother like a letter through a slot. How can you be both the sender and the receiver at once? Was someone in bondage, is someone made free? Thus language, muttering in its archaic tongues of something, yet one more thing, that needs to be re-named."
My favorites were "Giving Birth" and "The Resplendent Quetzal". All in all I am glad to have had the opportunity to read it as she is one of my all time favorite authors. I just wish there was more to each story.
A little piece from my favorite story, Giving Birth:
"But who gives it? And to whom is it given? Certainly it doesn't feel like giving, which implies a flow, a gentle handing over, no coercion. But there is scant gentleness here, it's too strenuous, the belly like a knotted fist, squeezing, the heavy trudge of the heart, every muscle in the body tight and moving, as in a slow motion shot of a high-jump, the faceless body sailing up, turning, hanging for a moment in the air, and then--back to real time again--the plunge, the rush down, the result. Maybe the phrase was made by someone viewing the result only: in this case, the rows of babies to whom birth has occurred, lying like neat packages in their expertly wrapped blankets, pink or blue, with their labels scotch-taped to their clear plastic cots, behind the plate glass window.
No one ever says giving death, although they are in some ways the same, events, not things. And delivering, that act the doctor is generally believed to perform: who delivers what? Is it the mother who is delivered, like a prisoner being released? Surely not; nor is the child delivered to the mother like a letter through a slot. How can you be both the sender and the receiver at once? Was someone in bondage, is someone made free? Thus language, muttering in its archaic tongues of something, yet one more thing, that needs to be re-named."
holt_mh's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
calvinrydbom's review against another edition
Quite good-while there were some that were less than stellar, overall it was a very strong collection. Straight ahead tales and those literally swimming in metaphorical reality.
fcdiamond's review against another edition
3.0
An odd collection of short stories, some thoughtful insights into human nature, and others just plain weird. Worth a read if you like short stories.
mdelcastillo's review against another edition
4.0
Una colección de relatos cortos donde los personajes parecen hacer equilibrios sobre el abismo. Atwood plantea historias en el preciso instante antes de la catástrofe sea ésta la infidelidad, la ruptura de la pareja, el brote psicótico, la muerte o incluso un parto.
aubrijoanne's review against another edition
5.0
A fave. I fell in love with Atwood’s writing in Handmaid’s Tale, but was lukewarm about Blind Assassin. These short stories reminded me how witty and powerful she is.
Standouts ~
Standouts ~
samanthahogan35's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
3.0
suisidle's review against another edition
3.0
Ho preso questo libro per la descrizione in copertina. Le storie sono diverse e alcune veramente carine! La Atwood (è il primo libro che leggo suo) ha un modo di scrivere molto aperto e elegante.
Non fatevi ingannare dal titolo!
Non fatevi ingannare dal titolo!
sariscarrasco's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5