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frombethanysbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
• Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories?
• How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?
• How can we live on our planet?
• Is it true? And is it fair?
• What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?
These important questions are just a few of the over fifty subjects that Atwood dives into in this eclectic collection of essays and miscellaneous writing that spans nearly two decades. With Atwoods ICONIC wit and storytelling, she's cultivated a collection that is not only immensely entertaining, but thought provoking and wise at the same time. Of course with such a vast array of subjects, this is definitely the type of book you can easily dip in and out of, and you may not find every piece to be of interest, but overall I can say I enjoyed reading the entire collection. It's organised chronologically from 2004-2021, as opposed to by subject matters/similarities.
• How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?
• How can we live on our planet?
• Is it true? And is it fair?
• What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism?
These important questions are just a few of the over fifty subjects that Atwood dives into in this eclectic collection of essays and miscellaneous writing that spans nearly two decades. With Atwoods ICONIC wit and storytelling, she's cultivated a collection that is not only immensely entertaining, but thought provoking and wise at the same time. Of course with such a vast array of subjects, this is definitely the type of book you can easily dip in and out of, and you may not find every piece to be of interest, but overall I can say I enjoyed reading the entire collection. It's organised chronologically from 2004-2021, as opposed to by subject matters/similarities.
j_m_alexander's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.5
I am fairly certain in the past I have uttered the phrase "I would read Margaret Atwood's grocery list", because while there is a bit of variability in her writing, it's always interesting. This collection has taught me a lesson that I should have known all along - not everything needs to be published, or at least not everything published need be read by me, not even everything written by a favorite author.
There are a handful of excellent essays and some very informative pieces, as well as some laughs throughout but there is also a fair amount of repetition and a good number of introductions she was asked to write for other authors - again, some were very interesting, others less so. I think this collection would be enjoyed more by those that are very widely read (more so than I am) and enjoy reading literary criticism - I don't think I have the proper foundation to fully appreciate some of what is collected here.
There are a handful of excellent essays and some very informative pieces, as well as some laughs throughout but there is also a fair amount of repetition and a good number of introductions she was asked to write for other authors - again, some were very interesting, others less so. I think this collection would be enjoyed more by those that are very widely read (more so than I am) and enjoy reading literary criticism - I don't think I have the proper foundation to fully appreciate some of what is collected here.
reneerianne's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
It nearly took me a year to get through this, but I'm really glad I took my time with it so that some of the pieces could really sink in! I do think that it could have been a little shorter (I skipped over some of the book reviews of books I did not know), and there was some repetition between the pieces sometimes. However, I also really enjoyed reading these pieces that Atwood wrote for different occasions and contexts in chronological order as it gave insight into how her thoughts developed and what she was thinking about at the time. If you're an Atwood fan like me, I think you'd enjoy this, but if you come seeking answers to the questions posited on the back of the book, I'm afraid you might perhaps be a little disappointed.
Pieces I particularly enjoyed and will likely be revisiting:
- Scientific Romancing (2004)
- The Futures Market (2013)
- Why I Wrote MaddAddam (2013)
- How to Change the World? (2013)
- Reflections on The Handmaid's Tale (2015)
- We Are Double-Plus Unfree (2015)
Pieces I particularly enjoyed and will likely be revisiting:
- Scientific Romancing (2004)
- The Futures Market (2013)
- Why I Wrote MaddAddam (2013)
- How to Change the World? (2013)
- Reflections on The Handmaid's Tale (2015)
- We Are Double-Plus Unfree (2015)
bkish's review against another edition
5.0
She is so relevant now
This is a compilation of her various prestation talks thruout this century
She is wise kind cautious in balance and a breat writer
Read this
Judy g
This is a compilation of her various prestation talks thruout this century
She is wise kind cautious in balance and a breat writer
Read this
Judy g
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
4.0
What a fiendishly clever set of essays. From prescient examinations of the political climate and manoeuvrings, to intensely personal perspectives on grief and ageing, this collection worked for me on so many levels. It also reminded me how much I miss studying plays and poetry, reading Atwood’s passionate essays on other writers was inspiring.
amethyst_hearts_books's review against another edition
3.0
I skipped over the ones where I had no idea who the book/author was.
book_cwtch's review against another edition
Not what I expected. Her writing is excellent but I expected more than a collection of book reviews, which is my bad because it clearly says that on the cover.