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kattheloremistress's review against another edition
4.0
So I'm just going to come out and say it - before this book, I had NEVER read anything by Margaret Atwood. Please don't throw things at me. But, being a Feminist and hearing so many great things about Atwood's style as well as her strong writing on gender roles, I really thought I ought to try her work out. I have been eyeing up her short story collections for a while, a good as place as any to start in order to get a feel for her work, and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed for the most part. Atwood's writing is like poetry but with a purpose, relatable in many ways and carrying a strong message in it's imagery. Atwood certainly seems to be fond of taking well known stories and character archetypes and turning them on their head, something I love to read! She provides a different perspective in a very straight forward, thought-provoking way.
There are so many great stories and pieces of poetry to delve into, and this would definitely be a great book for the casual reader that likes to pick something short up to ponder on every so often. I'm fond of Fairy Tales, Classic literature and of course Shakespeare so stories like 'The Little Red Hen Tells All' (from the perspective of a very disgruntled hen telling her version of the classic children's tale), 'Gertrude Talks Back' (Hamlet's Mother telling her spoilt son to get off his high horse), 'There Was Once' (a modern, thoughtful way of dissecting a fairy tale), and 'Unpopular Gals' (the Ugly Step Sister, Wicked Witch and Evil Step Mother have something to say) were just a few of these great re-imaginings of the original stories we hear so often in our lives. I loved the stories that looked at everyday things in our society and analysed them to the point where they seemed bizarre and almost alien, 'Alien Territory', 'Cold-Blooded' and 'Homelanding' were great examples of this. Atwood dealt with so many different, interesting topics that looked at the bare bones of humanity, gender, war, biology, and class.
There were some stories that didn't appeal to me so much - 'An Angel', 'In Love With Raymond Chandler', 'Dance With The Lepers' and 'Bad News' were a few of them. They dealt with their themes appropriately but I just didn't connect with them in the same way that I connected with other stories in the book. I often found myself completely hooked on one story, then skimming over the next, and that's probably due to the varied topics in this collection. I liked it overall, because of Atwood's writing skill, the detailed character profiles and the chosen presentation of a short story collection with a dash of poetry. The mix of good and uninteresting was a little bizarre at times, but there is certainly a story in here for everyone. I'll definitely be revisiting Atwood's work, particularly to read more of these collections!
There are so many great stories and pieces of poetry to delve into, and this would definitely be a great book for the casual reader that likes to pick something short up to ponder on every so often. I'm fond of Fairy Tales, Classic literature and of course Shakespeare so stories like 'The Little Red Hen Tells All' (from the perspective of a very disgruntled hen telling her version of the classic children's tale), 'Gertrude Talks Back' (Hamlet's Mother telling her spoilt son to get off his high horse), 'There Was Once' (a modern, thoughtful way of dissecting a fairy tale), and 'Unpopular Gals' (the Ugly Step Sister, Wicked Witch and Evil Step Mother have something to say) were just a few of these great re-imaginings of the original stories we hear so often in our lives. I loved the stories that looked at everyday things in our society and analysed them to the point where they seemed bizarre and almost alien, 'Alien Territory', 'Cold-Blooded' and 'Homelanding' were great examples of this. Atwood dealt with so many different, interesting topics that looked at the bare bones of humanity, gender, war, biology, and class.
There were some stories that didn't appeal to me so much - 'An Angel', 'In Love With Raymond Chandler', 'Dance With The Lepers' and 'Bad News' were a few of them. They dealt with their themes appropriately but I just didn't connect with them in the same way that I connected with other stories in the book. I often found myself completely hooked on one story, then skimming over the next, and that's probably due to the varied topics in this collection. I liked it overall, because of Atwood's writing skill, the detailed character profiles and the chosen presentation of a short story collection with a dash of poetry. The mix of good and uninteresting was a little bizarre at times, but there is certainly a story in here for everyone. I'll definitely be revisiting Atwood's work, particularly to read more of these collections!
pankajmehra's review against another edition
5.0
Atwood is very insightful and creates wonderful imagery by her witty choice of words to address a range of subjects from feminism, ecology to mythical narratives and our own mortality.
About time for me to get introduced to this Canadian icon!
About time for me to get introduced to this Canadian icon!
kris_mccracken's review against another edition
2.0
Like a lot of short story collections, this one is uneven. When good, it's pretty good. When not, well, meh.
veronicafrance's review against another edition
3.0
A great writer and poet playing around with words and ideas in pieces most of which are just a couple of pages long. Uneven, best enjoyed in small doses.
jjwhiting's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0