Reviews

Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood

Only show reviews with written explanations

vmunro's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

These short stories really cover a huge range from being ridiculous and fun, to heartbreaking descriptions of grief. It took me a little while to get into this book at first, and I wasn’t keen on all of the stories. However most were enjoyable, and there were plenty of thought-provoking moments that I am sure will stay with me. I found I had a new perspective of the book upon finishing, and I would definitely like to reread it.

kyra_c_c's review

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5.0

I was skeptical about whether I would enjoy these stories, but they were delightful, moving and addictive. Not every story was 5* (for me, anyway. I can do without reading an indepth description of the 1st Canadian troops movement in WW2) but I kept thinking about the book and when I would have time to read the next one! The highlights for me were Morte de Smudgie, My Evil Mother, The Dead Interview and Metempsychosis: or, The Journey Of The Soul. I have never read a collection of short stories that have recurring characters like Nell and Tig and I found Atwoods description of grief very touching.

kerriboland's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Go to sleep. In the morning it will just be marmalade.

What a line. What a truth.

Read this because Canadian literary royalty is coming to Denman in a few weeks and I feel all the things. Don’t always love Margaret but always respect her, what she says and believes and how she lives.

The stories about Nell and Tig at the end of the book (“Wooden Box”, “Widows”, etc) are brilliant and so full of grief. They speak so honestly about living longer than loved ones. I love the line about how we have yet to come up with a gender neutral term for someone who has lost their loved one. Brilliant.

Some of the stories in the middle weren’t for me and didn’t feel like they fit the rest of the book… but it sure ended on a high note. Can’t wait to meet her. Swoon.

Also, in terms of whether the characters are diverse, one is a snail. And a human. A human snail, fond of their own tongue. So ya, that counts as diverse in my book.

ejthomas's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ammcnamara's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Classic Atwood form. Still has the ability to craft devastating sentences that I read a few times to savor. The only miss for me was the Orwell piece. I really enjoyed stories about older women still living their full and rich lives