A review by tasharobinson
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood

3.0

The strongest of the early Atwood books I've read so far, this book is beautifully written and full of fascinating stories and insight into the protagonist's psyche, it just doesn't hold together much as an individual story. It lurches around in the present-day segments but is much more leisurely in the past, so that the lead character's backstory seems more real than her present — especially since people in her past are so well-defined, while people in the present are vague blurs and fears. The whole thing sometime seems like a bunch of tangentially related, interesting short stories more than a description of one person's life. Very readable, very thoughtful, and recommended, but Atwood's done much stronger work.