Old Babes in the Wood: New stories from the bestselling, award-winning cultural icon
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- Author：Margaret Atwood
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Summary
A dazzling collection of fifteen short stories from Margaret Atwood， the internationally acclaimed， award-winning author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments。
Margaret Atwood has established herself as one of the most visionary and canonical authors in the world。 This collection of fifteen extraordinary stories--some of which have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine--explore the full warp and weft of experience， speaking to our unique times with Atwood's characteristic insight， wit and intellect。
The two intrepid sisters of the title story grapple with loss and memory on a perfect summer evening; "Impatient Griselda" explores alienation and miscommunication with a fresh twist on a folkloric classic; and "My Evil Mother" touches on the fantastical， examining a mother-daughter relationship in which the mother purports to be a witch。 At the heart of the collection are seven extraordinary stories that follow a married couple across the decades， the moments big and small that make up a long life of uncommon love--and what comes after。
Returning to short fiction for the first time since her 2014 collection Stone Mattress， Atwood showcases both her creativity and her humanity in these remarkable tales which by turns delight， illuminate， and quietly devastate。
Margaret Atwood has established herself as one of the most visionary and canonical authors in the world。 This collection of fifteen extraordinary stories--some of which have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine--explore the full warp and weft of experience， speaking to our unique times with Atwood's characteristic insight， wit and intellect。
The two intrepid sisters of the title story grapple with loss and memory on a perfect summer evening; "Impatient Griselda" explores alienation and miscommunication with a fresh twist on a folkloric classic; and "My Evil Mother" touches on the fantastical， examining a mother-daughter relationship in which the mother purports to be a witch。 At the heart of the collection are seven extraordinary stories that follow a married couple across the decades， the moments big and small that make up a long life of uncommon love--and what comes after。
Returning to short fiction for the first time since her 2014 collection Stone Mattress， Atwood showcases both her creativity and her humanity in these remarkable tales which by turns delight， illuminate， and quietly devastate。
Reviews
Jimgosailing
，
Ok， well I’ve only read Widows* which appeared in The Guardian。 Atwood nails it in this story。 （*And apparently My Evil Mother）“Time has ceased to be linear， with life events and memories in a chronological row like beads on a string。 It’s the strangest feeling， or experience， or rearrangement。“the death scenes。 We are a little obsessive about those: we share them， we revisit them， we edit them， arranging them to make them， perhaps， more tolerable。” “Beetles near the end of their life cycle， sti Ok， well I’ve only read Widows* which appeared in The Guardian。 Atwood nails it in this story。 （*And apparently My Evil Mother）“Time has ceased to be linear， with life events and memories in a chronological row like beads on a string。 It’s the strangest feeling， or experience， or rearrangement。“the death scenes。 We are a little obsessive about those: we share them， we revisit them， we edit them， arranging them to make them， perhaps， more tolerable。” “Beetles near the end of their life cycle， still gamely making their way up the familiar flower stalk。 Where am I and what am I doing here？ the beetle might be wondering。 How long can they go on？ the neighbors muse。 Surely not much longer。” 。。。more
Tina
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Very good stories！ Full review soon！Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for my advance review copy！
Katherine
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Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook advanced copy。 Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors， although thus far I’ve mostly read her novels， not her poetry or essays or short stories。 This collection of short stories circles around the passage of time， memories of loved ones， and pondering what matters and what doesn’t and what makes up a life。 But it’s not all serious。 There’s an interview with a dead author and a story time by an alien。 Atwood has a way of writing believable intriguing Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook advanced copy。 Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors， although thus far I’ve mostly read her novels， not her poetry or essays or short stories。 This collection of short stories circles around the passage of time， memories of loved ones， and pondering what matters and what doesn’t and what makes up a life。 But it’s not all serious。 There’s an interview with a dead author and a story time by an alien。 Atwood has a way of writing believable intriguing characters with only a little bit about them， but they’re still fully formed。 They have depth。 There were several stories in this collection about a couple named Nell and Tig， and you learn both intimate details about them， and not really much at all， but you feel like you know them well。 Writing that way is not an easy thing to do。 I read a few of these each day， and I never knew quite what to expect but I enjoyed the bits and pieces and it made me think。 。。。more
Rosh
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In a Nutshell: A collection of short stories in varied genres by acclaimed Canadian writer Margaret Atwood。 Some work， some don't。I picked up this book not because I am a Margaret Atwood fan but because I am a short story fan。 I have heard plenty of wonderful things about the author’s writing （and I do intend to read her full-length works some day。） So this felt like a good way of getting a glimpse at her writing style。 Did it work？ Not exactly。While the author is the same across the stories， th In a Nutshell: A collection of short stories in varied genres by acclaimed Canadian writer Margaret Atwood。 Some work， some don't。I picked up this book not because I am a Margaret Atwood fan but because I am a short story fan。 I have heard plenty of wonderful things about the author’s writing （and I do intend to read her full-length works some day。） So this felt like a good way of getting a glimpse at her writing style。 Did it work？ Not exactly。While the author is the same across the stories， the genres and the themes are quite different。 You have sci-fi， dystopian， historical， humour， dramatic， and speculative within the same book。 Her writing clicks in a few stories but doesn’t for the others， and this hit-or-miss isn’t genre-specific。 So if you， just like me， plan to give this a try to know Atwood’s writing style， that agenda will not be accomplished。 If， however， you treat it as a regular ‘multi-genre anthology by a single author’， you will like it far better。The fifteen stories in this collection – some new， some published in the past – are divided into three sections。 Section I – Tig & Nell has three stories featuring the titular couple dealing with certain events in their lives。 Section III – Nell & Tig has the same characters but older， and contains four stories about Nell’s life after Tig’s death。 The two central characters are the only common point; there’s nothing else to interlink the stories or make them mutually dependent。 Section III was quite bittersweet， with some truly moving tales。 Section II – My Evil Mother contains seven disparate stories， including the titular ‘My Evil Mother’ that had been a hit with many of my friends last year。 This was the best section of the book for me， as most of the stories featured interesting characters， unusual plots， and a gripping writing style。 Surprisingly， the popular favourite ‘My Evil Mother’ was my least favourite story in this section。 （I have reviewed the story separately HERE。）The lengths of the tales is quite inconsistent， with some being too long to be called ‘short stories’ as they were more like novellas。 Nevertheless， if you go into the book expecting ‘longish’ short tales， you will not be much bothered by the varying word count。As always， I rated the stories individually。 Like in every anthology， some stories were great， other not so much。 Of the fifteen stories， seven stories reached/crossed the four star mark for me， which is not at all a bad hit rate， though I did expect better。 These were my top favourites: From Section I:Morte de Smudgie – 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 - Nell’s poetic ode to her dead cat。 Loved the writing and ending in this one。From Section II:Impatient Griselda - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 – Loved the unexpected narrator of the story， and loved their narrative style even more。Metempsychosis， or， the Journey of the Soul - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 – A snail’s soul somehow latches itself to a human body and tries to get used to this new “shell”。 Is that imaginative or what！ I loved how the title doffed a hat at Kafka’s Metamorphosis， but has the process exactly in reverse。Death by Clamshell - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 – Hypatia speaks to us from the afterlife， wow！！！ The only 5 star story for me。 Brilliant！Other notable mentions were ‘The Dead Interview’， ‘Widows’， and ‘Wooden Box’， each with 4 stars。 As I have never read any Atwood work prior to this， I am not in a position to compare her prowess in full-length fiction with this short work。 But her imagination and range has definitely left me curious to know more。Recommended to Atwood fans， and to those wanting to dabble in Atwood waters before taking the plunge。3。6 stars， based on the average of my ratings for each story。PS: I love how the cover pic works on a dual level， as a partial visage of a cat AND as a bird under a tree。 But I don’t think it suits the anthology well。My thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Old Babes in the Wood”。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book。———————————————Connect with me through: My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter 。。。more
Rather。be。reading1
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 I havent read any short stories from Atwood before so I was interested to see if I would like this compilation or not。 I think individually each one had some good parts to it but as a whole Im not sure if there was a connection。
Alana
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After reading My Evil Mother last year I was very excited for another Atwood collection to come out， and this one did not disappoint！Once again， she takes us away on many thought provoking journeys that linger long after the short story is over。 This book goes straight through the heart， but with that twist of Atwood’s personal cleverness that puts her above the bar。 Two parts of the stories in this book feature a couple who’ve shared many poignant life experiences ，while the rest of the stories After reading My Evil Mother last year I was very excited for another Atwood collection to come out， and this one did not disappoint！Once again， she takes us away on many thought provoking journeys that linger long after the short story is over。 This book goes straight through the heart， but with that twist of Atwood’s personal cleverness that puts her above the bar。 Two parts of the stories in this book feature a couple who’ve shared many poignant life experiences ，while the rest of the stories also share themes of aging， the world changing， and relationship growth to name a few。 All of them left me contemplating certain aspects of life， and sparked interesting conversations in my household。 Mostly， they left me hugging my partner。 Personally， My Evil Mother， and Death by Clamshell were my favourite stories， but The Dead Interview was so brilliant and entertaining it’s worth reading the book for it alone in my opinion。 Thank you to Netgalley， Penguin Random House Canada， and Margaret Atwood for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Katie B
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3。5 stars out of 5Full review coming soon。
Shereadbookblog
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I am not a big fan of short stories， but when I saw this offering by Margaret Atwood， I couldn’t pass it up， both because of the title and the author。 Some of these fifteen stories have previously appeared in periodicals such as The New Yorker。 Topics include friend and family relationships， particularly between husband and wife， sisters， and mothers and daughters， as well as the aging process and all that accompanies it。 The stories are entertaining…。humorous and heartbreaking。 I enjoyed some o I am not a big fan of short stories， but when I saw this offering by Margaret Atwood， I couldn’t pass it up， both because of the title and the author。 Some of these fifteen stories have previously appeared in periodicals such as The New Yorker。 Topics include friend and family relationships， particularly between husband and wife， sisters， and mothers and daughters， as well as the aging process and all that accompanies it。 The stories are entertaining…。humorous and heartbreaking。 I enjoyed some of the stories more than others， finding those that touched on sci fi and fantasy less appealing than those focusing on the aging Nell。 That said， the one story involving a mother who is known to practice witchcraft was quite amusing along with its poignancy and the one in which Atwood uses a medium to interview George Orwell was delightful。 As a woman facing the waning years of life in family， friends， and self， many of Atwood’s stories really resonated with me。 There are some in this collection that I definitely will go back and read again。 This was a five star read and I think it would be a great selection for book clubs。 Thanks to #netgalley and #doubleday for the ARC。 。。。more
Yvonne
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You can read my review in an upcoming issue of The Brooklyn Rail。 :）
Amanda （Smitten For Fiction）
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ARC from Netgalley ♥
Sara
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Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 This is a collection for short stories that tackle a range of topics such as loss， aging， friendship and love and there are a few stories that are just fun。 The book is divided up into three section。 The first and third section are about Nell and Tig， their lives together， and Nell dealing with the loss of Tig。 These were my least favorite stories。 The second section of the book from just fun！ All three of my favorite stories were in this section。 My Ev Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book。 This is a collection for short stories that tackle a range of topics such as loss， aging， friendship and love and there are a few stories that are just fun。 The book is divided up into three section。 The first and third section are about Nell and Tig， their lives together， and Nell dealing with the loss of Tig。 These were my least favorite stories。 The second section of the book from just fun！ All three of my favorite stories were in this section。 My Evil Mother about a daughter who thinks her mother is a witch。 Dead Interview which is Margaret interviewing George Orwell through a medium。 When I first saw this story， I thought that I wouldn't like it but I was wrong。 It was an enjoyable read。 Impatient Griselda was about an alien octopus entertaining humans during quarantine。 This was a delightful story。 Overall I enjoyed the book but did like some stories a lot more than others。 。。。more
Anjali
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Short stories are just not my jam。 That being said， there are some real gems in Atwood's latest collection， as well a few stories that really dragged for me。 This collection contains seven stories about a married couple， Nell and Tig， spanning the decades， and many of those were very elegant and moving， especially the later ones when Nell is an old woman and Tig has passed away。 I also loved "Metempsychosis"， about the soul of a snail who ends up suddenly and unexpectedly in a human woman's body Short stories are just not my jam。 That being said， there are some real gems in Atwood's latest collection， as well a few stories that really dragged for me。 This collection contains seven stories about a married couple， Nell and Tig， spanning the decades， and many of those were very elegant and moving， especially the later ones when Nell is an old woman and Tig has passed away。 I also loved "Metempsychosis"， about the soul of a snail who ends up suddenly and unexpectedly in a human woman's body。 I had previously read "My Evil Mother" when Amazon released it， but that was an enjoyable reread。 It's about a woman whose mother always claimed to be a witch， but the heart of it deals with the complexity and depth of mother-daughter relationships。 Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for a digital review copy。 。。。more
Rhonda Lomazow
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A great collection of stories some funny some heart wrenching。As usual Margaret never fails to draw me in keep me turning the pages always excellent，#netgalley #doubleday。
Sujoya
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Old Babes in the Wood: Stories by Margaret Atwood is a collection of fifteen short stories that feature a variety of themes and genres。 A few of these stories have been published in the past among which are “Impatient Griselda” （featured in The Decameron Project， 2020）， the title story “Old Babes in the Woods （published in New Yorker Magazine， April 2021）， and the short story “My Evil Mother” （Amazon Original Stories， 2022）。Divided into three segments， Parts I and III （a total of seven stories） Old Babes in the Wood: Stories by Margaret Atwood is a collection of fifteen short stories that feature a variety of themes and genres。 A few of these stories have been published in the past among which are “Impatient Griselda” （featured in The Decameron Project， 2020）， the title story “Old Babes in the Woods （published in New Yorker Magazine， April 2021）， and the short story “My Evil Mother” （Amazon Original Stories， 2022）。Divided into three segments， Parts I and III （a total of seven stories） feature Nell and Tig， a married couple with the latter segment focusing on an older Nell as she adjusts to being alone after Tig’s demise。 My ratings for the stories in the first section are as follows:In “First Aid” （3/5）， A domestic mishap triggers Nell’s memories of a time when Nell and Tig were training in First Aid。 Nell expresses skepticism on whether they would have reacted differently had they possessed this knowledge in the different risky situations they encountered in the past。 “Two Scorched Men” （2。5/5） revolves around Nell and Tig’s friendship with John， an Irishman， and Francois， both of whom served in the War and whom they met vacationing in the French countryside while renting John’s home。 In “Morte de Smudgie” （3。5/5）， Nell grieves the loss of their cat Smudgie uniquely， reimagining Tennyson’s “Morte d’Arthur with Smudgie as the central character。While I did enjoy Atwood’s prose and the range of emotions depicted in this section， I wasn’t quite as engaged as I was with subsequent sections。Part II features a collection of stories that vary between dark humor， sci-fi and fantasy and historical fiction。 “My Evil Mother” （5/5） is an ode to complicated mother–daughter relationships， with our teenage protagonist struggling to figure out whether her mother is plain “evil”， practices witchcraft or is just troubled as the years go by。 “The Dead Interview” （5/5） features the author Margaret Atwood in conversation with the late George Orwell with whom she communicates through a friend acting as a medium。 One of my favorites in this collection！ Impatient Griselda （4。5/5） introduces us to an alien （closely resembling an octopus） who is in charge of a group of humans in quarantine， while a plague rages outside。 The alien decides to engage his charges by telling them the story of “an ancient Earth Story”， “Impatient Griselda”。 In “Bad Teeth” （3/5） Two women who have been friends for decades reflect on the ups and downs in their friendship over the years。 “Freeforall” （4/5） takes us into a dystopian future where the population has been ravaged by STDs leading to an increase in the practice of arranged marriages between those deemed to be “pure” facilitated by designated “Houses” led by individuals who are in charge of all procedural formalities relating to the same。 In Metempsychosis （5/5） an unfortunate encounter with exterminator results in a snail’s soul jumping directly from snail to human， inhabiting the body of a female bank employee。 What follows is how this former snail observes and adjusts to its new life。 Airborne: A Symposium （3/5） features a group of aging women， former academics with strong feminist leanings， who meet to discuss a project。 “Death By Clamshell” （5/5）， is the fictional first-person account of ancient mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria as she shares the details of how she was executed in public while also shedding a light on significant events from her life。I thoroughly enjoyed this segment which was characterized by exceptional imaginative storytelling as we have come to expect from the author。 Themes range from pandemics and dystopian futures， magical realism to friendship， feminism and aging。Among the stories in the third section， I found the stories “Widows”（5/5） and “Wooden Box”（5/5） particularly moving the former written in epistolary format wherein Nell is conflicted with how far she should share her true state of mind on being widowed versus writing a perfunctory response to a letter asking after her wellbeing。 “Wooden Box” follows a widowed Nell as she is haunted by memories as she sorts through the house and their belongings。 In “A Dusty Lunch”（3/5）， we get to know more about Tig’s family， his father in particular when Nell unearths letters and papers Tig had inherited from his late father who served in WWII。 “Old Babes in the Wood” （4/5） features Nell and her sister Lizzie as they spend time in their family cabin in the woods surrounded by memories of their youth and the days gone by。Touching upon themes of marriage， family， aging， loss and grief The stories in this section are reflective， insightful， melancholic and nostalgic in tone， emotionally powerful and eloquently penned。Fans of Margaret Atwood would enjoy this collection。 For those who have yet to read anything by this author， this would be a great introduction to her range of storytelling。 Overall， this is an impressive collection of stories that will appeal to readers with varied tastes and preferences。Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this selection of short stories。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own。 This collection is due to be released on March 07， 2023。 。。。more
Gwen
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This is an extremely varied collection of short stories in terms of subject matter， My faves were First Aid， Impatient Griselda， and Metempsychosis。 Well-written and unique！ 5。5/10。Thank you very much to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。
Josh
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I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about this book early on， and now that I’ve finished， I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it even now。 There were quite a few times where I laughed out loud and just a few times where I rolled my eyes， but what struck me the most is how emotional I was by the end of the book。 There is a heartbreak underlying a few of the stories towards the end that is almost palpable。 I expect this short story collection to receive good reviews and I am definitely comfortable I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about this book early on， and now that I’ve finished， I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it even now。 There were quite a few times where I laughed out loud and just a few times where I rolled my eyes， but what struck me the most is how emotional I was by the end of the book。 There is a heartbreak underlying a few of the stories towards the end that is almost palpable。 I expect this short story collection to receive good reviews and I am definitely comfortable giving it a generally favorable Review myself。 There are times in this collection where you see Atwood at her finest， but even Atwood pretty good is still really good。 And this collection is really good。ARC provided pending positive review （j/k， ARC provided for honest review， and I honestly enjoyed it）。 。。。more
Rhiannon Johnson
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。“Old Babes in the Wood” first appeared in The New Yorker （April 19， 2021） and "My Evil Mother" was released as an Amazon Original Story （April 1， 2022。） This collection features each of those stories and several others， some independent and some linked。 Ranging from an alien helping quarantined groups pass the time to wise-cracking old women joking about breast implants， these stories are kooky， smart， and sharp-t I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。“Old Babes in the Wood” first appeared in The New Yorker （April 19， 2021） and "My Evil Mother" was released as an Amazon Original Story （April 1， 2022。） This collection features each of those stories and several others， some independent and some linked。 Ranging from an alien helping quarantined groups pass the time to wise-cracking old women joking about breast implants， these stories are kooky， smart， and sharp-tongued。 Atwood's writing is extensive （fiction， nonfiction， graphic novel， children's novels， anthologies， short stories， etc etc etc） and I've barely made a dent in reading her work。 In addition to this short story collection and her Dearly poetry collection， my reading has mainly focused on her novels。 Come chat with me about books here， too: Blog | Instagram 。。。more
Lauren
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Thanks to NetGalley for this early copy to Margaret Atwood’s short story collection。 It’s hard to review because some stories I sped through and loved while others too longer。 I’ve read one story previously and enjoyed it even more the second time around。 One entire section is dedicated to a couple and snippets of their journey together。 That section was probably my most favorite。 The characters are very human and at some times there’s a glimpse of what we read in Handmaid’s Tale。 Some are futur Thanks to NetGalley for this early copy to Margaret Atwood’s short story collection。 It’s hard to review because some stories I sped through and loved while others too longer。 I’ve read one story previously and enjoyed it even more the second time around。 One entire section is dedicated to a couple and snippets of their journey together。 That section was probably my most favorite。 The characters are very human and at some times there’s a glimpse of what we read in Handmaid’s Tale。 Some are futuristic while more will bring out any number of emotions。 Overall， a good read。 。。。more
Sarah
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As with any collection of short stories， you are sure to receive a mixed bag with some that you love， and some that fall short of the mark。 What was interesting about this collection is that the first and third sections focus on a pair of characters。 The second acts as an interlude， a cadre of stories both thought-provoking and humorous by turns。 The first and the third section are more meditative， and perhaps it is a way for Atwood to process her own grief at the loss of Graeme Gibson。 Slowly， As with any collection of short stories， you are sure to receive a mixed bag with some that you love， and some that fall short of the mark。 What was interesting about this collection is that the first and third sections focus on a pair of characters。 The second acts as an interlude， a cadre of stories both thought-provoking and humorous by turns。 The first and the third section are more meditative， and perhaps it is a way for Atwood to process her own grief at the loss of Graeme Gibson。 Slowly， little moments in the life Nell and Tig had are reflected upon as Nell processes the loss of Tig。 We glimpse her current life in fragments， moments in time that are snatched out and held up for our inspection in these different short stories。 Overall， I found it an interesting collection， both bittersweet and tender in their telling。 I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC。 In exchange， I have provided an honest review。 。。。more
LS
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I read some authors because they know how to fabricate a complicated plot。 I read other writers because they are great at character development。 But Margaret Atwood falls into a third category for me: She is brilliant with language。 Every word matters in this collection of short stories。 These stories run the gamut of genres， including comedy， suspense， and science fiction。 One of the strangest of the stories is about a woman who was （or thinks she was） a snail in her previous carnation and has I read some authors because they know how to fabricate a complicated plot。 I read other writers because they are great at character development。 But Margaret Atwood falls into a third category for me: She is brilliant with language。 Every word matters in this collection of short stories。 These stories run the gamut of genres， including comedy， suspense， and science fiction。 One of the strangest of the stories is about a woman who was （or thinks she was） a snail in her previous carnation and has now been thrust into the life of a human。 It was the reverse of Kafka's "The Metamorphosis。" The last tales in the collection are about Neal and Big， an elderly couple confronting their mortality。 One thing is certain--aging hasn't dulled Atwood's wit。While I prefer longer fiction， I enjoyed spending time in Atwood's world once again。 Her sense of humor and sharp eye for detail are unparalleled。 She's one Canada's most important authors， living or deceased。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my opinions。 。。。more
Tina
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A collection of short stories by Margaret Atwood。 I enjoyed most the stories。 There were a few that I was meh about but I think that is typical in collections。 A lot of the stories focused on loss and grief， I felt the stories came from a place of personal experience and Atwood was exploring her own emotions。 There was an intimacy to the writing。 Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy。
Bandit
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This was a rather unusual collection。 It is bookended by short stories of a long-time married couple and stories adjacent to them， quite discursive in fact， and it took me a moment to get into。 But then in the middle， there are these terrific completely random tales of fantasy and whim and science fiction and magic and sheer amusement and delight; be in a tale of a fictional interview conducted with Orwell through a medium or a story of a snail who gets reincarnated into a body of a woman。 So im This was a rather unusual collection。 It is bookended by short stories of a long-time married couple and stories adjacent to them， quite discursive in fact， and it took me a moment to get into。 But then in the middle， there are these terrific completely random tales of fantasy and whim and science fiction and magic and sheer amusement and delight; be in a tale of a fictional interview conducted with Orwell through a medium or a story of a snail who gets reincarnated into a body of a woman。 So imaginative， so clever， so funny。The middle of the book I loved unconditionally， the rest took some getting used to， but overall， this is a fine display of an author at the top of her game contemplating the world and old age。 What changes， what stays， what’s it like to love and build and share a life for a very long time。 And the way one can still stay bewildered by the world at an old age， still be the proverbial babe in the woods。An absolutely terrific collection。 Recommended。 Thanks Netgalley。 。。。more
Janelle Janson
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THIS IS SO GOOD。 Review to come！
Sara Planz
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Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors and I have a special love for her short fiction collections。 Her creativity， humor and wit comes through in this latest collection of 15 extraordinary tales， "Old Babes in the Wood”。 This book features stories like "My Evil Mother" and my personal favorite， "The Dead Interview"， where Atwood "interviews" George Orwell via a spiritual medium。 "Impatient Griselda" is a pandemic story featuring an octopus shaped alien telling a fairy tale to its human a Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors and I have a special love for her short fiction collections。 Her creativity， humor and wit comes through in this latest collection of 15 extraordinary tales， "Old Babes in the Wood”。 This book features stories like "My Evil Mother" and my personal favorite， "The Dead Interview"， where Atwood "interviews" George Orwell via a spiritual medium。 "Impatient Griselda" is a pandemic story featuring an octopus shaped alien telling a fairy tale to its human audience in a quarantine room。 With this variety of stories， Atwood shows her ability to explore different genres with her incredibly engaging writing style。 Thought provoking， emotional， and often downright funny， "Old Babes in the Wood” will be a collection I return to again and again。 。。。more
Cari Allen
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I was thrilled to be able to read this latest collection of short stories by the impeccably talented Margaret Atwood。 As my own mother and mother-in-law are aging and I am starting to feel seen less and less， the biggest complaint I hear from them is that women， as we get older， become invisible。 In the publishing industry， aging， post-menopausal women are certainly an ignored character demographic - mirroring that reality that so many experience。 Atwood， however， gives powerful， thought provoki I was thrilled to be able to read this latest collection of short stories by the impeccably talented Margaret Atwood。 As my own mother and mother-in-law are aging and I am starting to feel seen less and less， the biggest complaint I hear from them is that women， as we get older， become invisible。 In the publishing industry， aging， post-menopausal women are certainly an ignored character demographic - mirroring that reality that so many experience。 Atwood， however， gives powerful， thought provoking voices to these ignored women。 Covering everything from long term loves， motherhood， friendship， and the eventual loss of those things， Old Babes in the Wood is a journey through womanhood。 Extremely well written and highly recommended for fans of Atwood’s short stories and those who seek out out voices that are frequently ignored or left out。 Huge thank you to NetGalley， Doubleday， and Margaret Atwood for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cari Allen
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I was thrilled to be able to read this latest collection of short stories by the impeccably talented Margaret Atwood。 As my own mother and mother-in-law are aging and I am starting to feel seen less and less， the biggest complaint I hear from them is that women， as we get older， become invisible。 In the publishing industry， aging， post-menopausal women are certainly an ignored character demographic - mirroring that reality that so many experience。 Atwood， however， gives powerful， thought provoki I was thrilled to be able to read this latest collection of short stories by the impeccably talented Margaret Atwood。 As my own mother and mother-in-law are aging and I am starting to feel seen less and less， the biggest complaint I hear from them is that women， as we get older， become invisible。 In the publishing industry， aging， post-menopausal women are certainly an ignored character demographic - mirroring that reality that so many experience。 Atwood， however， gives powerful， thought provoking voices to these ignored women。 Covering everything from long term loves， motherhood， friendship， and the eventual loss of those things， Old Babes in the Wood is a journey through womanhood。 Extremely well written and highly recommended for fans of Atwood’s short stories and those who seek out out voices that are frequently ignored or left out。 Huge thank you to NetGalley， Doubleday， and Margaret Atwood for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
nukie19
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This is a wonderful collection of stories from Atwood - just be aware that some of these have been published elsewhere so all them might not be new for readers who pick up lots of her works。 My favorite was probably "My Evil Mother" but the ongoing series of vignettes with Tig and Nell were soothing as well。 Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。 This is a wonderful collection of stories from Atwood - just be aware that some of these have been published elsewhere so all them might not be new for readers who pick up lots of her works。 My favorite was probably "My Evil Mother" but the ongoing series of vignettes with Tig and Nell were soothing as well。 Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ellen
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Atwood’s new set of short stories is formatted with a core of somewhat fantastical pieces sandwiched by 2 larger sections in which a woman recalls her long life with her husband and how she copes with his death。 I still am not sure why she uses this format and deliberately breaks up Tig and Nell’s tale。 The stories in the middle section were very different， showcase Atwood’s genius at looking at the subject matter with fresh， creative eyes， and， frankly， were more to my taste。“The Impatient Gris Atwood’s new set of short stories is formatted with a core of somewhat fantastical pieces sandwiched by 2 larger sections in which a woman recalls her long life with her husband and how she copes with his death。 I still am not sure why she uses this format and deliberately breaks up Tig and Nell’s tale。 The stories in the middle section were very different， showcase Atwood’s genius at looking at the subject matter with fresh， creative eyes， and， frankly， were more to my taste。“The Impatient Griselda，” for example， reimagines the old folk tale by having it told by an alien being trying to entertain a group of people who are quarantined by a pandemic。 In “death by clamshell，” Hypatia of Alexandria tells the story of her death to all of the scholars over the years who wondered what really happened to her （spoiler alert， it’s not pretty， but since Hypatia is dead she doesn’t see what all the fuss is about）。 My favorite story has Atwood herself interviewing a very condescending George Orwell via a medium。 “The dead interview” is the most overtly personal of these stories， but Atwood can be found throughout- whether it be a sly reference to her current celebrity or the pain of getting used to the absence of a life partner。 That in itself makes this collection worth reading。 。。。more
Paul
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Unlike many， I'm not a huge Atwood fan。 but I like short stories so I gave this a go。 It's pretty good overall， not great。 Atwood obviously has talent， so maybe it's me。 There's a nice variety and I liked some of the stories。 Thanks very much for the free ARC for review！！ Unlike many， I'm not a huge Atwood fan。 but I like short stories so I gave this a go。 It's pretty good overall， not great。 Atwood obviously has talent， so maybe it's me。 There's a nice variety and I liked some of the stories。 Thanks very much for the free ARC for review！！ 。。。more
Melissa Hayes
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