By Margaret Atwood.
This is a collection of "short stories" (more like prose pieces, though sometimes like poems), some previously published, some new to our eyes!
Like the Bill Bryson book I am concurrently reading, the snippets are quite short indeed, usually no more than 3 or 4 (small) pages each.
The titles are spicy and enticing...
"Our Cat Enters Heaven", "Salome Was a Dancer", "Three Novels I Won't Write Soon", to name but 3...
and those are just the titles!
This is the first time I've read a book by Margaret Atwood.
It certainly won't be the last!
How can I describe her writing?
Clear, sharp, incisive, humorous, scary, and original!
I kept telling Sophie she had to read this, but I have to admit some of the writings are a bit...adult?...
In some ways like Bryson, but definitely more poetic and concentrated (and darker...)
I strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to take a risk or two in their reading (let alone writing).
Bring on "The Year of the Flood"!
G.
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Hey Gerald -- I can highly recommend 'The Handmaid's Tale' -- I think it's the best of hers that I've read. Not a comfortable read, but certainly a gripping one.
ReplyDeleteSorry I've not been a good blogger -- we were overseas for 5 weeks, but I tried to follow what was going on for you ... decreasing cancer counts (YES!), the final round of chemo (a relief? and yet also a sense of trepidation in flying solo?), a determination to revel in life to the full ... you put the rest of us to shame. I loved the blog about the fragrance: thank you for sharing it. Your experience with Labtests is all too common -- another friend of mine had to go to chemo early a couple of weeks ago because LT had lost her blood test; and 2 other friends have had nasty experiences with worrying blood test results that have not been able to be duplicated. One of them said to me that he would be willing to pay for Medlab to do his blood tests if it meant not having to go through the stress of that again. May you be spared any further hassles from that quarter ...
Arohanui -- Deirdre
Deirdre, congratulations on being the first person in quite a while to respond to a book review!
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great time in the Old Country!
Good to have you back in NZ.
You have indeed read my feelings - hope and trepidation (see "Tethered and Untethered").
My nurse friend Maria wrote to the Herald (published letter this week)...the whole phlebotomy situation is literally tragic, and I shake my metaphorical fist at ADHB.
Still, life goes on!
G.