the_caitlin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
gorecki's review against another edition
4.0
Goldfrapp have a song titled “Lovely Head” that goes like this:
“Frankenstein would want your mind,
your lovely head. Your lovely head.”
And this is very much true in my case if I were Frankenstein and the song were written about Margaret Atwood.
There are people who inspire you just by being there. Atwood is one such person for me. Her serene presence, the calmness around her when she’s on a stage, or in front of a camera, or scribbled across a page. There’s something in her calmness that recharges me. True, she’s written a couple of books towards which I’m quite indifferent and a couple that I actually hated, but she’s also written some of the most incredible novels I’ve ever read. But when it comes to her non-fiction, that’s a whole other story.
I think Atwood’s non-fiction really gives us a sense of who she is as a person, her personality shines through it - what preoccupies her, what inspires her. She doesn’t teach or preach - she shares her views and thoughts so you can draw your own conclusions. And most importantly: she is consistent. Having read two of her three essay and occasional writing collections, her earliest and her latest one, I have seen the repetitions and they have never diverged. She doesn’t change her mind to suit her audience. She’s been called a prophet for predicting things in her fiction that end up being reality, but I think that by being so consistent in her thinking over the 60 years of her writing career, she’s just proving that history repeats itself. Having seen something once, means you will probably see it again later in some form, in some place.
Moderation is another thing that comes to mind when I think of Atwood. The way she differentiates between calling someone a witch, a witch hunt, and the structure of the Salem witch trials. Her inability to rush into rash decisions and condemnations that do not have a solid ground.
I would love to have Atwood’s mind. But since I don’t, it’ll have to be enough for me to turn her into my religion and follow her teachings as a bible. At least her version of the world is just, inclusive and based on facts.
“Frankenstein would want your mind,
your lovely head. Your lovely head.”
And this is very much true in my case if I were Frankenstein and the song were written about Margaret Atwood.
There are people who inspire you just by being there. Atwood is one such person for me. Her serene presence, the calmness around her when she’s on a stage, or in front of a camera, or scribbled across a page. There’s something in her calmness that recharges me. True, she’s written a couple of books towards which I’m quite indifferent and a couple that I actually hated, but she’s also written some of the most incredible novels I’ve ever read. But when it comes to her non-fiction, that’s a whole other story.
I think Atwood’s non-fiction really gives us a sense of who she is as a person, her personality shines through it - what preoccupies her, what inspires her. She doesn’t teach or preach - she shares her views and thoughts so you can draw your own conclusions. And most importantly: she is consistent. Having read two of her three essay and occasional writing collections, her earliest and her latest one, I have seen the repetitions and they have never diverged. She doesn’t change her mind to suit her audience. She’s been called a prophet for predicting things in her fiction that end up being reality, but I think that by being so consistent in her thinking over the 60 years of her writing career, she’s just proving that history repeats itself. Having seen something once, means you will probably see it again later in some form, in some place.
Moderation is another thing that comes to mind when I think of Atwood. The way she differentiates between calling someone a witch, a witch hunt, and the structure of the Salem witch trials. Her inability to rush into rash decisions and condemnations that do not have a solid ground.
I would love to have Atwood’s mind. But since I don’t, it’ll have to be enough for me to turn her into my religion and follow her teachings as a bible. At least her version of the world is just, inclusive and based on facts.
bexwillson's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
She is my queen!
kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House UK for providing me with an ARC of this excellent essay collection. Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite voices in non-fiction and it was a real treat to get to experience nearly twenty years worth of her non-fiction essays on topics as diverse as climate change, debt, feminism, the art of storytelling, conservation and grief. No matter the subject, Atwood has something intelligent, nuanced and prescient to say and this collection is an absolute gift to fans and a wonderful entry point for those looking to know more about one of the greatest living authors of our time (as she explicitly clarifies, she's not dead yet!).
rasha_reads's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up more out of curiosity than anything else but I was glad that I did. Through these essays, she covers a number of topics some of which I found more interesting than others but I was stunned by her range of knowledge and her turn of phrase that it kept me engaged and thinking.
My favourite? “Greeting Earthlings! What are these human rights of which you speak?”
My favourite? “Greeting Earthlings! What are these human rights of which you speak?”
menniemenace's review against another edition
5.0
I had a really bad time. I stopped reading, watching anything, going out, and doing anything fun.
This book was my only indulgence for over 20 days, and I loved every minute of it.
This book was my only indulgence for over 20 days, and I loved every minute of it.
ncostell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25