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A review by lilylanie
Dancing Girls by Margaret Atwood
2.0
I prefer Atwood's novels to her short stories but I've had this book for eons and figured it was time to read it. And sure enough, I was nonplussed by most of the stories, hated a few, and enjoyed fewer still.
The overall mood was definitely depressing, the attitude cynical, and if the pieces reflect Atwood's (then) opinions of relationships, she considered all men to be cheating deadbeats and women to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Several stories reminded me of dreams - disjointed, with people and places suddenly shifting so that you wonder if she's still talking about the same time period or character. And several stories seemed to be cut off a couple of sentences before the end. I'd turn the page but then...
Many of the stories dealt with young women and their first jobs, first apartments, first lovers and first babies, which is to be expected given that this was one of her earliest books, comprised of stories originally printed in various magazines and periodicals at the start of her career. One can assume she was struggling to find her way as a young author in the midst of '70s feminism, with not much hope yet for a happy and balanced relationship.
I can't say I loved this collection but it was interesting to get a glimpse of Margaret Atwood in her formative years as an author.
The overall mood was definitely depressing, the attitude cynical, and if the pieces reflect Atwood's (then) opinions of relationships, she considered all men to be cheating deadbeats and women to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Several stories reminded me of dreams - disjointed, with people and places suddenly shifting so that you wonder if she's still talking about the same time period or character. And several stories seemed to be cut off a couple of sentences before the end. I'd turn the page but then...
Many of the stories dealt with young women and their first jobs, first apartments, first lovers and first babies, which is to be expected given that this was one of her earliest books, comprised of stories originally printed in various magazines and periodicals at the start of her career. One can assume she was struggling to find her way as a young author in the midst of '70s feminism, with not much hope yet for a happy and balanced relationship.
I can't say I loved this collection but it was interesting to get a glimpse of Margaret Atwood in her formative years as an author.