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A review by sandrinepal
Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Margaret Atwood: come for the translation, stay for the short stories! I had to translate an excerpt from "My Evil Mother" for an exam I am taking this year and I was so intrigued/amused by the short 1000 words or so that I sought out the whole book. It did not disappoint. The story in question really hit me in the feels, both as the daughter of a feminist mother, and as the mother to a pre-teen daughter. The echoes were almost all there for me. Except for Brian.
My next favorite story of the bunch was "Metempsychosis; or, the journey of the soul" in which a snail is reincarnated into a woman's body (and not, mind you, vice versa: no Gregor Samsa here). It was delightfully weird and provided that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly empathize with a gastropod.
Special mention to "Death by clamshell" for the ancient history and to "Old babes in the wood" for the sibling-sharing of family cabin woes and joys.
My next favorite story of the bunch was "Metempsychosis; or, the journey of the soul" in which a snail is reincarnated into a woman's body (and not, mind you, vice versa: no Gregor Samsa here). It was delightfully weird and provided that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to truly empathize with a gastropod.
Special mention to "Death by clamshell" for the ancient history and to "Old babes in the wood" for the sibling-sharing of family cabin woes and joys.