zeldafitzgerald
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
ancora imparo
Posts: 1,948
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Post by zeldafitzgerald on Dec 2, 2006 11:07:18 GMT -5
I thought I'd start a thread about Margaret Atwood, because I know there are several people here who really love her and she's got so many critically acclaimed books.
So far, I've only read one of her books (a very old one) - The Edible Woman. I read this for a class, and loved it. And we had such fun discussions about it.
Since then, I've seen copies of her books different places for very good prices, so I picked them up and put them in my TBR list.
The result, is that I have 4 of her books here that I have not read yet. -Alias Grace -Oryx and Crake -The Robber Bride The Blind Assassin
Any thoughts on which one I should read first? I'm leaning toward Oryx and Crake.
I'll obviously have more to say about her in this thread after I've read another one!
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Post by bookaddict on Dec 2, 2006 11:11:43 GMT -5
I really don't like Atwood. I know she's very arrogant. She was at a conference, and told everyone that as long as her name was on a book it would be a great seller.
The reason why I don't like her is because in cegep I took an Atwood class, and the prof was HORRIBLE! I think he turned me away from her. I should give her another chance I guess. I like surfacing, but I hated the ending. I read Handmaid's tale, didn't like it. I also read the Journals of Susanna Moodie...HATED IT! lol
Is there one I should try that's more...shall I say...Normal? lol
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Post by bookaddict on Dec 2, 2006 11:16:30 GMT -5
I just want to add to what I wrote.
I know a lot of people love Atwood, that's why i think I should give her another try. Maybe there's something i'm missing, or that prof just gave me a really bad impression of her. The Journals of Susanna Moodie are horrible and we spent so much time on it.
What do you like about her?
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zeldafitzgerald
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
ancora imparo
Posts: 1,948
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Post by zeldafitzgerald on Dec 2, 2006 11:29:53 GMT -5
Well, like I said I've only read one book, The Edible Woman, and it was one of her first. I liked the way she wrote, I wrote down a ton of small quotes from the book that I loved. The plot was a bit strange, but nothing too crazy. I need to read more of her books so I can compare. I liked the messages about feminism and the symbols of woman's social oppression.
Perhaps I won't like her other books as much if they are more "out there" - I tend to love realistic fiction, and non-fiction. The furthest I usually venture outside those lines are Harry Potter and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But if I really like an author, I can put up with any genre/plot. I guess I'll see when I read more of hers.
My favorite quotes from The Edible Woman are:
"Her messiness wasn't actively creative, like Ainsley's, who could devastate a room in five minutes if she was feeling chaotic; it was passive. She simply stood helpless while the tide of dirt rose around her, unable to stop it or evade it."
"Something inside me started to dash about in dithering mazes of panic, as though I had swallowed a tadpole."
"She had caught herself lately, watching herself with an abstracted curiosity, to see what she would do."
these are a few quotes I liked, and the many quotes like it are a large part of why I liked the book a lot.
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zeldafitzgerald
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
ancora imparo
Posts: 1,948
|
Post by zeldafitzgerald on Dec 2, 2006 11:38:54 GMT -5
Bookaddict: so I forgot to say that I would recommend The Edible Woman, if you wanted to try something else of hers.
However, I've always been an advocate of reading what you like. There are WAY more great books out there than we could ever hope to read in a lifetime, so if you've had no luck with her books and don't like her, there's no need to try to make yourself. It definitely seems like you've read a decent amount of her work!
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Post by bookaddict on Dec 2, 2006 11:45:46 GMT -5
I just don't seem to like her lol
I might try another one, not right now because I have very little time to read personal reading.
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Bina
First novel published
Posts: 2,472
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Post by Bina on Dec 3, 2006 14:31:13 GMT -5
I think I have two or three of her books on my shelves and I should really start reading them. Skimmed through surfacing and it seemed okay.
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Post by Dominique on Dec 3, 2006 15:41:18 GMT -5
I've read: -The Handmaid's Tale (found it was a bit slow in the beginning but stuck with it and loved it, but I really like dystopian fiction so the fact it was sort of mized with feminist themes really appealed to me)
-The Blind Assassin (Found it a bit of a hard slog because it's so long, but I really liked reading from the perspective of getting older and all the bits out of the characters point of view and snappets from the protagonist's sisters novel.)
-Alias Grace (really interesting look at a historical canadian murderess with embellishments from Atwood where the facts are unknown.)
-The Tent (in this she's very good at expressing a lot of things in a very small amount of words, it's a collection of short prose and stories.)
-The Bluebird's Egg (short stories)
-some of "Eating Fire" a collection of her poetry over the years (v good some of it)
- The Edible Woman (I liked this but at parts I did lose interest, it's not one of my favs but definately worth a read. I think it expresses how a lot of women feel some of the time.)
I swear I've read more but i can't think of them right now.
-Good Bones (more short stories) and I own Orx and Crake, cats eye, wilderness tips, laDY Oracle, surfacing, Bodily Harm, the robber bride. and Dancing Girls but haven't read them yet.
Basically I really find I can relate to Atwood's writing, and I think she's very talented. For me her's are the kind of books with so many lines that you read and go oh my god that is such a good line or phrase.
I've heard a fair few interviews and read a book with some of her speeches etc in it and I have to say the arogant comment doesn't really sound like anything I've heard or read she's said. She does have a distinct sort of sarcastic wit though.
But yeah she's one of my fave authors, I recommend starting with either Alias Grace or the Blind Assassin zelda
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Post by Dominique on Dec 3, 2006 15:50:29 GMT -5
lol basically I've tried to wean myself off her a bit lately to expand the classics I've read etc. My boyfriend was starting complain he was dating someone who only ever read one author. But like I do a lot of journlism writing, but also a lot of creative writing, and I feel like that if I could get my writing to an atwood level I will have achieved the writing equivilent of Nirvana lol.
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Post by bookaddict on Dec 3, 2006 16:00:10 GMT -5
I was told that from a fellow student. It may be wrong... I did like surfacing except for the ending. My favorite author would have to be Steinbeck. I've read most of his books, and really enjoyed them.
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zeldafitzgerald
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
ancora imparo
Posts: 1,948
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Post by zeldafitzgerald on Dec 3, 2006 20:37:59 GMT -5
Basically I really find I can relate to Atwood's writing, and I think she's very talented. For me her's are the kind of books with so many lines that you read and go oh my god that is such a good line or phrase. This is exactly why I love The Edible Woman. I'm glad to know the others have the same great writing. I think I'll enjoy them a lot just for that aspect.
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Post by Dominique on Dec 3, 2006 23:01:40 GMT -5
I was told that from a fellow student. It may be wrong... I did like surfacing except for the ending. My favorite author would have to be Steinbeck. I've read most of his books, and really enjoyed them. I dunno she might have said it, it sounds a bit of an odd thing to say though doesn't it? most of the time she seems a bit self-depreciating. I haven't actually read any Steinbeck yet but I'd like to. This is exactly why I love The Edible Woman. I'm glad to know the others have the same great writing. I think I'll enjoy them a lot just for that aspect. I hope you do, let me know what you think of them as u go
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Post by Dominique on Dec 3, 2006 23:05:27 GMT -5
oh yeah I've also read the penelopiad, I knew I was forgetting one.
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Post by oda on Dec 6, 2006 10:59:47 GMT -5
I plan to read "The Blind Assassin" soon. Is it any good?
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Post by Dominique on Dec 6, 2006 18:17:04 GMT -5
I liked that one, it's quite long but it's an interesting story.
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