The Tent - Margaret Atwood

== Margaret Eleanor Atwood - The Tent ==


I personally think that Margaret Atwood is one of today’s most imaginative writers.
After reading Atwood’s ‘Oryx and Crake’ and being completely blown away with it I looked forward to reading this book of short stories from the author.

Unfortunately, after reading ‘The Tent’ I have no desire to go camping with Atwood at all.

This slim, little book ...
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Most of the stories centre around aging, coming to terms with getting older, how age changes views in history, etc

While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the collection of stories I found a lot of the book was more like reading someone’s jottings scribbled in a diary. The result is like staring at the remains of a broken vase - some of the pieces are bigger and better than others, but they don't add up to a whole ... more

Margaret Eleanor Atwood - The Tent

I personally think that Margaret Atwood is one of today’s most imaginative writers.
After reading Atwood’s ‘Oryx and Crake’ and being completely blown away with it I looked forward to reading this book of short stories from the author.

Unfortunately, after reading ‘The Tent’ I have no desire to go camping with Atwood at all.

This slim, little book is billed as fiction, and it consists of a collection of previously published essays, poems, and thoughts – that range in length from one paragraph to three or four pages – it is illustrated by Atwood's own pen and ink drawings.

It is a small book with only 155 pages that has 35 stories reflecting contemporary life and society packed into it.

Most of the stories centre around aging, coming to terms with getting older, how age changes views in history, etc

While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the collection of stories I found a lot of the book was more like reading someone’s jottings scribbled in a diary. The result is like staring at the remains of a broken vase - some of the pieces are bigger and better than others, but they don't add up to a whole thing.

A lot of the ‘stories’ were what they are billed as ‘short’. But they were lacking in plot and they were like reading little bits about Atwood’s various hang-ups.

I think perhaps I was wrong to read it in one go; it may be better used more like a book of poetry and just dipping in to it periodically.

I am not saying that the book is unaccomplished, or objectionable to read and there is certainly plenty of wry humour in it (especially the "Three books I'll never write").
Some pieces in the collection reflect Atwood's interest in feminist issues.
Like ‘Winters Tale’, which is a very short story about an older narrator frustrated with the young people of today.
The story begins, "Once upon a time, you say, there were germs with horns. They lived in the toilet and could only be defeated by gallons and gallons of bleach. You could commit suicide by drinking this bleach, and some women did."
Then there's the poem, "Bring Back Mom: An Invocation," a work intended to commend both the harassment and the pluckiness of the pre-1970s housewife. (I thought that the poems are among the best entries in the collection)
This theme of shocking others is a recurring one. ‘Salome was a dancer’ is a very strange tale about a promiscuous young woman; who has an affair with her R E teacher before becoming a stripper.

In conclusion I would say that if you have never read a Margaret Atwood book, don’t start with this one or you might never read another.
Fans of Atwood may want to own the book for the drawings alone.

There are a small handful of decent pieces of writing in the book, but not enough to make me want to recommend it.

BOOK DETAILS

· Paperback: 176 pages
· Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; (5 Mar 2007)
· Language English
· ISBN-10: 074758494X
· ISBN-13: 978-0747584940
· Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 1.6 cm
 

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