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This story made the morning commute much more interesting.
Atwood describes a woman in her 60's who is on an Arctic cruise. The New Yorker Fiction podcast indicates that Atwood herself was on a quite similar trip before writing this short story. Verna, the main character, scrutinizes in an dry, ironic, typical Atwood manner the vanities of her fellow elderly travellers. Along the way we are made aware that not only Verna is many times married, but also that she had an active hand in the untimely ...more
Atwood describes a woman in her 60's who is on an Arctic cruise. The New Yorker Fiction podcast indicates that Atwood herself was on a quite similar trip before writing this short story. Verna, the main character, scrutinizes in an dry, ironic, typical Atwood manner the vanities of her fellow elderly travellers. Along the way we are made aware that not only Verna is many times married, but also that she had an active hand in the untimely ...more
These short stories on the theme of ageing are quirky, clever and sometimes quite chilling. My favourites were Stone Mattress -an ingenious tale of revenge - and Torching the Dusties - where the occupants of a retirement home find their routine threatened by an anti-elderly movement.
This is the second of Atwood's short story collections that I've read, I prefer this to the other one (Bluebeard's Egg). Interesting, intelligent and often very funny, these are well worth a read. ...more
This is the second of Atwood's short story collections that I've read, I prefer this to the other one (Bluebeard's Egg). Interesting, intelligent and often very funny, these are well worth a read. ...more
I absolutely think that the first three interconnected stories are the best in the book. I loved seeing the story through the eyes of three different people.
Torching the Dusties was my second favorite.
I didn't like the rest of the stories quite as much but the collection as a whole is stellar. ...more
Torching the Dusties was my second favorite.
I didn't like the rest of the stories quite as much but the collection as a whole is stellar. ...more
I am a fan of short stories, but I rarely assign them 5 star ratings. Usually a few stories just don’t hit the mark. Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood included nine stories, every one of which was stellar in both writing and content and earned every one of those 5 stars I gave the collection. I am impressed with Atwood’s ability to accurately represent characters across age groups and the last story, “Torching the Dusties” set in a home for the elderly was among my favorites. The title story als
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I am a big fan of Margaret Atwood, but a short story collection will always have highs and lows in it. I loved the title story, did not care for The Dead Hand Loves You. some of these stories are interconnected, and at least one other relates to a character from one of her novels.
Dec 03, 2014
S.L. Berry
marked it as to-read
