Wilderness Tips

Rating:
Summary: entrancing, but...
Review: Atwood's 'Wildnerness Tips' is a bizarre, seemingly mismatched collection of short stories, which focus primarily on themes of love, redemption and growing-up. The stories are written with poise and elegance and the subtext is wonderfully woven, however the actual content of the stories is at times lacking.

The second story, 'Hairball', is utterly disgusting in its description of an ovarian cyst, leaving the reader feeling genuinely nauseous. That Atwood's writing is able to generate such emotion in the reader is incredible, that she chooses to do so to such an extent in this particular story is despicable.

Other stories are written with a degree of tenderness - 'True Trash' tells the timeless tale of kids at summer camp, and reminds us of the consequences of fooling around. 'Death by Landscape' is vaguely based on the story of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock', while 'Uncles' is a stunning piece which captures an individual's ongoing struggle with expectation through both work and family.

The style of writing gradually becomes tedious, and I would advise reading no more than 1 story a week to allow the rich texture of the language to be fully absorbed. The stories are also frustrating in that they build towards a climax but generally end without proper explanation, leaving the reader bewildered and not fully understanding the significance of the previous 20 or so pages.

Nevertheless, for those able to tolerate Atwood's unique writing style and her repititious storylines, 'Wilderness Tips' is certainly a worthy read.

Rating:
Summary: Atwood at her best
Review: I am a big fan of Margaret Atwood. I have enjoyed most all of her novels but, after reading "Dancing Girls", I was under the opinion that short stories were not her thing. However, I believe the collection of stories in "Wilderness Tips" is one of her best works. The stories are superb beginning with "True Trash" which takes us to a summer camp and introduces us to a young woman's secret and a younger man's sad lack of awareness of the life he's created. It ends, or rather, evaporates leaving us with unrealized expectations. "Hairball" is a marvelous story about revenge for a scorned affair. "The Bog Man" is essentially the same subject matter. "Uncles" is a beautiful story about the father figures in a girl's life. Although she doesn't know her real father, she knows her uncles. Their characters are somewhat undeveloped because it is their strength, not their personality that we need to understand. We follow the life of the girl whose security is lost after the uncles are gone. For me, the most compelling story is "Death by Landscape". The story takes place at a summer camp and involves the lives of two girls who become attached after spending successive summers together. The ending is bizarre and Atwood takes us beyond that and leaves us with eerie goosebumps. The other stories are compelling and the reader finishes ready for more. Margaret Atwood is a very gifted writer and may some day be awarded the Nobel Prize. Her insights to femininity (as opposed to feminism) are a prime element of her genius. If you haven't read Atwood, this would be an excellent introduction. If you have read Atwood, then you'll be reading this anyway (if you haven't already).

Rating:
Summary: Well written, poignant stories
Review: I am not a fan of the short story genre; in fact, the only reason I picked up this book is because I am such an enormous fan of Margaret Atwood's. The mere fact that this collection held my attention well enough for me to complete it is in itself a major feat.

As usual, Atwood focuses on all aspects of female experience: love, relationships, sex, power. She's a gifted wordsmith who has an uncanny ability to get to the heart of matters and create imagery - both physical and emotional - that resonates with readers. Although the description of the ovarian cyst in Hairball (probably my favorite story in the collection. Although I did love Uncles, and Death by Landscape) was morbid and graphic, but it was gratuitous - Atwood was clearly making a point, and I don't know that she could have made it any other way. Atwood's usual flair for creating characters that were multidimensional and realistic was at work in most of the stories.

There were a few stories - notably The Bog Man - that I didn't particularly enjoy. As well, some of the themes did get repetitive. In the end, as someone who isn't a big fan of short stories, a part of me wishes that Atwood had taken a few of the wonderful characters she created in the books' best stories and created a full length novel, or, even better, a few full length novels. If, however, you are a fan of the short story genre, you will likely enjoy this book even more so than I, in which case I'd highly reccommend you read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading!
Review: In a college English class I was introduced to "Death By Landscape," a short story from Atwood's "Wilderness Tips." Atwod has always been a favorite of mine, and her short story was no exception. Immediately I went out and bought "Wildnerness Tips." From "True Trash" to "Hairball" I was kept glued to the pages of Atwood's anthology. Simply put: I loved it. Her stories were thoughtful and complex--and even a bit unordinary.

Rating:
Summary: A COLLECTION OF STORIES BY A TRUE MASTER
Review: Margaret Atwood is my favorite living author and this is my favorite short story collection of hers. Each story is filled with regret, incisive narrative, and a cunning eye that sees right through people. If you have a dark sense of humor you will love this collection. "Hairball" is hilariously perverse and "Death by Landscape" is simply touching. I've read this collection several times. These stories will haunt you.

Rating:
Summary: A COLLECTION OF STORIES BY A TRUE MASTER
Review: Margaret Atwood is my favorite living author and this is my favorite short story collection of hers. Each story is filled with regret, incisive narrative, and a cunning eye that sees right through people. If you have a dark sense of humor you will love this collection. "Hairball" is hilariously perverse and "Death by Landscape" is simply touching. I've read this collection several times. These stories will haunt you.