Wilderness Tips

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: 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 wonderful show-case of Atwood's talent
Review: Wilderness Tips is arguably Margaret Atwood's best short story collection and eloquently shows Atwood's warmth, wit, intelligence, humanity and insight into relationships. My personal favourites are 'Hairball' and 'Bog Man' and 'True Trash.' If you have read anything else by Margaret Atwood and enjoyed it, you won't be disappointed by this collection. I also recommend Alice Munro to anyone who is a fan of Atwood; she's not quite as funny or compelling, but she does write highly polished, interesting short stories.