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Old Babes in the Wood

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Old Babes in the Wood

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Margaret Atwood, Linda Lavin, Dan Stevens, Kimberly Farr, Rebecca Lowman, Bahni Turpin, Dawn Harvey, Allan Corduner
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A dazzling collection of fifteen stories from Margaret Atwood, the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments

Margaret Atwood is celebrated as one of the most gifted storytellers in the world.

These stories explore the full warp and weft of experience, from two best friends disagreeing about their shared past, to the right way to stop someone from choking; from a daughter determining if her mother really is a witch, to what to do with inherited relics such as World War II parade swords.

They feature beloved cats, a confused snail, Martha Gellhorn, George Orwell, philosopher-astronomer-mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria, a cabal of elderly female academics, and an alien tasked with retelling human fairy tales.
At the heart of the collection is a stunning sequence that follows a married couple as they travel the road together, the moments big and small that make up a long life of love -- and what comes after.

The glorious range of Atwood's creativity and humanity is on full beam in these tales, which by turns delight, illuminate and quietly devastate.

©2023 Margaret Atwood (P)2023 Penguin Audio

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Critic reviews

Vitality and virtuosity have been the hallmarks of Atwoods literary career - and, as Old Babes in the Wood, published in her 84th year, shows, triumphantly continue to be so... Mortality shadows the book. Vivacity makes it shine (Peter Kemp)
If you consider yourself and Atwood fan and have only read her novels: Get your act together. You've been missing out
Atwood shows mastery of the short form . . . [The] stories unwrap what TS Eliot called the gifts reserved for age. There are chips and fragments of lives, full of sass and sadness (Sam Leith)
A gripping read... Old Babes in the Wood is further evidence of a writer in full possession of her powers. Atwood will never struggle to find readers, but this collection really is worth their attention
Atwood... is a brilliant and spiky storyteller who can seamlessly turn big issues into page-turners... These are Atwood's most personal tales so far
The Booker winner writes beautifully about ageing and death . . . the silence after the best stories here is akin to how she describes the aftermath of a calamitous event (John Self)
Nell and Tig are the ageing couple whose small dramas and deep feelings bookend this new story collection... brought achingly to life and sharpened by Atwood's dry wit and wily wisdom
To be honest, we would read anything this woman writes, but Old Babes in the Wood is one of her best
This set of interweaving short stories is a perfect way to get a more bite-sized read... There's a story in here that everyone can relate to
The inimitable author of The Handmaid's Tail is spectacular at short stories
All stars
Most relevant
I think i have read all your books but there was new stuff here. Old age blunts the mind but yours has years to go!

Thanks Margaret

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Atwood at her short story best! I like the variety that her short stories provide - short, sweet pieces of prose that are no less poignant than her longer works.

Atwood at her short story best

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I adore Atwood, her stories are usually slow at start, but gripping and emotional as they grow. But these stories suffer a bit by the author's narration (on some stories), which lacks the emotion and colour compared to other narrators. Also, as slow-growing stories these novellas tend to be less engaging than her novels.

Interesting, but could be better

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Despite Margaret Atwood being such a renowned author I have given up on these stories. I gave up on part one, so then tried part two. When it got to the utter rubbish of “collecting penises and feeding them worms”, or some such thing, I decided these stories are truly not good at all. The latter parts of the stories seem to have little connection to the start. Very disappointed and wish I hadn’t wasted a credit on it. And I never give bad reviews because I’m not that harsh……but this………

Very disappointing

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I couldn’t even finish this book, it was that bad. Just disappointed and regretted ever choosing to buy it

Disappointing

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