Good Bones and Simple Murders

by Margaret Atwood

Hardcover, 2001

Call number

FIC ATW

Collection

Publication

Nan A. Talese (2001), Edition: 1, 164 pages

Description

Nineteen stories on the battle of the sexes. Included are Gertrude Talks Back, a monologue by Hamlet's mother, The Little Red Hen Tells All, which is on male chauvinism, and Happy Endings, a series of scenarios for finding love.

User reviews

LibraryThing member xlsg
I found reading this collection like walking through an art gallery: enriching but a bit tiring. Exposed to new ideas, pushed to think differently or see things rom a different point of view, but often not really "getting it". Occasionally amusing or insightful but never laugh-out-loud funny or
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teary. But that's just me; I generally need things spelled out for me and am not an "art lover". Might be better with a friend and don't try to see the whole gallery in one day.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
3.5***

This is a collection of essays on a variety of subjects. In some, Atwood turns her considerable talent to the realm of traditional fairy tales and stories, turning them on their heads and delighting the reader. What did the “little red hen” REALLY think about the other animals? How do you
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rewrite the typical “boy meets girl, loves, lives happily ever after” plot to arrive at a different ending? Did the ugly stepsisters get fair treatment? In other stories, she turns her scathing wit to modern issues of feminism and the roles of men and women. I particularly enjoyed the story titled “Making a Man,” which is a satire on typical “women’s magazine” how-to articles. And then there are the poignant essays on aging and death. The short essays / stories are inventive, interesting and droll – for the most part. But some stories (including essays dealing with aliens or vampires), didn’t resonate with me.
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LibraryThing member rampaginglibrarian
A collection of some very short stories and prose, a few essays here and there--probably not a great introduction to Atwood as someone else mentioned but to an avowed fan--as i unabashedly am it is an astounding collection.
LibraryThing member luvwords
A terrific collection of short stories. Atwood looks at women's thoughts, pop-culture's use of women and adds a few more whimsical pieces. What I love is that these are not preachy stories, they are fantastical or based in literature or fairy tails. My personal favorite is 'Stump Hunting' becasue
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it reminds me of my childhood.
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LibraryThing member TheEphemeraRemix
Funny, bite size pieces of Margaret Atwood. A good companion to the Penelopiad.
LibraryThing member the_awesome_opossum
This is the first collection of short stories I've read of Margaret Atwood's. Most of them are pretty wonderful; she writes with a lot of wit and unexpected observations. My favorites were Unpopular Girls (in defense of wicked, ugly stepsisters), Gertrude Talks Back (an answer to Hamlet), and
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Hardball (a short dystopia). It's quick and enjoyable, and impresses me like most of Atwood's writing does.
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LibraryThing member tripleblessings
An excellent collection of short pieces by Atwood, including her own pen and ink drawings. Some satire, some reinterpretations of fairy tales and literary classics, some satire and social commentary, some humour, some political and feminist and environmental arguments... Tasty little bites, just
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right for reading one or two before bed, but difficult to resist consuming many in one sitting! Classic Atwood, always worth re-reading and reading out loud to a friend.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
I downloaded this book from my library's OverDrive collection primarily because it was short. I love everything I've read by Margaret Atwood, but I've been in such a reading funk lately I didn't want to commit to something really long. This was a short collection of short pieces - some no more than
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a couple of pages. They deal with male/female relationships, feminism, social norms, fairy tales... it's a varied assortment that showcases Atwood's deft hand with a variety of styles. One of my favorites was "Unpopular Gals," told in the collective voice of the witches, evil stepmothers, and other storybook nasties. It ends:

"You can wipe your feet on me, twist my motives around all you like, you can dump millstones on my head and drown me in the river, but you can't get me out of the story. I'm the plot, babe, and don't ever forget it."

There is that kind of sly wit throughout, the upending of expectations and "accepted" roles. While some pieces worked better than others as is true of any collection, I enjoyed dipping into this as a reminder of just how sharp and masterful Atwood is.
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LibraryThing member TheBookJunky
This was like a peek into Atwood riffing on ideas, plots, themes. It was like she was auditioning them, seeing what she could do with them, exercising them, putting them through their paces, marking them off with a stopwatch -- go! Wonderful.
LibraryThing member JBD1
Short, sharp pieces, to be savored. Among my favorites: "Gertrude Talks Back," "My Life as a Bat," and "Simmering."

Pages

164

ISBN

0385471106 / 9780385471107
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