This book of essays has been an incredible method for hearing more about her explanations behind composing, to peruse her perspectives on women's liberation and her perspectives in regards to governmental issues and data on why the topics that happen in her books make a difference to her and why she imagines that they ought to issue to us.

Lengthy, fascinating and meaty.

Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors, and I will buy anything new in hardback. I've also seen her several times, talking about myths and also about her dystopian novels.

This is a collection of short pieces, essays and opinion pieces.

Any fan will enjoy this collection, and you will find that it will leave you thinking more about the world around us.

Margaret Atwood has always fascinated me by the sheer breadth, depth and variety of her writing. This book is a welcome addition with her essays and articles giving an insight into her thinking.

Burning Questions is an excellent collection of short form essays, speeches and non-fiction by Margaret Atwood during the first two decades of the twenty-first century. She's a wise old bird and much of what she had to say resonated with me, particularly those speeches given around 2016 with the rise of Trump.

The book took me a long time to read because I just needed to set it aside after each essay to have a think. So, I think it represents excellent value for money given the hours of enjoyment produced.

Recommended for the intellectually curious and wise birds everywhere.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I feel as though I should probably begin this review with a disclaimer… I am a huge, huge fan of Margaret Atwood. I first read A Handmaid’s Tale as one of my A-level English Literature texts, and have since read all of her published works of fiction and most her poetry and non-fiction. So yes, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up every morsel of Atwood’s latest book, Burning Questions, which is a collection of her occasional pieces (essays, lectures, book reviews and political commentary etc.) from 2004-2021.

In this latest collection, Atwood covers a huge range of topics from climate change, totalitarianism, the role of the individual, power struggles, her writing, other people’s writing and everything in between. Fans of her novels will enjoy her commentary on her own novels, their inspiration, how they have been received by others, and her changing relationship with them over time.

I found Atwood’s reflections about her late partner, Graeme Gibson, to be particularly poignant and moving. My favourite reads, however, were possibly to ones were she presents us with a self-deprecating caricature of herself, such as in ‘Polonia’, where she recalls giving random strangers advice about making meringues. Atwood’s dark wit runs throughout the essays, and I know that there was a glint in her eye when she penned many of the lines.

Should you read this collection if you’ve only ever read (or even watched) The Handmaid’s Tale? Well yes, if you enjoyed its themes, its wit and it ability to challenge how we think, then you will find plenty more of this in ‘Burning Questions’. You can dip in an out of the pieces, all of which are fairly clearly titled in a way that tells you what you’ll be reading about, and read those which most interest you, or you can read it start to finish in order to gain a greater insight into Atwood’s own concerns and how her thoughts have developed over the last twenty years.

Personally, I think that I read this almost as a self-help guide. I’ve always found Atwood’s writing to full of wisdom and honesty – she says is as it is, and if you don’t like it then that’s okay – and for me, she’s become a kind of spirit guide through adulthood. I know that it’s a book that I will read again and again in the same way that I do with favourite collections of poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chatto and Windus and Margaret Atwood for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

In true Margaret Atwood style these essays of the last twenty years are full of her usual wit and wisdom.

Burning Questions is a collection of fifty, non-fiction works by Margaret Atwood; short articles, book reviews to lectures. Of interest she writes about the environment, debt, and literature. The reader also gains insight into the life of a celebrated writer and fellow writers she met along her journey.
This is a collection of work to be enjoyed slowly, chapter by chapter...
This is the first bok I have read by Margaret Atwood and will certainly no be my last. To those new to Atwood this
is a good introduction to the Writer.

What a privilege to creep inside such a brilliant mind! This collection of non-fiction spans almost 20 years and is a social commentary of events and changing times, although the observations made in 2004 are still very much relevant today. The format is a mix of lectures, reviews and essays and because of Atwood’s superb writing style, it is easy to read, follow and understand-it’s not often you get all three with this style of very personal work!
Subjects covered are far ranging, from Shakespeare to Trump but there is a keen eye on how politics often intersects with literature, (which any fan of Handmaid’s Tale would fully expect). There are insights into her own books and tributes to contemporaries. Comments on climate change and feminism and pretty much everything in between. She is honest, frank and often witty.
Because of the very definite beginning and end to each piece, it is a perfect book to dip in and out of and should appeal to an audience far wider than simply fans of the author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read and review this book ahead of publication.

Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood is a collection of essays and occasional pieces from 2004 to 2021. Some of these I had already read, or read snippets of, with others being completely new to me. The book is long, and well worth the full price for the hardback version for the variety of pieces to read. The benefit is that it’s as easy to pick up and put down as a short story collection. I found myself finding time to read one quick essay rather than needing to invest more time to read chapter after chapter.

This is definitely a book to savour over time. While reading the introductions to other books I found the need to look them up, almost like I had been recommended them by a friend. The essays helped to shed light on how Margaret Atwood wrote her books, what ideas captured her attention, and her volume of knowledge on such a wide range of topics.

An engaging, thoughtful and witty collection of essays, articles and talks from the one and only Margaret Atwood. I've read a lot of her novels over the years and seen her give a few talks, but I don't think I'd ever fully grasped the breadth of her interests and knowledge until now. There are deeply personal reflections on love and life, as well as more academic explorations of topics covering everything from literature to the environment, all written with her characteristic humour and grace. A real treat of a book.

I am not usually a fan of nonfiction, but I was intrigued when I heard about this one from Atwood.

Obviously, it’s written beautifully and perfectly. Each essay provides insights and provoking thoughts.

I very much enjoyed it, excited for more from her!

What an absolute joy to have these essays and thoughts of Margaret Atwood to curl up with. Suitable for readers, writers, environmentalists, learners and leaders. My most highly rated book this year.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

It's not exactly news that Margaret Atwood is a very good writer. Perhaps even a great writer. I'll leave that one to scholars and critics to argue about, but this collection of essays and assorted tidbits, drawn together from the past 20 years certainly leaves the reader aware of her breadth of interests and the fact that she comes across as.a woman very much aware of the (global) society in which she lives. (Are there any good or great living writers who are not keen observers of the human condition and the mess we seem to be making, in a variety of directions, of the world upon we depend? Discuss.)

Atwood is coming to the end of her time on Planet Earth and this collection is a fitting tribute, or tying together of a wide range of literary and non-literary threads. Her style is recognisable; engaging, chattily erudite and for me much of the pleasure was the modest size of the 'chapters', perfect for a bus ride or idle 20 minutes. I must confess it's been a long time since I read a collection like this in so bite-sized a fashion but that was my choice to consume it in that manner, and on a personal level I found Atwood's 'voice' to be both consistent and very accessible.

Will people like this collection? It depends, as is often the case, on what they want. But in terms of the quality of the content, and its scope, I certainly found it to be both absorbing and recommendable. Perfect too for dipping in and out as the mood takes you.

With thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchanged for an unbiased review.

Margaret Atwood does not disappoint. Her truthfulness, astute understanding of difficult themes and the distillation of them into direct and affecting pieces is undiminished.

What an absolutely fantastic addition to Atwood's works. I found it incredibly interesting and very relevant for whatever essay she was exploring. I especially liked the ones that talked about literature and the thinking that goes behind it, or mentions works that truly meant something to her. If only this was published while I was studying dystopian literature, her explanations of the genre were exactly what I needed. Though I might be biased as Atwood is my favourite author, I would highly recommend this to those that are curious about the world around them as Atwood adds a very sensible voice to the issues that have happened over the past few years. I highlighted many passages that I thought were actually quite simple, but held their own in the topics. A great read for nonfiction as the essays are not that long and you can happily read one and come back a few days later to read another, you don't need to read huge chunks as the essays themselves are not strictly linked like memoirs.

This is her third collection and gives us pieces, speeches, reviews and introductions from the last twenty years or so. Of course not every piece in a fifty-item book is going to be equally appealing to everyone; the horror theme she enjoys left me passing over articles on zombies, in particular, but also there's something for everyone, and I learned about some new writers to me.

Somewhat naturally, the pieces that appealed most to me were those about her writing and the adaptations of it and about her life; the nature pieces were also good. There was little repetition apart from a general appreciation for her free and unconstrained childhood and the urgent need to address issues of climate change. I particularly liked "Polonia" which looked at her growing need to help people, unasked, as she ages, very funny and wry; her piece on Marilla as the character who experiences true growth in "Anne of Green Gables"; her obituary of Doris Lessing and her piece on how scared she was of Simone de Beauvoir; and "Buttons and Bows" about clothes in her life and in writing. As mentioned above she covers nature and its protection, birds, climate change and the wrongs done to Canadian First Nations writers [as she styles them]. It comes bang up to date with the pandemic and the devastating loss of her partner, Graeme Gibson.

My full review on my blog: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/03/19/book-review-margaret-atwood-burning-questions/

This is a brilliant collection of fifty, non-fiction works by Margaret Atwood, ranging from short articles to book reviews to lectures there really is something for everyone here. She tackles the environment, debt, literature and the writing life, both hers and that of others. She dips into her own history and past and verily this is a complete smorgasbord of delights.

One thing that may not be entirely obvious from reading her novels, is how funny Atwood is. Dry and witty, she is particularly good on puncturing pomposity, her own and that of others. This is a generous and wonderful helping of Atwood and I loved it.

For me, this was a real experience. Normally a reader of fiction I was quite dubious to give this a book ago but as Handmaids Tale is one of my all time favourite novels then I was interested to hear more about the author.

Full to the brim of her speech's, essays, stories and opinions this made for a very interesting read, and I found it really refreshing. So glad I got out of my "comfort zone" for once and dipped my toe into very different territory. For me personally though, I read this novel on and off whilst also having another novel on the go, I dipped in and out and I think Margaret Atwood is a genius and full of insightful and amazing stories.

Great for a dip in and out of kind of book and very interesting reading. I am tempted to read all of Margaret's work and think that I will be purchasing more of these.

Thanks to NetGalley, Margaret Attwood and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my review.

It’s undeniable that Atwood is an exceptionally talented writer and activist.

This collection of work is a culmination of speeches and essays from 2004-2021. Her tone is joyous to read, her takes and interpretations witty, sharp and scrupulous.

This was a delight to read, I particularly enjoyed her interpretation and foreshadowing of the pandemic and the intelligent, motherly advice she bestows onto the reader.

Witty and erudite as always, Margaret Atwood has a wonderfully relentless curiosity about the world. An excellent collection of essays. Looking forward to hearing her discuss them at the Southbank Centre next week.