Old Babes in the Wood by Margaret Atwood
This book was published on 14 March 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars
Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this collection of stories we meet and re-meet Nell and Tig, a long-married couple, and see the moments big and small that make up a life of love – and what comes after.

Am I being harsh on this book because I set my expectations too high? Probably yes, but I was genuinely underwhelmed by this collection.
Now don't get me wrong: there were a couple of pure gems. My Evil Mother about a young girl raised by her single mother, who may or may not be a witch (after reading this, I'm going to start threatening people with "pointing"...), The Dead Interview which is a brilliant conversation with a very dead George Orwell and Metempsychosis: or, The Journey Of The Soul about a snail's reincarnation in the body of a customer service advisor.
But the other stories, especially the ones focusing on couple Nell and Tig, didn't really grab my attention, despite the poignant exploration of grief through several of the stories. Some of them were actually quite hard work to read through (and the truly awful formatting of that ARC probably didn't help either.)

An entertaining and witty collection of short stories by Margaret Atwood. While I didn't like all of the stories in this compilation (the George Orwell interview comes to mind,) I did enjoy the stories of Tig and Nell, and I found My Evil Mother particularly entertaining.

She could write the shopping list and I would love it. This anthology of short story is excellent and I loved them all
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Like with many short stories, I liked some more than others. There was a good variety of them, some about a couple (Tig and Nell... these were probably my least favourite actually at the beginning, and I liked them more towards the end), some more futuristic, some about friendship. I liked "My evil mother" a lot, the characters felt dark in a banal way despite being witches, it was entertaining and imaginative and touching. Overall I have enjoyed these a lot but I have not found many of them that memorable.

Wonderful. Short stories are not usually my genre but these were wonderful. Every time I read a book by her I am reminded just how superb her writing is.

“ Once at supper Tig paused, spoon half lifted and looked out the window. “He sometimes let them go.” He said Nell knew exactly who he meant and what he meant. He meant Maigret. You can recognise whole songs whole symphonies from just a few notes if you know the music well. ”

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of the book.

A collection of assorted short stories it explores human experiences and emotions, mixing the ordinary with the supernatural (Aliens, yes!) Grief, discovery, curiosity and reminiscing as well as moving on are all part of this collection, ultimately raising the question "What is it to be human?"

I of course I have enjoyed some stories mroe than others (Loved Orwell's interview) but it caters for everyone. This book proves yet again Atwood to be a very skillful writer, able to seamlessly switch between genres without loosing her essence.

An easy and endearing reading.

You can't not love Margaret Atwood. She again proves her versatility and skill with a fabulous collection of short stories; emotive, descriptive and creative with a striking impact even in so few pages.

This was quite an eclectic mix of short stories that ranged in themes. Some were interesting, especially the Nell and Tig stories and I found myself completely hooked by my mother is evil, which I thought was an ingenious and engaging tale. I found with some of the stories I was struggling to focus.
Overall, this was an enjoyable collection of stories. It's also a short read too
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing the arc in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot. I'm not usually a lover of short story collections and find them quite hit and miss, but the general quality here is as high as I'd expect with Atwood. I love that she clearly had fun with some of these stories in a way that hasn't been possible in some of her more serious work, while still exploring some more hard-hitting and tragic notes, especially later on. It covers a broad range of genres, and has something for almost anyone.

This collection is the proverbial curate’s egg. The heart of it is a series of linked stories about a couple,Tig and Nell, charting their married life together, from meeting through to the final and irrevocable parting. These stories, clearly autobiographical, go straight to the heart of the things that bind us together, that endure, that are left. Along the way we have to deal with disappointment, illness and our parents passing as well as the moments of fierce joy. Elsewhere Atwood imagines a conversation with George Orwell, indulges in some mildly satirical sci-fi. One story reaches back to the power of The Handmaid’s Tale - a totalitarian society emerging after a virus many times more deadly than covid. This is fierce and angry, but elsewhere the tone is autumnal, playful and reflective from an author facing old age as squarely as she’s faced everything else . It won’t perhaps win Atwood many new converts, and a long dialogue-based story between two old feminists rather meandered, but there’s plenty to chew on here, and her Tig and Nell sequence is beautiful.

Well. I absolutely loved this. So many different stories lurching wildly from one odd topic to the next and I loved it so much I’ve ordered the book to read again. I can’t really pinpoint a favourite but I have to say the Snail and souls story was just wonderful.

I had only read The Handmaids Tale before so I really had no idea Atwood was even better than that. These stories are just right up my street and I am so glad I read it. If you’re looking for a book of rather odd stories this is it, you can stop hunting now.

Many thanks to #netgalley and #randomhousevintage for this #ARC.

I love Margaret Atwood's work so I was very excited to read this collection of short stories and it definitely did not disappoint one bit!

This is a wonderful collection of 15 short eclectic stories from the award winning Margaret Atwood, structured into 3 sections, drawing on her life and personal experiences. Some have been published previously, are beautifully written and imaginative, covering a number of genres, strange, captivating, astutely insightful, humane, unsettling, humorous, smart, and I enjoyed most of them, but whilst some did not quite work for me, I still appreciated them and the sheer scope of the entire collection. They touch on the process of getting older, life, impermanence, vulnerability, enduring relationships, family, mother-daughter relationships, grief and loss, marriage and memories. My favourites include My Evil Mother, Impatient Griselda, The Dead Interview, and Metempsychosis. I would recommend this to fans of the author and to readers new to her writing. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Margaret Atwood will always be one of my favourite authors and I'm always exciting to read anything she produces.

This was a good mix of short stories. I preferred some a lot more than others, with 'my evil mother' standing out.

Margaret Atwood is such a versatile author having written science fiction, historical fiction, and feminist literature. If I had to pick a favourite, I’d probably go with Alias Grace.
Babes in the Wood is a collection of fifteen short stories that explores a range of themes including aging, loss, love and relationships. As with all collections of short stories, you connect more with some of the characters and stories than others.
Seven stories follow the lives of empty nesters, Nell and Tig; although I’d say that each story is a unique read.

Overall, this is another great Margaret Atwood read to add to your collection!

Margaret Atwood is in a league of her own and she rarely disappoints. As with any collection, readers will find stories in here that are of particular interest, and perhaps some that are less suited to their individual tastes.

Nell and Tigs are a married couple who make an appearance in a few of the stories. The recurrence of those characters allows us a glimpse into what makes for an enduring marriage. "For better and for worse" is increasingly less often honoured these days, so that alone makes it worthy of interest.

Of the three sections into which the stories are divided, there is a mix of tales on offer in each. My favourite was the story about the teenager whose mother just might be a witch, but I also liked the snail's transformation. All in all, a collection of stories worth checking out, for Atwood fans especially.

A collection of 15 short stories by acclaimed writer Margaret Atwood.

Split into 3 sections, the first and last are stories involving married couple Nell and Tigs. I felt these were a bit of a mixed bag, my favourite being Widows, in which Nell writes a letter she'll never send, but the rest didn't really hold my attention too closely.

My favourite section was definitely the middle one, with stories involving witches and teenagers (My Evil Mother), a medium and George Orwell (The Dead Interview), a twisted fairy tale (Impatient Griselda) and Metempsychosis (a snail becomes human). These stories amused me, and had just what I look for in a short story - quick to gain my attention and fast flowing enough to hold it.

A good collection for fans of the author to dip in and out of.