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Loading... Moral Disorder: and Other Storiesby Margaret AtwoodLibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. A series of short stories, all featuring the same main character, so reading it has the quality of a novel, too.The cover blurb by Ursula K. Le Guin is much better than any review I'd come up with myself, 'Atwood at her slyest and sweetest. There really is nobody like her.' ( )Enjoyed some more than others, would have liked stronger links between some of the stories. The Bad News An older couple go about their morning rituals. The Art of Cooking and Serving An eleven-year-old becomes responsible for the care of her expecting mother, then much of the baby's care when it's born. The Headless Horseman While driving to visit their ailing mother, two adult sisters reminisce about a Halloween costume the older sister made during their childhood. My Last Duchess A high school couple analyze the poem, The Last Duchess, in preparation for a final exam. The Other Place A female adult travels from job to job and place to place. Eventually she settles down and marries Tig. Monopoly Tig and Oona decide to live in an open-marriage. Moral Disorder Tig and Nell move to another farm. They are excited to grow vegetables and raise animals. White Horse Nell's friend gives her and Tig a horse. Lizzie (Nell's sister) comes for a visit when she's not feeling very encouraged about life. The Entities When they decide to sell the farm and move back to the city, Nell and Tig befriend their real-estate Agent, Lillie. The Labrador Fiasco Nell goes to her parents' home for a visit. The Boys at the Lab An adult woman is taking care of her 90-year-old, bedridden mother. They reminisce while looking at old pictures. Being that all these short stories were related, I don't understand why they weren't considered a novel. Adding some dates onto the titles would have made it an easier read, because on occasion I had difficulty figuring out exactly what characters were being portrayed. A new scenario was developed for each story and some of them were interesting, but others I wondered why it was chosen as an important piece to the puzzle. Throughout the book, I did experience a range of enjoyment; however, I didn't find anything spectacular. I did discover that I prefer short stories to be just that - short stories, not chapters in disguise. (3/5) Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." A cycle of stories that move between Toronto and Georgian Bay, youth, adolescence, middle age, old age. I love Margaret Atwood. I can really only read short stories that she's authored. no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0385503849, Hardcover)Margaret Atwood is acknowledged as one of the foremost writers of our time. In Moral Disorder, she has created a series of interconnected stories that trace the course of a life and also the lives intertwined with it—those of parents, of siblings, of children, of friends, of enemies, of teachers, and even of animals. As in a photograph album, time is measured in sharp, clearly observed moments. The ’30s, the ’40s, the ’50s, the ’60s, the ’70s, the ’80s, the ’90s, and the present —all are here. The settings vary: large cities, suburbs, farms, northern forests.“The Bad News” is set in the present, as a couple no longer young situate themselves in a larger world no longer safe. The narrative then switches time as the central character moves through childhood and adolescence in “The Art of Cooking and Serving,” “The Headless Horseman,” and “My Last Duchess.” We follow her into young adulthood in “The Other Place” and then through a complex relationship, traced in four of the stories: “Monopoly,” “Moral Disorder,” “White Horse,” and “The Entities.” The last two stories, "The Labrador Fiasco" and "The Boys at the Lab," deal with the heartbreaking old age of parents but circle back again to childhood, to complete the cycle. By turns funny, lyrical, incisive, tragic, earthy, shocking, and deeply personal, Moral Disorder displays Atwood’s celebrated storytelling gifts and unmistakable style to their best advantage. As the New York Times has said: "The reader has the sense that Atwood has complete access to her people's emotional histories, complete understanding of their hearts and imaginations.” (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:09 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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