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Dec 28, 2008

Madeline rated it:

The blurb by The Seattle Times on the back of this book said it best: "When Margaret Atwood is good, she's very good. And when she's barbed, she's better."

A collection of impossibly short stories (a few of them are less than a page long) written as only Margaret Atwood can write them, and accompanied by her own illustrations. This is a good quick read - since the stories are all so short, I was able to finish the whole collection in about half an hour. Here's a sample of so More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 26, 2008

Ryan rated it:

For the record, this is the first time I've actually finished a Margaret Atwood book. I've tried 3 times, 3 separate books, over the last 15 years to read her. I always find her books incredibly intriguing, but then I always for some reason lose interest (The Robber Bride, The Blind Assassin) or get frustrated with her writing style (The Handmaid's Tale). But I'm obviously in the minority here - many people I know whose opinions I respect and honor LOVE Margaret Atwood and probably think I'm More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 28, 2007

Andrew rated it:

This book is blindingly good. I am actually blind now. I cannot see the words I am typing. I don't care, I will keep typing to extol the virtues of Margaret Atwood's prose. Let me count the ways. Uh...it's hard to describe. She just tells, in this book, these minute, compact stories that shatter appearances. She tells the truth, and she tells it with a thesaurus that could obliterate you if it fell from a height onto your body. You would be pulped, a red smear on the pavement, or salt flats, or More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 13, 2010

Amanda rated it:

I want this book! Somebody buy it for me and I will repay you buy saying "thank you" one time.

I'm just kidding. Don't buy it for me. Don't! I'll buy it myself.
Anyway, I read about a quarter of it while sitting in Borders in NYC one morning. My god, it is everything I love about Margaret Atwood! I can't help myself. I just love her. She has a certain way of turning real life into eautiful poetic narrative.

And then... Two years later...
More...

7 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2010

Nate rated it:

I had a feeling that I could scoop this up at a significant discount if I just exercised patience. This has proven true. I need to go to the Strand more.

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Despite being somewhat unhelpfully labeled as a collection of "fictional essays" on the dustjacket, this slim volume is perhaps somewhere between a book of short stories and poetry. Vignettes, perhaps. The pieces themselves are tiny, often a page or less, and the pages are quite small themselves. In favorable More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 01, 2011

Alice rated it:

I've been reading a lot of "bite-sized" books lately, which is what I call slim volumes I could read in a single sitting, if I so chose. Most of them are to give me a good idea of whether I like an author's style enough to research further.

In this case, though, I already knew I liked Margaret Atwood's writing. I was looking for a small sample that could tide me over until I could brace myself for one of her deeper works.

I certainly got what I was looking for. More...

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Aug 03, 2009

Mommalibrarian rated it:

I shelved this as poetry - it is precious, poetical prose. Very short pieces with illustrations by the author. They are full of the elegant language that endears Atwood's works to me. They are indulgences that only a very successful writer could ever manage to assemble into a book. Some were published before in a variety of little magazines.

"No More Photos"

No more photos. Surely there are enough. No more shadows of myself
thrown by light onto pieces o More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

May 05, 2008

Felicity rated it:

This is a collection of microfictions, prose poems, and other oddities. In it Atwood ventriloquizes mythical beings, tells the other sides of stories, spins vast symbolic tales of ruin, and even seems to directly address the reader.

Basically, it's 155 pages of really good random stuff by Margaret Atwood. As if Atwood had a blog. And be honest. If Atwood had a blog, wouldn't you read it?

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 21, 2010

Angie rated it:

This little book is not only a wonderful book to look at, with its beautiful cover and authors own simple pen and ink line drawings inside, but it is an amazingly powerful, simple and beautifully written series of very short stories.

Most of these are only a couple of pages long and as such I was astounded at how much of an impact they create, in the thoughts and effect they brought about in the avid reader (me). I haven't actually ever read any Margaret Atwood before but I will now h More...

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Feb 25, 2011

Wan Ni added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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May 19, 2010

Heather rated it:

I started this book last year, but I wasn't sure I would ever get around to finishing it. It's actually a very quick little read, but it doesn't have an overall theme tying it together, so I had trouble turning the page to the next little essay each time.
The Tent is a collection of "fictional essays," according to the book cover, but I would be more inclined to call them prose poems. Atwood's subject and language both tend to be fantastical, and that comes across in these essa More...

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Feb 04, 2012

Jessica rated it:

I'm working on my life story. I don't mean I'm putting it together; no, I'm taking it apart. It's mostly a question of editing. (4)
______________

Fish are not the rival of stones. (17)
______________

No more photos. Surely there are enough. No more shadows of myself thrown by light onto pieces of paper, onto squares of plastic. No more of my eyes, mouths, noses, moods, bad angles. No more yawns, teeth, wrinkles. I suffer from my own multiplicity. Two or three im More...

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Feb 10, 2012

Lori rated it:

I do love Margaret Atwood. She is profound and prolific! Atwood's writing is often terse. To the point. It is stripped-to-the-bone writing. It is prose from a poet. It is descriptive writing with few adjectives. It is emotive writing with little time for long drawn out emotions. It is often humorous. It is often filled with biting humor. It is loaded with sarcasm & satire ready to explode in the face of its intended target. Atwood writes with an incisive wit and sophistication that is bred of More...

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Oct 19, 2011

Susan rated it:

Most of the pieces in this are too short to accurately be called short stories. Some are fiction, some are essays, but all are micro-sized. And that makes them read a bit like poetry. There's a lot crammed into every phrase. The variety of topics is huge, too. Many incorporate a fantasy element, some are full of satire, some are just silly or fun, and some I simply didn't "get" at all. "Post-Colonial" is a straightforward, incisive essay about "us" and "them" More...

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Jul 23, 2011

Per rated it:

Short stories and poetry in an intelligent and humorous mix. Margaret Atwood packs a good amount of sharpness and insight. (This is my second MA-book.)

Atwood make me feel smart. Her language is challenging, for me as a non-native english reader, but still very available. I find myself looking up words, and smiling when I get the double meanings or the wittyness Atwood puts in her winding story-binding :)

(This was my first e-book. I love the way I can quickly look up words More...

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Jun 20, 2011

Sarah rated it:

Fabulous, fabulous read. I finished it in around three hours because I had too much trouble putting it down to stop. Each piece was so different from all the others that it kept my interest up right until the final one, "But It Could Still". The first sentence of every paragraph hooked me to the point where it would have been impossible to stop reading. So I didn't.

I've long been a fan of Margaret Atwood's poetry, but this book showcases her mastery of the English language More...

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Mar 07, 2011

Katya rated it:

I am in love.

I don't know what I like more about this book - the sparse prose, the elegant sentences, or the fact that each and every one of those stories somehow resonated with me (or my life) in some way.

I realize that there is definitely more to say, but my complete ignorance of styllistical approach and literary critisism stop me from viewing this book in the light it deserves to be viewed. However, I will say this - I didn't need a Ph.D. in modern literature to feel the More...

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Oct 29, 2011

Chris rated it:

Usually I avoid collections of short stories. I find it hard to maintain interest when I know the story will be done in a few pages. I decided to give this a try because I absolutely love Atwood. I was not disappointed. She briefly dips you into worlds and scenarios, leaving you gasping for air as you're pulled out.

Beautiful amazing writing, the highlight I found to be "Bring Mom Back: An Invocation." It's also a very quick read, but I found myself re-reading some of t More...

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Feb 03, 2011

Daniel rated it:

A game of two halves. One half of this book is full of stories, contemplations, poetry and metaphysics that veers between profound, terrifying and bloody hilarious. The other half of this book features similar stories...but I could only describe those as...turgid. That said, "turgid" Margaret Atwood is better than 90% of the best work of many other authors...but many of the storie simply didn't speak to me.

So, complete brilliance, half disappointment...we'll split the di More...

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Nov 15, 2011

Trevor rated it:

An enjoyable and diminutive book of wit and insight crafted by the venerable Margaret Atwood. Unaware of its existence, I was very pleased to find a first edition hardcover in wonderful condition at Recycle Bookstore. These are very, very short stories--flash fiction, essentially. Most of them are no longer than two pages, which makes the book incredibly easy to pick up and read whenever you have a moment.

Some stories particularly inspired or impressed me, while others left little impr More...

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Oct 20, 2011

Shriya rated it:

'The Tent' is more than just a compilation of essays and poems that sprung out of Atwood's pen's nib at random occasions when she was possessed by the Genie of Creativity!
It's a bagful of fun, a storehouse of knowledge and food for poetic and philosophical minds! Her essays are not conventional or clichéd. They do not comment on the political state of things or on what was and what used to be. They are much deeper and much more closer to poetry and show by the means of their lucidity and More...

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Sep 18, 2011

Vicky rated it:

I both liked and disliked this collection of stories. There were some with a dark sarcastic kind of humor that I loved, and there were some that I, honestly, just didn't get.

There were several shorts that made me think and really spoke to me, and I've gotten quite a few favorite quotes from this read.

Some of my favorite stories we these:

"Our Cat Enters Heaven" in which <spoiler>a cat raptured to heaven finds that his toys are the souls of bad More...

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Jul 22, 2009

Laura rated it:

Mmm, delicious. I love Margaret Atwood's work, and this short book of 'fictional essays' was no exception. If I could have gobbled this book down whole so that the words seeped into my body I would have. What a wonderful book - a light, quick read with depth, wit and intelligence. Illustrations by the author add to the experience, and some of the stories had me laughing out loud with joy.

I'm going to go blend it up in my smoothie maker and see if I can drink it in a bit more.
More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2008

EllenB rated it:

Classic Atwood, she is very clever - writing all in the form of a free-spirited, playful confidence:

"Bring your ear down closer. Put your hand over the other ear. Think of seashells. There. Now you can hear me."

Atwood writes of writing in The Tent, the earnest futility of the human condition being mirrored in the act of writing.

"Why do think this writing of yours, this graphomania in a flimsy cave, this scribbling back and forth and up an More...

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Oct 08, 2011

Anka rated it:

Margaret Atwood is a wonderful poetic writer. All her stories even the shortest is like poetry.
This collection of brief articles and stories, fables and reflections taken from real life truths
Terms each as beautiful flower in a larger bouquet.
Margaret Atwood has the talent to make even the quietest voices unforgettable.
Even the dead have something to say.
The tent is her third book that I've read, without a doubt I enjoy the books and ideas of this smart lady.
I'm Lo More...

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May 29, 2011

pattrice added it

Many of these breveties are brilliant, concisely conveying complex ideas with wry wordplay. A few allow you to sigh in relief, thinking "Whew! Margaret Atwood sometimes writes junk too." I mean 'junk' kindly. We've all scribbled out heavy-handed or overly precious tales that belong in the bin.

My favorites:

Orphan Stories
Chicken Little Goes Too Far
The Animals Reject Their Names and Things Return to Their Origins
Post-Colonial
Eating the Bird More...

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Nov 06, 2009

Jacqueline rated it:

I remember really liking Alias Grace and since short stories are my favourite style of writing I thought I would try this book. In fact, I would say it's more like prose as poetry, a couple of stories are acutally poems. Each story is very short and I wouldn't all call them stories even, just clever reflections on the world. Some of them were too clever for me and I didn't really get. The ones I did I really liked. Loved the drawings that went with them too.

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Mar 04, 2010

Jessi rated it:

I read this book with my cat. We both liked it, but it was hard to read more than 1-3 pages at a time because the stories/poetry were so different. It wasn't much fun to read one after another, but there were some gems. If you're looking for something to pick up and page through this was full of neat stuff, a lot of half-finished and half-started (or maybe just short) stories, poetry, and some pure imagery fun.

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Aug 25, 2011

Faith rated it:

Startlingly elegant writing, and a lovely quick read as well since the stories are short. What I love about short story compilations such as these are that there isn't as much of a compulsive desire to carry on reading, which is wonderful for readers such as myself who should really be off studying or working instead. Exquisite storylines.
I adored it. There isn't much more that can be said.

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Feb 06, 2012

Cat rated it:

A quirky, enjoyable book of philosophical meditations and (very) short fictions. Mostly macabre and a little bit melancholy, but also with sly, ferocious humor. I particularly liked the story in which she imagined God as a cat (no one is surprised that I particularly liked that story, but it ended up being a really sadistic one--not at all cutesy as you might imagine from my cat-based endorsement), and I also liked the allegory of "The Tent" that provides the collection's name. A defen More...

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