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Old Babes in the Wood cover art

Old Babes in the Wood

Written by: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Margaret Atwood, Rebecca Lowman, Bahni Turpin, Dawn Harvey, Allan Corduner, Linda Lavin
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Publisher's Summary

INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Named a Best Book of 2023 by the
Globe and Mail and Indigo

A dazzling collection of fifteen short stories from Margaret Atwood, the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of
The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments.

Margaret Atwood has established herself as one of the most visionary and canonical authors in the world. This collection of fifteen extraordinary stories—some of which have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine—explore the full warp and weft of experience, speaking to our unique times with Atwood’s characteristic insight, wit and intellect. 

The two intrepid sisters of the title story grapple with loss and memory on a perfect summer evening; “Impatient Griselda” explores alienation and miscommunication with a fresh twist on a folkloric classic; and “My Evil Mother” touches on the fantastical, examining a mother-daughter relationship in which the mother purports to be a witch. At the heart of the collection are seven extraordinary stories that follow a married couple across the decades, the moments big and small that make up a long life of uncommon love—and what comes after.

Returning to short fiction for the first time since her 2014 collection Stone Mattress, Atwood showcases both her creativity and her humanity in these remarkable tales which by turns delight, illuminate, and quietly devastate.

©2023 Margaret Atwood (P)2023 McClelland & Stewart

What the critics say

“This is Atwood. This is our four-faced Janus, who’s got one face turned to the past, one to the present, one to the future and the fourth inside a spaceship, telling stories about eating horses. Long may she reign.” New York Times

"Old Babes in the Wood is another Margaret Atwood triumph: incisive, insightful, hilarious and utterly readable." The Globe and Mail

“Atwood is a literary writer who entirely sees the point of science fiction, and her speculative instincts are on show in several of the stories here.” The Guardian

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Authors should let actors read

The first half of this book was enjoyable. The last half was more cathartic for the author in her dealing with grief and aging. She is also not the best orator. Leave that to the professionals and stick to her very talented writing skills.

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