Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Stone Mattress cover art

Stone Mattress

Written by: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Margaret Atwood, Rob Delaney, Mark Bramhall, Lorna Raver, Arthur Morey, Emily Rankin, Bernadette Dunne
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $39.48

Buy Now for $39.48

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A collection of highly imaginative short pieces that speak to our times with deadly accuracy. Vintage Atwood creativity, intelligence, and humor: think Alias Grace.

Margaret Atwood turns to short fiction for the first time since her 2006 collection, Moral Disorder, with nine tales of acute psychological insight and turbulent relationships bringing to mind her award-winning 1996 novel, Alias Grace. A recently widowed fantasy writer is guided through a stormy winter evening by the voice of her late husband in "Alphinland," the first of three loosely linked stories about the romantic geometries of a group of writers and artists. In "The Freeze-Dried Bridegroom," a man who bids on an auctioned storage space has a surprise. In "Lusus Naturae," a woman born with a genetic abnormality is mistaken for a vampire. In "Torching the Dusties," an elderly lady with Charles Bonnet syndrome comes to terms with the little people she keeps seeing, while a newly formed populist group gathers to burn down her retirement residence. And in "Stone Mattress," a long-ago crime is avenged in the Arctic via a 1.9 billion-year-old stromatolite. In these nine tales, Margaret Atwood is at the top of her darkly humorous and seriously playful game.

List of Stories and Narrators:

  • "Alphinland" and "Torching the Dusties" read by Lorna Raver
  • "Revenant" read by Mark Bramhall
  • "Dark Lady" and "The Dead Hand Loves You" read by Arthur Morey
  • "Lusus Naturae" read by Emily Rankin
  • "The Freeze-Dried Groom" read by Rob Delaney
  • "I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth" read by Bernadette Dunne
  • "Stone Mattress" read by Margaret Atwood
©2014 Margaret Atwood (P)2014 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"Stunning…Atwood brings her biting wit to bear on the battle of the sexes." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)
"Shrewdly brilliant, gleefully mischievous, and acerbically hilarious…Atwood has the raptor's penetrating gaze, speed, and agility and never misses her mark." ( Booklist, starred review)
"Clever tales about writers and lovers…Atwood is a playful, sharp-edged, and politically alert author." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Stone Mattress

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    18
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed every minute

Amazing narrators. Haunting tales. The stories and characters will not soon be forgotten. Margaret Atwood is an incredible storyteller.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful