Review by Booklist Review
Atwood's zestfully detailed autobiography is an encompassing, surprising, and entertaining mix of vivid memories, keen and witty commentary, and slices of Canadian history. Virtuoso, protean, forthright, and astute, Atwood tells eye-widening tales of her childhood sojourns deep in the northern forests, where first her family lived in tents, then in cabins and houses built by her entomologist father, while her spirited mother kept them clothed and fed. But they also had city lives, and the contrasts between these realms has always stoked Atwood's imagination, passion for the living world, ingenuity, and fruitfulness. She began writing early, her fulsome creativity and humor already evident. Atwood charts her experiences in a school-grade by school-grade, book-by-book narrative tracking her growth from an intrepid and precocious child to a prankish young woman, gifted poet, Harvard graduate student, and prescient and provocative novelist fending off the intrusions of fame while making meaningful use of the spotlight to advocate for nature and human rights. Atwood's brimming memoir is electric with portraits of family, friends, beaux, and foes as well as revelations regarding the inspirations for her work, global adventures, and public personas for better and worse. Atwood has created a keystone source for biographers and scholars while delighting and enlightening readers curious about the life of the author of Cat's Eye, The Handmaid's Tale, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake, and so many more.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Atwood is one of the world's most significant writers and her capacious memoir deeply illuminates her life and work just as The Handmaid's Tale reaches its fortieth anniversary.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The remarkable debut memoir from Booker Prize winner Atwood (The Testaments) recounts pivotal moments in her personal life that shaped some of her most enduring work as a writer. Born in 1939 Ottawa, Atwood spent most of her childhood exploring the woods between Ontario and Quebec. After drafting her first poem at age six, she received encouragement from a secondary schoolteacher who taught her that "every writer is at least two beings: the one who lives, and the one who writes." For much of the book, Atwood attempts to bridge the gap between those two versions of herself, describing, for example, how her debut novel, The Edible Woman, sprang from her private interest in cake decorating, and how The Handmaid's Tale's vision of a "totalitarian theocracy" grew out of the political tensions she observed while living in Berlin in the 1980s. While Atwood focuses primarily on her creative development, she also renders with the skill of a master storyteller her feminist awakening, love of cooking, affinity for the occult, and slow-burn relationship with her husband. Luminous prose, a palpable lust for life, and an invaluable glimpse into the mind of a literary giant make this a must-read. Photos. Agent: Karolina Sutton, CAA. (Nov.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A literary life infused by humor, grace, and devotion to craft. "How often have I heard, at book signings," Atwood writes, "'But your writing is so dark! I wasn't expecting you to be funny!' A good question to ponder. Which one of these personae is real? And why can't it be both?" In this penetrating memoir exploring multiple dimensions of her complex personae, it's Atwood's irrepressible wit--not darkness--that enlivens both mundane domestic moments and life's pivotal events, creating a fully engaging chronicle. Indeed, Atwood's humor permeates the recounting of her early years, from exploring northern Quebec's backwoods with science-minded parents--her father an entomologist, her mother a dietician--through family moves between Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, and Toronto, and her journey through college, graduate school, and her evolving writing career, including formative travels to Cambridge and Britain. Beyond a mere chronology of events leading to writing success, Atwood's narrative is particularly notable in its focus on the genesis of her observations, revealing how writing itself perpetually unfolds alongside life; writing becomes life's reflection: "I move through time, and, when I write, time moves through me. It's the same for everyone. You can't stop time, nor can you seize it; it slips away." She explores craft in vivid, instructive terms: "This has been an experience I've often had: poetry breaks a subject open, fiction grows from the break." Such insightful analysis extends to more personal observations, as Atwood examines her relationships within the writing and publishing communities, including fellow Canadians Margaret Laurence and Alice Munro, her early marriage to writer Jim Polk, and most significantly, her enduring partnership with novelist Graeme Gibson and their daughter, Jess. Woven throughout the later chapters are considerations of the acclaimed novels that would define her legacy--The Handmaid's Tale andAlias Grace among them--alongside prestigious honors, awards, and celebrated adaptations that cemented her position as one of literature's most influential voices. Engaging, wise, and marvelously witty--illuminating both the craft of writing and the art of living. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
