Tuesday, September 23, 2008

MORAL DISORDER

Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Short Stories
Published: 2006
Personal Rating: 3/5
Yearly Count: 126




The Bad News
(ss) Yearly Count: 17

An older couple go about their morning rituals.



The Art of Cooking and Serving
(ss) Yearly Count: 18

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
(ss) Yearly Count: 19

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
(ss) Yearly Count: 20

A high school couple analyze the poem, The Last Duchess, in preparation for a final exam.



The Other Place
(ss) Yearly Count: 21

A female adult travels from job to job and place to place. Eventually she settles down and marries Tig.



Monopoly
(ss) Yearly Count: 22

Tig and Oona decide to live in an open-marriage.



Moral Disorder
(ss) Yearly Count: 23

Tig and Nell move to another farm. They are excited to grow vegetables and raise animals.



White Horse
(ss) Yearly Count: 24

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
(ss) Yearly Count: 25

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
(ss) Yearly Count: 26

Nell goes to her parents' home for a visit.



The Boys at the Lab
(ss) Yearly Count: 27

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.

8 comments:

  1. I didn't know Atwood had published short stories! It would be interesting to ask her why she wrote them in this format instead of a novel.

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  2. If I recall correctly, Margaret Atwood wrote a short story titled The Hairball, which scarred me in high school. Have you read that one?

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  3. Hmmm...I recently read my first Atwood short story this past weekend (called Hairball) and it was the second in a collection--maybe I should have started with the first? I don't like chapters disguised as short stories either...

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  4. Anonymous6:36 PM

    I do hope to read this at some point and will bear your comments in mind about all the stories being linked.

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  5. Laura ~ Atwood actually has several short story collections. I would still be interested in reading another book, but not if they are connected. I think her individual stories would be very good.

    Charley ~ Nope, but I want to now. :)

    Trish ~ Too funny . . . did you see Charley's comment? :) What did you think of it?

    Rhinoa ~ Knowing they are linked and figuring out who the characters are within the family is a good thing. It will make for a better read.

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  6. Ha! No, I didn't read it. :) Eeeks--I'm really bad about reading the comments that come before mine...

    The story was interesting--definitely will stick with me for a while. The collection is Wilderness Tips but I haven't had a chance to read any more or even blog about that story this week...

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  7. Ha-goes to show how much I know. I didn't realize Atwood wrote short stories. I have read a couple of her novels though.

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  8. Trish ~ I sometimes don't read all the comments before mine either. It depends on how many and how long. :) Gotta cut corners somewhere!

    Dar ~ I was irked because of the connections, but she does write rather well. :)

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