Book of lives : a memoir of sorts / Margaret Atwood.

By:

Atwood, Margaret, 1939- [author.]

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: New York : Doubleday, 2025Copyright date: ©2025Edition: First Doubleday Hardcover editionDescription: xxi, 599 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cmContent type:

text
still image

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

9780385547512
038554751X

Other title:

Memoir of sorts
Margaret Atwood book of lives : a memoir of sorts

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

Autobiographies.

Additional physical formats: Online version: Book of lives

Contents:

Farewell to Nova Scotia -- Bush baby -- Gemini rising -- Mischiefland -- Cat's Eye, the prequel -- Hallowe'en baby -- Synthesia -- First snow -- The Tragedy of Moonblossom Smith -- Snake woman -- The bohemian embassy -- Double Persephone -- The Handmaid's Tale, the prequel -- Up in the Air So Blue -- The Circle Game, the prequel -- The Edible Woman -- Alias Grace, the prequel -- The Animals in That Country -- Graeme, the prequel: part one -- Surfacing -- Graeme, the prequel: part two -- The edibles -- Graeme, the prequel: part three -- Survival -- Monopoly -- Lady Oracle -- Days of the Rebels -- Life Before Man -- Bodily Harm -- The Handmaid's Tale -- Cat's Eye -- The Robber Bride -- Alias Grace -- The Blind Assassin -- The MaddAddam trilogy -- The Testaments -- Dearly -- Old Babes in the Wood -- Paper Boat -- Becoming an entomologist / (by Carl E. Atwood).

Summary: In her long-awaited memoir, celebrated author Margaret Atwood--creator of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments--turns her storytelling brilliance on her own life. Raised in the wild forests of northern Quebec by independent, science-minded parents, Atwood recalls a childhood that was both lonely and full of wonder. She traces her journey from those early days to her rise as one of the world's most influential writers, revealing the moments and inspirations behind her most famous works. Blending personal history, literary insight, and encounters with remarkable people, Atwood offers a witty, reflective, and deeply human portrait of a life devoted to words and imagination.

List(s) this item appears in: New Adult Nonfiction

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Non-Fiction	New Books	813.54 ATW	Available		36748002629766

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED A NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE WASHINGTON POST * How does the greatest writer of our time tell her own story?

"The most spectacular, hilarious, and generous autobiography of the last quarter century-or ever."-- The Boston Globe

Raised by scientifically minded parents, Margaret Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec: a vast playground for her entomologist father and independent, resourceful mother. It was an unfettered and nomadic childhood, sometimes isolated but also thrilling and beautiful.

From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking key moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel school year that would become Cat's Eye to the unease of 1980s Berlin, where she began The Handmaid's Tale . In pages alive with the natural world, reading and books, major political turning points, and her lifelong love for the charismatic writer Graeme Gibson, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood stars, and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel.

As she explores her past, Atwood reveals more and more about her writing, the connections between real life and art--and the workings of one of our very greatest imaginations.

Includes index.

In her long-awaited memoir, celebrated author Margaret Atwood--creator of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments--turns her storytelling brilliance on her own life. Raised in the wild forests of northern Quebec by independent, science-minded parents, Atwood recalls a childhood that was both lonely and full of wonder. She traces her journey from those early days to her rise as one of the world's most influential writers, revealing the moments and inspirations behind her most famous works. Blending personal history, literary insight, and encounters with remarkable people, Atwood offers a witty, reflective, and deeply human portrait of a life devoted to words and imagination.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Introduction (xiii)
Chapter 1 Farewell to Nova Scotia (3)
Chapter 2 Bush Baby (15)
Chapter 3 Gemini Rising (20)
Chapter 4 Mischiefland (38)
Chapter 5 Cat's Eye, The Prequel (59)
Chapter 6 Halloween Baby (76)
Chapter 7 Synthesia (84)
Chapter 8 First Snow (105)
Chapter 9 The Tragedy of Moonblossom Smith (117)
Chapter 10 Snake Woman (124)
Chapter 11 The Bohemian Embassy (137)
Chapter 12 Double Persephone (155)
Chapter 13 The Handmaid's Tale, The Prequel (165)
Chapter 14 Up in the Air So Blue (181)
Chapter 15 The Circle Game, The Prequel (194)
Chapter 16 The Edible Woman (205)
Chapter 17 Alias Grace, The Prequel (222)
Chapter 18 The Animals in That Country (232)
Chapter 19 Graeme, The Prequel: Part One (248)
Chapter 20 Surfacing (262)
Chapter 21 Graeme, The Prequel: Part Two (286)
Chapter 22 The Edibles (296)
Chapter 23 Graeme, The Prequel: Part Three (311)
Chapter 24 Survival (318)
Chapter 25 Monopoly (336)
Chapter 26 Lady Oracle (352)
Chapter 27 Days of the Rebels (371)
Chapter 28 Life Before Man (392)
Chapter 29 Bodily Harm (409)
Chapter 30 The Handmaid's Tale (429)
Chapter 31 Cat's Eye (446)
Chapter 32 The Robber Bride (457)
Chapter 33 Alias Grace (467)
Chapter 34 The Blind Assassin (478)
Chapter 35 The MaddAddam Trilogy (487)
Chapter 36 The Testaments (514)
Chapter 37 Dearly (536)
Chapter 38 Old Babes in the Wood (544)
Chapter 39 Paper Boat (551)
Becoming an Entomologist (555)
Acknowledgments (563)
Credits (571)
Chronological List of Books (573)
Index (575)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers 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.)

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.

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.