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CM . . . .
Volume VII Number 17 . . . . April 27, 2001
This seems to be a season for women's angst, at least judging from this
book and a Globe and Mail review of Dropped Threads (edited
by Carol Shields and Marjorie Anderson, reviewed by Zsuzsi Gartner, 27
January, 2001). There are several similarities between these two volumes:
both contain one essay by Margaret Atwood, a few by other Canlit authors,
and a lot by non-household names, and both look at unusual aspects of
women's lives. Perhaps I am one of Gartner's other "readers, a little bit
older, a little more forgiving of earnestness and a little more
spiritually inclined," or perhaps this is a better book, but I liked these
vignettes very much. They are a mixture of the familiar looked at
differently and totally "other" experiences that left me marvelling at the
contrasts between their lives and mine.
The groups into which the essays are divided are all entitled re-something-or-other: re-evaluating,
re-claiming, re-inventing,... suggesting that they are all second looks at some aspect of a life. They
are; they tend not, however, to be "earnest." The "Re-evaluating Relationships" section, for
example, looks at more and quirkier relationships than I ever knew existed, although my rather
peculiar aunts and those of Margaret Atwood certainly had features in common!
How can I say that this book is perfect bathroom reading, without it sounding pejorative? I do not
mean it to be. The pieces are short--an important point for anyone living in a space containing
fewer facilities than people!--and also they benefit from being read in isolation. I was occasionally
seduced into reading a second by a title ("Eating a Jonathon apple", for example) or a first line,
and it was invariably a mistake. Taken one at a time, they are fun, intriguing, poignant, touching
or whatever, and leave something to think about at odd moments for the rest of the day; taken in
gulps they blend into a bland browness that bleaches into nothingness almost immediately.
Savour, rather than gulp, and you'll enjoy this book very much indeed. I did.
Recommended.
Mary Thomas reads a lot of kids' books both on and off her job in a couple of Winnipeg, MB,
elementary school libraries, but obviously enjoys the occasional "grown-up" one as well.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - April 27, 2001.
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