Tag: Margaret Atwood

Greetings!

I took a risk this week and booked a trip for next year— even though it’s unclear how the year will go. This is unlike me, who often craves to be in the know and has a plan for big events.

I’m no longer waiting for life to happen to me. Cheers to the unknown!

Here’s my reading highlight:

Two Scorched Men by Margaret Atwood
3 stars

I think that apart from wanting to be heard, ingrained in every human is the inherent desire not to be forgotten.

With an unnamed narrator, Atwood pays tribute beautifully in fictional form to two men she knew during the years she and her partner spent in Provence: John, a hotheaded Irishman who served in the Royal Navy during World War II and barely survived the deadly battles in the South Pacific; and François, a wry and affable Frenchman, who was once an operative in the French Resistance and led a life shaped by tragedy.

Hello, again!

How was your week? Mine was busy as usual, but an overall productive week.

I watched the movie Indian Horse with my colleagues as part of our activities to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day on Jun 21, 2023.  National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates the heritages, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada – something that I have learned is crucial to do every day I am on this land. I encourage you too to reflect on the land you live in, its history, and its peoples.  

Having read the book before watching the movie, it was interesting to see the depiction and the difference between the two. The movie definitely had more of an educational element with text that provided context to readers before and after the depiction; however, the book was better than the movie (which is common). I felt there was a deeper emotional connection to Saul reading the book than watching the movie.

Here’s my reading highlight for this week:

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
3 stars

This was my first Margaret Atwood book, and it was quite the read. It felt like an overly extended rollercoaster ride. While reading, I often thought that certain progressions didn’t feel natural – it felt like a forced dystopian. After finishing the book, it felt like I was reading something very different from what I first got into – it made me wonder if I was reading the same book.

Race and class are significant elements when discussing incarceration, especially in the US, but I don’t think these themes were explored well in the book. Likewise, there was a strong element of misogyny in the book, but at the end, it felt like it was just brushed past.

Nevertheless, I would still like to give Margaret’s writing another try.