Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts

by Margaret Atwood Narrated by Margaret Atwood

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

An icon of literary achievement and author of eerily prophetic writing finally tells us about herself. It’s pretty much a superhero origin story, told in vibrant detail, making it a shining feat of storytelling on its own merit.

How does one of the greatest storytellers of our time write her own life? The long-awaited memoir from the author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments, one of our most lauded and influential cultural figures.

`Every writer is at least two beings: the one who lives, and the one who writes. Though everything written must have passed through their minds, or mind, they are not the same.'

Raised by ruggedly independent, scientifically minded parents - entomologist father, dietician mother - Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec. This childhood was unfettered and nomadic, sometimes isolated (on her eighth birthday: 'It sounds forlorn. It was forlorn. It gets more forlorn.'), but also thrilling and beautiful.

From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking seminal moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel year that spawned Cat's Eye to the Orwellian 1980s Berlin where she wrote The Handmaid's Tale. In pages bursting with bohemian gatherings, her magical life with the wildly charismatic writer Graeme Gibson and major political turning points, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood actors and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel.

As we travel with her along the course of her life, more and more is revealed about her writing, the connections between real life and art - and the workings of one of our greatest imaginations.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing images and drawings from the book.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE CHIGACO TRIBUNE, TIME MAGAZINE, PEOPLE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, GOODREADS, LITHUB, AND MORE

“The most spectacular, hilarious, and generous autobiography of the last quarter century–or ever.”
—Leigh Haber, The Boston Globe

“Atwood's long-awaited memoir covers her arc to becoming one of the leading voices of modern literature.”
—New York Magazine

“Charming, interesting and witty . . . Packed with dishy tales . . . Scintillating portraits of major and minor characters are one of Atwood’s specialties.”
—Marion Winik, The Minnesota Star Tribune

“Luminous prose, a palpable lust for life, and an invaluable glimpse into the mind of a literary giant make this a must-read.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Engaging, wise, and marvelously witty—illuminating both the craft of writing and the art of living.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Virtuoso, protean, forthright, and astute . . . Atwood is one of the world’s most significant writers and her capacious memoir deeply illuminates her life and work. . . . Encompassing, surprising, and entertaining . . . Electric with portraits of family, friends, beaux, and foes . . . A keystone source for biographers and scholars while delighting and enlightening readers curious about [her] life.”
—Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940194595143
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	11/04/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged

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