I bought this book after reading The Handmaiden's Tale and like a good Canadian I determined to "read Atwood" and bought up whatever of her's I saw at used book sales.

But I am not likely to read all the Atwood's I've now collected and so will mark some, like this one, for release.

Release planned for Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at Halifax Airport in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada.

My flight arrives at Halifax Airprot at 11:15 and departs for Moncton at 11:45 so I am not sure I will have much time to execute an elegant release so Maragret will have to provide the elegance herself.

I found 'Life Before Man' from a phone booth at the Halifax airport. I saw it and actually thought someone had forgot it, so left it alone. My partner walked over and glimpsed at the inside of the cover and brought it over. She'd heard of BookCrossing and after her explanation I was so interested that she let me have the book--being the very sweet woman she is. I haven't read it yet but I will and imagine it will be left somewhere in Newfoundland when I'm finished with it. I'm actually a bigger fan of Atwood's poetry than her prose (and wish she'd write something--even if just an article--with the same theme as The Handmaid's Tail, as the recent U.S. government is shockingly similar. Why doesn't anyone with her brilliant and with millions of admirers write about this shame 'war on terrorism' and reveal it as what it is: a sickening exploitation by the right wing?) ANyhow, laments aside, I look forward to the book. ATwood's wit is always sharp and her views amusing and enlightening.

Nestled in Newfoundland

This morning I wrote a comment about finding the Margaret Atwood book, and added my thoughts on Mr. Bush. I want to say that I mean absolutely no disrespect to the familes of those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11th. What I mean is that it is unforgiveable, in my opinion, that a government use such a tragedy to foster an agenda that, in my view, has little to do with ousting terrorism. I wish writers and artists of great intelligence and heart would put forth their ideas in a public forum, and I mentioned M Atwood because she has written on themes of political subversion so well in the past.
I apologize if my words caused any hurtful feelings. That was not what I intended.

I just dropped the book off last week on top of a public phone at St. Clair and Bathurst. I enjoyed the book in some ways, though I still prefer M.A.'s poetry. She certainly keeps the pages turning, but I found myself feeling a little bleak after reading each chapter. Not a lot of light in the book. I'm reading a book right now called And There Was Light--an autobiogrpahy of a blind man who led the underground resistance movement against the Nazis in Paris. He was blind but he truly 'saw.' A wonderful book. (His name is Jacques Lusseyran.)
I hope the Atwood has found another home in the city.
Degan