In Summary, The Eighth Margaret Atwood Reading Month #MARM2025

At the beginning of the past eight Novembers, I have thought how long a month is, when you’re thinking about a single author over the course of 30 days; at the end of each of those Novembers, I have thought how short it is, this time we have together.

In November 2025, MARMers have covered the terrain of work across twenty-five years—including her memoir Book of Lives, which I finished only last week. (I’ve waited to post this after midnight in case there were last-minute additions!)

I’ve written about it in each round-up and will share this quote in conclusion (though it appears closer to the beginning than the end of her book):

“Be careful what you destroy. In parallel, be careful what messages you leave behind. Who is the message for? Will the right one find it, and open the envelope, and understand the message, and have a moment of heartbreak and rare weepiness in among the old boots and shoes in the cellar?”

It’s been a pleasure to have your company, whether reading or commenting or discussing, and I thank each of you for sharing this November with me.

Whether it’s your first time, an occasional time, or a tradition for you—I hope you have enjoyed this eighth MARM.

MARM 2025 PLANS

Launch (November 1)
Old Babes in the Wood, “Death by Clamshell” (November 4)
The Blind Assassin Parts I-IV (November 6)
Week Two: Update and Check-In (November 8)
Old Babes in the Wood, “Freeforall” (November 11)
The Blind Assassin Parts V-VI (November 13)
Week Three: Update and Check-In (November 15)
Margaret Atwood’s 86^th Birthday (November 18)
Old Babes in the Wood, “Metepsychosis” (November 18)
The Blind Assassin Parts VII-IX (November 20)
Week Four: Update and Check-In (November 22)
Old Babes in the Wood, “Airborne: A Symposium” (November 25)
The Blind Assassin Parts X-XV (November 27)
Wrap-Up (November 30)

Here’s a snapshot of your reading this November in publication order (please feel free to add your link to this post if you are bringing up the rear):

Bill read The Journals of Susanna Moodie (1970): “It’s a lovely book, and if the poems are riffs on Susanna’s story rather than retellings, well that is part of what makes it such a unique work.”

Helen read Surfacing (1972): “This is a sad, poignant story in many ways and the narrator is obviously deeply damaged by the traumatic events of her past.”

Bill also read Lady Oracle (1976): in which her working theory is that “she inserts a version of herself, a young woman who came of age in the 1950s, into each work and then interrogates and plays games with that young woman with more freedom, with more flamboyance with each work.”

Andrew read Cat’s Eye (1988): “I haven’t read much Atwood, and this made me want to read more.”

[Edited to add that Rebecca read the first two stories in Bluebeard’s Egg (1999) and particularly enjoyed reading them alongside the new memoir and spotting some biographical details in the stories.]

Whispering Gums read Negotiating with the Dead (2002): “It’s an erudite book, in that she marshals many writers, known and unknown to me, to illustrate her ideas, but the arguments are also accessible and invite engagement.”

Rebecca (also, see above edit) read The Penelopiad (2005): “subversive and playful.”

Mme Bibi read Dearly (2020): “It was her consideration of aging and loss which appealed to me most in this volume, and there are some beautifully tender poems, full of love without sentimentality.”

As did Kaggsy: Dearly (2020) “…is a book I will return to over the years.”

Brona read some stories in Old Babes in the Woods (2023):
“Airborne”: “Much gin is consumed and old feminist ideals are rehashed and compared to modern day feminism.”
“Death by Clamshell”: “Once again, big ideas play out in Atwood’s short stories.”
“Freeforall”: “The dominant role of women in this society is in stark contrast to the set-up in The Handmaid’s Tale where men have maintained all the power and control.” and
“Metempsychosis”: “So, a little existential tale about randomness, chaos and appreciating ‘the simple joys of the universe’. Maybe.”

And, Kaggsy also read “Cut & Thirst” (2024): “the resolution of the story is unexpected and funnier than you might anticipate.”

Please let me know if I’ve missed anything! I’ve also tried to update the Project Page, but I suspect there are some links missing even so.

Rereading The Blind Assassin was an unexpected delight; for anyone who was put off by its size, don’t let that deter you; I think it moves more quickly than Surfacing, a sleeker, shorter novel, with unexpected density. I had meant to reread TBA in 2024, but didn’t manage it; so, if you had MARM goals you had thought would fit into 2025, but they eluded you, don’t despair!

Thanks again, for coming by, and for joining in the celebration!