It's hard to rate this as it was quite short, and it's hard to not use her other work as the marker of expectation, but being that it;s a short story I tried my best to rate it according to what I know of short stories, which is not much.

This was a fun, short, quick little read. I have no real complaints for what it was, but it didn't knock my socks off either, very middle of the road, but I will of course continue reading Atwood's work.

I have really enjoyed the longer books I’ve read by this author but this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. It had some good humor but I just couldn’t stay engaged with the story. However, I like this author enough that it won’t turn me off from trying her next book!

I absolutely love this author, however this story fell a bit short for me. The idea of revenge with the past professors for one of their own was comical as I am picturing them as older and not as capable. The revenge itself ended up being laughable after all the plotting. I got where it was going, but wish the journey would have been more satisfying. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This fell a bit flat for me.

It was a really interesting story that captured Atwood’s style well, but it was a little half finished for me. I just didn’t love it!

Good short story. Good story of friendship, love and support. Feel like it wasn’t long enough. I love Margaret Atwood and would read anything she writes!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this short story.
It's always a pleasure to read a Margaret Atwood story, and this one is no exception. It's short and sweet and full of her tell-tale wit.

This was quite a fun short story. I was initially sceptical that it would be any good because of just how short it is. It does however end a bit too abruptly in my opinion.

Once you sit drinking, reminiscing, and talking about murdering three people, your senses are already flooded with alcohol, which means you are wasted. This read was interesting, although it was not as exciting as I would have liked.

This short story gives a flavor of the academic and literary milieu that Margaret Atwood likely was a part of early in her career. The characters now find themselves in their later yeats trying to put the past in perspective. It was light but enjoyable..

Wow! A Margaret Atwood short story. Can it get better?! Absolutely enjoyed reading this quick short story. Her writing style is brilliant that brings out the various characters and their quirks. We start out with the action bang in the beginning, something which I loved.

The writing style is witty and wry that immediately caught me on. It focuses on friendship, revenge and retribution but with a twist. The theme and age group and characteristics of the leads is quite well created. Margaret Atwood at what she does best.

Thank you Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

I love Margaret Attwood and have been reading her books for years. I was so excited to read this one but unfortunately it didn't work for me. It felt meandering and directionless. I didn't really feel like I got to know any of the characters and had to force myself to finish it.

All I could think while reading this short story was that I need to read more of the author's works. At first I did not even get what was going on and then it all felt very weird.

I had great expectations from the author, but this book was a dampener. Despite the wry and dark humour, the story failed to hold my interest. Thanks to NetGalley and the producer for a review copy.

I had zero expectations going into this and I was somehow still disappointed. The story starts off pretty interesting but it lost me in the 30 pages it spanned. I do enjoy Margaret Atwood's longer fiction, so I guess that's where I need to stay. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it was 200 pages longer.

This one wasn’t for me sadly. There were lots of characters introduced on the first couple of pages.

Get ready for a deliciously sharp gathering where cheese knives aren't just for slicing brie— imagine Only Murders in the Building meets the Golden Girls but with a twist.

In the tranquil setting of a backyard garden, three lifelong friends convene for drinks and a dose of retribution. Clad in their signature attire—Chrissy in lavender, Myrna in earth tones, and Leonie in hibiscus print—they conspire on behalf of their friend Fern, a retired professor who fell victim to the scheming of a male novelist and his clique years ago. Now, as Fern's health deteriorates, they hatch a plan for poetic justice.

With Margaret Atwood's trademark wit, this tale reminds us that true friendship means standing by each other, even when life takes unexpected turns.

At only 35 pages long, this is a quick, short read that you could cover on your break at work. It is only available via Kindle and the purchase link is below. If you are a Prime member, it is also available as a Kindle First Read of the month for free!

I was lucky enough to be chosen as part of a select group by Tandem Collective to promote this book! Thank you so much to Tandem Collective and the author - Margaret Atwood. for this opportunity!

I always enjoy anything by Margaret Atwood. This short story was very charming about old friends getting together over cheese and beverages. Witty banter and laugh out loud moments.

A Dark Bent..
A short tale - three women and a scheme to secure retribution. Carefully crafted and plotted with fully fleshed characters populating the short but sweet plot and laced with a dry, wry humour. Amusing with a dark bent.

This was great. I love when characters are so well fleshed out in so few pages. It reminds me that writing is a craft and good writing doesn’t need to be long-winded. I enjoyed these 3 ladies thoroughly and would love to continue their story - they entertained me.

A short work but great potential for a book club. It's been a really long time since I've read anything by this author, so I didn't have many expectations going in.

At first, the arc feels rather anticlimactic. <spoiler>The characters psych each other up, plotting to kill a group of men who previously hurt the career of their friend for sexist reasons. They misidentify their first target but go through with the middle-school-ish prank of feeding him-- and his unsuspecting wife-- a plate of brownies laced with laxatives. After this less-than-successful revenge, they give up the idea of trying to carry out attacks against the other members and decide to focus on the ringleader of the long-ago mistreatment. After hearing that he is terminally ill, they lower their sights again and attempt to turn around all his books in area bookstores, so his name will not be displayed. When they cannot find any of his books in local bookstores, they determine he has already received his punishment, by being forgotten in his lifetime.</spoiler>

Immediately after finishing, I felt pretty down about this. What kind of story focuses on strong, accomplished women lowering their sights so far? Patting themselves on the back for, ultimately, <spoiler>doing nothing at all</spoiler>? After a little reflection, however, I read this as a story about female rage. We fantasize about misogynists getting their comeuppance, or maybe even being the instrument of that fate. That the initial proposed retribution was not in proportion to the crime also makes sense: receiving mistreatment from multiple quarters, the characters would have wanted to funnel years of rage into this plan, to truly make an example of these men. Circumstances allowed them to temper their plan, and although what they ultimately accepted-- or talked themselves into accepting?-- a result that was a bit of a disappointment, it certainly seemed realistic, something many women would have to convince themselves is adequate, is "enough."

eARC from NetGalley.