I am a long-time fan of Margaret Atwood, but haven't had as strong a connection to her more recent novels/stories as to her earlier work (Cat's Eye remains my personal favorite). I was drawn to the cover and concept here, and was looking forward to her trademark insight into the lives and minds of women. Unfortunately, I never felt like I really connected with this story... It felt like something was missing and there needed to be more - more background, more into the thought-processes, more planning/plotting... I am normally not a fan of short stories, but I have traditionally had success with hers and not found the medium to be an issue, but here it felt like I was reading a piece of a larger work, and missing a lot of context and detail as a result.

A great short story that will have you thinking about the characters long after you’ve put the book down. Since it was a quick read I didn’t have much time to imagine where it was headed but I really enjoyed getting lost in the tale of these quirky friends.

I truly enjoyed this short story. Equal parts cozy, mysterious, vengeful, quirky, and comical. It wasn't exactly waht I was expecting but I loved it and would highly recommend it.

Three older friends and former academics, Leonie, Chrissy and Myrna, contemplate exacting revenge against a group of writers whose cruelty against Fern, a friend of theirs, affected her career negatively years earlier.

Margaret Atwood has a great way with words, and character. The three women were wonderfully realized, and I could feel their years of friendship. I could also appreciate the ironic humour of the ending, which arrived too soon. I wanted this witty story to go on, spending more Thursday afternoons with the women.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Amazon Original Stories for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This short story is aggressively fine. I thought the premise sounded fantastic but the actual story fell flat for me. The idea of three female friends getting revenge for their wronged companion should work especially in the hands of a writer as adept as Atwood. However, it was just kind of boring.

An enjoyable short story that was funny and fast paced, plotting revenge and the consequences that come with it.

I wish i had kinder words to say, for i know margaret atwood is a famous writer with many wellpraised books. However, this short story did not grab me. I think the most important goal of a short story should be to grab readers quickly, and i think a short story should be strong and good. However, this felt more like a slow start to a large novel. I was unsure what was happening, and there came no explanation. I was waiting for a big thing to happen, but no climax came showing. I was waiting to be more engaged, but alas, i nearly dnf'd this short story. I do think the idea of the story shows promise, and it would work if it were a larger book instead of a short story.

This opinion However will not deter me from trying other books by this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

Unexpected but I loved the sort of coziness of old friends trying to right old wrongs but is everyone too old for that sort of thing at this point anyways.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

~3.5 Fine! Sharp and witty writing by Margaret Atwood, above average yet maybe below her individual potential. The story, although short, was hard to get into. The premise was silly and fun, yet not quite enough to fully grab hold of my attention and suck me in. I enjoyed reading it, and do recommend, it just wasn't spot on for me.

This book was really difficult to get into, and to finish. This book was honestly super slow, and way longer than it needed to be. A little too many twists and turns that maybe I just missed but made us deter a little too much from the main storyline and made it more confusing than it needed to be. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Interesting...I liked the story the camaraderie between the ladies but their scheming was a bit ridiculous and I am glad the harm to the wrong guy was minimal and funny.

What in the hay did I just read? Not one single portion of this book made any sense. If it wasn’t 35 pages, it would be a total DNF. Does this author know any other words beside “says” and “said”. This was the quality of a high school short story at best. I could not tell you what this book was even about, it was all over the place.

0 ⭐️

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc. I enjoy Margaret Atwood’s varied works so was of course thrilled for the opportunity to read her new short story. Cut and Thirst was a tip-of-the-nose tale of three older friends and how they seek to revenge events they believe contributed to their fourth friends health situation. Very quick and enjoyable read.

This is a short story about old ladies planning a murder. I didn't really get into it and wasn't really understanding the point of it. It was just one long conversation and to be honest seemed like nonsense for most of it.

3 stars!

This was a short little story about a group of women plotting revenge on a group of men that wronged their friend. The writing, as expected from Margaret Atwood, was good but I feel like it was too short to have super strong opinions or for much to happen.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Book 103 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟💫

The elderly plotting murder always gets my attention. Why?

Well, I guess it just shows you are never too old to do anything... as weird as that sounds.

I have read a few of Atwood's books, mainly the handmaid's tale etc so I kinda appreciated this story as it was different from what I have read from her.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I love Margaret Atwood and this short story didn't disappoint. Very relatable characters and story. I enjoyed how the background was explained and moved the short story forward. An enjoyable quick read.

This was such a fun little short story! There is so much wit and dry humor woven through the story and dialogue that I found it to be hilarious. And also, the premise of the story was so creative. There was a ton of detail included to bring the story to life in a way that isn't always successful in such a small number of pages.

This group of older ladies were so easy to visualize and were a riot to read about. And their revenge tour was a disaster in a hilarious way while still interjecting some of the feminist social commentary that I'd expect from a Margaret Atwood story! I really enjoyed this story - especially not knowing what quite to expect when I picked it up. Clever, witty and a quick read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book to read and review.

3.25 ⭐️

This short story begins immediately with dialogue, which was unexpected and not something I’m used to, but I think it worked well to set the tone and pace of the story. It also helped flesh out the characters within the first few pages, which is often hard to find in a short story format.

I admittedly went into this hoping for a short story along the same vein as some of her older ones (namely, Dancing Girls) so this left me a little disappointed. Margaret Atwood’s writing/narration style is always a pleasure to read, but the plot felt convoluted despite almost nothing actually happening. That being said, I think this would appeal to an older audience looking for a quick, fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for my ARC of Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood. I am rating this book 2 stars.

The premise sounded fascinating and I was intrigued at this being written as a short story rather than a full length novel. However, I felt it was difficult to understand what was taking place and how to follow the storyline. It felt as if I was dropped in the middle chapter of a very long novel with no context and then it ended as abruptly as it began.