Hagseed by Margaret Atwood

Date Completed: 5/25/2017

Rating: 9/10

I jumped into this book knowing nothing about it, but that I had heard good things. I found that approach worked really well for me, so if you’d prefer, don’t read this, just know that you have my recommendation.

For those of you who prefer to know what you’re getting into, Hag-Seed is a modern retelling of The Tempest. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to remember or even know anything about The Tempest; Margaret Atwood is going to give you the chance to learn the play through and through without even having picked up Shakespeare’s original work.

A story of revenge, this novel was eloquently told by the protagonist, a theater director who is screwed over early in his life by theater compatriots and goes on to exact revenge. However, his means of revenge are slow and steady, and involve a different means than you would expect. He begins teaching theater in a prison and waits patiently for his audience to come to him.

Atwood is a genius when it comes to writing style. It seems no matter what subject or genre she tackles, she is able to communicate energy to the reader that really makes her books worthwhile. After listening to Hag Seed, I’ve definitely decided to start on an Atwood reading spree, this being only the third of her books I’ve read.

Her characters in this book are creative and well-developed, different personalities shining through and causing me to ponder the intricacies of their relationships with one another. Their wit, humor, and agitation took root in the story, driving a storm of emotions roiling through my own mind as I listened to the reading.

Whether you read for wit, character development, plot, or to learn a little more about humanity, this is a good book for you.

This guest review was contributed by Show This Book Some Love. Features clear and concise reviews. It reviews a wide variety of genres and approaches each book from an unbiased perspective, reading each book through to the end even if the reviewer doesn’t like it.