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I Dream Of Zenia With The Bright Red Teeth (2012)

by Margaret Atwood(Favorite Author)

3.49 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

The Walrus Foundation

review 1: The release of this sequel to The Robber Bride gave me just the excuse I was looking for to read The Robber Bride again (such a good book). As with pretty much everything by Margaret Atwood I've ever read, this does not disappoint - it's a lovely short story reprising the characters from the earlier novel. Only complaint: not long enough - but then again, I could read and read and read Atwood's stories - they are NEVER long enough for me.
review 2: Freed of the albatross named Zenia, the three female protagonists of THE ROBBER BRIDE, now older and maybe/ not wiser, are enjoying life. And that is not the imagined, fantasy life of youth, but rather enjoying the lives they actually have as ladies of a certain age. Ironically, the depth of drama that Zenia brough... moret to the trio of friends still weighs heavily on them, haunting their dreams well after her sell-by date. Is this regret, remorse, or...? Age plays serious mindgames, and the ladies are waxing nostalgic via the titular dreams that Charis has been recently cursed with.Here, the point is to illustrate that the trappings of youth (stealing boyfriends, bitchy catfights) are just that, and become replaced with even more mundane trappings (putting out the recycling bins, sorting garbage from tin cans, walking the dog, picking up pet waste). Atwood is even really clever, connecting the recent vampire trends (TRUE BLOOD, TWILIGHT) to the trials and tribulations of aging. Changes to the way vampires work as sparkling or sexy rather than terrifying are the weighted the same as those other annoying age-specific thingsl like arthritis or cataracts.In some ways, this trade could be viewed as bringing these characters low, but there is dignity in their aging. Despite the draw of re-connecting with old flames, high school friends, or even long-lost family members for resolution, the ladies come out on top. Aging is a tricky thing, and whether to do it with grace or do it, kicking & screaming, is the choice. Luckily, these ladies opt for grace...even if it's still under the fires of Zenia. less

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