In Praise of Earlier Works

Never thought I’d see the day. An actual novelist on stage at the Emmy awards. And not in her role as screenwriter. Purely as a novelist. And that it was Margaret Atwood was utterly thrilling. Ms. Atwood was the original source, of course, of the multi-award winning Hulu streaming series based on her book The Handmaid’s Tale. Liane Moriarty also got full recognition for writing Big Little Lies, as the mini-series based on it also won lots of awards. Each of these two feminist video series won five awards.

The Edible Woman

There’s another earlier Atwood book that I loved when it came out, but which never seems to be mentioned these days. It’s called The Edible Woman. In fact, I often enjoy early works by writers who later go on to greater fame. Another example is A Slipping-Down Life, an early work by Anne Tyler. With new, wonderful books coming out every day, it can be hard to find time to go back and fill in blank spots in a beloved writer’s oeuvre. But I squeeze them in when I can. Very worthwhile.

2 Responses to In Praise of Earlier Works

Jo Nelsen says:

September 23, 2017 at 2:19 am

just have to mention my special glee at seeing Margaret Atwood – a Canadian – on the stage. I was transfixed by the novel when I read it in all alone in a remote location called Point No Point, on Vancouver Island, surrounded by fog and dark walk-through tunnels of salal. Perfect setting. We share in our delight in recognition of a novelist, Lida! Thanks for putting it out there….

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Lida Bushloper says:

September 23, 2017 at 4:50 pm

Thanks for the beautifully written comment, Jo. Lida

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