The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher

Stories

By: Hilary Mantel

Narrated by: Jane Carr

One of the most accomplished, acclaimed, and garlanded writers, Hilary Mantel delivers a brilliant collection of contemporary stories

In The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, Hilary Mantel's trademark gifts of penetrating characterization, unsparing eye, and rascally intelligence are once again fully on display.

Stories of dislocation and family fracture, of whimsical infidelities and sudden deaths with sinister causes, brilliantly unsettle the reader in that unmistakably Mantel way.

Cutting to the core of human experience, Mantel brutally and acutely writes about marriage, class, family, and sex. Unpredictable, diverse, and sometimes shocking, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher displays a magnificent writer at the peak of her powers.

How do I love thee, Hilary-Let me County the Ways!

I hate short stories. I'm just a long story person. I want to be given a chance to care about every aspect of the story. I want something to think about. I want a chance to laugh, cry, be curious, be surprised, and be swept away. I want something profound.

How does she do it? I was completely swept up in these stories in all of the above ways. I want to study them and figured out their myriad meanings. I want to study Mantel's writing techniques. I want a bit of her brilliant zanyness. I'm a true fan.

Some great, others good, all worth the time

I'm not usually one for short stories, but numerous people recommended this set of stories and I'm so glad that I finally picked them up. Mantel writes in a variety of genres (well known for her novels ranging from historical fiction to more modern tales with some supernatural or fantastical flair), and this collection shows her range. Some stories feel like brief vignettes or a slice of life, others have a definite story arc. Some are awash in the mundane, others the absurd, and still others the gruesome or enchanted. Most of the voices heard are female, and the stories are all marked by Mantel's sharp observations, tart and dry humor, and erudition that has just the right blend of elite snobbishness and self-deprecation. Some of the stories were utterly satisfying in length, though others I was left wondering what happened next. Mantel, as is typical of an author of her talent, surely left me wishing that this volume was not quite so slim.

A slow burner

At first I was put off by the multiplicity of stories.,however, over time I appreciate them more and more. What a storyteller Hilary is with insight and humor. Enjoying this audio over and over

Superhuman Prose that Defies Gravity

Seriously, anytime I fantasize about writing a book I read a Hilary Mantel novel and become discouraged. Reading Mantel is like watching Michael Jordan play basketball or Federer play tennis (or back in the day watching Tiger Woods play golf). Unless you are born blind or stupid you realize that these people just don't exist on the same field or plane as the rest of humanity. No matter how many swings, shots, or hits I practiced, I could never play at the level of those masters.

No matter how many books I read or words I write, my brain recognizes that Mantel's skill with a sentence is almost superhuman. She is elegant and strong. She doesn't waste a word. Her prose seems to float with a bold efficiency and beauty that is hard to balance. It is like watching a ballerina kick Mike Tyson's a$$. And I haven't even got to the fact that she can choke you with emotion and knock you out with a surprise twist and well-played verbal throw down. The normal laws of gravity and axioms of art do not apply to Mantel's prose. Her words float. Her sentences run forever. Mantel DOES not f#c% around with the English language. She owns it. Read her novels (or her stories) and she will sit on your chest and own you too.

Creepy Crawly Good Time

A side, or, to be more accurate, facets of Ms Mantel's work that are new to me. Her exemplary lyricism is no surprise, but its application to such a panorama of the macabre as is found in this collection of short pieces is exhilarating. It isn't unusual to read, in commentary of her work, that she never seems to strike a false note, but I hope no one minds if I choose to celebrate the fact and repraise the glory of her uncanny ear. Jane Carr is perfect.