Read by the Author
Annual membership is here!
Learn more
Bookseller pick
Send as gift
Add to Wish List
Almost ready!
In order to save audiobooks to your Wish List you must be signed in to your account.
Log in Create account
Become a member and support local bookstores
You‘ll enjoy credits that never expire, a 30% discount on additional audiobooks, and access to exclusive sales!
Explore membershipsBook of Lives
A Memoir of Sorts
Narrator
Margaret Atwood
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
Learn more
Length
25 hours 35 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“I didn’t know it was possible to love Margaret Atwood more. Both funny and heartfelt and a must read/listen for writers! I bookmarked more quotes than I can count. ”
— Emily • Novel Bay Booksellers
Bookseller recommendation
“Oh my God, Margaret Atwood, I love you so much! This truly is her memoir of sorts as she initially guffaws at the proposition in her introduction: A memoir in a literary style? “What would that be like? Eighteenth-century mock-heroic couplets?” And then she proceeds to be smart and funny, lovely and sharp—her literary style—as she takes us through her life, from her childhood into her writing career, using her books as markers, and her love story with Graeme Gibson, her guiding light. ”
— Melinda • Bookshop Santa Cruz
Bookseller recommendation
“The memoir from my #2 literary crush (Anne Carson has an unassailable lead) 'She's taken our times and made us wise to them' ALI SMITH 'She's Margaret Atwood and she can do anything' ANN PATCHETT' She saw it all coming' TIME 'The outstanding novelist of our age' SUNDAY TIMES Immerse yourself in the creative universe of Margaret Atwood for a riot of life, art and everything in between: the greatest writer of our time tells her own story. Raised by scientifically minded parents, Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec: a vast playground for her entomologist father and independent, resourceful mother. It was an unfettered and nomadic childhood, sometimes isolated but also thrilling and beautiful. From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking key moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel school year that would become Cat’s Eye to the unease of 1980s Berlin, where she began The Handmaid’s Tale. In pages alive with the natural world, reading and books, major political turning points and her lifelong love for the charismatic writer Graeme Gibson, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood stars and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel. As she explores her past, Atwood reveals more and more about her writing, the connections between real life and art – and the workings of one of our boldest imaginations. ”
— Matt • Books Books Books
How does one of the greatest storytellers of our time write her own life? The long-awaited memoir from the author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, one of our most lauded and influential cultural figures.‘Every writer is at least two beings: the one who lives, and the one who writes. Though everything written must have passed through their minds, or mind, they are not the same.’Raised by ruggedly independent, scientifically minded parents – entomologist father, dietician mother – Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec. This childhood was unfettered and nomadic, sometimes isolated (on her eighth birthday: 'It sounds forlorn. It was forlorn. It gets more forlorn.’), but also thrilling and beautiful.From this unconventional start, Atwood unfolds the story of her life, linking seminal moments to the books that have shaped our literary landscape, from the cruel year that spawned Cat’s Eye to the Orwellian 1980s Berlin where she wrote The Handmaid’s Tale. In pages bursting with bohemian gatherings, her magical life with the wildly charismatic writer Graeme Gibson and major political turning points, we meet poets, bears, Hollywood actors and larger-than-life characters straight from the pages of an Atwood novel.As we travel with her along the course of her life, more and more is revealed about her writing, the connections between real life and art – and the workings of one of our greatest imaginations.* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing images and drawings from the book.
Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. Atwood has won numerous awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the PEN America Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019, she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She lives in Toronto.
Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. Her novels include Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and the MaddAddam trilogy. Her 1985 classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, was followed in 2019 by a sequel, The Testaments, which was a global number one bestseller and won the Booker Prize. Atwood has won numerous awards, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the PEN America Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019, she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature. She lives in Toronto.
Booksellers also recommend...
Featured in these playlists...
Audiobook details
Author:
Margaret Atwood
Narrator:
Margaret Atwood
ISBN:
9798217166718
Length:
25 hours 35 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication date:
November 4, 2025
Edition:
Unabridged
PDF extra:
Available
Libro.fm rank:
#446 Overall
Genre rank:
#35 in Biography & Memoir
Reviews
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE CHIGACO TRIBUNE, TIME MAGAZINE, PEOPLE, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, GOODREADS, LITHUB, AND MORE“The most spectacular, hilarious, and generous autobiography of the last quarter century–or ever.”
—Leigh Haber, The Boston Globe
“Atwood's long-awaited memoir covers her arc to becoming one of the leading voices of modern literature.”
—New York Magazine
“Charming, interesting and witty . . . Packed with dishy tales . . . Scintillating portraits of major and minor characters are one of Atwood’s specialties.”
—Marion Winik, The Minnesota Star Tribune
“Luminous prose, a palpable lust for life, and an invaluable glimpse into the mind of a literary giant make this a must-read.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Engaging, wise, and marvelously witty—illuminating both the craft of writing and the art of living.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Virtuoso, protean, forthright, and astute . . . Atwood is one of the world’s most significant writers and her capacious memoir deeply illuminates her life and work. . . . Encompassing, surprising, and entertaining . . . Electric with portraits of family, friends, beaux, and foes . . . A keystone source for biographers and scholars while delighting and enlightening readers curious about [her] life.”
—Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review) Expand reviews
Start gifting
Libro.fm for Business
Start a membership, get two free audiobooks