My Evil Mother: A Short Story

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars | 31,419 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 01-02-2025


About this item

A #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

A bittersweet short story about mothers, daughters, and the witches’ brew of love—and control—that binds them, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments.

Life is hard enough for a teenage girl in 1950s suburbia without having a mother who may—or may not—be a witch. A single mother at that. Sure, she fits in with her starched dresses, string of pearls, and floral aprons. Then there are the hushed and mystical consultations with neighborhood women in distress. The unsavory, mysterious plants in the flower beds. The divined warning to steer clear of a boyfriend whose fate is certainly doomed. But as the daughter of this bewitching homemaker comes of age and her mother’s claims become more and more outlandish, she begins to question everything she once took for granted.


Top reviews from the United States

J L Bagan
5.0 out of 5 stars A totally delightfully read....
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2024
I loved this story. It was charming and pretty realistic in many ways. The perfect mother and daughter conflict in a campy, witchy way. A truly sweet treat.
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2024
This was a great read on mother daughter dynamics. You feel the emotions and it is wonderfully vivid in description.
Glenda the Good Witch
3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024
Quick and easy read. Great ending! Def a great pick for a waiting room or lunch. Margaret Atwood is one of my faves.
lynnmarie
5.0 out of 5 stars Mothers,Daughters and The Circle of life
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2024
A great short story highlighting the dynamics between Moms and Daughters throughout generations. I saw myself w my mom,and my daughters and myself in this condensed story.
rc
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024
These short stories are like the richest chocolate mousse at the end of a terrific meal. Not necessary but irresistible.
Beagle Lover24
4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual short story very well written.
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2022
4 stars. (Mild spoilers)

An excellently written short story revolving around a mother who believes she is a witch and her teenage daughter who believes her.

Throughout her teenage years, the daughter became convinced her mother was a witch. The mother was constantly making strange concoctions with ingredients mixed in a mortar and pestle, then kept in the refrigerator. These potions would be given to the people who can to her with their troubles, be it ill health, bad relationships or someone seeking revenge.

As time passes, the daughter attends college and comes to realize her mother isn't a witch and they go through periods of not speaking to each other. The main point of contention being the mother insisting the daughters' high school gym teacher is out to harm her, even though said teacher has been dead for decades.

The daughter gets married and shortly thereafter the mother breaks her hip. Two alarming things are revealed while she's healing, but what they are I cannot say...the story would be ruined for future readers.

I really enjoyed the author's style of writing, having never read any of her other works. It was crisp, flowing and perfect for a short story. For a quick, quirky read, I recommend this story.
Waspish Bookie
5.0 out of 5 stars A short that reminds you why Atwood is one of the GOAT
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
This made me cry, if not because I am one of the transitory women who come in-between the new generation and the old. Like the narrator I know what it is to be loved and exasperated by a magical mother, and to feel the loss of that magic as they grow old and move towards the end. And the exasperation of raising the new magical woman, and being afraid that you're gonna f*** it up.
Lee Armstrong
2.0 out of 5 stars Zombie-like Through the Night
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2023
"I moved Zombie-like through the night. I was chained to a cemetery fence listening to a reading of the most boring story I could imagine." Then I woke up from this nightmare. My Kindle was still open to "My Evil Mother" by Margaret Atwood. I didn't care about the characters. It was like the story played itself out and stopped trying. We get through a daughter's admittedly strange upbringing where she thinks her mother is a witch and her father is a garden gnome, only to find out that her mother was just strange and blocked her father's attempts to write to her and took credit for presents he sent to her. That's the story. Sorry for the spoiler, but there's not much else here. Night, night. Zzzz.

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