I'm not sure why I never wrote a review for this but I loved it lol! I remember more about the Tempest from this book than from the play itself. And I loved the prison setting. I still think about it all the time, so many years later.

This one wasn't for me and I don't think it's the assignment (so to speak) of reimagining The Tempest - it just chafed at me. Margaret Atwood is wading into unfamiliar waters here and I'm not sure she's up to the task, Some her writing re: people of color is a hard pass and the rest feels slapdash and not considered. It's not a recommend and I'm still irritated about "speculative fiction" honestly because all fiction is speculative really and it hit as snobbish and high hat.

The modern day version of the Tempest by William Shakespeare. The play is put on by a famous director in a prison, Felix is the modern day Prospero who wants nothing but revenge. But of course things are not that simple and there are challenges and fools along the way.

Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold

Margaret Atwood, 2016

Felix, the eccentric Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Festival, is getting ready to present his interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, but is removed from his position thanks to the underhanded methods of his assistant, Tony. After going off the grid for a while, Felix takes a job teaching a course at Fletcher County Correctional Institute, where he teachers Shakespeare to a small group of inmates. After a few years, an opportunity presents itself for Felix to get revenge on Tony and the others who did him wrong.

This is the first of the Hogarth Shakespeare retellings that I've read so far. I decided to re-read The Tempest before starting this book, and I'm glad I did - it had been a while since I had read it, and I had forgotten a lot of the story. I don't think that it's necessary to read The Tempest before reading Hag-Seed, but it does help. [For anyone not able to read the play first, there is a summary of The Tempest at the end of the book, so I would actually recommend skipping ahead to that before starting the novel.]

I wasn't sure at first how I was going to like this book - I thought it an odd choice having the actual play The Tempest as part of the plot in a book that's supposed to be based on the play (a little too obvious), but it really worked well. Sort of like how Hamlet uses a play within a play to act out scenes that are happening in the "real world" of the story. It also helped that Felix was more or less aware that his current situation resembled the play - if he had been oblivious to that fact, it would have just been weird. Sure there were parts that played out a little too theatrically - his revenge was way too neat and tidy - and if this had been anything other than a retelling it would have bothered me. But Shakespeare's plays had the same neat and tidy endings, so it worked.

The biggest thing that surprised me was how Atwood was able to take a play made up with mostly unlikable characters and make a compelling story out of it. The only characters I liked at all were the prisoners. The antagonists - Tony and the others - were supposed to be unlikable, but Felix wasn't really very easy to like. His delusion about Miranda made him hard to identify with, and his quest for revenge made him - at least to me - pretty unlikable. However, I think that this was sort of the point. I think that Atwood went into this book knowing that the prisoners would be the most likable and relatable characters, and this is why the book is called "Hag-Seed", as a direct reference to Caliban. I think it was an interesting choice on her part, and it was probably the best way to pull it off.

You definitely need to be able to read books centered around unlikable characters in order to enjoy this one, but otherwise I think it's a pretty interesting book and an enjoyable read, even if you're not familiar with the play.

What a fantastic retelling of The Tempest! I loved the spin put on it by Margaret Atwood - the story within the story and the decision to set it in a prison were incredible. Felix's revenge plot was fascinating and the inmates were just wonderful.

Margaret Atwood is brilliant! Hag-Seed: The Tempest Retold (Hogarth Shakespeare) is original, humorous, witty, magical and brilliant!
I read this slowly, taking time to savour it and letting the parts meld until they burst with satisfaction!
Thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and Hogarth for an ARC of this book.

This is a contemporary retelling of "The Tempest" and I have to say, it made the original Tempest much easier for me to understand. There was a lot of nuance that I missed when reading the original, which was, admittedly, quite a while ago.

Felix has been removed from his position as artistic director of the Makeshweg Theatre Festival after being stabbed in the back by his assistant, and decides to in essence remove himself from the world. It is not only the pain of this particular betrayal that causes this self exile - Felix ix also mourning the death of his daughter, Miranda, who died when she was still a toddler. Felix spends quite a bit of his time alone, plotting revenge against those who wronged him, and is finally able to enact said revenge in a very unique way.

I loved the way Ms. Atwood wove a story of revenge and vindication into a play within a play. Felix takes a job at a prison teaching Literacy through Theatre to the prisoners by having them put on Shakespeare's plays, with their own twists thrown in. When he hears that the very men who betrayed him years ago will be visitors at the prison to see his latest endeavor, he decides that The Tempest would be just the play to allow him to exact his revenge.

I thought the flow was very smooth throughout the story. The characters were very well developed and fleshed out. The plot was interesting and the pace was quick.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hag-Seed and always love reading anything by Margaret Atwood. I'm giving this book 5/5 stars and enthusiastically recommend it.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love her writing. However, full disclosure - I created a Netgalley account in 2016 or 2017 and then promptly forgot about it. I hope to boost my review percentage, especially if I can review audiobooks. As a full-time working mom of three, I've found that recently the best way for me to read is by listening! I promise that I will listen to any books that I request and receive! Thank you so much!

A cleverly-constructed, funny retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest that manages to surprise even if you know the plot points of the original play. Worth reading even if you're not familiar with/a fan of The Tempest.

I love Shakespeare retellings and I love Margaret Atwood. This was an enjoyable read and I thought it was a clever idea to change the setting to a prison and have the inmates put on the Bard's plays.

Of course, Atwood is up to the task the Hogarth Shakespeare Project gave her. She's rewritten all the elements found in The Tempest. And using the Tempest as the focal point when Felix had to teach drama in a prison is brilliant.

I really enjoyed this novel by Margaret Atwood. I actually have not read The Tempest so I can't really compare it to the original. I was absolutely invested in the story and where it went. Felix, despite not being an incredibly likeable character, was still equal parts exasperating and endearing.

Great book, highly recommend!


**I received a review copy from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I usually love Margaret Atwood's works, but as I began Hag-Seed, I found myself repeatedly putting this down in favor of reading other books.

There's no doubt that Atwood is a master storyteller. Her prose is always fluid, with word choice and language expertly chosen. The symbolism and reworkings of the original island (prison), characters, and such were interesting and imaginative.

However, for me, the plot is where I failed to connect. Yes, the fact that this is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Tempest was intriguing, but the plot lagged--there were multiple narratives that Atwood tried to weave together alongside lecture-like diatribes that made me feel like I was back in my college British Literature courses. These are further expounded upon my narrative strings that try to lend meaning to the narrative and chaos. They were boring.

This novel ended up being a case of doing too much. I'd have preferred a single narrative, narrower focus, and less meta-fiction. I didn't like the play (story) within a story. The characters also were a bit flat, I wanted more from their actions, personalities, likes and dislikes, etc. It's almost like they were so modeled on their original archetypes that they didn't reflect new reconstructions.

Ultimately, I DNF'd this about a third of the way through. I love Atwood, and still recommend her as a master storyteller. I would even still recommend this book to the right reader. But I just wasn't able to connect with this book. I may try again later when my mind is in the right place for something like this.

love Atwood, but not a fan of this. So many other excellent options by Atwood, you can safely skip this one.

I was one of those students who claimed to not "get" Shakespeare in high school. Since then, I've made it a life mission to read all of Shakespeare's works before I die. But meanwhile, I loved this retelling of The Tempest, which is one of the works I have read. Atwood is one of my favorite authors, and she did it again with this novel. The structure of the play-within-a-play, and the reimagining of well-known lines, and the clever interpretations of character relationships made this book outstanding.

Margaret Atwood stuns me once again. I don't think there is a genre/subject that she wouldn't write remarkably well in. The Hogarth series of Shakespeare retellings is worthwhile for fans of literature, not just Shakespeare fans.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

The Hogarth Shakespeare project launched in late 2015, with prominent authors retelling and re-imagining the works of Shakespeare. With authors such as Anne Tyler, Margaret Atwood, and Gillian Flynn, I couldn’t help but be excited about these novels. Yet somehow, despite Atwood’s contribution being the fourth installment, it’s also the first one I’ve read!

Hag-Seed*, Atwood’s take on The Tempest, is the perfect blend of humor and heart. Felix (as Prospero) is the artistic director of the Makeshiweg Festival, or he was, until he was maneuvered out of his position by his scheming assistant Tony. After a self-imposed exile, complete with a depressing, dilapidated shack, he takes on a new position at The Fletcher County Correctional Institute for non-violent offenders. Here he teaches inmates about Shakespeare, changing their lives – and his – in the process. I won’t say how it wraps up, but I loved it. While I had very little doubt about Atwood being an excellent choice for such a project, I am very happy my suspicions were confirmed. Hag-Seed is a witty, wonderful, tongue in cheek novel. I’d highly recommend it to most anyone, but (of course) especially to Shakespeare fans.

Hag-Seed is a play within a play. The story parallels the many aspects of the The Tempest. A renowned director loses his family, his career, and retreats into a state of knowing delusion. After, years of brooding he emerges to seek his revenge on those he believes wronged him in his most desperate hour.
I started reading this book without having read The Tempest. I still thoroughly enjoyed the novel without the additional insight that reading The Tempest first might have given me. At the end of the novel, the author provides a simple synopsis of The Tempest which I recommend reading first for those of us that that have never read it or have not read it in a long time. Having the foreknowledge of the play will allow the reader to point out the parts in the novel and the characters that are shadowing The Tempest. Even without that foreknowledge the novel is an interesting read.

Margaret Atwood is an amazing writer and I would recommend anything she writes, she does it so well.