You say Margaret Atwood’s childhood “was spent in the Canadian wilderness” (Interview, 21 September). Only partly. She spent half the year in the bush and half at school in Toronto, a circumstance that contributed to her fascination with dichotomies and gave her the objectivity to recognise and analyse power politics, especially as they affect girls and women. The late 40s and 50s being an era of deadening conformity, Canada and the world should be grateful to the Ontario wilderness and to Atwood’s remarkable parents.
Hilary Knight
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
• Oliver Wainwright says the High Line in New York has inspired many imitators (Top 10 buildings of the century … so far, G2, 17 September). However, it is not as groundbreaking as suggested – it was preceded by the Promenade Plantée in Paris’s 12th arrondissement, inaugurated in 1993.
Theo van de Bilt
High Wych, Hertfordshire
• Who chose your “100 best books of the century” (Review, 21 September)? No Melissa Harrison, William Boyd, Sebastian Faulks, John Banville, but Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Really? Perhaps you should ask your readers for nominations.
Kathy Arundale
Hale, Greater Manchester
• A number of readers (Letters, 18 and 21 September) have expressed disquiet at the idea that the switch from iPlayer Radio to BBC Sounds will mean they can’t access broadcasts through their mobiles. However, access should still be available via the web page bbc.co.uk/sounds.
Brian Josephson
Cambridge
• Labour party in Brighton: we will fight ourselves on the beaches (Corbyn allies move against Watson on eve of conference with bid to scrap deputy post, 21 September).
Susan Hutchinson
Oxford
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• This page was amended on 24 September 2019. An earlier version of the letter from Kathy Arundale contained editing errors that mistakenly indicated that Arundale believed Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo were not on the top 100 list.
