Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Great but didn't quite reach full potential, 24 Nov 2008
This was really very good but I wanted the author to spend less time on the background of Snowman and Crake and, without giving anything away, more on what happened to result in Snowman living in a tree. I could have read another 100 pages just to be able to know more detail.

The ending was unsatisfactory is a lot of ways but the ending also resulted in the book lasting longer than just the time spent reading it. I often pick my next book up straight after finishing the previous book, but with Oryx and Crake I closed the book and just pondered it for some time.

There are many unanswered questions that result from reading the book but I think that may be a trait of Margaret Atwood. This is the second Atwood book I've read. The other book left me feeling in a similar way.

Well worth the read, I just wish it was longer!

Pseudo-intellectual drivel, 25 Sep 2008
I was sent a copy of this book by my sister who knows I like science fiction. However I only like science fiction written by people who like science fiction, not people who sneer at the genre yet don't mind using it for the purposes of semi-political polemic.

If you are a member of the self obsessed literati who reads a book because you like to look clever in front of your peers you will enjoy this (after your fashion). If you want to read a decent story, try something else. Anything else.

Utter tripe of the highest order

The book is way too short, 16 Sep 2008
As with any really good story, when you live it you don't want it to end. For me the only criticism of this book is that it is too short. I would have loved to have read more about Snowman's exploration of the deserted streets in the pleeblands and the Rejoov compound. I would also like to read more about his encounter with those he meets at the end of the book (trying not to give much away here) and how things ultimately develop. The ending is crying out for a sequel although it is a common strategy to leave the reader wanting more, asking questions, pondering how the story might develop further, I would like to know Margeret's thoughts on how she personally saw things panning out.
For those interested in human development and how humans may evelove then I recommend Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. Oryx and Crake can be seen as a tiny sub story from Olaf's book.


Welcome to the new world Snowman..., 14 Sep 2008
'Oryx and Crake' tells the story of Jimmy, who is now known as Snowman, a name he has given himself. Snowman is the only survivor of a virus, a virus created by Snowman's friend, Crake (his real name is Glenn).

After the virus, Snowman now lives in a tree, (Snowman survived the virus because unknown to him, Crake had been giving him the vaccination for the virus) and is responsible for Crake's children, species which Crake created, they are the perfect being, they have been created without the basic human need to quarrel, etc, they mate and they exist.

'Oryx and Crake' explores many ideas that are currently being discussed now, genetically modified animals, in Oryx and Crake, they are called 'Pigoons', Pigs whose DNA has been spliced with human genetic information and they were engineered to grow multiple organs for transplants, but now, they roam the land, packs of Pigoons which Snowman avoids.

In 'Oryx and Crake', Margaret Atwood highlights Snowman's isolation well, he may have the Children of Crake but Snowman is a different specie to them, they look at him with interest and feed him fish on a weekly basis, they only interact with him when they want to hear stories of Oryx and Crake. Snowman is a brilliant character but a jaded one, he tries to do the best that he can, while at the same time living with the voice of his former lover, Oryx, who torments him on a daily basis. Oryx was also the former teacher of Crake's children.

'Oryx and Crake' explores a world which has now changed, it highlights Snowman's isolation, frustration, confusion brilliantly but at the same time endears Snowman to the reader, you will feel genuinely sorry for Snowman. The book makes you think and I could not help thinking at the end of the book that humans are their own worse enemy.

Rating: 10/10

An intelligent and satirical vision of the future of humanity, 25 Apr 2008
"Oryx and Crake" is the eleventh novel by celebrated author Margaret Atwood. The man who calls himself 'Snowman' is the last survivor in a future Earth in which the human race has been mysteriously wiped out. Struggling to sustain himself in an alien world, his only remaining companions are the rakunks and wolvogs - genetically-engineered hybrid animals - and the Children of Crake, a race of modified humans. But Snowman also remembers a time before, when homo sapiens still ruled the world, when he was known not as Snowman but as Jimmy, and when events conspired to cause a global catastrophe.

The novel is told through two timeframes: the first following Snowman in his day-by-day struggle to survive; and the second (which forms the bulk of the story) tracing Jimmy's childhood and adolescence through some unspecified time in our own near future. Atwood's portrayal of the heavily-traumatised, guilt-ridden mentality of such a survivor is handled well. Similarly, Jimmy's eccentric and ultra-intelligent childhood friend Glenn (more commonly known throughout the book by his nickname, 'Crake') is well-drawn and holds the reader's interest whenever he appears. On the other hand, the character of Oryx is never fully realised and it is difficult to understand the fascination and desire that Jimmy has for her.

The plot develops slowly and some patience is required of the reader - at least in the early stages - although both pace and suspense build rapidly in the second half, as the novel moves towards its climax. Generally, however, while the two worlds of present and past are interesting, there are few surprises for the reader in the way the plot develops. There are tantalising hints that other homo sapiens survivors may exist in the aftermath of the catastrophe, but these are never followed up on; indeed, for most of the book Snowman himself - frustratingly for the reader - shows little interest in these signs.

The issues of genetically-modified (GM) foods, and the potential to create so-called 'designer babies' have generated a huge amount of debate over the last decade and more. What Atwood has done in "Oryx and Crake" is to take a number of ideas considered plausible in current bioscience and to follow them through to the most extreme outcomes imaginable. In the dystopian future that she presents us with, scientists have mastered the techniques of genetic modification, able to create hybrid organisms and radically alter the genomes of animals at a whim, to suit the needs of human consumption. Indeed in many ways this is a book about what it means to be alive, and what it means to be human: from dealing with the potential effects of scientists 'playing God' with our genetic code, to the imagined implications of abandoning art, faith and compassion in favour of hyper-rationalism.

Imaginative, intelligent and satirical, "Oryx and Crake" is a thought-provoking read, as well as a timely reminder of the human race's terrifying capability to devastate its environment and engineer its own demise.

"It's loss and regret and misery and yearning that drive the story forward," writes Margaret Atwood, towards the end of her impressive and complex new novel, The Blind Assassin. It's a melancholic account of why writers write--and readers read--and one that frames the different lives told through this book. The Blind Assassin is (at least) two novels. At the end of her life, Iris Griffen takes up her pen to record the secret history of her family, the romantic melodrama of its decline and fall between the two World Wars. Conjuring a world of prosperity and misery, marriage and loneliness, the central enigma of Iris's tale is the death of her sister, Laura Chase, who "drove a car off a bridge" at the end of the Second World War. Suicide or accident? The story gradually unfolds, interspersed with sketches of Iris's present-day life--confined by age and ill-health--and a second novel, The Blind Assassin by Laura Chase. Allowing a glimpse into a clandestine love affair between a privileged young woman and a radical "agitator" on the run, this version of The Blind Assassin is an overt act of seduction: the exchange of sex and story about an imaginary world of Sakiel-Norn (a play with the potential, and convention, of fantasy and sci-fi).

With the intelligence, subtlety and remarkable characterisation associated with Atwood's writing (from her first novel, The Edible Woman through to the best-selling Alias Grace), these two stories play with one another--sustaining an uncertainty about who has done what to who and why to the very end of this compelling book. --Vicky Lebeau

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Great but didn't quite reach full potential, 24 Nov 2008
This was really very good but I wanted the author to spend less time on the background of Snowman and Crake and, without giving anything away, more on what happened to result in Snowman living in a tree. I could have read another 100 pages just to be able to know more detail.

The ending was unsatisfactory is a lot of ways but the ending also resulted in the book lasting longer than just the time spent reading it. I often pick my next book up straight after finishing the previous book, but with Oryx and Crake I closed the book and just pondered it for some time.

There are many unanswered questions that result from reading the book but I think that may be a trait of Margaret Atwood. This is the second Atwood book I've read. The other book left me feeling in a similar way.

Well worth the read, I just wish it was longer!

Pseudo-intellectual drivel, 25 Sep 2008
I was sent a copy of this book by my sister who knows I like science fiction. However I only like science fiction written by people who like science fiction, not people who sneer at the genre yet don't mind using it for the purposes of semi-political polemic.

If you are a member of the self obsessed literati who reads a book because you like to look clever in front of your peers you will enjoy this (after your fashion). If you want to read a decent story, try something else. Anything else.

Utter tripe of the highest order

The book is way too short, 16 Sep 2008
As with any really good story, when you live it you don't want it to end. For me the only criticism of this book is that it is too short. I would have loved to have read more about Snowman's exploration of the deserted streets in the pleeblands and the Rejoov compound. I would also like to read more about his encounter with those he meets at the end of the book (trying not to give much away here) and how things ultimately develop. The ending is crying out for a sequel although it is a common strategy to leave the reader wanting more, asking questions, pondering how the story might develop further, I would like to know Margeret's thoughts on how she personally saw things panning out.
For those interested in human development and how humans may evelove then I recommend Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. Oryx and Crake can be seen as a tiny sub story from Olaf's book.


Welcome to the new world Snowman..., 14 Sep 2008
'Oryx and Crake' tells the story of Jimmy, who is now known as Snowman, a name he has given himself. Snowman is the only survivor of a virus, a virus created by Snowman's friend, Crake (his real name is Glenn).

After the virus, Snowman now lives in a tree, (Snowman survived the virus because unknown to him, Crake had been giving him the vaccination for the virus) and is responsible for Crake's children, species which Crake created, they are the perfect being, they have been created without the basic human need to quarrel, etc, they mate and they exist.

'Oryx and Crake' explores many ideas that are currently being discussed now, genetically modified animals, in Oryx and Crake, they are called 'Pigoons', Pigs whose DNA has been spliced with human genetic information and they were engineered to grow multiple organs for transplants, but now, they roam the land, packs of Pigoons which Snowman avoids.

In 'Oryx and Crake', Margaret Atwood highlights Snowman's isolation well, he may have the Children of Crake but Snowman is a different specie to them, they look at him with interest and feed him fish on a weekly basis, they only interact with him when they want to hear stories of Oryx and Crake. Snowman is a brilliant character but a jaded one, he tries to do the best that he can, while at the same time living with the voice of his former lover, Oryx, who torments him on a daily basis. Oryx was also the former teacher of Crake's children.

'Oryx and Crake' explores a world which has now changed, it highlights Snowman's isolation, frustration, confusion brilliantly but at the same time endears Snowman to the reader, you will feel genuinely sorry for Snowman. The book makes you think and I could not help thinking at the end of the book that humans are their own worse enemy.

Rating: 10/10

An intelligent and satirical vision of the future of humanity, 25 Apr 2008
"Oryx and Crake" is the eleventh novel by celebrated author Margaret Atwood. The man who calls himself 'Snowman' is the last survivor in a future Earth in which the human race has been mysteriously wiped out. Struggling to sustain himself in an alien world, his only remaining companions are the rakunks and wolvogs - genetically-engineered hybrid animals - and the Children of Crake, a race of modified humans. But Snowman also remembers a time before, when homo sapiens still ruled the world, when he was known not as Snowman but as Jimmy, and when events conspired to cause a global catastrophe.

The novel is told through two timeframes: the first following Snowman in his day-by-day struggle to survive; and the second (which forms the bulk of the story) tracing Jimmy's childhood and adolescence through some unspecified time in our own near future. Atwood's portrayal of the heavily-traumatised, guilt-ridden mentality of such a survivor is handled well. Similarly, Jimmy's eccentric and ultra-intelligent childhood friend Glenn (more commonly known throughout the book by his nickname, 'Crake') is well-drawn and holds the reader's interest whenever he appears. On the other hand, the character of Oryx is never fully realised and it is difficult to understand the fascination and desire that Jimmy has for her.

The plot develops slowly and some patience is required of the reader - at least in the early stages - although both pace and suspense build rapidly in the second half, as the novel moves towards its climax. Generally, however, while the two worlds of present and past are interesting, there are few surprises for the reader in the way the plot develops. There are tantalising hints that other homo sapiens survivors may exist in the aftermath of the catastrophe, but these are never followed up on; indeed, for most of the book Snowman himself - frustratingly for the reader - shows little interest in these signs.

The issues of genetically-modified (GM) foods, and the potential to create so-called 'designer babies' have generated a huge amount of debate over the last decade and more. What Atwood has done in "Oryx and Crake" is to take a number of ideas considered plausible in current bioscience and to follow them through to the most extreme outcomes imaginable. In the dystopian future that she presents us with, scientists have mastered the techniques of genetic modification, able to create hybrid organisms and radically alter the genomes of animals at a whim, to suit the needs of human consumption. Indeed in many ways this is a book about what it means to be alive, and what it means to be human: from dealing with the potential effects of scientists 'playing God' with our genetic code, to the imagined implications of abandoning art, faith and compassion in favour of hyper-rationalism.

Imaginative, intelligent and satirical, "Oryx and Crake" is a thought-provoking read, as well as a timely reminder of the human race's terrifying capability to devastate its environment and engineer its own demise.

From Buttons to Bestsellers, 08 Nov 2008
This is a tricky one. There's no doubting Atwood's ability as a writer; her prose is consistently elegant (although I do have a few reservations about some incongruous vernacular, such as the repeated use of the word "nicked" when describing theft, but perhaps I'm being picky), and her descriptive powers are notable. The problem I have with this work is that it lacks synergy. Quite the opposite is in fact the case, with the whole falling short of the sum of the parts.

As a dynastic record, following the ups and downs of the prominent Canadian family at the book's core, the novel works well in an episodic way. The two sister's lives are chronicled with wit and poignancy. There is, however, a good deal of predictability to their fates. This is the story of a privileged family behaving in a manner to which most readers will be accustomed. Because of this familiarity the novel as a whole is not as successful as it might have been. There's much to recommend this book but there could have been so much more.

As an overall package this book warrants three stars, but, due to the high quality of the writing it earns four.

Blindingly beautiful, 09 Aug 2008
The Blind Assassin is spellbinding, haunting and bewitching. Atwood's gloriously conrolled use of poignant and delicate prose encapsulates love, passion and loss throughout three time periods with a true understanding of the human spirit which makes for a timeless and unforgetable piece of literature.
Not since Guy de Maupassant has an author managed to so untterly captivate my imagination and utterly absorb me into their imaginings. Atwood's intricately constructed narrative weaves seamlessly in and out of time and landscape involving the reader so intensely it is almost disappointing when the story finally reaches it's powerfully emotional conclusion. The novel is not only readable, it is hard not to be 'read' back by it; the characters are not only so beautifully defined as to be believed but are also so real as to be empathised with.
I was sorry to finish this book, it left me breathless and moved in a way that few others before have managed and deserves to become a 'classic' in every sense of the word.

An enduring masterpiece, 24 Mar 2008
Sometimes, when reading a big book, one gets the feeling that the author set out to achieve size, as if that in itself might suggest certain adjectives from a reader or reviewer - weighty, significant, deep, serious, complex, extensive, perhaps. Sometimes - rarely, in fact - one reads a big book and becomes lost in its size, lost in the sense that one ceases to notice the hundreds passing by, as the work creates its own time, defines its own experience, shares its own world. Even then, reaching the end can often be merely trite, just a running out of steam, the process thoroughly engaging, the product, however, something of a let down. Rarely, very rarely indeed, one reads a big book that actually needs its size, justifies itself, continues to surprise as well as enchant and then, finally, stuns. Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin is such a book, a giant in every sense, a masterpiece beyond question.

Blind Assassin was awarded the Booker prize in 2000 and charts intersecting histories of two well-to-do Canadian families, Chase and Griffen. The two Chase sisters, Iris and Laura, are quite different people. Born into the relative opulence of a Canadian manufacturing family, they have a private education of sorts, experienced throughout and yet alongside something vaguely like a childhood. Various aspects of twentieth century history impinge upon their lives and eventually force their family to reassess its status. Economic downturn, war and family tragedy take their toll on the father, who becomes less able to manage either his own life or his business. Something has to give. Ways of coping must be found.

Iris, the elder sister, is the first person narrator of about half of the book, the other half being devoted to a book within a book, a novel in the name of Laura, the younger sister. This novel, entitled The Blind Assassin, is an eclectic mix of experience, sex, fantasy and politics. It has made a name for Laura and retains a significant cult following many years after its publication. Laura, herself, died in a car accident. She drove off a bridge into a ravine. The car belonged to Iris. There was never any real explanation for the event.

Iris, meanwhile, has been married off to an older man, a Griffen, who seems to treat her like so much chattel. But then he is an industrialist with the wherewithal, not to mention capital, to assist the bride's family business in its time of need. Iris, therefore, experiences the Canadian equivalent of an arranged marriage. Perhaps the word marriage is a little overstated. The partnership could be better described as a merger, or a union, if that were not a dirty word because of its political connotation.

And so the octogenarian Iris, clearly anticipating the end of her days, embarks upon a cathartic outpouring of personal and family history in the hope that an estranged granddaughter might just understand a little about other peoples' motives.

The book takes us through Canada and north America, across to Europe, via an imagined universe, to political commitment, direct action and its inevitable reaction. Iris needs to write it all down. And so she works her story out, constructing it, perhaps reconstructing it, maybe inventing it from memory and relived experience against a backdrop of contemporary Canada and her own failing health. Her vulnerability, in the end, is our debt, our penance, perhaps. She is a wise old woman with much to hide, but her acerbic wit is undiminished by age, her observations of others stunningly perspicacious.

It is not often that a novel, a mere flight of another's fancy, achieves the subtle, stunning and surely enduring power of the Blind Assassin.


Uneven, and largely unnecessary..., 29 Dec 2007
I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale and, while I normally steer away from Booker prizewinners, I decided to give this a go.

It would certainly be unreasonable to deny that Atwood has a formidable command of the English language, and great skill in deploying it. There are about 7,000 metaphors and similes here, and nearly every one of them works. In that respect, I found it a surprisingly easy read, with a good flow to the prose, and a well-established context.

However, I would quibble with the idea that this is a great book. Even after 600 pages, I didn't feel I knew Iris very well - she was often an opaque figure, who really only became real when she got old and crabby. The early Iris was a blank, remote cipher. Laura was, I presume, intended to be enigmatic, but for me she held no real allure.

The narrative is odd. Considering it covers an entire life, it often dwells on the inconsequential, and skips over the important. Key events like births, weddings, deaths; these are all dispatched far too quickly. Maybe this was intentional, but it didn't read that way - it just read as uneven, and as if the reader didn't matter.

All in all, there was no dramatic tension at any point. The story drifted on, albeit that the splicing between one "story" and the other was poorly done, adding to the unevenness. I didn't really care what happened to Laura, or who was related to whom. It was all background, no foreground; and Atwood's failure to really emphasise what was important left it all feeling like a very intelligently-produced screensaver.

For me, this book is about 300 pages too long, and lacks a clear purpose. It tells of a life that has little to recommend its' telling. Maybe the Booker was a "lifetime achievement" rather than for this book alone, or maybe the Booker just goes to overrated, over-long books.

A touch overrated, 05 Sep 2007
The Blind Assassin is an utterly postmodern tragedy of family life set in 1930s Canada, centred around the causes of the suicide of "authoress" Laura Chase, the narrator's sister. It's beguiling and richly detailed, but a little flabby too.

Atwood tells her story in three voices. Iris's memoir is interleaved with newspaper cuttings, drily documenting the novel's events, and with chapters of "The Blind Assassin," a novel within a novel. Reading them mixed together, as they're meant to be read, we're encouraged to consider the power and trustworthiness of the three voices. Atwood's theme is authorship: its origin, its responsibilities, its consequences and the myths that can engulf authors. The truth is elusive, and the narration routinely reveals more about the narrator than about the truth. The technique is brilliant - but a bit overused by Book XV.

In a nutshell, The Blind Assassin is everything that's bad and good about postmodern literature. The contrast of the three voices and the exploration of authorship is ingenious - but self-indulgence, writing for its own sake, with scant regard for plot or character, drags it down.

Iris is the only flesh-and-blood character in the novel - most characters' thoughts and motives remain a mystery, which is a surprise in a 650-page work. Richard Griffen is a cardboard ogre, a flimsy stereotype of what feminists think men are like - amazingly, the narrator even confesses that this is how she's portrayed him. What this novel lacks is a heart. Atwood piles on the detail, but never convinced me that she really knows what it's like for her characters - because of course she never lived through the '30s herself.

The Blind Assassin could have been halved in length. We learn Iris's opinions of cookies (tasteless, crumbly, greasy) and muffins (too big, too heavy) and essentially every opinion she has on everything. The book demands stamina, lots of it, and doesn't quite pay back the large outlay of time. The story is okay, with a couple of twists (though the big one is extremely predictable), and very readable, but moves at a very gentle pace.

If you're looking for an intelligent mystery (e.g. for holiday reading) let me recommend The Secret History by Donna Tartt. If you want a broadly similar story with the same sort of theme crammed into 200 pages rather than 650, try A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro. The Blind Assassin is enjoyable enough, but no masterpiece.

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Great but didn't quite reach full potential, 24 Nov 2008
This was really very good but I wanted the author to spend less time on the background of Snowman and Crake and, without giving anything away, more on what happened to result in Snowman living in a tree. I could have read another 100 pages just to be able to know more detail.

The ending was unsatisfactory is a lot of ways but the ending also resulted in the book lasting longer than just the time spent reading it. I often pick my next book up straight after finishing the previous book, but with Oryx and Crake I closed the book and just pondered it for some time.

There are many unanswered questions that result from reading the book but I think that may be a trait of Margaret Atwood. This is the second Atwood book I've read. The other book left me feeling in a similar way.

Well worth the read, I just wish it was longer!

Pseudo-intellectual drivel, 25 Sep 2008
I was sent a copy of this book by my sister who knows I like science fiction. However I only like science fiction written by people who like science fiction, not people who sneer at the genre yet don't mind using it for the purposes of semi-political polemic.

If you are a member of the self obsessed literati who reads a book because you like to look clever in front of your peers you will enjoy this (after your fashion). If you want to read a decent story, try something else. Anything else.

Utter tripe of the highest order

The book is way too short, 16 Sep 2008
As with any really good story, when you live it you don't want it to end. For me the only criticism of this book is that it is too short. I would have loved to have read more about Snowman's exploration of the deserted streets in the pleeblands and the Rejoov compound. I would also like to read more about his encounter with those he meets at the end of the book (trying not to give much away here) and how things ultimately develop. The ending is crying out for a sequel although it is a common strategy to leave the reader wanting more, asking questions, pondering how the story might develop further, I would like to know Margeret's thoughts on how she personally saw things panning out.
For those interested in human development and how humans may evelove then I recommend Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. Oryx and Crake can be seen as a tiny sub story from Olaf's book.


Welcome to the new world Snowman..., 14 Sep 2008
'Oryx and Crake' tells the story of Jimmy, who is now known as Snowman, a name he has given himself. Snowman is the only survivor of a virus, a virus created by Snowman's friend, Crake (his real name is Glenn).

After the virus, Snowman now lives in a tree, (Snowman survived the virus because unknown to him, Crake had been giving him the vaccination for the virus) and is responsible for Crake's children, species which Crake created, they are the perfect being, they have been created without the basic human need to quarrel, etc, they mate and they exist.

'Oryx and Crake' explores many ideas that are currently being discussed now, genetically modified animals, in Oryx and Crake, they are called 'Pigoons', Pigs whose DNA has been spliced with human genetic information and they were engineered to grow multiple organs for transplants, but now, they roam the land, packs of Pigoons which Snowman avoids.

In 'Oryx and Crake', Margaret Atwood highlights Snowman's isolation well, he may have the Children of Crake but Snowman is a different specie to them, they look at him with interest and feed him fish on a weekly basis, they only interact with him when they want to hear stories of Oryx and Crake. Snowman is a brilliant character but a jaded one, he tries to do the best that he can, while at the same time living with the voice of his former lover, Oryx, who torments him on a daily basis. Oryx was also the former teacher of Crake's children.

'Oryx and Crake' explores a world which has now changed, it highlights Snowman's isolation, frustration, confusion brilliantly but at the same time endears Snowman to the reader, you will feel genuinely sorry for Snowman. The book makes you think and I could not help thinking at the end of the book that humans are their own worse enemy.

Rating: 10/10

An intelligent and satirical vision of the future of humanity, 25 Apr 2008
"Oryx and Crake" is the eleventh novel by celebrated author Margaret Atwood. The man who calls himself 'Snowman' is the last survivor in a future Earth in which the human race has been mysteriously wiped out. Struggling to sustain himself in an alien world, his only remaining companions are the rakunks and wolvogs - genetically-engineered hybrid animals - and the Children of Crake, a race of modified humans. But Snowman also remembers a time before, when homo sapiens still ruled the world, when he was known not as Snowman but as Jimmy, and when events conspired to cause a global catastrophe.

The novel is told through two timeframes: the first following Snowman in his day-by-day struggle to survive; and the second (which forms the bulk of the story) tracing Jimmy's childhood and adolescence through some unspecified time in our own near future. Atwood's portrayal of the heavily-traumatised, guilt-ridden mentality of such a survivor is handled well. Similarly, Jimmy's eccentric and ultra-intelligent childhood friend Glenn (more commonly known throughout the book by his nickname, 'Crake') is well-drawn and holds the reader's interest whenever he appears. On the other hand, the character of Oryx is never fully realised and it is difficult to understand the fascination and desire that Jimmy has for her.

The plot develops slowly and some patience is required of the reader - at least in the early stages - although both pace and suspense build rapidly in the second half, as the novel moves towards its climax. Generally, however, while the two worlds of present and past are interesting, there are few surprises for the reader in the way the plot develops. There are tantalising hints that other homo sapiens survivors may exist in the aftermath of the catastrophe, but these are never followed up on; indeed, for most of the book Snowman himself - frustratingly for the reader - shows little interest in these signs.

The issues of genetically-modified (GM) foods, and the potential to create so-called 'designer babies' have generated a huge amount of debate over the last decade and more. What Atwood has done in "Oryx and Crake" is to take a number of ideas considered plausible in current bioscience and to follow them through to the most extreme outcomes imaginable. In the dystopian future that she presents us with, scientists have mastered the techniques of genetic modification, able to create hybrid organisms and radically alter the genomes of animals at a whim, to suit the needs of human consumption. Indeed in many ways this is a book about what it means to be alive, and what it means to be human: from dealing with the potential effects of scientists 'playing God' with our genetic code, to the imagined implications of abandoning art, faith and compassion in favour of hyper-rationalism.

Imaginative, intelligent and satirical, "Oryx and Crake" is a thought-provoking read, as well as a timely reminder of the human race's terrifying capability to devastate its environment and engineer its own demise.

From Buttons to Bestsellers, 08 Nov 2008
This is a tricky one. There's no doubting Atwood's ability as a writer; her prose is consistently elegant (although I do have a few reservations about some incongruous vernacular, such as the repeated use of the word "nicked" when describing theft, but perhaps I'm being picky), and her descriptive powers are notable. The problem I have with this work is that it lacks synergy. Quite the opposite is in fact the case, with the whole falling short of the sum of the parts.

As a dynastic record, following the ups and downs of the prominent Canadian family at the book's core, the novel works well in an episodic way. The two sister's lives are chronicled with wit and poignancy. There is, however, a good deal of predictability to their fates. This is the story of a privileged family behaving in a manner to which most readers will be accustomed. Because of this familiarity the novel as a whole is not as successful as it might have been. There's much to recommend this book but there could have been so much more.

As an overall package this book warrants three stars, but, due to the high quality of the writing it earns four.

Blindingly beautiful, 09 Aug 2008
The Blind Assassin is spellbinding, haunting and bewitching. Atwood's gloriously conrolled use of poignant and delicate prose encapsulates love, passion and loss throughout three time periods with a true understanding of the human spirit which makes for a timeless and unforgetable piece of literature.
Not since Guy de Maupassant has an author managed to so untterly captivate my imagination and utterly absorb me into their imaginings. Atwood's intricately constructed narrative weaves seamlessly in and out of time and landscape involving the reader so intensely it is almost disappointing when the story finally reaches it's powerfully emotional conclusion. The novel is not only readable, it is hard not to be 'read' back by it; the characters are not only so beautifully defined as to be believed but are also so real as to be empathised with.
I was sorry to finish this book, it left me breathless and moved in a way that few others before have managed and deserves to become a 'classic' in every sense of the word.

An enduring masterpiece, 24 Mar 2008
Sometimes, when reading a big book, one gets the feeling that the author set out to achieve size, as if that in itself might suggest certain adjectives from a reader or reviewer - weighty, significant, deep, serious, complex, extensive, perhaps. Sometimes - rarely, in fact - one reads a big book and becomes lost in its size, lost in the sense that one ceases to notice the hundreds passing by, as the work creates its own time, defines its own experience, shares its own world. Even then, reaching the end can often be merely trite, just a running out of steam, the process thoroughly engaging, the product, however, something of a let down. Rarely, very rarely indeed, one reads a big book that actually needs its size, justifies itself, continues to surprise as well as enchant and then, finally, stuns. Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin is such a book, a giant in every sense, a masterpiece beyond question.

Blind Assassin was awarded the Booker prize in 2000 and charts intersecting histories of two well-to-do Canadian families, Chase and Griffen. The two Chase sisters, Iris and Laura, are quite different people. Born into the relative opulence of a Canadian manufacturing family, they have a private education of sorts, experienced throughout and yet alongside something vaguely like a childhood. Various aspects of twentieth century history impinge upon their lives and eventually force their family to reassess its status. Economic downturn, war and family tragedy take their toll on the father, who becomes less able to manage either his own life or his business. Something has to give. Ways of coping must be found.

Iris, the elder sister, is the first person narrator of about half of the book, the other half being devoted to a book within a book, a novel in the name of Laura, the younger sister. This novel, entitled The Blind Assassin, is an eclectic mix of experience, sex, fantasy and politics. It has made a name for Laura and retains a significant cult following many years after its publication. Laura, herself, died in a car accident. She drove off a bridge into a ravine. The car belonged to Iris. There was never any real explanation for the event.

Iris, meanwhile, has been married off to an older man, a Griffen, who seems to treat her like so much chattel. But then he is an industrialist with the wherewithal, not to mention capital, to assist the bride's family business in its time of need. Iris, therefore, experiences the Canadian equivalent of an arranged marriage. Perhaps the word marriage is a little overstated. The partnership could be better described as a merger, or a union, if that were not a dirty word because of its political connotation.

And so the octogenarian Iris, clearly anticipating the end of her days, embarks upon a cathartic outpouring of personal and family history in the hope that an estranged granddaughter might just understand a little about other peoples' motives.

The book takes us through Canada and north America, across to Europe, via an imagined universe, to political commitment, direct action and its inevitable reaction. Iris needs to write it all down. And so she works her story out, constructing it, perhaps reconstructing it, maybe inventing it from memory and relived experience against a backdrop of contemporary Canada and her own failing health. Her vulnerability, in the end, is our debt, our penance, perhaps. She is a wise old woman with much to hide, but her acerbic wit is undiminished by age, her observations of others stunningly perspicacious.

It is not often that a novel, a mere flight of another's fancy, achieves the subtle, stunning and surely enduring power of the Blind Assassin.


Uneven, and largely unnecessary..., 29 Dec 2007
I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale and, while I normally steer away from Booker prizewinners, I decided to give this a go.

It would certainly be unreasonable to deny that Atwood has a formidable command of the English language, and great skill in deploying it. There are about 7,000 metaphors and similes here, and nearly every one of them works. In that respect, I found it a surprisingly easy read, with a good flow to the prose, and a well-established context.

However, I would quibble with the idea that this is a great book. Even after 600 pages, I didn't feel I knew Iris very well - she was often an opaque figure, who really only became real when she got old and crabby. The early Iris was a blank, remote cipher. Laura was, I presume, intended to be enigmatic, but for me she held no real allure.

The narrative is odd. Considering it covers an entire life, it often dwells on the inconsequential, and skips over the important. Key events like births, weddings, deaths; these are all dispatched far too quickly. Maybe this was intentional, but it didn't read that way - it just read as uneven, and as if the reader didn't matter.

All in all, there was no dramatic tension at any point. The story drifted on, albeit that the splicing between one "story" and the other was poorly done, adding to the unevenness. I didn't really care what happened to Laura, or who was related to whom. It was all background, no foreground; and Atwood's failure to really emphasise what was important left it all feeling like a very intelligently-produced screensaver.

For me, this book is about 300 pages too long, and lacks a clear purpose. It tells of a life that has little to recommend its' telling. Maybe the Booker was a "lifetime achievement" rather than for this book alone, or maybe the Booker just goes to overrated, over-long books.

A touch overrated, 05 Sep 2007
The Blind Assassin is an utterly postmodern tragedy of family life set in 1930s Canada, centred around the causes of the suicide of "authoress" Laura Chase, the narrator's sister. It's beguiling and richly detailed, but a little flabby too.

Atwood tells her story in three voices. Iris's memoir is interleaved with newspaper cuttings, drily documenting the novel's events, and with chapters of "The Blind Assassin," a novel within a novel. Reading them mixed together, as they're meant to be read, we're encouraged to consider the power and trustworthiness of the three voices. Atwood's theme is authorship: its origin, its responsibilities, its consequences and the myths that can engulf authors. The truth is elusive, and the narration routinely reveals more about the narrator than about the truth. The technique is brilliant - but a bit overused by Book XV.

In a nutshell, The Blind Assassin is everything that's bad and good about postmodern literature. The contrast of the three voices and the exploration of authorship is ingenious - but self-indulgence, writing for its own sake, with scant regard for plot or character, drags it down.

Iris is the only flesh-and-blood character in the novel - most characters' thoughts and motives remain a mystery, which is a surprise in a 650-page work. Richard Griffen is a cardboard ogre, a flimsy stereotype of what feminists think men are like - amazingly, the narrator even confesses that this is how she's portrayed him. What this novel lacks is a heart. Atwood piles on the detail, but never convinced me that she really knows what it's like for her characters - because of course she never lived through the '30s herself.

The Blind Assassin could have been halved in length. We learn Iris's opinions of cookies (tasteless, crumbly, greasy) and muffins (too big, too heavy) and essentially every opinion she has on everything. The book demands stamina, lots of it, and doesn't quite pay back the large outlay of time. The story is okay, with a couple of twists (though the big one is extremely predictable), and very readable, but moves at a very gentle pace.

If you're looking for an intelligent mystery (e.g. for holiday reading) let me recommend The Secret History by Donna Tartt. If you want a broadly similar story with the same sort of theme crammed into 200 pages rather than 650, try A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro. The Blind Assassin is enjoyable enough, but no masterpiece.

Awsome, Laugh out Loud, 01 Jun 2008
I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.

The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.

Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.

The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.

The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.

Awsome, Laugh out Loud, 01 Jun 2008
I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.

The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.

Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.

The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.

The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.

Awesome, laugh out loud funny., 01 Jun 2008
I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.

The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.

Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.

The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.

The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.

Delightful, 27 Apr 2008
A delightfully witty take on a Greek Myth. Although it's a little short and I'd have preferred more, this is a excellent book - a must for any fans of the Odessey who have a sense of humour.

Atwood's re-writing sometimes put me in mind of Alec Rowe's excellent audio plays (Operation Lightning Pegasus and Odysseus on a Iceberg) but not as farcical, and from the perspective of Penelope.

Highly recommended.

thought provoking, 01 Apr 2008
The Penelopiad is a fairly short read, well paced and a very witty and ironic take on the Odyssey story from the point of view of the woman left behind. Leaving aside the wit and humour, it is very thought provoking in terms of the position of women , both high born and slaves , in what is always claimed to be the start of civilisation proper, and yet mortal women were virtually powerless, and left out of all the high adventure. As always margaret attwood's prose is a joy.

Margaret Atwood charts the psychological process of memory as compulsion and memory as a healing act through the character of Elaine Risley, an artist who returns to her home town of Toronto for a retrospective of her work. Elaine's visit triggers thoughts of her childhood with all the urgency of a bad rash. Dominating her reflections are her childhood "friends", three girls who wreak havoc on Elaine's self-esteem. Having spent her early childhood on the road with an entomologist father, a less than traditional mother and a brother more concerned with snot and snakes than the intricate behaviour codes of girls, the young Elaine is vulnerable to the indirect aggression of Cordelia, the ringleader of the group who seeks to improve her. Through Elaine's experiences, Margaret Atwood turns a keen and ironic eye on the training of females in North American culture: "All I have to do is sit on the floor and cut frying pans out of the Eaton's Catalogue with embroidery scissors, and say I've done it badly." The self-effacement of these girl-children barely masks a need for power that erupts all too often in cruel forms of play. This is a story in which the lines between victims and oppressors blur, in which forgiveness becomes an act of gaining power. Through humour, pain and insight, she makes us see, with surprise and recognition, details from childhood we may well have forgotten. --Chris Kellett, From 500 Great Books by Women

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Great but didn't quite reach full potential, 24 Nov 2008
This was really very good but I wanted the author to spend less time on the background of Snowman and Crake and, without giving anything away, more on what happened to result in Snowman living in a tree. I could have read another 100 pages just to be able to know more detail.

The ending was unsatisfactory is a lot of ways but the ending also resulted in the book lasting longer than just the time spent reading it. I often pick my next book up straight after finishing the previous book, but with Oryx and Crake I closed the book and just pondered it for some time.

There are many unanswered questions that result from reading the book but I think that may be a trait of Margaret Atwood. This is the second Atwood book I've read. The other book left me feeling in a similar way.

Well worth the read, I just wish it was longer!

Pseudo-intellectual drivel, 25 Sep 2008
I was sent a copy of this book by my sister who knows I like science fiction. However I only like science fiction written by people who like science fiction, not people who sneer at the genre yet don't mind using it for the purposes of semi-political polemic.

If you are a member of the self obsessed literati who reads a book because you like to look clever in front of your peers you will enjoy this (after your fashion). If you want to read a decent story, try something else. Anything else.

Utter tripe of the highest order

The book is way too short, 16 Sep 2008
As with any really good story, when you live it you don't want it to end. For me the only criticism of this book is that it is too short. I would have loved to have read more about Snowman's exploration of the deserted streets in the pleeblands and the Rejoov compound. I would also like to read more about his encounter with those he meets at the end of the book (trying not to give much away here) and how things ultimately develop. The ending is crying out for a sequel although it is a common strategy to leave the reader wanting more, asking questions, pondering how the story might develop further, I would like to know Margeret's thoughts on how she personally saw things panning out.
For those interested in human development and how humans may evelove then I recommend Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon. Oryx and Crake can be seen as a tiny sub story from Olaf's book.


Welcome to the new world Snowman..., 14 Sep 2008
'Oryx and Crake' tells the story of Jimmy, who is now known as Snowman, a name he has given himself. Snowman is the only survivor of a virus, a virus created by Snowman's friend, Crake (his real name is Glenn).

After the virus, Snowman now lives in a tree, (Snowman survived the virus because unknown to him, Crake had been giving him the vaccination for the virus) and is responsible for Crake's children, species which Crake created, they are the perfect being, they have been created without the basic human need to quarrel, etc, they mate and they exist.

'Oryx and Crake' explores many ideas that are currently being discussed now, genetically modified animals, in Oryx and Crake, they are called 'Pigoons', Pigs whose DNA has been spliced with human genetic information and they were engineered to grow multiple organs for transplants, but now, they roam the land, packs of Pigoons which Snowman avoids.

In 'Oryx and Crake', Margaret Atwood highlights Snowman's isolation well, he may have the Children of Crake but Snowman is a different specie to them, they look at him with interest and feed him fish on a weekly basis, they only interact with him when they want to hear stories of Oryx and Crake. Snowman is a brilliant character but a jaded one, he tries to do the best that he can, while at the same time living with the voice of his former lover, Oryx, who torments him on a daily basis. Oryx was also the former teacher of Crake's children.

'Oryx and Crake' explores a world which has now changed, it highlights Snowman's isolation, frustration, confusion brilliantly but at the same time endears Snowman to the reader, you will feel genuinely sorry for Snowman. The book makes you think and I could not help thinking at the end of the book that humans are their own worse enemy.

Rating: 10/10

An intelligent and satirical vision of the future of humanity, 25 Apr 2008
"Oryx and Crake" is the eleventh novel by celebrated author Margaret Atwood. The man who calls himself 'Snowman' is the last survivor in a future Earth in which the human race has been mysteriously wiped out. Struggling to sustain himself in an alien world, his only remaining companions are the rakunks and wolvogs - genetically-engineered hybrid animals - and the Children of Crake, a race of modified humans. But Snowman also remembers a time before, when homo sapiens still ruled the world, when he was known not as Snowman but as Jimmy, and when events conspired to cause a global catastrophe.

The novel is told through two timeframes: the first following Snowman in his day-by-day struggle to survive; and the second (which forms the bulk of the story) tracing Jimmy's childhood and adolescence through some unspecified time in our own near future. Atwood's portrayal of the heavily-traumatised, guilt-ridden mentality of such a survivor is handled well. Similarly, Jimmy's eccentric and ultra-intelligent childhood friend Glenn (more commonly known throughout the book by his nickname, 'Crake') is well-drawn and holds the reader's interest whenever he appears. On the other hand, the character of Oryx is never fully realised and it is difficult to understand the fascination and desire that Jimmy has for her.

The plot develops slowly and some patience is required of the reader - at least in the early stages - although both pace and suspense build rapidly in the second half, as the novel moves towards its climax. Generally, however, while the two worlds of present and past are interesting, there are few surprises for the reader in the way the plot develops. There are tantalising hints that other homo sapiens survivors may exist in the aftermath of the catastrophe, but these are never followed up on; indeed, for most of the book Snowman himself - frustratingly for the reader - shows little interest in these signs.

The issues of genetically-modified (GM) foods, and the potential to create so-called 'designer babies' have generated a huge amount of debate over the last decade and more. What Atwood has done in "Oryx and Crake" is to take a number of ideas considered plausible in current bioscience and to follow them through to the most extreme outcomes imaginable. In the dystopian future that she presents us with, scientists have mastered the techniques of genetic modification, able to create hybrid organisms and radically alter the genomes of animals at a whim, to suit the needs of human consumption. Indeed in many ways this is a book about what it means to be alive, and what it means to be human: from dealing with the potential effects of scientists 'playing God' with our genetic code, to the imagined implications of abandoning art, faith and compassion in favour of hyper-rationalism.

Imaginative, intelligent and satirical, "Oryx and Crake" is a thought-provoking read, as well as a timely reminder of the human race's terrifying capability to devastate its environment and engineer its own demise.

From Buttons to Bestsellers, 08 Nov 2008
This is a tricky one. There's no doubting Atwood's ability as a writer; her prose is consistently elegant (although I do have a few reservations about some incongruous vernacular, such as the repeated use of the word "nicked" when describing theft, but perhaps I'm being picky), and her descriptive powers are notable. The problem I have with this work is that it lacks synergy. Quite the opposite is in fact the case, with the whole falling short of the sum of the parts.

As a dynastic record, following the ups and downs of the prominent Canadian family at the book's core, the novel works well in an episodic way. The two sister's lives are chronicled with wit and poignancy. There is, however, a good deal of predictability to their fates. This is the story of a privileged family behaving in a manner to which most readers will be accustomed. Because of this familiarity the novel as a whole is not as successful as it might have been. There's much to recommend this book but there could have been so much more.

As an overall package this book warrants three stars, but, due to the high quality of the writing it earns four.

Blindingly beautiful, 09 Aug 2008
The Blind Assassin is spellbinding, haunting and bewitching. Atwood's gloriously conrolled use of poignant and delicate prose encapsulates love, passion and loss throughout three time periods with a true understanding of the human spirit which makes for a timeless and unforgetable piece of literature.
Not since Guy de Maupassant has an author managed to so untterly captivate my imagination and utterly absorb me into their imaginings. Atwood's intricately constructed narrative weaves seamlessly in and out of time and landscape involving the reader so intensely it is almost disappointing when the story finally reaches it's powerfully emotional conclusion. The novel is not only readable, it is hard not to be 'read' back by it; the characters are not only so beautifully defined as to be believed but are also so real as to be empathised with.
I was sorry to finish this book, it left me breathless and moved in a way that few others before have managed and deserves to become a 'classic' in every sense of the word.

An enduring masterpiece, 24 Mar 2008
Sometimes, when reading a big book, one gets the feeling that the author set out to achieve size, as if that in itself might suggest certain adjectives from a reader or reviewer - weighty, significant, deep, serious, complex, extensive, perhaps. Sometimes - rarely, in fact - one reads a big book and becomes lost in its size, lost in the sense that one ceases to notice the hundreds passing by, as the work creates its own time, defines its own experience, shares its own world. Even then, reaching the end can often be merely trite, just a running out of steam, the process thoroughly engaging, the product, however, something of a let down. Rarely, very rarely indeed, one reads a big book that actually needs its size, justifies itself, continues to surprise as well as enchant and then, finally, stuns. Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin is such a book, a giant in every sense, a masterpiece beyond question.

Blind Assassin was awarded the Booker prize in 2000 and charts intersecting histories of two well-to-do Canadian families, Chase and Griffen. The two Chase sisters, Iris and Laura, are quite different people. Born into the relative opulence of a Canadian manufacturing family, they have a private education of sorts, experienced throughout and yet alongside something vaguely like a childhood. Various aspects of twentieth century history impinge upon their lives and eventually force their family to reassess its status. Economic downturn, war and family tragedy take their toll on the father, who becomes less able to manage either his own life or his business. Something has to give. Ways of coping must be found.

Iris, the elder sister, is the first person narrator of about half of the book, the other half being devoted to a book within a book, a novel in the name of Laura, the younger sister. This novel, entitled The Blind Assassin, is an eclectic mix of experience, sex, fantasy and politics. It has made a name for Laura and retains a significant cult following many years after its publication. Laura, herself, died in a car accident. She drove off a bridge into a ravine. The car belonged to Iris. There was never any real explanation for the event.

Iris, meanwhile, has been married off to an older man, a Griffen, who seems to treat her like so much chattel. But then he is an industrialist with the wherewithal, not to mention capital, to assist the bride's family business in its time of need. Iris, therefore, experiences the Canadian equivalent of an arranged marriage. Perhaps the word marriage is a little overstated. The partnership could be better described as a merger, or a union, if that were not a dirty word because of its political connotation.

And so the octogenarian Iris, clearly anticipating the end of her days, embarks upon a cathartic outpouring of personal and family history in the hope that an estranged granddaughter might just understand a little about other peoples' motives.

The book takes us through Canada and north America, across to Europe, via an imagined universe, to political commitment, direct action and its inevitable reaction. Iris needs to write it all down. And so she works her story out, constructing it, perhaps reconstructing it, maybe inventing it from memory and relived experience against a backdrop of contemporary Canada and her own failing health. Her vulnerability, in the end, is our debt, our penance, perhaps. She is a wise old woman with much to hide, but her acerbic wit is undiminished by age, her observations of others stunningly perspicacious.

It is not often that a novel, a mere flight of another's fancy, achieves the subtle, stunning and surely enduring power of the Blind Assassin.


Uneven, and largely unnecessary..., 29 Dec 2007
I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale and, while I normally steer away from Booker prizewinners, I decided to give this a go.

It would certainly be unreasonable to deny that Atwood has a formidable command of the English language, and great skill in deploying it. There are about 7,000 metaphors and similes here, and nearly every one of them works. In that respect, I found it a surprisingly easy read, with a good flow to the prose, and a well-established context.

However, I would quibble with the idea that this is a great book. Even after 600 pages, I didn't feel I knew Iris very well - she was often an opaque figure, who really only became real when she got old and crabby. The early Iris was a blank, remote cipher. Laura was, I presume, intended to be enigmatic, but for me she held no real allure.

The narrative is odd. Considering it covers an entire life, it often dwells on the inconsequential, and skips over the important. Key events like births, weddings, deaths; these are all dispatched far too quickly. Maybe this was intentional, but it didn't read that way - it just read as uneven, and as if the reader didn't matter.

All in all, there was no dramatic tension at any point. The story drifted on, albeit that the splicing between one "story" and the other was poorly done, adding to the unevenness. I didn't really care what happened to Laura, or who was related to whom. It was all background, no foreground; and Atwood's failure to really emphasise what was important left it all feeling like a very intelligently-produced screensaver.

For me, this book is about 300 pages too long, and lacks a clear purpose. It tells of a life that has little to recommend its' telling. Maybe the Booker was a "lifetime achievement" rather than for this book alone, or maybe the Booker just goes to overrated, over-long books.

A touch overrated, 05 Sep 2007
The Blind Assassin is an utterly postmodern tragedy of family life set in 1930s Canada, centred around the causes of the suicide of "authoress" Laura Chase, the narrator's sister. It's beguiling and richly detailed, but a little flabby too.

Atwood tells her story in three voices. Iris's memoir is interleaved with newspaper cuttings, drily documenting the novel's events, and with chapters of "The Blind Assassin," a novel within a novel. Reading them mixed together, as they're meant to be read, we're encouraged to consider the power and trustworthiness of the three voices. Atwood's theme is authorship: its origin, its responsibilities, its consequences and the myths that can engulf authors. The truth is elusive, and the narration routinely reveals more about the narrator than about the truth. The technique is brilliant - but a bit overused by Book XV.

In a nutshell, The Blind Assassin is everything that's bad and good about postmodern literature. The contrast of the three voices and the exploration of authorship is ingenious - but self-indulgence, writing for its own sake, with scant regard for plot or character, drags it down.

Iris is the only flesh-and-blood character in the novel - most characters' thoughts and motives remain a mystery, which is a surprise in a 650-page work. Richard Griffen is a cardboard ogre, a flimsy stereotype of what feminists think men are like - amazingly, the narrator even confesses that this is how she's portrayed him. What this novel lacks is a heart. Atwood piles on the detail, but never convinced me that she really knows what it's like for her characters - because of course she never lived through the '30s herself.

The Blind Assassin could have been halved in length. We learn Iris's opinions of cookies (tasteless, crumbly, greasy) and muffins (too big, too heavy) and essentially every opinion she has on everything. The book demands stamina, lots of it, and doesn't quite pay back the large outlay of time. The story is okay, with a couple of twists (though the big one is extremely predictable), and very readable, but moves at a very gentle pace.

If you're looking for an intelligent mystery (e.g. for holiday reading) let me recommend The Secret History by Donna Tartt. If you want a broadly similar story with the same sort of theme crammed into 200 pages rather than 650, try A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro. The Blind Assassin is enjoyable enough, but no masterpiece.

Awsome, Laugh out Loud, 01 Jun 2008
I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.

The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.

Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.

The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.

The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.

Awsome, Laugh out Loud, 01 Jun 2008
I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.

The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.

Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.

The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.

The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.

Awesome, laugh out loud funny., 01 Jun 2008
I am not normally a fan of Margaret Atwood's writings. I often find that she is too dark or has too much edge. Not that it is not good writing, and she is probably currently the most famous of the living Canadian authors, she just isn't usually my thing. I cannot say that for this book.

The Penelopiad is a hilarious romp through a story that most of us know, but told outside of time. There is an old saying that "dead men don't tell tales" and that may be true, but in this inventive retelling, a dead woman and her chorus of dead girls do just that.

Atwood has turned this myth on its head and told it from the female perspective. Unfortunately, our heroine is dead and in Hades, retelling her story from across the river Styx. She is telling her whole story but especially the events around Odysseus' long absence during the war against Troy and that unfortunate event with her cousin Helen.

The story is written in the format of a Greek Tragedy but with the humor and temperament of a comedy. Our chorus is the twelve dead maids, hung strung together on a ship's rope by Odysseus. They appear from time to time, in song, dance, or mock plays and trials to re-enact events from their lives to punctuate Penelope's story.

The twists and turns in this story will make you laugh out loud. A friend of mine who read it stated, `It begs to be read aloud.' And I could not agree more. Pick up the book, get some friends together and read it aloud, over an evening or two together. Much fun will be had with the ghosts of our 13 dead ladies.

Delightful, 27 Apr 2008
A delightfully witty take on a Greek Myth. Although it's a little short and I'd have preferred more, this is a excellent book - a must for any fans of the Odessey who have a sense of humour.

Atwood's re-writing sometimes put me in mind of Alec Rowe's excellent audio plays (Operation Lightning Pegasus and Odysseus on a Iceberg) but not as farcical, and from the perspective of Penelope.

Highly recommended.

thought provoking, 01 Apr 2008
The Penelopiad is a fairly short read, well paced and a very witty and ironic take on the Odyssey story from the point of view of the woman left behind. Leaving aside the wit and humour, it is very thought provoking in terms of the position of women , both high born and slaves , in what is always claimed to be the start of civilisation proper, and yet mortal women were virtually powerless, and left out of all the high adventure. As always margaret attwood's prose is a joy.

Excellent insight into psychological bullying, 22 Nov 2008
Atwood is without doubt one of the finest modern writers, and her prose never fails to disappoint. This is a story that will strike a chord with anyone who has been bullied as a child, giving an insight into the torment of psychological bullying which is painful to read but brilliant in its execution.

I found the first part of the book, which focuses on the young childhood of the narrator, to be the strongest. The latter part of the book, covering her adult life, was there to mark time until she arrived at the 'present' of the narration, and as such didn't hold my attention as much.

The depiction of the behaviour of young girls is one of the best I have found, and even in the later sections where the plot is weaker, the writing is good enough to keep it enjoyable.

Whilst I wouldn't say this is Atwood's best work, it is still a very good read and, I think, would be both painful and cathartic to those who have suffered from bullying.

The agony of girlhood - dissected with a scalpel, 16 Jan 2008
Margaret Atwood turns her lucid prose to the experience of a young girl being coerced and bullied by her "best friend" - or is the victim complicit in some way? A painful analysis of the way that children and young women exercise pressure on each other under the guise of friendship.
But it's strangely enjoyable.

Spot on , 01 Sep 2007
`Cat's Eye' is the story of Elaine Risley, a painter who returns to Toronto for a retrospect of her work and finds herself flooded by memories of her past. Probably the first half of the novel focuses on Elaine's childhood, especially the complex relationship with her `friend' Cordelia, while roughly the second half shows her growing up and coping with the difficulties of more adult relationships.

`Cat's Eye' captures the pieces of childhood, and especially the complicated power games that girls play with each other, absolutely perfectly. While reading moments of my own past came back to be, rather like the older Elaine holding her marble and suddenly remembering a past she'd forgotten (if not put behind her) such a long time ago. Never before have I read a book that truly illustrates how subtle and nasty little girls really can be while in a believable and realistic context.

If I have a criticism it's that I enjoyed the early parts of the novel far more than the later when Elaine was older, however, being eighteen, it may only be that I was able to identify with the earlier incidents far more than troubled marriages and in twenty years I may feel differently.

Overall a hugely enjoyable book that really seems to chart how women act towards one another. Perhaps it wouldn't mean quite so much to men but I think many women would recognise moments and behaviour in this interesting and absorbing novel.

I've read a number of Margaret Atwood novels and short stories and while the writing possibly isn't as well done as `The Handmaid's Tale' it's still up there with the best. A must if you're a fan, probably a good place to start if it's your first.


One of my all time top ten books, 28 May 2007
by one of my all time top ten writers. Just brilliant. You don't notice you're even reading because you're so caught up in the fiction. Wonderful.

Thought provoking... brilliant., 11 Feb 2007
Cat's Eye was the first Atwood novel i read and i can definitely say that it got me hooked! (I am currently reading it for the second time.)

Atwood has one of the most unique and brilliant writing styles that i have read and i think this unique style is really showcased in Cat's Eye. It explores the relationship between Elaine and her sometimes friend/ sometimes bully Cordelia. Atwood is brilliant in writing about the awful complexities of the relationship between the bully and the bullied. She seems to express the things that we know go on between young girls but are afraid to admit.

This really is a great read, one that will get you thinking and stay with you long after you've finished the final pages.

And if you are interested in Atwood, i would also recommend 'The Robber Bride' and 'The Blind Assassin'.

In 1843, a 16-year-old Canadian housemaid named Grace Marks was tried for the murder of her employer and his mistress. The sensationalistic trial made headlines throughout the world, and the jury delivered a guilty verdict. Yet opinion remained fiercely divided about Marks- -was she a spurned woman who had taken out her rage on two innocent victims, or was she an unwilling victim herself, caught up in a crime she was too young to understand? Such doubts persuaded the judges to commute her sentence to life imprisonment, and Marks spent the next 30 years in an assortment of jails and asylums, where she was