The Works of Margaret Atwood

[marywebgirl]

Cat's Eye is very good. And it's OT, but if you want to try another good dystopia novel, Swastika Night by Katharine Burdekin is great. Terrifying, but good.

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Oryx and Crake is another dystopian novel, although it's not among my favorites (might have been a case of overly high expectations, though).

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I just finished The Blind Assassin and thought it was fantastic. It took me awhile to get through it, but I thought that the story-within-a-story-within-a-story was masterfully handled. I want to read it again just to see how Atwood achieved such suspense through Iris' narration. I thought that Iris was a fantastic character. You begin the book thinking that Laura was the interesting sister with the romantic nature and horrific death and devoted following, but it turns out that Iris was the one who set everything in motion and recorded it in her novel. My only complaint is that Richard and Winifred were such stock villains. All the other characters were so nuanced, and they were just eeeevil. Fantastic book, nonetheless.

The only other Atwood I've read is The Handmaid's Tale, which was, of course, harrowing but great. It's so scary to read it 20 years after it was written and see how the social structures that Atwood was criticizing are just as flawed now, if not worse. Has anyone seen the movie of The Handmaid's Tale with Natasha Richardson? Is it any good?

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I'm glad you liked The Blind Assassin. That one's been on my to read pile for a few years now. After seeing so many positive reviews of it, I may just have to make it my next book.

A couple of years ago I was given Writing with Intent: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose--1983-2005. Is started putting sticky notes on all the ones I thought my friend should read. In the end I gave up and just told her to read the whole thing.

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Cat's Eye and The Handmaid's Tale both gave me indelible emotional scars. Atwood's writing just gets me where I live.

[zambambee]

The Handmaid's Tale stuck with me for a long time - I think "haunting" is the best way to describe it for me. My younger sister, whose 16, just finished it a few months ago and was pretty disturbed by it. I really wish this was required reading in high school.

I loved T he Blind Assassin, too. Definitely have to read more of her books.

Newsweek magazine has a Q&A each week with a different writer about books they've read. One guy said he had never read anything by Atwood, and the reason he gave was being scared off by her being Canadian and a feminist. I wish I could remember who it was .....

[koshergrit]

zambambee said:

Newsweek magazine has a Q&A each week with a different writer about books they've read. One guy said he had never read anything by Atwood, and the reason he gave was being scared off by her being Canadian and a feminist. I wish I could remember who it was .....

Probably President Bush Cheney.

[Smilla]

Got to love those feminist Canadians. Just sayin'. ;-)

The Handmaid's Tale with Natasha Richardson? Is it any good?

No. IMO, one of the worst adaptations ever.

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smilla said:

The Handmaid's Tale with Natasha Richardson? Is it any good?

No. IMO, one of the worst adaptations ever.

Agreed. I was so pissed off by what they did to the ending. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised seeing as it is Hollywood, and we can't have any ambiguity in the movies now can we? No, we have to spell out everything and wrap it all up in a neat little bow.