Rating: 
Summary: Very well done
Review: The Blind Assassin takes the "novel within a novel" idea to new heights; the elderly Iris Chase Griffen writing her record of the past, side by side with her late sister's book "The Blind Assassin", which is an account of two surreptitious lovers meeting in seedy rooms and eateries, plotting a strange science-fiction/ancient world story. As well, Iris looks at her slowed-down world of the present, in the fictional Ontario town of Port Ticonderoga. The three stories are all separate, yet slowly come together in such a skilful and subtle way. As others have pointed out here, it is also a snapshot of the first half of the 20th century, with two world wars, the Depression and the social realities of the time.After reading a few chapters, one can already savour the good writing and the way in which the story unfolds. One reviewer in the inset referred to Atwood's "dry, avid prose". That sums it up nicely. I had never been a fan of the one or two books of hers I had read previously but this novel was very impressive. Atwood comments on the way things were and the way they are now, the social norms, the inequalities, the bitter pills swallowed. Her depiction of the Griffens (Iris' politician/industrialist husband and his social-climbing sister) comes across as a caricature in some ways but still very believable. The elusive character Alex Thomas is portrayed vividly, although I found that it was hard to get a good focus on Laura Chase, whose controversial Blind Assassin book casts a shadow over the whole novel. It's also a minor point that Atwood rightly decries the appeasement policy in the 30's, whereas she herself is part of the same "peace at any cost" crowd in real life today. In fairness she does cut beneath the surface and show the hypocrisy of both the left and right, and goes to the heart of the matter always. In that sense she succeeds where another writer could get dogmatic. A very good read, one of the better novels I have read in some time.
Rating:
Summary: The Story is in the Holes
Review: On the face of it, Margaret Atwood's _The Blind Assassin_ is three stories in one. First, it is the story of Iris Chase and her sister, Laura, two girls born to a prominent family in the early 1900s and growing to adulthood during the Great Depression. Second, it is the eponymous "novel-within-a-novel," which details the clandestine relationship between an upper-class woman and her blue-collar lover. And third, it is the chronicle of the early half of the twentieth century vis the Chase-Griffen family, as detailed by numerous press clippings and anecdotes scattered throughout. As the book progresses, Atwood skillfully weaves together the three threads into a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Throughout, the characters are deftly portrayed and the era they live in is vividly realised. The voices, particularly that of the 83-year-old Iris, telling her story to set the record straight, are true and poignant. But what really struck me as amazing about this book was the way the real story is in what is not said, what is not directly addressed until the very last pages. Atwood pulls off an astonishing sleight of hand, deliberately blinding the reader to what is really going on so that, like the assassin of the title, one is forced to rely on other, less developed senses to get the full picture. This is so deftly accomplished that when the revelation comes it is less an unveiling of something totally unexpected than a confirmation of suspicions held for a long time. In the end it becomes clear that this novel is not three separate stories, but one vast one, where the absence of any of the parts would lessen the overall affect. And that, rather than the ostensibly simple plot, is what makes this book so absorbing and so hard to put down. _The Blind Assassin_ is one of the best books I've read all year and is my new favourite by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a shining example of a perfectly-constructed novel. The Blind Assassin has just enough characters and drama to make things really interesting, but not too many to make it confusing. The description of life during this time period was incredible and must have been thoroughly reserached. Excellent, stinging dialogue and fascinating history used as the perfect backdrop. Everything a novel should be!
Rating: 
Summary: Slow as molasses in a Canadian blizzard
Review: ... Tons of languid, artful description, but not much movement, epitomizes the self-indulgent plague of modern literature: too many pages for not enough plot. The novel inside the novel is even more of a snoozer, and the sci-fi story inside the inner novel is a total waste of time...Stan Jones
Anchorage, Alaska
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent writing, melancholy book
Review: This book was masterfully written with a unique story-telling style. The mystery drove me to the end of the book. I was compelled by the story, but it was a bit melancholy and left me feeling a little empty.
Rating:
Summary: Good book...stick with it.
Review: I became very discouraged after reading the first 100 pages of this novel. On the advice of two girlfriends, I kept reading. Once you manage to "get over the hump," the novel seems to take on new life. The ending is a surprise, yet satisfying. Take the time to read this novel...it is worth it in the end.
Rating:
Summary: A Story Within A Story Within A Story
Review: Atwood has done it again in this story within a story that contains yet another story and yet, they are all about one woman. The book opens with the suicide of Laura Chase, who as we find out, has driven off a bridge just after WWII ends. The story unfolds, bit by bit, told through newspaper clippings, chapters from a novel and narration from Iris, Laura's sister. Iris begins to tell her life story by cutting back and forth through the years, and at the same time, we meet and hear snippets from the lives of her late husband, sister in law, parents and sister, Laura. I won't go too much into detail because the book is held together by a thread that ties together the lives of everyone Iris Chase-Griffen knows. The beauty of this book is the way the novel within the novel, Blind Assasin, draws you into the larger story arch. Yes there is a science fiction story as the jacket describes, but it's the relationship between the man who is narrating the story and the rich woman seeing him on the sly that is the true focus of the story. As the book goes on, Iris begins to tell her life story and you begin to understand just what the Blind Assasin is and who the characters are. All of this unfolds as Iris is also writing the story down as she tells it to you. It's folded, quite interestingly, into itself. It's a very clever way to tell a story and Atwood is quite the storyteller. Her characters are three dimensional because they all have flaws, as Iris tells you about her maniacial sister in law and husband she makes clever asides about herself and her own complicity. In many moments I felt that Iris was sitting next to me in Betty's Diner and telling me her story first hand.
Rating:
Summary: A Booker award book worth reading.
Review: I picked this for vacation reading because of the Booker award and because I had not reading anything by Atwood. I was a little leary because I've been burned by Booker award choice before (but also have been introduced to some wonderful books that way, i.e. Possession and The Remain of the Day). I was immediately engaged by the book and remained that way to the very end. This is not a page-turner but rather a book that keeps you thinking about it when you've set it aside for a few hours or days. I am not a fan of the story within a story technique but it works very well here. I also like the style of her writing -- it is elegant but also very transparent. It never feels clever or labored, just flows naturally in laying out a very engaging story. This is one I'm actively encouraging friends to read.
Rating:
Summary: Margaret Atwood Never Disappoints
Review: Margaret Atwood has a rare encylopedic knowledge of what people find interesting and her books are a testament to that. This particular book allows you to read it without giving away any clues to the ultimate plot-twist. There's no hokey feminism in the strength of her female characters. The sci-fi "novel within a novel" is appealing to even those who despise sci-fi.
Rating:
Summary: not perfect, but draws you in
Review: warning, this review is written assuming the reader has read the book already! In The Blind Assassin, the narrator, Iris Chase, apologizes for not describing Richard well. This may be true, but I think the person that she Should be apologizing for is her sister Laura. Throughout the book, Laura was depicted as this otherworldly character that had her head in the clouds with God, was forced to deal with molesting teachers, and sought refuge with fantasies about a man she loved but never posessed. Maybe it was because of the fact that Laura was so ethereal and dreamy that I never connected with her. But from the beginning Laura is never given a voice. (sorry for the spoilers) In the beginning I thought that I would be learning about the two sisters simultaneously, but in fact i was only hearing Iris's life.
Atwood plays with different voices throughout the book. She takes on Alex's persona with a fantasy story that is woven throughout the book. Although they may seem to be completely arbitrary, they are infact relevant to Iris and how she became who she was at the end of her life. Atwood also takes on the voice of the older Iris, telling about the life of the Chase family. The beginning section of the book about the history of the Chase family was lacking. I found myself trying to skim over their histories to go to the fantasy stories concocted by Alex. Their relevance to the story didn't justify the amount of space they took up in the book. I found Atwood's voice of the young lover, Iris, to be the most fascinating. In the beginning I was confused by the different images i had of Laura; one image of her through the Blind Assassins tory, and the other image of her as described by the elderly Iris. However by the end I figured out that it was Iris who wrote the story, and that made me want to read it over again and search out the details that made it hers.
cons:
-I thought that parts of the book dragged on for too long. They didn't have enough importance to the book and distracted from the main purpose. The book was not plot driven, but instead more of a artistic portrait of the life of an imperfect family. However, some parts were Very boring and didn't grab my attention. I fell asleep several times during these chapters.
-Many of the characters are two dimentional and without any depth. I would have liked to learn more about Laura.
-There were some indications of feminist man-bashing in the fantasy stories as well as the depictions of powerful men in Iris's world. Pros:
-Very well written. Atwood is able to manipulate language to the highest level and create images that take on meaning throughout the book. She draws out objects in her chapters to name the chapters, and is able to make them count for something. She is able to write about Iris in a way that makes the reader care about her and understand her to a degree. Iris is not perfect in any sense, but that makes her more real and tangible.
-Atwood is able to surprise the reader every so often. Since Laura is never understood, her revelations at the end of the book are complete surprises to me, althoughsome hints were given.
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