Alias Grace

Rating:
Summary: This rates up there with Memoirs of a Geisha. It's great!
Review: I love the way Margaret Atwood tells a story. The main character, Grace Marks, is innocent, yet also full of depth and understanding. Atwood's writing style is exemplary; every sentence, every paragraph is beautifully written. I find myself reading certain chapters over and over again. A truly great read by a talented author. This book, along with Memoirs of a Geisha, are the best books I've read this year. I'm looking for suggestions about other books that read this well.

Rating:
Summary: Plot twists, quirky characters, skillful writing
Review: This is a fictionalized story of a real double murder that took place in 1843 in Canada. "Alias Grace" is my first Margaret Atwood book, but it won't be my last. The characters are interesting, and I came to feel as though I knew them--or as much as one could know them (hint). The plot makes some unexpected twists, and the author's effective use of foreshadowing kept me guessing at what would happen next and how the story would end. In the 2 days it took me to read this book, I became rather attached to the somewhat quirky and mysterious main character, Grace Marks. I also learned some interesting things about life in the Victorian Era. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, entrancing narrative
Review: Reading "Alias Grace" was an incredible experience. While I was made aware of the premise by the person who recommended the book, I was anticipating the focus to be entirely on Grace. I was not prepared for the emotional spiraling of Dr. Jordan, and many times found that I had to stop reading after a few pages to fully process what was happening with and to him. One of the few contemporary novels to elicit from me such a reaction. A truly breathtaking gem.

Rating:
Summary: the audio-book is enchanting
Review: Elizbeth McGovern's reading is 5+ stars. Her accent is mesmerizing, and she turns the descriptive passages into believable poetry. A beautiful work.

Rating:
Summary: Curious Grace...Atwood's big set up
Review: Believe it or not...this was my first Atwood experience. I enjoyed the curious and mysterious nature of Grace, but got bored with her teasing. This constant play with no rewards was tiring and it was finally a relief to put Grace to rest. Atwood's style was most captivating and I will probably read something by her in the future. However, I will trust in the old stand-by of reading the first paragraph for interest sake and then moving on if I have to. Overall, if I was stranded on a desert isle I would probably choose to read this book rather than take another nap.

Rating:
Summary: Full of mystery and intrigue right up to the end! Great!
Review: A real page turner! If you love something a little bit different with an element of the spirit world then this is the book for you. This book will keep you guessing right to the end (and beyond that!)

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary, involving novel.
Review: Once you begin to read this novel, leave plenty of time to finish it! I found it difficult to put down; I found myself staying up far too late to get to the end. It is a beautifully well-written work that stays in your mind long after you've finished! This is a beautiful, involving novel.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: I was hooked on Atwood's style of writing since reading the Handmaid's Tale. She has surpassed herself with Alias Grace. Obviously very well researched, she has woven a tale around the facts to make this a fascinating book. The characters are totally believable, and the details of daily life at that time, is astounding. The story captivates one. One gets totally absorbed in the life of Grace... and long after the book has been put down, one wonders, "Did she, or didn't she?" Grace is an enigma. You will never forget her. A really brilliant read.

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, in-depth recording of womans life
Review: Atwood really knows her women, the servents, the put-upon, the haughty, and the way their minds work. Atwood explores a womans place in society in 19th century settings, and how fraught with danger, peril and out-right injustice they were. The servent girls, Mary and Grace, are at the mercy of their employers, both sexually and financially, and are used by both male and female employers, for different reasons. Atwood also uses irony heavily in this book, underscoring the relentless tearing apart of Graces life by the news media of its day, the vorasious and rabid-dog like curiosity that surrounds her every move once she becomes a "notorius woman" and the complete lack of empathy she finds from others, once she is relagated to a "circus freak" and ceases to be thought of as a person.. The book abounds in Atwood's observations on society, male/female realtionships and thier inherent inequality, and the master/servant roles people play. At the end of the story, one particularly unaware character says to Grace, being pardoned after spending 20+ years in a prison for a crime she may or may not have committed, "It's a happy endiing, isn;t it Grace, like in a novel" and Grace wonders ironically to herself "what books has this girl been reading" That is the tone of the book throughout, with depth, intensity and a razor-sharp view of people and society as they really are. Atwoods finest so far!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent - Captivating from beginning to end
Review: I have read a few of Atwood's previous works, and really enjoyed them, especially The Handmaid's Tale. There was an article about Alias Grace in our local paper, which is how we came to choose it for our book club. Our book club has only been meeting for about six months, but this is the best book we have read yet. I couldn't put it down, and was disappointed when I finished. After finishing such a good book, it's always hard to start another because of the expectations.