Rating: 
Summary: Haunting Memories & Gut Feelings
Review: Good books rarely give me great ideas just vague memories and gut feelings. Often I find it hard to articulate why the book I've just read has moved me as much as it did but I sense it's special power. I first read Margaret Atwood's poetry and was was much drawn to it for so many reasons but especially it's awarness of nature and the use of nature as a metaphore for struggles within human relationships especially the relationship with self. This closeness to nature is also evident in her novel 'Surfacing' which is a must for anyone interested in 'wilderness' Cat's Eye was recommended me by a woman friend as one of the author's better novels. It took me a long time to read (I'm a very slow reader). A year later, and while the detail is extremely fussy the gut-feelings are ever as strong. Despite the drabness and almost deprived lower middle-class backdrop of the Canada of the late 40's and 50's described in the book, Atwoods accounts of her heroine's interralionships are so real, so compelling and so precisely observed that you have to read on. This is not a light book by any means, but it's full of the wisdom of the survivor and Atwoods special brand of black humour; it holds points of reference and insight for all of us. My abiding image/feeling is of the cold water in the creek under the bridge and the the deep inner glow of Our Lady of Perpetual succour (note the cover in this edition). Get stuck in and feel the power of Atwood's writing!
Rating: 
Summary: The test of time
Review: Generally, I like to be analytical and logical when writing about literature. This is what we are taught at university, after all. This novel, however, left me so astounded that I couldn't even talk about it to friends. I finished it more than six months ago and, in a way, have been grappling with it ever since. Scenes from it seem to randomly invade my mind. Surely if a mere work of fiction can hold this power for such a length of time, it must be worth more than the sum of its parts.The only point I really wish to make about it, is that there should be no gender discrimination in recommending this novel. Why anybody should feel that it is meant for a female audience is beyond me. Within the extremely rich layers of its narrative, the novel reveals essential truths about the way in which the process of growing up affects everybody. The fact that the main characters are women is simply not relevant beyond the fact that the narrator herself is a woman. Margaret Atwood is far too great a writer to have confined to such banalities. "Haunting" is possibly the best way to describe this work and I am sure that every perceptive reader will be haunted by the way in which Elaine's experiences are eventually reflected in her art. It is, quite simply, one of the greatest novels I have ever read. But then again, every Atwood novel I read (and I have read them all) just confirms my opinion that she is one of the greatest writers of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Deceiving cover
Review: I figure that was something different to put as a title. Y'see, the first time I saw this book, I had already read "The Handmaid's Tale", which was slightly science-fictional (only slightly so) and to see this book, with the definitely science-fictional picture of a cloaked woman hovering over a bridge, flanked by bare trees, holding what seems to be a swirling ball of clouds. Mystical, fantastical, even. Alas, the book was about as realistic as they come and you know what . . . it rules (if such a term can be used for a book such as this). I wasn't sure what I would think about this, but I sure as heck enjoyed it and finished it even faster than I thought I would. Basically this book is about Elaine, a painter (hence the cover, it's one of her paintings, natch) who is back in Toronto for a retrospective of her work. Being back in the city of her youth dredges up a bunch of memories, most of them utterly unpleasant and most of them centering around a schoolfriend named Cordelia, a girl entirely difficult to classify. Elaine has grown up with her family, who aren't traditional folks and hanging around Cordelia and her two other friends enters her into a petty petty world of "improving yourself" and jealousy and mostly either making yourself feel miserable or having your friends do it for you. Or making others miserable. Some of the stuff that Cordelia masterminds, the subtle psychological manipulations, are downright disturbings and while this isn't a gory or even very intense book (it's a bit too distant for that), it's not for the faint of heart, or for those who don't wish to relive your childhood years. The plot weaves back and forth from her strolls around present day (for 1989) Toronto and her life before that, with the constant hellos and goodbyes of life. But it always comes back to Cordelia and Elaine has a fixation on the woman centering on obsession, looking for her around every corner, the woman never lurking too far from her thoughts. Will she run into her old friend? I'm not telling. But Elaine's life is meticulously detailed and her observations are cool and sometimes numb but always poetic, Atwood's writing has rarely been this beautiful, almost every page has an absolutely crystal clear description or poetic phrase. Elaine's life is moving and about as real as they come and while the book is more episodic in nature than plot driven, that's what you'd expect from a book like this. My only complaint is that it's a bit too distant and detached, but I have that gripe with most of Atwood's books, most of her narrators are that way, when she does it right, like here, it comes across as soaring and passionate, if she does it wrong, then it comes across more like dry analysis. Here her prose soars and her observations of women and the human condition are spot on. Not for everyone, grantd, but definitely one of the best books I've read in a long while, don't think of this as "woman's literature", regardless of your gender, pick it up and give it a shot. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
Rating:
Summary: Narrators journey of realisation
Review: I am really shocked at the negative responses to this amazing novel of Margeret Atwoods, I would recommend this book to all women. The novel concerns itself with various themes and issues, Abuse, Power, Gender, Forgiveness, Time and Justice to name but a few. It is a tale of a women on a journey of realisation and acceptance as she is forced to face and challenge her repressed memories of insufferable callousness at the hands of her childhood companion. I found it highly inspiring and enjoyable. Not only because it paints a vivid picture of the terrors of childhood but because we follow Elaine Risley on her fight to forgive and forget and in the end she wins. Very inspiring in my opinion!
Rating:
Summary: Prose Savouring
Review: I've read Cat's Eye four times. Each time, I find the words Ms. Atwood uses and the way she weaves them together a delicious feast. It is rather like being served a many-coursed meal with each tantalizing dish more exquiste than the last. There is also a certain "feeling" I always carry from the story, a feeling that can only be appreciated fully in the mature years of one's womanhood looking back on one's girlhood "friendships." I love it too, perhaps, because I know that Margaret Atwood doesn't care if I, as a reader liked it, so much as she as a writer, had to write it. It's my favorite Atwood to date and I've read 'em all.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!
Review: I have just finished reading this book and think it one of the best of Atwood's books. It is an exploration into the psyche and first hand experiences of girlhood and how it reflects on our adult lives as women. I love that the writing got me enraptured in Elaine Risley's fears and triumphs. Also, I am an art lover and Elaine's paintings are as expressive on paper as if they were real productions in a gallery. Atwood again uses wit and humor balanced with the utmost seriousness to create a spectacular flight from childhood to adulthood.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting
Review: Margaret Atwood once wrote, "Sisterhood is powerful; women are always supposed to get along with each other. It's not true any more than it is for men." Cat's Eye is basically about jealousy and cruelty between girls, as remembered by Elaine, now an adult, who has returned to her hometown to visit. As Elaine is walking through the city, she remembers scenes that are each centered on a specific theme. Some of these topics include victimization, cultural dislocation, power struggles and violence against females. Atwood's main theme explores how girls can be fiercely competitive and very cruel. Atwood makes it clear that girls are not made of "sugar and spice and everything nice". In one scene, Cordelia, the leader of the group of girls who torment Elaine, throws Elaine's hat into an icy cold stream and orders her to fetch it, and in turn, almost kills her. In the end, Elaine rises above her tormentors and becomes more socially acceptable than her so-called friends. During her high school years, Cordelia actually tries to befriend her, but Elaine holds control over her now. The last half of the book is then devoted to her life beyond her cruel friends, and also to her guilt for not helping Cordelia. Although this may seem like a fun and exciting plot to some, the intense descriptive language is actually somewhat disturbing. Atwood vividly describes incidences such as Elaine peeling layers of skin off her feet and also how she feels while having sex. I gave it three stars because although Cat's Eye is very long and disturbing, I thought that Atwood incorporated some surprisingly true statements that I had never thought of before. I was surprised at how much I related to some of these statements, like pain keeping people in reality. Cat's Eye is very lengthy and at times monotonous, but I actually like it now that I've finished reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Rich in symbolism
Review: I am amazed at the negitivity that the other readers haveexpressed regarding Atwood's Cats Eye. People have been soconditioned that they must expect a structured beginning, middle and end to a story. They must have some conflict that needs to (and will be) resolved by the end of the story. I say look deeper and you will find it in Atwood's Cats Eye. The story was there, it lay bed of rich symbolic nature. Elaine, disturbed and tormented, in her youth, held on to a cats eye marble. The story also told of her in her adult life, as a painter. Her paintings unleashed some of her youth, but it was not until she opened up a hope chest, found her red purse and the glass marble inside...that she had put all the pieces together. You see, she had burried(in the hope chest) her hurt(the marble) so deep in her heart (the red purse)...and left it there...for years. Until she found it. This story came full-circle. I enjoyed the uniqueness Atwood gave, and would re-read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Undeveloped potential
Review: Elaine Risley returns to her childhood home of Toronto, Canada. Where she is flooded with memories of her past life. None of these memories conjure very fond sentiments. Through a series of flashbacks, Risley chronologically replays her life up to the present time. Intermixed with these flashbacks are interludes into current time. In the current time, Risley is in Toronto to attend a retrospective show of her art. Risley is a controversial painter. She does not use the title artist because she feels that the title painter is more conducive to gaining respect from other people. Throughout the novel, what others think and feel is ultimately important to Risley. Beginning with her early youth, Risley aimed to please her "friends", a group of girls who tortured her and almost killed her. During the time Risley is undergoing this torture, she finds solace in a cat's eye marble. Risley claims to have always felt uncomfortable with girls, possibly this occurrence is the reason why. Also contributing to her discomfort is the untraditional lifestyle her family leads. Her father is an entomologist who does field research in the Canadian forests, and so the family leads a nomadic life for numerous parts of Risley's life. Risley's only companion during these rootless times is her older brother, Stephen, who entangles her in the world of boys. Thus, Risley relates to the world she first entered better than the world of girls to which she actually belongs. While Risley is growing up, her antagonist, Cordelia persistently follows her. The two temporarily break connection when Risley gains the strength to revolt against the horrible actions Cordelia is taking against Risley. However, after several years, the two girls again meet, only this time, Risley is the stronger one. This being the case, Risley treats Cordelia poorly, just as Cordelia had treated her in the past. Only later in her life (actually the present time in the novel) does Risley come to the conclusion that "you should never pray for justice because you might get some." The novel concludes with Risley in the present time missing Cordelia with whom she wishes she could have a relationship with again after having treated her so poorly. In its entirety, I did not find the book enjoyable. Though the plot sounds enticing, the execution was not what it should have been. Too much time was spent discussing the unpleasant aspects of Risley's life, and not enough time was devoted to plot development. Although Atwood's preliminary idea was well concieved, the execution was not. Parts of Atwood's novel contained beautiful language, but the content in which it was presented was not near as masterful.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: There seemed to be no point to this book. It does not typify womens' relationships, and it is extremely frustrating to read, because the main character is a real sissy. She's been mistreated by her friends as a child, yet keeps hoping to run into them again. It makes little sense. There is no climax or real story-line. The book is little more than a bunch of flashbacks. I was extremely disappointed. You can do a lot better!
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