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Summary: Plot? Purpose? Point?
Review: Cat's Eye: Plot? Purpose? Point?Being the simple-minded high school student that I am, it does not take a lot for a piece of literature to please me. I would have loved Margaret Atwood's autobiographical novel, Cat's Eye, full of symbolism, metaphors, astonishing diction and detail had it not been for the plot or lack thereof. Cat's Eye, a flashback of some sort (it goes back from past to present through chapters), deals with Elaine Risley, an upcoming artist, who is attempting to come to terms with her harsh childhood. Throughout Cat's Eye, Elaine's past and present are illustrated through distinct scenes so full of detail (particularly metaphors) and imagery that the description takes over the main point. Wait a minute, what main point? Throughout the novel there seems to be no main point, no direction, no plot, no beginning, and no ending. What a hit! Adding to that, the protagonist, Elaine is weak and unrealistic. As a pre-adolescent nine-year-old girl, Elaine allows herself to be controlled by three of her so-called friends. And, as an adult, Elaine is still weak, but now she's also pessimistic and somber. She's fifty something and is still disturbed about her childhood even though she eventually stood up for herself (which by the way was the highlight of the book). Elaine, as an adult, seems to me to be a disturbed character who belongs not in a novel but on the television show Frasier where she might be able to get help. I gave Cat's Eye a whole star for the complex, yet easy-to-follow style which to me seemed to be the only good thing about the book.
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Summary: Not her best, but definitely worth reading...
Review: When I find an author I like, I read as many books as I can by that author. MY favorite Atwood books are 'Lady Oracle' and 'Life Before Man.' When I read these books, I had the experience of playing "catch-up" with an old friend I hadn't seen in a while. You know...you care about them, they've been away, and you have to hear all their news. Usually, a friend has little endearing quirks you recognize--a favorite use of phrase or an overused word which you see or hear and say to yourself -- "Yup, that's her all over." With Atwood, I sometime feel my friend has multiple personalities. The protagonist in this book is hard to "get next to" although you care about her. She's the friend who hasn't always been very good to herself, sometimes you want to shake her and say fight back, and sometimes you want to protect her but you know she's got to stand up for herself. Then one day she begins to change and you breathe a sigh of relief because you were getting tired of the beating she was taking. I hand off many of my books to others, but I kept this one (it's a paperback). I couldn't tell you why as I don't think I'll read it again. It affected me on some level, and I'm glad I read it. I still like 'Lady Oracle' better though.
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Summary: A classic account of female childhood.
Review: In high school, I remember having to read novel after novel about the popular theme, "growing up." But every single one of them were about a male. When I finally came across this book, I was so overjoyed that someone had captured one of the female stories! Not to say the book is feminist, or even for females only. But it is filled with the aspects of my young friendships that I have come to associate with females. It is an entertaining, wonderful read that I think all people can enjoy on some level. This is an Atwood classic (and I rate it far above her popular novel, The Handmaid's Tale).
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Summary: The pain of childhood
Review: This is my favourite Margaret Atwood novel. It reads to be almost autobiographical. The early parts evoke the loneliness and vulnerability of childhood so painfully and beautifully. It is one of the finest tellings of tormented childhood that I have read, outside of children's literature. If you like Atwood, are interested in a feminist writer, who manages to convey messages of humanity rather than ideology, then you can't do better than this.
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Summary: Reading the book I felt as though I were coming home
Review: What a wonderful novel! Her prose flows like poetry and draws the reader in from beginning to end. It saddened me to leave Elaine in the end.
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Summary: An interesting tale of modern strife
Review: This is the first book os Atwood's that I have read, and am anxious to read The Handmaid's Tale. I was first impressed by Atwood's innovative description. Her eye and ear for detail has a mystical ability to speak to the reader's own thoughts and perceptions about everyday things. The book's heroine, Elaine Risley, takes us through the journey of her life, from elementary school to middle-age, detailing the trials and tribulations along the way. The story switches between Elaine's formative years and her grown-up self, and adds interesting, provocative breaks in the action that keep the reader interested. The book has a strange, misty, ethereal quality, as though the narrator is walking in a dream while recounting her youthful experiences, and this adds a sinister bent to the often-gritty tale. Although not an uplifting tome, Cat's Eye has a Forrest Gump-ish quality in that Elaine Risley is our guide through Canada from the end of World War II to the mid-80s, noting all of the world's changes in the backdrop of Elaine's life. Masterfully told, and an excellent read. Enjoy!
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Summary: My Book Review
Review: I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale but all the other Atwood books that I've read so far really don't compare--but hey, that's cool. There really wasn't anything that I didn't enjoy about the book, but personally it was a book that I could put down. I'd pick it up after a few days of course, but it wasn't very captivating. One notible feature to the book was her writing technique. Atwood's writing style confronts issues in a sarcastic tone yet with good humor and wit. Though I say 'sarcastic' that doesn't mean that it is cynical and "mean." I truly suggest reading any of Atwood's works for the sole purpose of getting aquainted wit her writing style. ! Atwood stands out amongst women writers for having a unique writing style. ! Though I really don't have anything in specific to say about this book I can say that if you are a hardcore fan of Atwood then I highly recommend that you pick this up. Otherwise, you may want to try reading the Handmaid's Tale instead because I personally find it a tad more enthralling. peace out.
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Summary: continuation of review below this one.
Review: protagonist while listening to the adult conversation about the breeding modifications done to the turkey for improved taste and ease of containment realises she is "eating lost flight."
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Summary: Flexible Time and Lost Flight
Review: I feel old knowing that Cat's Eye is required reading for high school students and a bit jealous. This is my favorite novel. What cinches it for me is not the story "line," but the careful choice of words, and use of metaphor. Few get it so right. I am pleased as punch over and over reading what comes forth from Margaret Atwood's deft brain. Example: During one Thanksgiving dinner the young Elaine is watching and listening to an adult conversation concerning the turkey's ability to fly having been bred out of it's body in favour of easier containment issues and larger, jucier portions of meat. It occurs to Elaine that she is "eating lost flight." If that kind of realization doesn't appeal to you, as metaphor, you might not like this novel.
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Summary: Brutally honest look at young girls
Review: Margaret Atwood succeeds at portraying the vicious treatment administered to a young girl by her "friends". This book should be read by everyone, especially females, because it is so true to life. This one really hit home for me, and now I'm reconsidering the relationship between me and my childhood best friend.
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