Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment from a favorite author
Review: Margaret Atwood is a cut above the rest. "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Alias Grace" were unique and gripping works of fiction with characteristic traces of Atwood's element of science fiction/fantasy. This book, however, was very disappointing. It ambled on and on, and although Atwood shows off her exceptional talent through a diverse range of character portrayal, the plot left much to be desired. Don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: blah 2....
Review: As with other disappointed readers, I am finding this book very blah. I'm slogging through it, hoping to find another book soon that I will enjoy more. Maybe it's the "Canadian thing." The characters never really sparkle; they are a bit too shlumpy for me, and the writing (and some of the characters' pecadillos) seem contrived, like Atwood threw them in to "flavor" the book - but who cares? It's a little like a stew that looks good, should be good, but has some flavors that are just 'wrong.' And the reviewers here are correct: who in the heck is Zenia and why should we care about what she did to these rather self-centered ho-hum women? One reviewer was so right on about the stereotyping of these women. I want really rock-solid individuals in a novel. Nothing seems terribly important. The descriptions of Roz's twins and her son and his girlfriend actually do (unlike what one reviewer said) border on the sentimental. Too cutesy, their puppy-dog-like behaviors or, in the case of her son Larry, rather limp ones and his stereotypical girlfriends to boot - left a taste in my mouth, of an artifically-sweetened pastry. I have read three Atwood novels now and just don't care for them particularly. Yes, the writing is great - it's great, contrived writing. I'm always so aware of it - too aware. It's a self-conscious "good writing" style. But many people love her, so don't go by me. You'll probably love it.
Rating: 
Summary: Another great book by Margaret Atwood
Review: THE ROBBER BRIDE by Margaret AtwoodTHE ROBBER BRIDE is yet another cleverly written novel by Margaret Atwood, who most recently was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2003 for her apocalyptic book ORYX AND CRAKE. THE ROBBER BRIDE follows a similar theme as her novel CAT'S EYE, in which four girls form a clique of friendship, while one of the girls becomes the ring leader, tormenting one of the other girls endlessly till near-tragedy strikes. However, in THE ROBBER BRIDE, we are now looking at four women, whose history begins in college. Roz, Charis, and Tony were acquaintances during their college years. Their one link was a mutual "friend" named Zenia, a friend that eventually turned on each of them later on in their lives and practically destroyed them in order to get what she wanted from them. The book is very complex, as the author takes us back and forth in time, telling the story of each of the women and their relationship with each other and with Zenia. What's interesting is that without Zenia, none of these women would have kept in contact. But as each one finds out what a snake Zenia can be, they bond and through the years they continue their friendship. Zenia then dies, and the women feel they are safe and can move on with their lives. But, then one day while they are out at a restaurant, one of them thinks she has spotted Zenia... I found THE ROBBER BRIDE to be riveting and very intense. I feel that out of all the books I have read by Margaret Atwood, this was the most powerful of them all in terms of emotion and passion. This is not to say that her other books were any less than this one, but I remember feeling a lot of angry feelings as I read it. Margaret Atwood is truly a talented writer, and what makes me want to read her other books is that each book she writes is different from the next. She doesn't use a formula; she re-invents herself with each new book. I rated THE ROBBER BRIDE five stars and I highly recommend it. Margaret Atwood fans will love it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Canadian Book that Everyone Can Enjoy & Love
Review: I couldn't put this book down, and a year after I read it the first time, I read it again. Zenia is such a great female villain, she makes the book an irresistible read. The other female characters are well-developed and given such interesting qualities and lives. Atwood's Alias Grace and Cat's Eye are better all-round books than this one, but this book has a certain wisdom in it communicated through the lives of the very different women who are united in their dislike for one woman, and yet despite this they all seem to have learned something valuable through Zenia.
Rating:
Summary: A genuine portrait of women's friendships
Review: In The Robber Bride, Atwood examines the friendships among three very different women, sympathetically but not sentimentally. She explores themes of ambivalence - envy versus fear, history versus acceptance - while keeping the mystery story moving forward. These well-developed characters are worth getting to know.
Rating:
Summary: Not exactly a page-turner
Review: I was hesitating whether to give this book 2 or 3 stars. It's probably somewhere in between but I gave it the benefit of the doubt due to a few parts of the book that were actually intriguing. The biggest problem with this book is that I didn't care about the main characters. In the very beginning and throughout the entire book, I was always looking for Zenia's motives for hurting these women, but I never found any. Thus it seems weird that Zenia just came around to screw with these women and it makes the story seem insignificant. The book offers a history of each of the three characters Tony, Charis and Roz. Charis' background was the most interesting, but at the same time I was thinking to myself, "Why do I care about these characters' histories?". I was always waiting for a big payoff but it never comes, and the ending is a very farfetched disappointment. If you're looking to get in some Atwood, I suggest you read The Handmaid's Tale.
Rating: 
Summary: The blindness comes from the jungle
Review: The author, Margaret Atwood, cannot fascinate. Her style is too extensive; she does not come to the point. It seems like in the middle of a sentence she changes her thoughts and ends it on a different subject. I got lost rapidly in her jungle, and never could muster the interest to finish this book. gerborguta
Rating:
Summary: Longer than I thought it should be
Review: I read Handmaid's Tale, and enjoyed it, so I figured this would be along the same lines. Not EVEN the same kind of book!...there were only a few parts I found funny. I did think the book was long at times, especially the chapter describing Roz and her history. But, generally, it was a decent read. Zenia (the thief) is a very complex character, and chapters are spent describing how Zenia helped to destroy the 3 main characters' relationships (Roz, Charis, Tony). But, Zenia is never given her own chapter on why she feels like being this way. I think this is on purpose though; I think the book is really about women and "rebirth" throughout their lives - women coming to terms with loss and learning to let go. I'm surprised Oprah didn't pick this book!
Rating:
Summary: A Male Feminist's perspective
Review: The Robber Bride, the second book I have read by Margaret Atwood, explores the lives of three richly believable characters. The plot is part mystery, part romance, part coming-of-age tale mixed up with a tinge of feminist ideology and a lot of profound observations on North American (specifically, Canadian) life in the mid-late 20th century. I would describe the book as murder mystery meets Holly-go-Lightly meets First Wives' Club. An enchanted vixen comes into and sucks the men out of three women's lives. There's Tony, the female history professor, Charis, the new-age granola, and Roz, the powerhouse exec obsessed with all things material. Although the plot is entertaining, the characters make it work. You'll befriend (or possibly already know) these three women as if they were your personal Golden Girls.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: This is ostensibly the story of three women who lose both their men and piece of themselves to a shifting illusion called Zenia. She alternately seduces and dumps the men belonging to Toni, a bespectacled war historian, Charis, a self-doubting but enlightened earth mother, and Roz, an irrepressible business woman and mother of three. As the story unfolds through flashbacks, it becomes apparent that Zenia is not what she seems. This is really the story of how we so often refuse to see the truth about ourselves and our loved ones. Zenia is a mirror held up to each of our heroines (the ordinary kind) to reflect these truths. The characterizations are wonderful. As the reader you get to go on a delicious voyeuristic romp through each of the three women's lives. Overall, an enjoyable read with a good mix of entertainment and thought-provoking material.
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