Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant Surprise
Review: After many unfortuanate instances of having CanLit forced down my throat in high school, it took a lot of pursuading to convince me to read this. The result? Thank you for it.
I can't compare this to any of Atwood's other books, but what I can say is that it is worth the read and that it has encouraged me to read more of her work. The characters are entertaining and quirky. Yes, they are odd, but they aren't so strange that you can't picture them living next door. {In fact, my fomer flatmate had an obsession with ironing and would always iron during exams when he got stressed out.}
Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a good, amusing read. It would be a great read during long, cold, and dark Canadian winters.
Rating:
Summary: My Absolute Favorite!
Review: As an avid reader, I don't find time to read books more than once, but I'm currently on my fourth read of this one! It is my all time favorite. Margaret Atwood is by far one of my favorite authors and I think this is her best work! The characters are real enough to believe, yet odd enough to keep you entertained! It is a great book for anyone who enjoys superb writing and characters they can both relate to, become shocked by, yet understand! It's hard to describe how amazing this work is, it explores so much about the human experience. You relate to characters unsure of their true feelings until they grow to discover the true meaning behind their actions! It runs you through all the emotions and leaves you thinking! It's great! I recommend it to everyone I know and now, even those I don't!
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Read--I couldn't put it down
Review: I first read this when I was 11, and thought it was pretty good. Then, at 16, I have decided to reread many books I read when I was younger to see if I could get more out of them. Boy, did I get more out of this book. It's hilarious and written in such a light manner, but can also get serious at moments. Atwood has done the book in an odd, rather creative style. The first fifty pages or so are written in first person, then it switches to third person as Marian unwittingly becomes prey to her own lifestyle, then back to first person again at the end. Throughout the book, Marian seems overly concerned with being percieved as "normal", yet it innately attracted to Duncan, the very opposite of normal. She has a bit of a double life going for a while, where on one end she has Peter, who at one point she describes as elevated ordinariness.
As Marian slowly loses her ablity to eat, she also becomes consumed by her life with Peter and her life with Duncan. Peter loves her, Duncan doesn't even like her that much. They are both extraordinarily selfish individuals, though Duncan is a bit more overt about it.
Marian sees the different choices she can make as far as her life is concerned in her female friends. Clara has tons of babies already, and Ainsley is convinced that she has to have a child alone in order to fully experience her feminimity. There are also the "office virgins", who are restless to snag the life Marian has with Peter. They want normalcy.
Marian doesn't know what she wants, so she lets Peter take over and make most of the decisions. But really she isn't satisfied with this and turns to Duncan. She kind of drifts, not really ever concerned with making a decision between the two, not really sure that she has to.
Atwood is one of my favorite writers because she creates such complex situations in her stories and her characters are all so dimensional. This story is a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it as well as any of her other novels.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Read--I couldn't put it down
Review: I first read this when I was 11, and thought it was pretty good. Then, at 16, I have decided to reread many books I read when I was younger to see if I could get more out of them. Boy, did I get more out of this book. It's hilarious and written in such a light manner, but can also get serious at moments. Atwood has done the book in an odd, rather creative style. The first fifty pages or so are written in first person, then it switches to third person as Marian unwittingly becomes prey to her own lifestyle, then back to first person again at the end. Throughout the book, Marian seems overly concerned with being percieved as "normal", yet it innately attracted to Duncan, the very opposite of normal. She has a bit of a double life going for a while, where on one end she has Peter, who at one point she describes as elevated ordinariness.
As Marian slowly loses her ablity to eat, she also becomes consumed by her life with Peter and her life with Duncan. Peter loves her, Duncan doesn't even like her that much. They are both extraordinarily selfish individuals, though Duncan is a bit more overt about it.
Marian sees the different choices she can make as far as her life is concerned in her female friends. Clara has tons of babies already, and Ainsley is convinced that she has to have a child alone in order to fully experience her feminimity. There are also the "office virgins", who are restless to snag the life Marian has with Peter. They want normalcy.
Marian doesn't know what she wants, so she lets Peter take over and make most of the decisions. But really she isn't satisfied with this and turns to Duncan. She kind of drifts, not really ever concerned with making a decision between the two, not really sure that she has to.
Atwood is one of my favorite writers because she creates such complex situations in her stories and her characters are all so dimensional. This story is a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it as well as any of her other novels.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and Consuming
Review: I just finished The Edible Woman a few minutes ago and felt compelled to write a review. This is only the second novel by Atwood that I've read and look foward to reading from her.
Very rarely do I ever finish a book without wanting to take a "break" from reading it. Atwood has a way of captivating the reader through her use of irony, character development and symbolism. Marian represents any woman who feels consumed by societal ideals--enough to ultimately reject it. But it is obvious that she still craves someone to escape with her. Peter is her answer to fit into what the world belives she should become while Clara seems to foreshadow what she would turn out to become if she were to be with Peter. Duncan is the antithesis of this, which attracts Marian. His gaunt figure seems to show his refusal to accept reality or consumption of ideals. Everything that I've only dreamed I could do (run away on a whim) is done, or merely attempted by Marian.
I know I'm rambling, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to read more of her works.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and Consuming
Review: I just finished The Edible Woman a few minutes ago and felt compelled to write a review. This is only the second novel by Atwood that I've read and look foward to reading from her.
Very rarely do I ever finish a book without wanting to take a "break" from reading it. Atwood has a way of captivating the reader through her use of irony, character development and symbolism. Marian represents any woman who feels consumed by societal ideals--enough to ultimately reject it. But it is obvious that she still craves someone to escape with her. Peter is her answer to fit into what the world belives she should become while Clara seems to foreshadow what she would turn out to become if she were to be with Peter. Duncan is the antithesis of this, which attracts Marian. His gaunt figure seems to show his refusal to accept reality or consumption of ideals. Everything that I've only dreamed I could do (run away on a whim) is done, or merely attempted by Marian.
I know I'm rambling, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to read more of her works.
Rating: 
Summary: A published Ally McBeal episode.
Review: I normally love Margaret Atwood's writing, but this novel really lacked something. Maybe I need to be hit over the head with a message, because I breezed through The Edible Woman without getting any of the deep meaning that I hear about from other readers. The book read like an episode of Ally McBeal. The women were portrayed as irrational or always scheming on men. Atwood should have collaborated on this one with Judith Butler for a harder edge.
Rating: 
Summary: More than a snack!
Review: I read this book about 25 years ago. I was working on a master's degree in English in Detroit and had just met the man that I would marry. Sigh! How I wish that I had listened more carefully to Atwood. I would have run from that! The Edible Woman is broadly humorous -- the heroine works for Seymour Surveys -- and very much a girls night out. Funny, perhaps slightly dated, it is a warning to listen to your inner voice. I seldom read more than one or two books by an author. The next book from Atwood's pen that I read, Surfacing, turned me off to her for many years. However, during that time, her reputation as a writer grew. When I finally picked her up again, I was glad I did. Atwood has grown into one of the major voices in 20th century literature and will, most likely, continue to be heard into the 21st century.
Rating:
Summary: Actually very good
Review: I thought I had lost my faith in 20th century writing, but this novel proved just how well a feminist can write. The book isn't even preachy, in fact, it reminds me of a story by Charlotte Gilman Perkins called "The Yellow Wallpaper". It's almost like both characters are literally being eaten, or consumed, by male driven society. Rich in metaphors, the novel illustrates how women can regain control of their lives, not necessarily through the bounds of matrimony, but through the rejection of it. Marian does not seem to have a life her own, but follows paths shaped by other's expectations of her as a woman. I really enjoyed the end of the book, it seemed fitting and makes the book a whole metaphor for the moral crisis that Marian goes through, particularly when her mind is rebelling from the society that influences her daily life. In other words, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A tasty treat!
Review: I will have to admit that curiosity is the prime reason for reading this book. The back cover blurb doesn't give much by way of details of the actual storyline, just that the main character feels like she is being eaten. I couldn't stop myself from reading this book after reading that! However, the story wasn't exactly what I was expecting, although it was still pretty good.Set in Canada in the late 1960s, the women's role in life is slowly trying to break free from the 50s television version of the housewife that vacuums in pearls and heels. Marian, a recent college graduate, considers herself a pretty independent woman. Even her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter, doesn't get in the way of her independence. She lives on her own with her roommate and best friend, Ainsley, and she makes her own living as copywriter for a survey service. But when, out of the blue, Peter proposes marriage, strange things start happening. Marian begins to feel consumed with making plans, quitting her job, moving in with Peter, and settling down for her role as housewife. All of a sudden she can't eat certain things and she has strange panic attacks that come from nowhere. Her freedom is being threatened, but Marian sees no way out. Or is there? While Marian's story is the core of this novel, the host of supporting characters intrigued me the most. Ainsley decides she wants to have a baby and begins her search to find the lucky man to help her out. Marian's friend, Clara, and her husband, Joe, provide a stunning example of what married/family life will be like (and not always in a good way). Then there's Duncan, a man who answers the door when Marian is out doing surveys, who has his own issues. All of these storylines are full of feminist symbolism, and I believe it is important to know this before you read the book. It will definitely help you understand the novel more clearly. I'm a new Atwood fan, having read and loved The Handmaid's Tale just a month ago. And while The Edible Woman is not as exhilarating or fascinating like Handmaid, I still found it to be very well-written with an interesting storyline, despite its heavy symbolism that mostly went over my head (I'm not too good at picking that stuff out!). I have two other Atwood books on my shelf and I'm looking forward to reading them. I believe that imagination and originality is Atwood's forte, and I have high hopes that the rest of her novels will provide a healthy dose.
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