The Robber Bride

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and frustrating
Review: Atwood is an enormously frustrating author. She is obviously very intelligent and imaginative; she picks fascinating subjects and explores different writing techniques for each of her novels; she is hugely entertaining. However..."entertaining" doesn't often go hand-in-hand with "substantive," and sadly I think "Robber Bride" is more of the former and not much of the latter. This wouldn't be a problem if I thought that entertainment was what Atwood was aiming for (and there's nothing wrong with that -- I love a good read). But too many of her readers seem to be looking for some feminist "message" in her books, and unfortunately this book is about as "feminist" as "Gone with the Wind." Yes, both novels feature "strong" women, but women who are still defined largely by their sexuality in extremely limiting either/or scenarios.

In this novel, Atwood puts women in two categories: sexual (Zenia) and nonsexual (Tony, who looks like a child; Charis, who sees sex as a duty; and Roz, who feels unattractively large and maternal). Everything else about them -- jobs, personalities, pasts -- is of secondary importance, details used to differentiate them (Tony is the intellectal one; Charis is the "groovy" one, etc.), though ultimately all three storylines are the same: evil, sexual, "active" woman vs. good, nonsexual, passive woman. This is grotesquely, almost insultingly stereotypical (though I'm sure this was not Atwood's intent). I also don't buy the idea that Zenia ultimately "empowers" the women by freeing them of worthless men and/or by allowing them to enjoy sex. Why is female empowerment solely linked to sex? Tony is a respected authority in war, a very "male" area of studies, but she sees herself (and we see her) as weak and passive because she's afraid she can't hold onto West. This is way too simplistic.

Moreover, as a great many reviewers have pointed out, why is Zenia so one-dimensional? Atwood seems to be trying to make a point about how Zenia is the embodiment of objectification of women -- she can only be seen as a female "type," victim or femme fatale, by everyone including herself. But by not providing any depth to Zenia, Atwood herself has not given us any challenge to this objectification; rather, she unintentionally glorifies it.

OK, that was probably way, way too much analysis. The gist: three stars for entertainment value, but as others have said, Atwood has done better work elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Beatiful writing, great characterisation
Review: Fantastic writing and exquisite characterisation are combined in this novel about three middle-age friends who recall their experiences with Zenia, a common friend/enemy/she-devil they encountered in different stages of their lives. Tony, Charis and Roz are wonderfully developed, but it's Zenia who is the real star here. I would have loved to read a chapter under her point of view, I'm sure Mrs. Atwood would have been up to the task!!! But perhaps this is the whole point, maybe Zenia was a sort of personification of the three friends' most deepest fears and weaknesses.

But still, what shines here is the writing, which puts this book a notch above others with similar soap-operaish plots. This is a high-quality page-turner.

Rating:
Summary: A bit slow for Margaret
Review: I am a huge Margaret Atwood fan, first off. This book is slow and subtle, and while I wouldn't say it was great, it does have an appeal. I had a hard time getting through the first few chapters, but Atwood is so good at developing a level of depth to her characters that you become attached to them whether there's much of a plot or not. While it's not one of my favorites by this author, the book has her style, with vivid, delicious use of words to conjure up beautiful, lurid images in your mind while you read.

Rating:
Summary: My second time reading it
Review: I read The Robber Bride when it first came out and didn't like it. I think I'd just read The Handmaid's Tale and had such high expectations for the new Margaret Atwood that I was disappointed by this modern day, relatively mainstream novel.

Picked it up again a few weeks ago and liked it much better the second time around. It's no Handmaid's Tale - but it is engrossing and the characters are well drawn.

The only aspect of the book that was still disappointing to me was the trouble I had believing that Zenia could still exert such force over three women whose lives she had derailed. As compelling a character as Zenia was - I think these women would be smart enough to never believe a word she said. And yet...

A good read with just a touch of mystery. Guess the second time was the charm.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and frustrating
Review: I really enjoyed this very funny and well written novel about three quite different women, Toni, Roz and Charise who have all been burnt badly by the same woman, Zenia, a femme fatale and "the robber bride". While the reader comes to know the three women through detailed accounts of their childhood years, Zenia and her motivations remain a mystery, at the very least she is a skilled liar and unscrupulous. One by one Zenia steals their men and their money, and they are all in turn led down the garden path by her, their own inner weaknesses making them easy targets for a predator like Zenia.

Some parts of the story were a bit far fetched. All the women seemed like caricatures, Toni the eccentric intellectual, Charise the spiritual New Age type and Roz the rich business woman, though this added to the comedy. It was hard to believe that all three women had only ever had one love in their lives, also Zenia seemed without a soul and the others without a libido.

Fine literature it is not but a great entertaining read none the less, especially for women who have ever encountered a "Zenia". Descriptions of Toronto were great too, neat to have a place I lived in described so well in a novel.

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: 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: A Good Read But Far From Atwood's Best
Review: Margaret Atwood is an icon in the world of literature and for the past year I have read four of her novels: "The Handmaid's Tale," "Alias Grace," "The Blind Assassin," and most recently, "The Robber Bride." I first read The Handmaid's Tale as part of my AS English Lit. course, and enjoyed it so much that I was compelled to read more of her novels. I can't imagine many others feeling this passionate about one book that they would want to read so much more by the same author, but I do, and I will continue reading her novels until there's none left to read! And after that, I'll just re-read them!

The Robber Bride is the fourth novel that I have read by Atwood, and the first to receive less than a perfect 5/5. I feel that with The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin, Atwood crafted some true masterpieces, but this book is a little bit weaker. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very good novel and I admire her desire to explore different themes and genres without fear of failing. I think she pulls off a number of themes very well in the novel, but maybe the topic is a bit too girly for my liking.

The novel is based on "The Robber Bridegroom" by the Brothers Grimm where in which an evil groom lures three unsuspecting women into her lair and devours them all separately. However, re-telling this story would just be plain boring so Atwood, every the inventor, spins her own remarkable twist on the story where the evil villain is a woman who sets out to destroy the lives of three fellow women. The novel opens with these three characters who are 50-something decent ladies and have been friends for decades. Their names are Tony, Charis and Roz. They are present at the funeral of Zenia, who was blown up in some ambiguous 'accident'. Then a few days later, when the three friends are having lunch at the Toxique and think they have got rid of Zenia forever....

"With waves of ill will flowing out of her like cosmic radiation, Zenia is back...."

This first happens when we take a 40-page look at the day in the life of Tony and how this builds up to her knowing of Zenia's existence. This is then followed by another look at the day in the life of Charis, and how she winds up meeting with Tony and Roz and seeing Zenia, all at the same time. Then there is, of course, a day in the life of Roz which builds up to how she meets Zenia again. Through these three sections we really get to know about all three distinctive characters and the people in their lives. Tony has West, her boyfriend who sits making strange records all day in his studio. Charis has her daughter August/a and her boss Shanita. While Roz has her two troublesome teenage girls and her son Larry who is much older than the girls.

After this we embark on the histories of each woman. Tony comes first and the story of her life builds up, page by page, of how she met West, how Zenia became a part of her life and how she tore her life up. I think the life story of Charis is the most interesting, because I love the way her childhood stands out so vividly fro the others. It's almost heartbreaking when you think of the things that child had to go through in her early childhood, such as her molesting Uncle and her insane mother. All this makes Charis want to be a better person, though, and the way Zenia and Billy deceive her is one of the novel's best moments. The history of Roz is very well constructed, and she is probably my favourite character of the three because she's just a funny outrageous girl with a sea of heartbreak and confusion under that gleeful exterior.

By the time we come to the end of these three tales of how Zenia deceived all three women, the novel is almost over. Before you know it, the suspense is already built for you to anticipate the ending and the outcome of Zenia. Will she survive? Has she more tricks up her sleeve? Will any of these amazing women get even with her? What we're left with is an ending that tries to show us that maybe something was wrong with the way the three women constructed their lives, and not Zenia. Zenia was just the catalyst for an inevitable destruction. Not to say what Zenia did was good - they were very evil and malicious things, but I think the book is trying to tell us something about our own personalities. Overall, a very good book that I enjoyed a lot but it's not quite perfect. I would recommend it to other readers of Atwood's fiction, though, to make up their own minds.

Rating:
Summary: a female bonding soap opera saved by brilliant writing..
Review: Margaret Atwood is clearly amongst the most talented writers of modern fiction today. When her gift is matched with a wonderful story, as with her recent "The Blind Assassin", the reader is truly in for wonderful entertainment (yes, I really loved that book). However when the story is marginal, as with "The Robber Bride", one is left with a feeling that a great opportunity was wasted.

"The Robber Bride" is about three middle-aged women, each a bit unique (ie, odd) in their own way, whose lives have been changed for the worse by their evil "friend" Zenia. Zenia, who is of course both beautiful and intelligent, snatches boyfriends/husbands, deals in drugs, steals money, lies, etc - she is one larger-than-life monster. The story opens where these three women meet five years after the Zenia's funeral. While having their regular social in walks Zenia (!). And then Atwood gives us the full story on Zenia, the three women, ... and finally the mystery is unravelled.

While Atwood does entertain us with fine prose and well-developed characters, "The Robber Bride" is almost comical in its rather contrived story. Worse, she resorts to throwing many male (and female) stereotypes into the stew. Examples: all men are victims of gorgeous "femme fatales", women are either weak or they are wicked, ... and Ms. Atwood throws in a perverted uncle for good measure.

Bottom line: entertaining in an outrageous sort of way. Margaret Atwood has matured since completing "The Robber Bride", so I suggest going after those novels first. However this book is certainly not bad; female readers looking for a Jackie Collins-type of novel with panache will certainly enjoy "The Robber Bride".

Rating:
Summary: A delicious, quick read
Review: The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood is a page-turner. It's the story of three very different 50-something women, Roz, Tony, and Charis, who have two things in common: they went to school with one another, and they were both horribly mistreated by a woman named Zenia. Zenia is a modern-day Helen of Troy, a woman whose face, breast implants, and devious, callous machinations result in a wave of destruction and man-eating.

Much to the women's relief, Zenia ends up dead and buried. They finally feel safe until one day, while they're at lunch, Zenia appears.

The novel traces each woman's explosive history with Zenia, braiding their lives together. They're the three witches of Macbeth, but they don't wait for thunder, lightning, and rain to get together. Instead, they hang out at a trendy restaurant called Toxique. Each woman has a very different personality and past, and each woman has at least one background story on Zenia. None of these stories match up, of course.

This is my one qualm about the book. We never do learn exactly who Zenia is, or why she's motivated to do those awful things she does so very well. She is a delicious villain, a Cruella de Ville of the literati, but what drives her?

At first glance, the story doesn't sound terribly interesting, and relies upon the stereotype of the poor, promiscuous, dupe of a husband, Margaret Atwood adeptly makes it into a wonderful black comedy.