Rating: 
Summary: Five Stars Is Pale Praise!
Review: Alias Grace is stunningly well written; perhaps one of Margaret Atwood's finest works. A beautiful gem, this book is a deeply compelling and disturbing mystery that is, as many real life mysteries are, not entirely answerable. Atwood skillfully explores a historical crime; intricate details evidence her extensive research into the time period, and will be appreciated by many readers. I was stunned by Atwood's phenomenal and quite specific ability to so eloquently express and illuminate the complexities of a young woman's (possibly...) dissociative memory and psyche; this is, for me, her most impressive feat in writing Alias Grace. Atwood has provided the compelling perspectives of other characters--each one sees Grace a little differently. The questions raised by each perspective are full of promise. This book was a mystery that I read with such intensity--and I didn't want it to end! A luscious blend of Margaret Atwood's poetic style and psychological suspense. Alias Grace merits the highest praise.
Rating:
Summary: A Mesmerizing Novel
Review: It is not simple or common for authors to successfully intertwine historical elements into a fictional piece of literature. The process requires intricate research, sorting and fitting of contradictory accounts, and a great imagination. In Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood recreates the tale of Grace Marks, a "celebrated murderess", from her incarceration to her liberation, by applying unique structure and vivid language. Grace Marks was a servant charged for murder of her boss Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. The sequence of her life includes her experience of migrating to Canada, the brutal life of living with her father, and serving people for a living, eventually leading up to the murder, and then imprisonment. Her accomplice James McDermott, the stable hand, was hanged for the crime. Not only was she a woman, but also at the age of sixteen. People went to see her in jail as if she was and animal at the zoo and doctors studied her to find out hidden motives for the crime. In the novel, Atwood instantly establishes an interesting structure by opening with excerpts from actual people, which sets the mood of the book and predicts the existence of truth and innocence as major themes. She continues placing numerous authentic selections throughout the entire book before each section. For example, quotes from Emily Dickinson, accounts by Susanna Moodie, or even confessions of the real characters. The concrete information gives the story a chilling affect. On top of those, I especially liked how Atwood titled the sections by designs of quilts such as Snake Fence, Broken Dishes, or The Tree of Paradise. It resembles the importance of quilting in Grace's life as a reprieve from the pains in reality or as a pride in sewing and dressmaking skills. The story clearly parallels Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter in almost every aspect. Atwood also changes the points of view and time periods, which I found it very easy to follow. It switches from revealing Grace's own thoughts, to her opening up to Dr. Jordan (a doctor studying psychiatry through Grace), and then to a narrator describing situations and thoughts of the doctor. The story is mostly woven back and forth between the present then flashing back to reveal Grace's childhood and crime. In addition to that, the novel consists of chapters that tell the story line through poetry and chains of letters. Although the framework of Alias Grace is intriguing, I thrived on the intensity of the language Atwood demonstrated with a tone of mystery and passion. Grace is haunted by a spirit that is "... whispering things into [her] ear" (179). This consistency of spirits and lost souls adds thrill to reading. Although it has some graphic descriptions, they are through Grace's twisted mind and enhance the book. Furthermore, it is filled with juicy similes of apples that look like " big round drop of water, cool and red" (39) or of becoming "...as small as an ant..."(41). The similes give and excellent visual image to connect to Grace's emotion. She also makes clever remarks and comical observances to lighten up the mood, yet they are highly ironical and thought provoking. The motifs are a brilliant essence of redness and include a flowery environment, which show the passion and depth of the language. Overall Alias Grace is a constant unfolding mystery that kept me flipping pages. It's a chilling story consisting elements of passion, gloom, hope, and irony restored by Margaret Atwood that brings back to life the spirit of Grace Marks.
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating
Review: Whereas Oryx and Crake fasinated me, Alias Grace frustrated me. There are too many points of view and too many different writing styles for the book to flow from start to finish. Grace as a character bored me. Simon the doctor was the only one who really got my attention but his scenes were few and far between.
Rating: 
Summary: the retelling of the.....truth?
Review: Who was Grace Marks? A murderess who could easily hide her violent personality, an unwilling victim, or a split personality? Nobody will ever know. A true story, a woman who lived in Canada in the 1840s. We meet her in the novel, mostly through the interviews she had, while in prison, with Dr. Simon Jordan a kind of psychiatrist of the times.
From what she said and from the way she presented herself and the facts of her life, she was either an angel or the most cunning of liars.
A horrible crime was committed in the households where Grace, a young girl of 15 or so, worked as a servant.
The master of the house Mr. Kinnear and his servant-lover Nancy were slaughtered in a most brutal way by a male servant James McDermott. Was Grace Marks his accomplice? this is the enigma which remains unsolved.
Beautiful style, Margaret Atwood confirms once again her ability to confound and enchant the reader with intriguing stories. She is, in my opinion, one of the best post-modern Canadian writers.
Rating:
Summary: A intelligent, compelling and easy to understand book
Review: At first glance you might feel compelled to read it because it's quite a thick book. But once you lay your eyes on the words magaret atwood has written, you are more compelled not to read it. There's an element of reality and truth to the story but at the same time it's fiction. You have a character Grace Marks who, at age of 15, is convicted of killing her master and head mistress with an accomplice but she is pardoned from being hanged. A young psychologist comes into town interested in marks' case and he tries to figure if grace's stand on her innocense is true or a basis of lies. You are along for the so called ride, trying to figure out if this girl has actually done it or not. The interesting thing is that you don't really know who is to be trusted. In many novels, you being to trust or believe the protaganist is telling the truth or innocent. But in this case, atwood makes you think and bring into reason instead of giving you the reason to believe grace. It's a very intelligent book but anyone can read it. You will not feel as if you're reading a two inch book but rather wondering how did you finished the book and not feel as if it has been an eternity. I surely recommend it. The characters feel real and there's always emotional highs and lows throughout the novel. Enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Unique Perspective into a Killer's Mind
Review: This novel is a unique story based upon its content and writing style. The story is about Grace Marks, based on a true story from the 1860's Canada. Grace has been convicted of two counts of murder for the past 15 years when a doctor arrives to analize her. This is one of the first novels to be told from Grace's point of view. For the majority of the book, the reader stays in Grace's thoughts and mind as she talks about herself. Although a little disturbing at times, this keeps the reader intrigued and guessing if she really did it. The second unique point is the writing style. Atwood takes the Victorian culture and quite literally embodies it in Grace. On the outside, Grace appears to be the ideal model of a true victorian lady. Yet, thanks to inner monologues, the reader gets to know a very different Grace. The reader has the chance to actually explore Grace as she sees herself. A key element in the novel is a quilt that Grace longs to have. This continues through Atwood's writing because of the many fragments she pieces together into a wonderfully told story. All in all, a book worth spending your time reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow going but rewarding at times
Review: It's the middle of the 19th century in post-rebellion Upper Canada, and Grace, the heroine of the story, gets implicated in the murder of a landowner and his mistress. Grace is a hard character to know; is she a simpleton or cunning? Is she hiding a huge secret or is she resigned to being wrongfully convicted? There are other interesting characters, especially the doctor who interviews Grace at length, while at the same time confronting his own demons. There is so much bleakness shown in the small towns in Upper Canada in this time, the struggles of the poor, especially the fate of Grace's friend who becomes pregnant. That bleakness is to be expected from an Atwood novel of course.Overall, it was a slowly paced novel which suffered in comparison to Atwood's The Blind Assassin in my opinion. Still, it is a worthwhile read and well written.
Rating:
Summary: What is the definition of Guilt?
Review: You know from reading the back cover that the novel is about Grace Marks, a teenage servant girl accused and convicted of the murder of her employer and a fellow servant in Canada in the year 1843. James McDermott, her partner in crime was convicted and hanged. Grace can't remember what happened the day of the murders, so we are left to wonder for almost the entire book - did she do it, or does guilt rest entirely with James McDermott? When the story opens, Grace has already been in jail for about 10 years. There are many pages of setup containing straightforward storytelling interspersed with newspaper excerpts, poems, letters and testimony. We are introduced briefly to Grace's life in prison and become acquainted with her crime and her notoriety. It is common practice for prisoners to work as servants in the warden or prison Governor's home and part of Grace's daily routine is to do sewing and cleaning for his family. We also meet Dr. Jordon, a mental health expert attempting to break the lock on Grace's memory. After about 100 pages, Grace begins a linear narration of her life through sessions with Doctor Jordon. She tells about how she came to Canada with her large family on an ocean voyage from Ireland and continues with her employment as a servant. We hear a great deal about sweeping, scrubbing, sewing and laundry and it becomes clear that Grace takes pride in her work. These psychotherapy sessions alternate with the book's present (10 years after the murders) and we learn that a local Reverend and a group of Grace's supporters believe in her innocence and are fighting to have her freed. We also get bits about the Governor's wife and daughters, and the Doctor himself. The respectable women and the Doctor form a nice juxtaposition to Grace's story because they illustrate the expectations, restrictions and privileges of class and gender. This is not a murder mystery in the conventional sense. The reader may believe that Grace's innocence or guilt is the main point of the story as late in the book, we eagerly approach the hypnosis that occurs. Details about her participation in the murder are uncovered that are ambiguous, but also revealing. In the final chapters, time does move on and we learn about what happens to the Doctor, the Reverend, the Governor's daughter and of course, Grace, in a satisfying conclusion. Margaret Atwood's technique is remarkable. The story raises questions about the nature of guilt, innocence, forgiveness and how the actions of others and the prescriptions of society affect the range of choices available to a person. There are a few passages in the story that offer glimmers of Grace's psyche and there are several gems that make the story vibrate. This story is better enjoyed with discussion. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Atwood Shines, As Usual
Review: Margaret Atwood is never less than a fascinating author, and "Alias Grace" is rarely less than a fascinating novel. Taking as its source material the story of Grace Marks, notoriously (and inconclusively) involved in the murders of her employer and fellow servant in the 1850's, the novel details the attempts of a psychologist to plumb the depths of Grace's psyche and help her past the memory block that is preventing her from remembering her part in the crime. The suspense of the novel lies in the doctor's (and reader's) uncertainty as to Grace's innocence. Has she really forgotten what happened? Was she a naive dupe? Or was she in fact the one doing the duping? In typical Atwood fashion, the conclusion remains somewhat ambiguous but immensely satisfying nonetheless. This ambiguity is a perfect match for Atwood's story, and indeed for Atwood's approach to story telling in general. Her female protagonists are always ambiguous creatures; they think and feel in shades of grey. Yet they're always surrounded by people (both men and women) who want to tidily slot them away in easily-definable categories. Grace is just such a character. It would be easiest for everyone involved if she could be labeled as a demon, a half-wit---anything that would make her actions understandable to those around her. But of course, the person that is Grace Marks is much too complicated for such classification. "Alias Grace" is one of the darker novels Atwood has written, and she's a rather dark author to begin with. The period feels researched well, and the details describing the lives of domestic servants is quite interesting. I felt she was on somewhat shaky ground once she gets into the realm of hypnosis and spiritualism. Something about the hypnosis scene rang false for me. Indeed, I was left a bit confused by the outcome of the it (I won't say any more), and I'm not sure if Atwood intended for me to be confused or not. And in a related comment, I wish she had done a bit more with the relationship between Grace and Jeremiah over all. "Alias Grace" wasn't quite as satisfying for me as "The Handmaid's Tale" (I doubt any Atwood book will be) or "Cat's Eye," and I think I even liked "The Robber Bride" more. But even lesser Atwood is always more welcome than the best some other author has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: A true story comes to life with each turn of the page
Review: I am going to get my summary of the book over with right now: It was absolutely incredible! It was a fantastic recreation of a true story that gripped the reader to the very end.
The story takes place in 1863 in Canada. Enter lovely Grace, a 16 year old girl left with no other option but to leave her abusive father to her beloved small siblings and enter the only lucrative employment open to her- servitude. Grace adapts well to her position of servant, but unfortunately she accepts a position with a rich master, Mr. Thomas Kinnear after being sweet talked by the main "housekeeper", Nancy Montgomery. Certain that her employment will be worth her leaving her initial assignment, Grace elects to leave behind her only experience of stability to work for Mr. Kinnear. But, shortly after starting this position, Grace is accused of a double murder, along with a fellow house servant, James McDermott. The murders are revealed through the newspaper releases, personal interviews with the main characters and the transcript interpretations of court proceedings. This leads the reader to one of the more intriguing stories in a long time, and one that just leaves a reader itiching for every possible piece of information that could shed light for the truth and accurately recreate the circumstances for what happened that night so long ago. That night involves the owner of the mansion and grounds, Mr. Thomas Kinnear and his "housekeeper" Nancy Montgomery. It seems fairly certain that their relationship was more than professional, indeed, Nancy appears to habitually be romantic with her masters... and to become impregnated by them as well. All of these incredibly scandalous behaviors catch up with these characters. There is a supposition of innocence about Grace that confronts the readers and the postmortem evidence that disturbs one as well. Regardless, this is a very intriguing novel that is intellectually stimulating and certain to provoke powerful emotions.
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