Rating: 
Summary: Totally Overrated and Tediously Gimmicky
Review: Here is yet another overrated award-wining book from yet another big name in modern literature that utterly failed to entertain, enlighten, or at least provoke me. Not having read any Atwood before, one might think her Booker Prize winner might be a good place to start, right? Well, only if you enjoy a very good writer engaging in an unnecessarily complicated exercise in layered storytelling-minus any compelling story or interesting characters. The book is narrated by Iris Chase, an elderly Canadian who recounts her wealthy upbringing, familial decline in the Great Depression, arranged marriage to a wealthy industrialist, and sisterhood to a younger, dreamy sister who commits suicide. This sweeping, sprawling story covers plenty of topics that might have made it interesting, such as class issues, socialism, the impact of two World Wars on a small town, sisterhood, and more. However, none of these is explored in any new or insightful way, and not a single character is engaging or sympathetic. Iris, especially, is a protagonist of singular inaction and passivity, rendering her enormously frustrating.But lest one think this is a simple narrative, wherein Iris switches between flashbacks and her present old age, we are also given the story of an unnamed woman and her penniless lover. Their identities are supposed to be unknown and tantalizing until the end, but it's awfully obvious early on who they are, which rather ruins the overall effect. And within this story, the lover periodically tells the woman a pulpy science fiction story about young maidens destined to be sacrificed as virgins, and a blind male assassin who rescues one. Regrettably, this science fiction story is the most vivid and intriguing part of the whole book, and is only presented in small, incomplete chunks. Of course, the characters in the story represent the woman and her lover, just as the unnamed woman and lover are revealed to be people from Iris's life. Throw in a few faux news articles offering another view on the novel's various events, and ta da! Prize-winning narrative gymnastics! Never mind that it's fractured and tedious stuff, with revelations telegraphed far in advance of Atwood's denouements... Indeed, only Atwood's reputation, and the silent peer pressure of my book group led me to finish the book. You can certainly write a book with unlikeable characters, but to have this dislike spring from their passivity, rather than their actions (yes, yes, taking no action is, in effect, acting, I know), spells disaster for a rambling tome of 540 pages.
Rating: 
Summary: A Difficult Read
Review: I was lent a copy of The Blind Assassin by a friend who didn't want to give me her opinion before I'd read it myself. I found it difficult to read because Atwood would jump from character to character without making it obvious who was, at that point, telling their story. About halfway through, I finally got the feel of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the remainder. Afterwards, however, as a result of going through some of amazon.com's Readers' Reviews, I was led to read Atwood's prior novel, Alias Grace. This latter book proved to be a far better story, more well-written and much easier for me to read. As a result, I will continue on with another of her novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Atwood's Best Yet
Review: Margaret Atwood, a well-known Canadian poet, novelist, short-story writer, children's writer and editor born in 1939, won this year's Booker Prize for her latest work, The Blind Assassin. It is about time, too - this was her fourth novel nominated for the award. Atwood started writing seriously at the age of sixteen. Now, ten novels later, she has reached a new level of brilliance. The Blind Assassin isn't perfect, but it's breathtakingly close to it.
Thomas Mallon from the New York Times called The Blind Assassin "overlong and badly written". Mallon is simply a victim of the initial inaccessibility of Atwood's most recent work. When reading The Blind Assassin, one gets the distinct feeling that it would exist quite happily with or without the reader - Atwood is giving us a glimpse into the complex world she has created. It is not important that the reader understands the book fully: The Blind Assassin is not created for the sake of the reader. Instead, it has a life of its own. It is a piece of artwork, constructed using a brave new style of literary structure. The seeds of this structure can be found in one of Atwood's previous novels - Cat's Eye, and yet The Blind Assassin is ingeniously imaginative and original.
The Blind Assassin does not follow the usual patterns - it isn't written chronologically; it moves between the realm of science-fiction and reality; it uses newspaper reports, newsletter articles, stories within stories, and multiple storytellers, to enhance the reader's understanding of the characters and their journeys. Considering that the book is made up of a number of supposedly incongruous elements, The Blind Assassin is remarkably coherent. Somehow, it works.
The main story is set in Port Ticonderoga, Canada. It explores the story of the Chase family, owners of the successful, lucrative Button Factory in the area. The Chases have plenty of money - they live in a large, grand house called Avilion, and the daughters of the family, Iris and Laura, are too well off to be allowed to mingle with the poorer children of the neighbourhood.
Their mother dies of a miscarriage when they are both young, and their father is a distant, troubled man who takes little interest in his daughters' lives. Their tutors are either useless or tyrannical - certainly not the sort of people they can turn to for love. Reenie, the live-in housemaid, fulfils in part the girls' need for a mother figure, as does Callista, their father's companion. And yet Iris says, "There were only the two of us...on our thorn-encircled island, waiting for rescue; and, on the mainland, everyone else."
The main body of the novel is in the form of a memoir, written by Iris. She recalls and explores two factors that led to Laura's suicide, as well as Iris' own unhappiness - the love that she and her sister had for a young man, Alex Thomas; and the loveless marriage that Iris' father forced her into to save his business.
The story about the city of Sakiel-Norn, which is intertwined with the main story, needs a good deal of concentration and at least two readings of the book before things start to really make sense. (A few hints for the reader - the literal talk about sacrifice in the city of Sakiel-Norn is linked to the themes of sacrifice in the Chase family's story; and, some of the characters in Laura's novel mirror the characters in Iris' memoir, though perhaps not in the way you'd expect them to).
It's best to read The Blind Assassin all in one hit. If you interrupt the flow of the story for a second, you can become quite lost. It's important to follow all of the threads of the different styles and sections simultaneously. So find a spare long weekend, or better yet, call in sick at work until you've finished. The Blind Assassin can be heavy reading, but with a bit of patience, you'll realise it was all worth it.
Atwood's appeal is far-reaching, however, many of her fans are women. And yet her books aren't just vehicles for pushing the feminist line. Instead, they are genuine, fascinating explorations into the humanness of her female characters. Katherine Viner from the Age Good Weekend writes that "her work is feminist in a much less literal and more mature sense, in that it features women who are good and bad, neat and messy, normal, damaged, whole, human." In other words, Atwood's characters reflect the diversity and complexity of women in the real world. In The Blind Assassin, Atwood explores issues relevant to women today - the importance of love in marriage, sexuality, motherhood, sisterhood and women's rights. She uses the stories of women in different times and realities to speak to the women of today.
Atwood was born into a world still recovering from World War One and the Great Depression, and was alive during the Second World War. Atwood uses these events, and the way they affected people's lives, in The Blind Assassin. She also discusses important issues like global warming, sacrifice, suicide and death, God, and child abuse, to name a few. The book is multitudinous - it covers nearly everything. The Blind Assassin is a must-read for all Atwood fans - it surpasses all of her previous work. If you've never read her books before, find out what you've been missing out on. No reader who enters Atwood's world will leave it unaffected. In fact, if you're anything like this reader, you'll leave it hungry for more. Write on, Margaret Atwood!
Rating:
Summary: Endings and Forgiveness
Review: I've tried to read Margaret Atwood before and failed to be engaged, but Blind Assasin immediately nabbed my curiosity and never relinquished it. There were three endings, each more resonant than the one before, each a bittersweet cap on a strand of Iris's narration. And every time, when I was sure the book was over, I felt let down, like a dear friend had moved out of town. Ms. Atwood used all her talents by braiding together two seemingly dissonant tales: a modern reminiscence of an early 20th century family spinning through history toward disaster, interspersed with an encapsulated science fiction saga shared by two mysterious lovers. Atwood spared no intrigue, leading us one way, then the other, until she finally marries the separate strands and clearly reveals--or intimates--all the important details. My attention flagged and I was tempted to scan only during Iris's late life musings. By then I was so interested in the denouement of the reminiscence that I felt teased by an old lady's doughnut moments. Those elderly agonies were just too mundane to compete with the high passion of young life wasted, lust lost and the tragedy of never taking action until it no longer mattered. But I forgave Ms. Atwood, as I thanked her for engaging my powerful response to a well-woven novel.
Rating:
Summary: Two Books in One - Good Fun
Review: I've always liked Atwood because I find her work very clever, fresh, and insightful (esp. The Handmaid's Tale). Blind Assassin (BA) is a great read b/c it keeps you interested: it's a story within a story and you want to find out about both. BA is about the life of twin sisters from childhood to death. One is a free-spirited, "bad girl-type", and one marries into a high-society life and is seen as "prim and proper." The story focuses on the sisters' dynamic relationship w/ each other and the way they live their lives. But the reader never really knows which sister is which, and who is really telling the truth. Also in the novel is a sci-fi, mini-novel written by one of the sisters that may seem like is has nothing with the rest of the novel, but is really a reflection of their lives. I highly recommend it because it's a story with a twist, and I guarantee that there is no other novel quite like it. You'll be totally engrossed in finding out the truth.
Rating:
Summary: "Done it again" is right!
Review: I believed Atwood had attained her acme of story telling in Alias Grace until I read this completely absorbing tale of two sisters. Atwood is such a poet - one cannot escape that when reading her novels. Her sense of humour often arrived at from her powers of observation and a mocking attitude continues to engage my interest in her as one of the greatest Canadian authors.
Rating:
Summary: I thought this book would never end.
Review: One barometer I use in evaluating books is how would I react if someone was reading it to me. Would I look forward to the next chapter? The most intersting part of this exercise is trying to decide what would happen first, would I slip into a coma or strangle the reader to make him/her stop reading. If one enjoys the mundane being described in utterly excruciating detail, this is the book. An almost interesting storyline poluted with merciless droning about minutia that doesn't even come close to being interesting. With all due respect to an otherwise accomplished author, this one is the poster child of wasted words.
Rating:
Summary: as pretentious book reviews say, a 'tour de force'
Review: I was blown away by the negative reviews on this book I found on Amazon, as when I put it down, I was heartbroken wanting more. I found the gradual unfolding of the complicated plot fascinating. When I came to the revelation at the end, it was something I that simultaneously surprised me and felt just right as if I'd subconsciously been expecting it all along--the only conclusion that could have been at all satisfying. The love story was bittersweet and engaging. As far as the characters go, why all the complains about not 'liking' them enough? I find books about sainthood very boring; the (often fatally) flawed characters in this book were one of the things making it worth reading--the brutal ways in which they betrayed one another were all too real, which is what makes it interesting, after all. The characters were extraordinarily well-drawn, and just as evil, or selfish, or weak, or sad, or beautiful, and fascinating, as, well, real people.
The interweaving of the different stories (Iris' story, the unnamed lovers, the fantasy serial) was skillful and surprising--every few pages, I'd be struck by another connection between the three stories. All three part supported each other thematically--stronger in some areas than others, but repeated images, words and ideas made each story all the more compelling. And as always, the prose was absolutely beautiful; Atwood has a way of speaking very profound truths in lovely and unepected ways.
Rating:
Summary: She's done it again!
Review: Ms. Atwood is, simply put, brilliant. Not only is her writing beautiful...but her suspenceful storytelling makes her books as mentally stimulating as they are enjoyable. The Blind Assassin keeps you on your toes from start to finish and the three different storylines keep you interested. A book is a good book when it is one you cannot put down, when you care what happens, when you can't wait to find out what happens...when you feel involved with the characters. The Blind Assassin satisfies all these needs. Margaret Atwood is one of the best contemporary writers there is.
Rating:
Summary: If I was in the jury, I wouldn't hand it the Booker...
Review: At first I thought I was just not far enough into the book to get used to the characters and all. But after reading the first 100 pages, I mean pushing myself to read the first 100 pages, I thought the book was just not my kind of book... The first lines of the book is fine. You get to know the narrator, Iris Chase.. But then, you have a couple whose identity is never really revealed... the man is telling this weird science-fiction like story, or something that might be inspired by "The Brave New World" but not so intense, and it doesn't make so much sense either... Why "The Blind Assassin?" Why make kids suffer in a fantasy story? Anyway, I wasn't able to finish the whole book... after they discovered an alien, I was finished with the book. I thought that it might have been a more interesting book if it was just Iris' narration... I just couldn't get myself into that science-fiction part of it. Would I read Margaret Atwood again? Of course I would... I love her stories and novels (usually)... I just think that by awarding the Booker Prize to this book, my expectations were set too high to begin with. But I am sure her future work will still definitely be worth reading.
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