The Blind Assassin

Rating:
Summary: Thumbs up, with some quibbles
Review: The Blind Assassin is definitely worth reading but I did /not/ find it quite as alluring as others. The story of Iris and Laura Chase is a rather sad one and in many ways pathetic. The characters are well drawn but they are all - including Iris, the narrator of the story, rather shallow (the characters themselves -- not the writing of them.) Iris, in the later stages of her life does become a more substantive person -- but too late. The novel is really her apologia for what she didn't do in her life, especially for sister and daughter. The novel is well paced and there are many foreshadowings, if you pay close attention, that will clue the reader in to what would otherwise be a real kicker in the end. The "novel" within the novel worked well too, although I wonder if a more straightforward narrative approach wouldn't have worked better in telling the story. I found "The Blind Assassin" -- the novel embedded in the story, rather repetitive -- it was the same scene and happenings over and over again. In some ways that was the point, but it bogged down the flow the events. But overall a definite thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: What a joy to find a book so well written
Review: The narrative collision in Margaret Atwood's 2000 novel is between the biographical recollections of Iris Chase Griffen and the novel "The Blind Assassin" written by her sister Laura Chase, who committed suicide in 1945. Thrown in for good measure at strategic intervals are newspaper articles covering the deaths and other choice moments in the lives of the characters, most of whom move in the upper echelon of Canadian society. We know that at some point the importance of the novel-within-a-novel (in which a man tells science-fiction stories to the woman with whom he is having an affair in backstreet rooms) for the real life story (the girl's father owns a button factory who marries off Iris to stave off financial ruin) will become painfully clear. "The Blind Assassin" is not allegorical, mainly because it is to personal a tale to have that broad a meaning for its readers. As Iris approaches death at the turn of the century, she looks back on her life in the 1930's and 40's, explaining it so that we understand the true import of her sister's novel.

I usually devour novels at a frantic pace but that proved impossible with "The Blind Assassin." This was one of those novels where you would finish a part, which alternate between the narrative and the novel, and mull over what had just happened and how the pieces were coming together. But even getting through individual chapters took time, because there were so many wonderfully written lines, so many finely crafted paragraphs, that you just had to sit back and enjoy them (or run around sharing them with people who were unfortunate enough not to have read this book yet). Young Laura Chase tends to take things literally, and this old literary chestnut blooms anew in Atwood's novel; pithy sayings and wise old adages are routinely scrutinized for fallacious qualities throughout. The result of this infatuation with Atwood's exquisite use of language is that I did not see the forest for the trees and was therefore completely stunned by the way things came together at the end. But that is just fine, because it has been such a long time since I have read a book this well written. I do not think it is destined to be a classic per se, because ultimately its greatness rests on style more than substance, but in terms of contemporary fiction this would have to rank on the next rung down the ladder. I have several friends who are now eager to read this book, so after you are done with "The Blind Assassin" you should also pass the word along to those who crave literate literature.

Rating:
Summary: Another Remarkable Novel From Margaret Atwood
Review: I'm sure there's not much I can add that other reviewers haven't already discussed. So I'll keep this short. 'The Blind Assassin' is yet another remarkable novel from Margaret Atwood. It's complex plotting and depiction of the main characters through various stages of their lives is an enviable accomplishment. The story-within-a-story device is managed incredibly well by Atwood. If you are a fan of her other works ('Alias Grace' is sill my favourite and her best) don't hesitate to purchase this novel. If you're not a fan, purchase it anyway. You're guaranteed a good read and might just find yourself converted to being an Atwood fan.

Rating:
Summary: Clever but not engaging
Review: The Blind Assassin is a good read because Atwood is such a clever writer. She is a master of structure, and The Blind Assassin is truly a gem as far as structure goes. The characters are also interesting and true to life, at first. The book reads like a mystery novel, always keeping you wanting more. Although I knew halfway through who was who, I felt compelled to keep on. So, what's wrong? why only 3 stars? Atwood does not convey emotions. The characters are interesting but not real. I couldn't help but compare this thick novel (two or three trees per book?) to The Bridges of Madison Country which while being so small and simple, engages you and makes you feel every emotion possible. This book leaves you cold or worse, wondering, how can people be like that? How could Iris be so naive and good as to marry Richard, then so wise and deceitful as to meet her lover always with a micky at hand? just doesn't fit. How could he love her as he did while he had nothing of his true self to share with her but his stories? How could Laura really be gotten at by Richard? the whole thing is a work of clever and wonderful structure, but truly lacks emotion. Something was missing as she wrote this.

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous
Review: Reading The blind assassin is an unforgetable experience.

Atwood's prose is fascinating. The book is a useful catalog of witty and savory quotations about life and relationships. The passage where Iris and Laura's mother dies is so delicate and beautiful, that I had to close the book for a while just to recover my breath. It is my first Atwood novel but it is not going to be the last. English is not my first language and, therefore, some pages were a real challenge. Well, the rewards were just incredible. Don't miss it.

Rating:
Summary: Margaret Atwood spoils you for anyone one else
Review: Loved and relish every word of her beautiful book. There was always tension and depth in her writing, even when not too much seemed to be happening. Other words that come to mind regarding my reaction to this book (that is if I am any judge) are intelligence, sensitivity and imagination. The story has a special ethereal like space and pace of its own, all too believable characters and a redeeming end. It was a joy to read and until I stop savoring the ambience of The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood has spoiled me for other authors.

Rating:
Summary: Too much hype...
Review: Maybe my expectations were too high? With all the hoopla regarding this book I certainly expected a lot more than what I got out of it. First of all it took forever for me to finnish reading the book. Though generally I'm a pretty fast reader, this one was a struggle, but I was not going to give up.I am really not sure what the point of the story was except that a lonely older women reflecting on her life.Well I wish the author would have made the reading more interesting and somewhat smoother because at least she had an interesting story line.Other than that, it certainly did not offer anything else but disappointment. Sorry about that.Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Frustration
Review: Read this book for my book club and have to say, when I first saw the size of it and read the blurb, was NOT looking forward to reading it. In fact, while reading it, found the story-within-a story and frequent flash-backs/flash-forwards frustrating. But as the story progressed, and I came to understand more about the plot and the characters, I started to enjoy the style of writing much more--to the point that I couldn't put the book down.

So while this book was one of the most frustrating reading experiences, it was also ultimately one of the most satisfying. And it made for an excellent discussion in the book club.

I won't reveal any plot details other to reiterate another reviewers point that the science fiction portions need to be read metaphorically and as a way of understanding the characters spinning the stories.

Finally, while I don't personally recommend this, one of the women in our club actually decided to read the end first, then start over--this definitely combats the frustration factor but to me takes the edge off of satisfaction once the book's been fully read and absorbed.

Rating:
Summary: Left To Her Own Devices: Atwood's Specialty is Betrayal
Review: Margaret Atwood has often written about women who betray one another. In Cat's Eye the child betrayee becomes the adult betrayer and in Robber Bride one woman betrays just about everyone she meets and her victims keep coming back for more. In Blind Assassin, while the men certainly get in on the act, the main betrayal is that of Iris toward her sister, Laura. But unlike Cat's Eye, with its frightening childhood dramas, and Robber Bride, with a villainess so depraved only the truly naïve and lonely could trust her, Blind Assassin unfolds a more subtle and yet more hauntingly real tale of the ways in which we betray each other - and ourselves - every day.

Iris is not a bully, in fact she loves Laura and wants to protect her. But she is lazy and a coward. When her father "suggests" she marry Richard she immediately falls limp and stays that way until Laura's death. She's not happy, but it is a relief after all these years to stop worrying about what will happen to her - she relinquishes all power to Richard and Winifred and is therefore free of responsibility, for herself or for Laura, who is a minor. At the same time, there's more than a little spite: she takes grim satisfaction in Laura's horror of the marriage; she wants Laura to see what a sacrifice she has made. Like many people who have chosen their own misery, a part of her wants to drag the innocent down with her, make the eternally hopeful and unconventional Laura see "reality". She doesn't really intend for Laura to be hurt; she becomes so deliberately vacuous it's impossible that she could foresee what would happen, but betrayal through neglect is often how we do the most damage.

I've devoured almost all of Atwood's novels, but I found this one to be the most compelling and thought provoking. I also think that with this and Alias Grace before it, she has hit her narrative stride. Blind Assassin moves like an introspective Gothic mystery, you think you know what happens, and then you end up reprocessing the information, hungry for more. The rich details provide us with clues along the way, for example a description of one sister's mannerisms in "real life" show up often in the novel-within-a-novel. And a description of the photograph toward the beginning almost tells the entire story.

My only real beef is that Iris was so passive from the beginning of her marriage - I would have liked to have seen her disillusionment come in stages - she never seems to have any feelings for Richard and Winifred at all, so how can we believe that she felt so betrayed and surprised by them? But that is a minor flaw in this intricately woven emotional tapestry.

Re: the flak about the science fiction story - I agree with the reviewer who said those folks are missing the point. The way I saw it is that the only way the man can move this woman is with these schlocky, obvious pulp stories which he himself despises but is forced to write for a living. The way she responds to them is a metaphor for her emotional dilettantism, just as the stories themselves are metaphors for the larger goings-on.

Rating:
Summary: But she is a blonde
Review: I read in Time that this was THE book to read for 2000. The illustration on the cover should have warned me that this is not the book of the year. First Iris is a blonde, secondly I didn't find the story to be so compelling that I could not put the book down. In fact, I made myself finish i just so I could verify my opinion.

I assume because it has a story within a story that this is a remarkable achievement for the author. However, Anna's Book was similar to this so I didn't feel it was all that unusual.