Rating: 
Summary: As Usual, Atwood's Prose Shines Like Diamonds
Review: Given that Atwood's latest is an intriguing novel within a novel; given that it's story-driven and sexy; given that her characters are carefully developed and deliciously flawed; given that she helps us all feel better about the duplicitous lives we lead and lies we tell. All this being true, still, the glory of Atwood's writing is the majesty of her prose, her exacting choice of words and careful research. Clothes, food, architecture, home furnishings - she has the 30s and 40s pegged. Her creative integrity and superb story-telling skills left me breathless as the book hurtled toward its jaw-dropping conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: A true craftsman
Review: Margaret Atwood has created another work of beauty. Using flashbacks interspersed with present day, newspaper clippings with daydreams, Atwood brings the reader into the story of the Blind Assassin so smoothly one does not realize they are so involved in the story.I have to say though that I did skim the novella within the novel. I don't like science fiction, and it didn't hold my attention. Don't let that stop you though. This book is well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: I'm sorry that the book was only 500 pages long, and not 1,000. How I hated putting it down! I would read a section on the commuter train on my way to work, then I'd find myself thinking about it throughout the day, and longing to return to the story. (How can you people say this was a "difficult" book to read???) Atwood is terrific and this novel definitely deserved the Booker; I plan to reread it soon.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy four stars
Review: Great book. I feel sorry for the people who didn't read the sci-fi part. They don't get it, it was alex and iris, the blind assasin saving the mute girl and running away with her.Of course, in real (??) life, he never made it back to her, but the sci-fi story was a fantasy life for them. When his comic book was finally published, there was a different ending, the story he told iris was only for the two of them.
Rating:
Summary: deserving of a sixth star
Review: It is not often when I am fortunate enough to read a novel that is not only superbly well-written, but one of enormous depth and breadth. The Blind Assassin is such a novel. The story is rather complicated. It involves the lives of two Canadian sisters in the 1920s through 1940s, as told by the elder sister (Iris) in her twilight years (late 1990s) ... and as related by a novel, The Blind Assassin, a cult feminist novel which made the younger sister (Laura) into a martyr. The story is told at first in a rather straightforward fashion. However soon one realises that information is being withheld and, most enjoyably, the reader becomes a sleuth. I was especially pleased with Margaret Atwood's powerful prose; she seemingly cannot write a bad sentence. And she has improved over time. While somewhat an 'apples and oranges' comparison, The Blind Assassin is technically a much more mature, sophisticated novel than The Handmaid's Tale (..which is also well-worth reading). Bottom line: absolutely brilliant. Aspiring authors should read this before making a career decision (..once you read The Blind Assassin you'll probably be both over-awed, and depressed at the thought of trying to match this great literary work).
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful writing and great story! I love this book!
Review: I'm picky about wanting the best writing and most interesting storylines for my reading time. THE BLIND ASSASSIN is a total winner! I particularly enjoyed the weaving of sci-fi with the story of a bleak life. Excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: In another dimension of space...
Review: "The Blind Assassin" is unique in its structure, a novel within a novel, within a novel, within a novel..., the equivalent of a drawing by Escher, or a Russian doll. At the epicenter lies the memories of an octagenarian, Iris Griffen, a woman haunted by her past, by regret and a sense of guilt, determined to leave a written testimony to her granddaughter Sabrina. Iris is the product of an insulated and odd childhood, victim of the circunstances but often to be blame for her complacency. The second story is a posthumously novel "The Blind Assassin," an account of a love affair between a rich upper class woman and a socialist agitator who is running from authorities. On a third level, within "The Blind Assassin," there is a pulp science ficton novel. Sounds strange and complex, but it is up to the reader to face this puzzle. The writer will provide clues, but this foreknowledge enlightens and at the same time distorts. With no logical time sequence and taking loops back and forth, the reader has to do some thinking to find the answers. The outcome might come as a surprise, as a dissapointment, or a downright confirmation of what was already expected. In this tapestry of memories there are several characters: a caring mother who dies when Iris is 9 years old, a baffling and melancholic sister, a distant and authoritarian father, an ambitious and unscrupulous husband, and a spiteful sister-in-law. The setting is Southern Ontario, in a world of "fake morals" and rigid class structures. The time spans from 1920 to 1950, with major events taking place, WWI, Depression, Civil War in Spain, and the McCarthy era of communist hunting. Margaret Atwood is a prolific writer, and "The Blind Assassin" as well as her previous work has a feministic overtone. With her typical dark humor and irony Atwood writes a novel of human frailties, family secrets, sibbling rivalry, wealth and power, political and gender conflicts. The moral might well be to what extent, despite prevailing circunstances, are we to be held responsible for our actions.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Atwood's best
Review: I found this work disappointing. I am a huge Atwood fan, and I found myself struggling through this novel. I could not bear to read the sci-fi Zycron passages. The primary story was a good one, and the ending was fascinating, but this ride was not worthwhile. Read any of her other works before this one -- Alias Grace, Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, Robber Bride.....
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing
Review: Another delight from a superior author. The story is spellbinding, and the writing, as always, superb. There are enought plot twists and turns to keep you on your toes and guessing how things will turn out, so it's a good book for a 3-day weekend. Which is when I read this, and by the way I also recommend a short novel I took along on the weekend trip for counterpoint: Love Songs of the Tone-Deaf by Asher Brauner.
Rating:
Summary: Three Stories in One...Great Value!
Review: Once I figured out which stories belonged where and to whom, I was very comfortable with the style. Of course, Iris is in all three...the SciFi story which I didn't care for and skimmed briefly when it reared its head (matter of taste,) the illicite love affair that went on for many years as a separate element, and, finally, the story of the lives of Iris and her sister. I found the book to be gripping and I really wanted to find out what was going to happen next. At the heart, it was a mystery and we didn't find out who did what till almost the last page. And then it was a bit of a shock...well maybe not to us, but to Iris. Margaret Atwood has a way of giving her characters such depth, which is what makes her books win awards and sell millions of copies. I was enthralled with Alias Grace, another mystery, and hoped that Blind Assasin would be as entertaining. I wasn't disappointed. The book seemed to garner some bad reviews when it first came out and I wasn't sure if I should buy it, but I can't pass up a Margaret Atwood Novel. I knew it would be worthwhile.
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