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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Hysterical, great, true-to-life, five-star entertainment.
I was pleasantly surprised that this was a straightforwardly realist novel - I was expecting some sort of fantastical horror involving cannibalistic metaphors made real. It was very good! The writing was better and the ideas more interesting than in her much later book I read (Oryx and Crake), which was again surprising. The characters were relatably odd, and there were some amusing set pieces. I'll have to look into whether she has other books like this.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favorite of Atwood's.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really slow book. Not for me.
It was like listening to a friend you haven't seen in a while but she told you a bunch of random details and went around the important stuff. Then glossed over the important stuff and left out a lot of stuff with a cliff hanger. Then it was reveled chapters later but it was so after so many random details, it was more like a finally she finished that section. Also there's dark humor when she(main character) tells some stuff. Not that dark but if you don't like humor at all like that, I wouldn't recommend it. I do like the feminism and the thoughts if she should be a good woman because she was raised correctly was a good touch. It really showed how different times were and I did enjoy it.
It was like listening to a friend you haven't seen in a while but she told you a bunch of random details and went around the important stuff. Then glossed over the important stuff and left out a lot of stuff with a cliff hanger. Then it was reveled chapters later but it was so after so many random details, it was more like a finally she finished that section. Also there's dark humor when she(main character) tells some stuff. Not that dark but if you don't like humor at all like that, I wouldn't recommend it. I do like the feminism and the thoughts if she should be a good woman because she was raised correctly was a good touch. It really showed how different times were and I did enjoy it.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took a while to get into. First part was a 2 second was a 4!
Enjoyed Atwood's style of writing, but found Marian a hard characters to sympathise or get behind.
"Normal isn't the same as average. Nobody is normal."
This quote sums up The Edible Woman for me. Almost every character in this novel is strange. The biggest being freaky Duncan but everyone else is a close second. I normally love a book busting out with off-beat characters, but not this time. I just didn't feel a strong connection.
It definitely wasn't how I envision the 60's. Maybe that is because this is the world of 1960's Toronto amongst grad students and post-students. Definitely not the swinging British 60's but the very prudish, straight, conservative, Canadian 60's. The nameless lady down below being the most characteristic prude. I was almost shocked that Marian and Peter have a sex life.
All the characters' lives, like their dwellings, are chaotic, messy, and disordered. I suppose we are all like that in our 20s. I didn't exactly like any of the characters but I also raced through the book in 2 sittings. This is more a testament to the amazing writing of the brilliant Margaret Atwood. I had to see where she was going with these unlovable weirdos. I felt like I was supposed to feel something for Marian, especially when I got to the end, but she was just so detached and I honestly felt like she meekly allowed everything to happen to her. Maybe she was trying for some excitement and a modicum of feeling with Duncan, but he was so repulsively unsettling for me. I just could not go there.
The one bright spot in the book was the dinner party with Duncan's roommates, Fischer and Trevor. I loved that whole Alice in Wonderland/Mad Teaparty vibe with Fish monologuing throughout the whole meal and Marian in a turmoil over what Trevor has so proudly and beautifully prepared. Perfect!
This quote sums up The Edible Woman for me. Almost every character in this novel is strange. The biggest being freaky Duncan but everyone else is a close second. I normally love a book busting out with off-beat characters, but not this time. I just didn't feel a strong connection.
It definitely wasn't how I envision the 60's. Maybe that is because this is the world of 1960's Toronto amongst grad students and post-students. Definitely not the swinging British 60's but the very prudish, straight, conservative, Canadian 60's. The nameless lady down below being the most characteristic prude. I was almost shocked that Marian and Peter have a sex life.
All the characters' lives, like their dwellings, are chaotic, messy, and disordered. I suppose we are all like that in our 20s. I didn't exactly like any of the characters but I also raced through the book in 2 sittings. This is more a testament to the amazing writing of the brilliant Margaret Atwood. I had to see where she was going with these unlovable weirdos. I felt like I was supposed to feel something for Marian, especially when I got to the end, but she was just so detached and I honestly felt like she meekly allowed everything to happen to her. Maybe she was trying for some excitement and a modicum of feeling with Duncan, but he was so repulsively unsettling for me. I just could not go there.
The one bright spot in the book was the dinner party with Duncan's roommates, Fischer and Trevor. I loved that whole Alice in Wonderland/Mad Teaparty vibe with Fish monologuing throughout the whole meal and Marian in a turmoil over what Trevor has so proudly and beautifully prepared. Perfect!