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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another book of Margaret Atwood's that I absolutely love thanks to the tongue-in-cheek wittiness that shows off her extreme intelligence and finger on the pulse of the challenges facing women. I loved the book, finding the characters interesting (and there were a good range of them, too) while finding the underlying message and the story entertaining and gripping enough to keep me reading.
I'll start with the message of the book because I feel it is a constant undercurrent of the book; the story starts and ends with the process of character development that the protagonist undertakes. While the message isn't bluntly and condescendingly explained to the reader, it is obvious enough to make itself very clear. It was an interesting device for the author to use that the protagonist did not understand the changes she was going through while it seems painfully obvious to the reader; this made me want to keep reading just to see the protagonist eventually figure it out for herself. The message itself is an important one and I can imagine only especially so in the 1960s, when attitudes towards women were generally much more backwards than they are today (not to say things are perfect now).
I really enjoyed reading about the protagonist and seeing her character development because she seems like a sensible person who feels she is surrounded by some insensible people but, at the same time, she does not know why she is behaving in the way she is. It made me want to root for her throughout the book and made me want her to figure it out so she could live a life more suited to her. This then made the ending of the book just that satisfying as we get to see her break the shackles of expectation and move on from doing the things she was doing, almost on auto-pilot.
I also really enjoyed the other characters in the book as, between them, we are exposed to some of the prevailing attitudes among men and women towards gender roles and we get to see why people believe those things and behave in those ways. There is a wide enough range of characters that we get to be familiar with a number of different viewpoints, which is especially important considering I read it 60-odd years after the book was written.
The thing that surprised me, gripped me and made me enjoy the book the most was the tone of it. We are treated to a thoroughly light-hearted, humorous and fun tone that does not make the book seem obviously meaningful even though it is. I am sure it would be possible to read the book and not appreciate the message but the author strikes the balance really well and we are able to, through dialogue with other characters and the thoughts of the protagonist, really understand the point that the author is trying to get across.
This is a book for anyone in my opinion. It strikes a strong feminist tone and there is a strong message while the book is fun enough that it could be read even on holiday. The characters are interesting and well considered enough to keep anybody gripped while the historical value of the book only grows with time. A bit of a masterpiece and it's amazing to learn that this was the first novel that Atwood wrote!
I'll start with the message of the book because I feel it is a constant undercurrent of the book; the story starts and ends with the process of character development that the protagonist undertakes. While the message isn't bluntly and condescendingly explained to the reader, it is obvious enough to make itself very clear. It was an interesting device for the author to use that the protagonist did not understand the changes she was going through while it seems painfully obvious to the reader; this made me want to keep reading just to see the protagonist eventually figure it out for herself. The message itself is an important one and I can imagine only especially so in the 1960s, when attitudes towards women were generally much more backwards than they are today (not to say things are perfect now).
I really enjoyed reading about the protagonist and seeing her character development because she seems like a sensible person who feels she is surrounded by some insensible people but, at the same time, she does not know why she is behaving in the way she is. It made me want to root for her throughout the book and made me want her to figure it out so she could live a life more suited to her. This then made the ending of the book just that satisfying as we get to see her break the shackles of expectation and move on from doing the things she was doing, almost on auto-pilot.
I also really enjoyed the other characters in the book as, between them, we are exposed to some of the prevailing attitudes among men and women towards gender roles and we get to see why people believe those things and behave in those ways. There is a wide enough range of characters that we get to be familiar with a number of different viewpoints, which is especially important considering I read it 60-odd years after the book was written.
The thing that surprised me, gripped me and made me enjoy the book the most was the tone of it. We are treated to a thoroughly light-hearted, humorous and fun tone that does not make the book seem obviously meaningful even though it is. I am sure it would be possible to read the book and not appreciate the message but the author strikes the balance really well and we are able to, through dialogue with other characters and the thoughts of the protagonist, really understand the point that the author is trying to get across.
This is a book for anyone in my opinion. It strikes a strong feminist tone and there is a strong message while the book is fun enough that it could be read even on holiday. The characters are interesting and well considered enough to keep anybody gripped while the historical value of the book only grows with time. A bit of a masterpiece and it's amazing to learn that this was the first novel that Atwood wrote!
3.5. People who are not mentally ill should read this book so they know what disassociating is like because the main character spends about 300 pages doing it. It's like Sinclair Lewis mixed with Virginia Woolf. Quite an interesting read.
Very readable, quite similar thematically to the last book I read. The idea of women in the 60s and 70s waking up to the notion that they don't want to be wives and mothers in the traditional sense, is explored through the metaphor of a woman who stops eating. I preferred the previous book, but this one is easy to yam down too.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy
Vivid imagery, compelling characters, and story that bordered on surreal. What's not to like? One of my favorite books I've read this year!
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dark
reflective
slow-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