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jawjuhh's review against another edition
4.0
a review i found in my notes from 2016 that i never put on goodreads
A book that's not afraid to plunge its protagonist in a passive kind of despair. At its core it is a simple book about the body and the pain Rennies body has endured, has caused her. I often feel like I'll never really grasp Atwood's earliest works, which are deceptive in their simplicity. But even as I struggle, I find her writing so utterly compelling, so unabashedly feminist and critical and wry.
A book that's not afraid to plunge its protagonist in a passive kind of despair. At its core it is a simple book about the body and the pain Rennies body has endured, has caused her. I often feel like I'll never really grasp Atwood's earliest works, which are deceptive in their simplicity. But even as I struggle, I find her writing so utterly compelling, so unabashedly feminist and critical and wry.
libt11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, Cancer, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
zcarver's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bmahaffy's review against another edition
3.0
This story started out great - a miserable jerk who leaves her when she's down, an interesting docter, a mystery person with a rope, a hasty vacation. There were lots of stories to tell there. There were lots of stories to tell about the vacation island she ends up on. But they don't feel like they go anywhere.
I suspect there's some big meaning that I'm missing. But I didn't get it.
Clearly Atwood has grown as an author since this was written. She seemed to be just finding her legs with this book (although, I admit, The Edible Woman, which predates this one, was fantastic)
I suspect there's some big meaning that I'm missing. But I didn't get it.
Clearly Atwood has grown as an author since this was written. She seemed to be just finding her legs with this book (although, I admit, The Edible Woman, which predates this one, was fantastic)
agnestyley's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
got through it quickly and it was gripping but was it a very good plot no why was she so in deep in this revolution when she'd been on holiday there for literally 5 days what
marathonreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
I did not have the intelligence or knowledge to fully appreciate this dark, disturbing book. Coetzee-esque themes, but at times more like Welsh levels of unsettling, graphic detail.
marse's review against another edition
4.0
This book deals with concepts of paranoia, conspiracy, and women’s issues. At first I didn’t like the ending because it was unclear. However, after much thought, I think the ending was good because it goes with the theme of uncertainty and tragedy.
nicolac's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
debsd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jatridle's review against another edition
1.0
Though I've really liked other Atwood books in the past (Alias Grace, The Handmaid's Tale) I wasn't a fan of this book at all. As I read, I felt like I was trapped inside a cheesy romance novel while a much better novel was going on all around it.
In the book, the protagonist, Remmie Wilford, retreats to a Caribbean Island. She's there to write a light travel piece and to emotionally regroup after undergoing a partial mastectomy and also losing her lover. But, as it turns out, all the "good islands" have been taken, so she gets sent off-the-beaten-path to a less than picturesque island which has crappy hotels, crappy restaurants, crappy beaches and no real interest in attracting tourists-- and which also happens to be in the midst of a political upheaval.
All sounds interesting enough, does it not? And it would have been if we hadn't been forced to experience it all through the lens of a self-absorbed, unpleasant woman who seems to have no interests whatsoever other than finding a man to love her. I kept wondering throughout if I was meant to hate her as much as I did, or if I was supposed to actually find her witty and sympathetic. I didn't.
I'll admit, the book does offer some pay-off in the end (in the last 50 pages or so,) but to get to it you have to wade through page after page of tedious whining about "men, men, men and why they don't love me." If you like reading about women whining constantly about men, this may be the book for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it.
In the book, the protagonist, Remmie Wilford, retreats to a Caribbean Island. She's there to write a light travel piece and to emotionally regroup after undergoing a partial mastectomy and also losing her lover. But, as it turns out, all the "good islands" have been taken, so she gets sent off-the-beaten-path to a less than picturesque island which has crappy hotels, crappy restaurants, crappy beaches and no real interest in attracting tourists-- and which also happens to be in the midst of a political upheaval.
All sounds interesting enough, does it not? And it would have been if we hadn't been forced to experience it all through the lens of a self-absorbed, unpleasant woman who seems to have no interests whatsoever other than finding a man to love her. I kept wondering throughout if I was meant to hate her as much as I did, or if I was supposed to actually find her witty and sympathetic. I didn't.
I'll admit, the book does offer some pay-off in the end (in the last 50 pages or so,) but to get to it you have to wade through page after page of tedious whining about "men, men, men and why they don't love me." If you like reading about women whining constantly about men, this may be the book for you. Otherwise, I'd skip it.