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pagesfromhome's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Oof. This one just did not do it for me.
While Atwood’s writing is, as usual, gorgeous, I just couldn’t get past such a deeply character-driven novel based around characters that I just didn’t enjoy spending time with. I found myself spending more time trying to figure out what it was Atwood was trying to do/show me and couldn’t get lost in the story the way that I wanted to.
There were absolutely points I enjoyed, especially Elaine’s relationship to her art and how she contended what she thought with what others thought (not unlike a writer and her readers), but I just couldn’t get lost in the story the way I wanted to.
While Atwood’s writing is, as usual, gorgeous, I just couldn’t get past such a deeply character-driven novel based around characters that I just didn’t enjoy spending time with. I found myself spending more time trying to figure out what it was Atwood was trying to do/show me and couldn’t get lost in the story the way that I wanted to.
There were absolutely points I enjoyed, especially Elaine’s relationship to her art and how she contended what she thought with what others thought (not unlike a writer and her readers), but I just couldn’t get lost in the story the way I wanted to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Toxic friendship, and Bullying
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Murder
gvstyris's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The world is being run by people my age, men my age, with falling-out hair and health worries, and it frightens me. When the leaders were older than me I could believe in their wisdom, I could believe they had transcended rage and malice and the need to be loved. Now I know better. I look at the faces in newspapers, in magazines, and wonder: what greeds, what furies drive them on?
After trudging through Cat’s Eye and DNFing Oryx and Crake, I think it’s time for me to accept that The Handmaid’s Tale is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to my taste in Atwood's novels. While I picked up on the social commentary hidden amongst Cat’s Eye's depressing tone and unlikeable characters, Elaine’s internalised misogyny (and straight-up cruelty!) rendered this novel pretty insufferable for me. Perhaps I’m just a couple decades too young to appreciate it properly -- I can see where the portrayal of female bullying would’ve been revolutionary in the 1980s.
My main highlights were Atwood's writing style, as always, and Elaine's relationship with her art. Atwood also portrays childhood both realistically and with sensitivity, which is difficult to pull off. I'm curious about the autobiographical elements of this novel, and will definitely be doing some digging.
Primarily, though, I've come away with an increased fear of one day being a middle-aged white woman myself...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Self harm, and Bullying
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion
Minor: War
lay_kone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, War, Miscarriage, Bullying, Child death, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Sexism, Suicide attempt, and Violence
floralfox's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Bullying
Moderate: Death
Minor: Antisemitism and War
astridrv's review against another edition
Picked this one up because the intensity of female friendships in childhood is a favourite theme of mine. I felt like it was a bit too long, with many flat portions, and the main character’s boomer observations made me roll my eyes a few times. That said, the middle section is extremely strong. I think this book so finely describes what social pressure and being socialized as a woman feels like. Everything about performing femininity, the impossibility of ever succeeding at it, the consequences for those who fail, the learned inner eye for any missteps, the harsh self harm and punishment for these failings, and the internalized misogyny that pushed us towards safe, free boys - everything is in here. Also the long descriptions, especially of childhood field trips, make this a very sensory book which I appreciate. “Ten plates” will stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abortion, and Self harm
Moderate: Blood, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Minor: War
madelonpaige's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Abortion
caleighlynne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.5
Finishing a book like this, mostly any Atwood, gives me such a special feeling. Mostly of accomplishment but also wisdom. I feel like I just lived another life after finishing this book. It’s a nice spectacle to see this book finally without my bookmark placed inside the pages.
My favorite character was Stephen. He is very different from my own brother but something about the way Margaret wrote him felt so real and his story was so interesting to me. But the hero of this book was Elaine. Most of the time it was hard to know what she has doing, because although sometimes she described her surroundings or actions. We were mostly shown everything in this world through her thoughts.
This book is perfect for a woman to read. She made me relieve so many things about my childhood I never considered and the impressions they left on me.
The beginning was slow and I almost dnfed it but I kept coming back to her. It was like the whole time I wanted to put it down but I couldn’t. If you read this I really recommend taking your time and reading the words carefully because this is not a quick and easy read in any way.
Cats Eye is so impactful to me. I loved the themes on memory, trauma, relationships, and hometowns. I loved the hometown aspect of this, how the locations of her childhoods greatest and worst events cause her to remember even the things she tried so hard to forget. Cordelia was such an annoying character but she was so real. The bullying and little quartet of girls was just so real. The representation was so real. Everything was perfect.
Another thing was Elaine’s father. This was super minor but meant a lot to me. I found is so interesting that even forty years ago when this book was published Atwood was already warning us about our treatment of the planet and the creatures on it. I loved how because this book was set in the early-ish 1900s we saw a piece of the past that doesn’t get shown a lot. I love reading about characters from a time without cell phones to fill their spare moments, or even social media to compare themselves to. They only had one another and that was hard but made everyone quite different if that makes sense.
If anyone reads this sorry this review is splotchy. If you are a woman, or perhaps a man, this book will leave you feeling raw and exposed.
My favorite character was Stephen. He is very different from my own brother but something about the way Margaret wrote him felt so real and his story was so interesting to me. But the hero of this book was Elaine. Most of the time it was hard to know what she has doing, because although sometimes she described her surroundings or actions. We were mostly shown everything in this world through her thoughts.
This book is perfect for a woman to read. She made me relieve so many things about my childhood I never considered and the impressions they left on me.
The beginning was slow and I almost dnfed it but I kept coming back to her. It was like the whole time I wanted to put it down but I couldn’t. If you read this I really recommend taking your time and reading the words carefully because this is not a quick and easy read in any way.
Cats Eye is so impactful to me. I loved the themes on memory, trauma, relationships, and hometowns. I loved the hometown aspect of this, how the locations of her childhoods greatest and worst events cause her to remember even the things she tried so hard to forget. Cordelia was such an annoying character but she was so real. The bullying and little quartet of girls was just so real. The representation was so real. Everything was perfect.
Another thing was Elaine’s father. This was super minor but meant a lot to me. I found is so interesting that even forty years ago when this book was published Atwood was already warning us about our treatment of the planet and the creatures on it. I loved how because this book was set in the early-ish 1900s we saw a piece of the past that doesn’t get shown a lot. I love reading about characters from a time without cell phones to fill their spare moments, or even social media to compare themselves to. They only had one another and that was hard but made everyone quite different if that makes sense.
If anyone reads this sorry this review is splotchy. If you are a woman, or perhaps a man, this book will leave you feeling raw and exposed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Bullying, and Abortion
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent, and Self harm
tea_t's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Abortion, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Violence
moncastrog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Grief
kabornman's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Murder, Abortion, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and War
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