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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I wasn't really sure I would love this book until the very last page. I mean, it's Atwood, and I've loved Atwood in the past, but it's been a while since I've read anything by her. Really, quite a while. Maybe college? But I'd had a flurry of love for her then, collecting several of her books and dutifully moving them from house to house as I moved on to other literary loves. But then, after Aurororama, I was looking for some new fiction to read. And I have a fiction problem. Have I told you? Jessa and I used to keep each other in balance. She would read mostly fiction and I read mostly non-fiction and we would recommend the gems we found along the way. Now she's on Berlin and we rarely chat and I don't know how to find new fiction on my own! So I was skulking about my bookcases, trying to find an antidote to my growing irritation with two-dimensional representations of women all around me and... of course. Atwood.
So, Lady Oracle it was. Atwood would be perfect for taking women seriously, only her character, Joan Foster, doesn't take herself terribly seriously. In fact, she is sometimes unrelatable, a few times nearly unlikeable, but there is a bit of a mystery, in that the book starts with Joan reminiscing on her faking her own death. The book is her examination of her life -- how did it come to this? Where could she possibly go from here? Her memories are juxtaposed with excerpts from her books -- Joan is a writer, primarily of bodice-rippers. In a strange way it suddenly reminds me of 1982, Janine, by Alasdair Gray, one of my favorite novels, in that both use fantasy to reveal character, and both fantasies begin to fall apart as the dreamers confront themselves and their need for the dreams.
Then in the end things fall apart so rapidly and completely that I am sure I was cringing as I read, envisioning no possibility for anything resembling a reasonable, let alone happy, ending. But, without saying how it ends, it somehow achieved a sudden clarity, and that last paragraph I could kiss Atwood for -- it is surely one of my favorite last lines of all time.
So, Lady Oracle it was. Atwood would be perfect for taking women seriously, only her character, Joan Foster, doesn't take herself terribly seriously. In fact, she is sometimes unrelatable, a few times nearly unlikeable, but there is a bit of a mystery, in that the book starts with Joan reminiscing on her faking her own death. The book is her examination of her life -- how did it come to this? Where could she possibly go from here? Her memories are juxtaposed with excerpts from her books -- Joan is a writer, primarily of bodice-rippers. In a strange way it suddenly reminds me of 1982, Janine, by Alasdair Gray, one of my favorite novels, in that both use fantasy to reveal character, and both fantasies begin to fall apart as the dreamers confront themselves and their need for the dreams.
Then in the end things fall apart so rapidly and completely that I am sure I was cringing as I read, envisioning no possibility for anything resembling a reasonable, let alone happy, ending. But, without saying how it ends, it somehow achieved a sudden clarity, and that last paragraph I could kiss Atwood for -- it is surely one of my favorite last lines of all time.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lady Oracle follows author Jean and her time in Italy after she has faked her own death. In true Atwood style it is a beautifully rich portrait of a complex woman reflecting on her life and how she has come to her current position.
Lady Oracle examines the multiplicity of identity - we are none of us one single person and we present many faces to the world. Atwood describes the Jean’s relationships with food and her mother incredibly powerfully and with astonishing accuracy around compulsive eating given this wasn’t really on the radar when Lady Oracle was written.
Jean is every woman struggling with her sense of self and how it is defined through external influences. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Lady Oracle examines the multiplicity of identity - we are none of us one single person and we present many faces to the world. Atwood describes the Jean’s relationships with food and her mother incredibly powerfully and with astonishing accuracy around compulsive eating given this wasn’t really on the radar when Lady Oracle was written.
Jean is every woman struggling with her sense of self and how it is defined through external influences. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
At the beginning of Lady Oracle, Joan Foster is hold up in her Italian apartment after faking her death. Back in Canada, Foster was hailed as a literary sensation and a major author on the rise, so why did she choose to die at the height of her hype?
In many ways, Lady Oracle is the polar opposite of Atwood's previous novel Surfacing. Surfacing is a quiet, introverted, atmospheric novel that concerns only a handful of characters over a few days. Lady Oracle is a globe-trotting saga that follows our protagonist from early childhood up to the present day in a style that mirrors the Gothic romances that she secretly authors.
This novel is bloated but enjoyable. It is clear that Atwood had a lot of fun with this one. As it was written has a partial pastiche of Gothic romance novels, there are a lot of scenarios and characters that fall into the realm of the ridiculous. I mean, there is literally a Polish count in here and a dude called the Royal Porcupine. As the novel is told through flashbacks when the author is in self-exile in Italy, a lot of her memories read like heightened fantasies which leads you to question just how truthful she is being.
My favourite parts of the novel were the early chapters when Joan was recounting her early childhood. She was an obese child who found solace in the company of her Aunt Lou. These are the most touching and, shall I say 'rational', chapters before everything turns slightly bonkers.
Overall, I feel this novel needed a better editor. My edition almost hits the 400-page mark and that is so totally unnecessary for this novel. One could argue that Atwood was somewhat over-indulgent in her tale of Joan Foster and gets carried away in the minute details and events of her life which have no overall impact on the plot. It is as if post-Surfacing she decided to have the literary equivalent of a binge and pen a novel which is essentially all plot and nothing much else. But there are many fun aspects to Atwood's binge. I liked this one, but it is odd.
In many ways, Lady Oracle is the polar opposite of Atwood's previous novel Surfacing. Surfacing is a quiet, introverted, atmospheric novel that concerns only a handful of characters over a few days. Lady Oracle is a globe-trotting saga that follows our protagonist from early childhood up to the present day in a style that mirrors the Gothic romances that she secretly authors.
This novel is bloated but enjoyable. It is clear that Atwood had a lot of fun with this one. As it was written has a partial pastiche of Gothic romance novels, there are a lot of scenarios and characters that fall into the realm of the ridiculous. I mean, there is literally a Polish count in here and a dude called the Royal Porcupine. As the novel is told through flashbacks when the author is in self-exile in Italy, a lot of her memories read like heightened fantasies which leads you to question just how truthful she is being.
My favourite parts of the novel were the early chapters when Joan was recounting her early childhood. She was an obese child who found solace in the company of her Aunt Lou. These are the most touching and, shall I say 'rational', chapters before everything turns slightly bonkers.
Overall, I feel this novel needed a better editor. My edition almost hits the 400-page mark and that is so totally unnecessary for this novel. One could argue that Atwood was somewhat over-indulgent in her tale of Joan Foster and gets carried away in the minute details and events of her life which have no overall impact on the plot. It is as if post-Surfacing she decided to have the literary equivalent of a binge and pen a novel which is essentially all plot and nothing much else. But there are many fun aspects to Atwood's binge. I liked this one, but it is odd.
The ending felt a bit rushed and incomplete but the story as a whole was enjoyable and classic Atwood at her best.
slow-paced
i didnt know what i expected from this tbh. the opening lines were very strong and compelling that i had no choice but to read further. had no interest in the protagonist's own novel though lol