Reviews - The Robber Bride

822 reviews for:

The Robber Bride

Margaret Atwood

3.8 AVERAGE

gudgercollege's review against another edition

5.0

Margaret Atwood is the best at creating characters who feel real and relatable and recognizable and interesting. She's the best. I love her so much. I love her characters so much.

markludmon's review against another edition

4.0

Three women — Tony, Roz and Charis — look back at how their lives have been changed by an enigmatic woman they first met at university, Zenia. Inspired by the fairytale of the Robber Bridegroom, or Mr Fox, the novel sees Zenia disrupt the women’s relationships with each of their partners over the years, exposing the flaws and inequalities, even if the three aren’t fully aware of it at the time. Zenia is a seductress, a manipulative menace, a cipher who remains a mystery, but she ultimately brings the three together as lifelong friends with their own independent identities. Published in 1993, the story provides a springboard for Atwood to examine the lives and experiences of Western women in the second half of the twentieth century.

smcah's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

immyreads98's review against another edition

5.0

An expertly spun web of lies and half truths, with all loose ends tied up neatly (as possible). This was my first Atwood and I listened to the audiobook in the car with my sister. We both loved the mystery, the characters and perfect ability to capture all different types of women whose lives cross due to a common denominator.

jeannemixon's review against another edition

5.0

This is the right book to read after Cat's Eye. The first is about three girls who turn on the odd girl out and make her life miserable. The Robber Bride is about the evil odd girl out who tries to destroy the lives of the three central characters. In each, the protagonists realize that evil works both ways -- that the victim consents to the victimization and can stop it at any time -- and that evildoers are not simple black/white characters but have motivations and feelings of their own. And that when you have an enemy, you put a lot of energy and anger on that person that might not be entirely justified and might also be a product of your own fears and insecurities. And that you are the hero of your own tale, but an outsider might see you in an entirely different way.

But my favorite part is the twinning of the books -- one against three and then three against one. Great fun as Atwood always is.

xteenb's review against another edition

3.0

The book follows three female friends, whom I have no immediate interest in, and their female nemesis. I didn't like her either, but I wasn't supposed to. I didn't care about any of the characters for a long time and it took me a long time to finish the book. But I read the last quarter in one sitting. I grew very fond of the characters. I think if I re-read the book, I'll end up giving it another star.