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thestoryofaz's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
4.0
I have only read The Handmaid's Tale (without a doubt, one of the greatest works of art to ever exist) by Atwood so far so I can't tell with any certainty how Bodily Harm compares to the rest of her oeuvre. This is no The Handmaid's Tale however it is still a compelling though somewhat juvenile story about a woman's plight in a patriarchal world. The fictional Caribbean island of St. Antoine is essentially a metaphor for Rennie herself, her deepest fears, her standing in life and society. This is not a comfortable read but it differently warrants a read at least once.
crystalsparkles's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I picked this old (dare I say “vintage”) book of Atwood’s for a reading challenge prompt. Constantly had to remind myself of when it was written & first published in 1981 - be warned there is a lot of blatant racism (among other terrible tropes written of as “jokes”) in the text.
I didn’t like this story. It definitely felt like it was two separate books, I could have enjoyed the story if Atwood had chosen to focus maybe on just the political aspect (along with the danger aspect). But it felt disjointed to me focusing so much on (protagonist) Rennie’s health issues, especially when they didn’t have much bearing on the latter parts of the book. I also found Rennie to be so annoying and cowardly. I’d say the last 20% of the book made it worth it to finish, but won’t be a recommendation from me.
I didn’t like this story. It definitely felt like it was two separate books, I could have enjoyed the story if Atwood had chosen to focus maybe on just the political aspect (along with the danger aspect). But it felt disjointed to me focusing so much on (protagonist) Rennie’s health issues, especially when they didn’t have much bearing on the latter parts of the book. I also found Rennie to be so annoying and cowardly. I’d say the last 20% of the book made it worth it to finish, but won’t be a recommendation from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Cancer, Colonisation, Racism, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Sexism, Sexual violence, Excrement, Sexual assault, and Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment, Medical trauma, Death, Confinement, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Grief, Infidelity, and Gore
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking
ja_aska's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
thereadingmum's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.5
I'm utterly flummoxed how I expected this to turn out less dire than it did. After all, the bulk of her work is pretty grim.
That said, Atwood did not disappoint. Her writing is flawless and makes me green. This almost novella follows cancer survivor Rennie as she escapes two failed relationships for an assignment in an unnamed Caribbean island nation where instead of writing the travel piece she was meant to, she gets embroiled in the island's political upheavals.
On the surface, there doesn't seem very much to the story and nothing notable happens for most of it. However, with the glimpses into Rennie's past, we see how her actions and the events that happen to her stem from it. The ending, while seemingly grim and unresolved, is brilliantly contrived leaving me with a sense that it ties in beautifully with Rennie's state of mind. Did she engineer her own self-destruction? Or was she simply a victim of circumstances?
So much meat in such a small dish. Par the course for one of my favourite authors.
That said, Atwood did not disappoint. Her writing is flawless and makes me green. This almost novella follows cancer survivor Rennie as she escapes two failed relationships for an assignment in an unnamed Caribbean island nation where instead of writing the travel piece she was meant to, she gets embroiled in the island's political upheavals.
On the surface, there doesn't seem very much to the story and nothing notable happens for most of it. However, with the glimpses into Rennie's past, we see how her actions and the events that happen to her stem from it. The ending, while seemingly grim and unresolved, is brilliantly contrived leaving me with a sense that it ties in beautifully with Rennie's state of mind. Did she engineer her own self-destruction? Or was she simply a victim of circumstances?
So much meat in such a small dish. Par the course for one of my favourite authors.
lazwright's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
celtic_oracle's review against another edition
2.0
I did like this better than the Edible Woman — at least I found most of the characters more palatable (heh). Still only an ok story from my perspective, though — mostly because I found the subject matter towards the end difficult to deal with.
mackinnonanna's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
imogenclendinning's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
2.5
slascano's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25