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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
mushiiiiiiii's review against another edition
no plot just white woman whining in the Caribbean. not even fun whining. if anything it was vaguely racist whining. booooooo
gommette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Histoire assez originale dans la mesure où deux grands thèmes finissent par se rejoindre dans l'intrigue, sans que ce soit confus. Avec le recul, le début est peut-être un peu long. En prenant en compte la date de parution du livre, le roman est une vraie fiction féministe. Il joue parfois sur des clichés dans la littérature et s'en emparé assez adroitement mais pas assez pour être original.
unhingedfemalelead's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
jamieclarkson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebobsphere's review against another edition
3.0
When I started this project to read all of Margaret Atwood’s 17 novels, I was expecting a slow start then a gradual build up. Since I thought her third novel, Lady Oracle to be fantastic, I mistakenly believed that each succeeding novel would top that. I guess I was wrong as I didn’t like Life Before Man and Bodily Harm, her 5th novel, did not impress me much. I do admire her for trying out different things though.
Bodily Harm is a feminist political thriller. There are boat chases, guns, drug smuggling, moments of romance, prisons, corrupt politicians; it’s all there. In one way you could call it a high octane adventure novel but Atwood does go deeper,
The main protagonist is journalist, Rennie: she is a cancer survivor and has had two major relationships. One is with the sado-masochistic, sexist Jake, who treats her as an object. The other is with her doctor Daniel, who loves her but is committed to his role as an upstanding family man. Finally she knows that she has to escape when she finds out that her house has been broken into and the person leaves a rope on her bed. Luckily, she has been sent to write an article praising a Caribbean island. Little does she know that life over there will be equally complex.
Bodily Harm is about masculine dominance. All the males in the book have some sort of power over Rennie: for Jake it’s sexual, Daniel is medical, Paul, a man Rennie strikes a relationship with in the Caribbean coerces her to join him on adventures. Then there’s the three male politicians who feed off on power from the country. Throughout the book Rennie is called sweet and naive, even by the 2 strongest female protagonists in the book. However, the events change her outlook on life and she does become stronger.
Did I like the book? despite multilayered plot, I found the prose to be a bit flat. I struggled a lot to be interested in the characters and situations but I did get bored in places. Personally I thought the parts taking place in Toronto and Rennie’s change to be the more interesting sections. Even the writing was okish, bordering on the functional at times. Definitely not a dud but I do know that there are better Atwood novels. In fact, the next one will e the one that made her an author of worldwide renown.
Bodily Harm is a feminist political thriller. There are boat chases, guns, drug smuggling, moments of romance, prisons, corrupt politicians; it’s all there. In one way you could call it a high octane adventure novel but Atwood does go deeper,
The main protagonist is journalist, Rennie: she is a cancer survivor and has had two major relationships. One is with the sado-masochistic, sexist Jake, who treats her as an object. The other is with her doctor Daniel, who loves her but is committed to his role as an upstanding family man. Finally she knows that she has to escape when she finds out that her house has been broken into and the person leaves a rope on her bed. Luckily, she has been sent to write an article praising a Caribbean island. Little does she know that life over there will be equally complex.
Bodily Harm is about masculine dominance. All the males in the book have some sort of power over Rennie: for Jake it’s sexual, Daniel is medical, Paul, a man Rennie strikes a relationship with in the Caribbean coerces her to join him on adventures. Then there’s the three male politicians who feed off on power from the country. Throughout the book Rennie is called sweet and naive, even by the 2 strongest female protagonists in the book. However, the events change her outlook on life and she does become stronger.
Did I like the book? despite multilayered plot, I found the prose to be a bit flat. I struggled a lot to be interested in the characters and situations but I did get bored in places. Personally I thought the parts taking place in Toronto and Rennie’s change to be the more interesting sections. Even the writing was okish, bordering on the functional at times. Definitely not a dud but I do know that there are better Atwood novels. In fact, the next one will e the one that made her an author of worldwide renown.
mysticalmachole's review against another edition
4.0
For most of this book I felt as though I was trudging along, trying to finish it because it's short and I hate to put books down and, until this book, couldn't get enough Atwood. Finally, around the last 100 pages or so, I *really* got into this story. And then—it ended and I wanted more of it! I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone who is a first-time Atwood reader. But I'm glad I read it. Glad I finished it. Kind of glad it's over!