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A review by kellykferguson
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
4.0
Contemporary recommends weren't doing it for me, so I went digging through the Atwood archives. (I am a superfan). Atwood's not-best book still runs circles around most. The writing and structure of The Robber Bride has the same mastery—but—I couldn't latch on to the characters.
Then I remembered I'd tried reading this book before and found myself drifting off.
For moments, I'd find a scene or moment that captured me, but overall, the extensive backstories didn't pay off enough in the present timeline. The men were dispensable skin tags and I couldn't respect the women for wanting to keep them. At 20, okay. But by middle age, the women could have realized Zenia did them all a favor. To give Atwood credit, this sort of complex female character (evil but the most interesting person in the story) was an innovation in 1991.
Atwood does a better job with this archetype in Cat's Eye with Cordelia (one of my fave novels ever), so if you're shopping for an Atwood, look there first.
Then I remembered I'd tried reading this book before and found myself drifting off.
For moments, I'd find a scene or moment that captured me, but overall, the extensive backstories didn't pay off enough in the present timeline. The men were dispensable skin tags and I couldn't respect the women for wanting to keep them. At 20, okay. But by middle age, the women could have realized Zenia did them all a favor. To give Atwood credit, this sort of complex female character (evil but the most interesting person in the story) was an innovation in 1991.
Atwood does a better job with this archetype in Cat's Eye with Cordelia (one of my fave novels ever), so if you're shopping for an Atwood, look there first.