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hevleary's reviews
504 reviews
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
4.0
Having previously only read Atwood's dystopian fiction, I approached this book with some confusion as to what genre I was about to read. The Blind Assassin does not really fit into any particular genre. The story is told in three main parts. Part 1 is the story of the life of Iris Chase, a now elderly woman looking back over the events of her childhood, adolescence and her young marriage. Part 2 is a first person tale of a seemingly illicit affair between two unnamed people although their identity becomes clear through the story. Part 3 is 'The Blind Assassin' a book published by Iris' sister Laura Chase who's suicide is documented in the start of the book.
Overall I enjoyed this book but it not my favourite Atwood by any stretch. I found the story jumpy at times, flitting between past and present and Iris' narrative and the first person narrative. At some points I was quite confused and a bit unsure at what exactly was going on at that point. However, the more I read the more absorbed I became in the story. More of the background was revealed by Atwood as the story progressed, culminating in a slightly obvious but interesting twist. The writing throughout the book is typical Atwood style; descriptive, but not wordy, and imaginative. For me, this book loses a star due to the slightly confusing way it was written and because it's just not as good as her other books that I've read.
Overall I enjoyed this book but it not my favourite Atwood by any stretch. I found the story jumpy at times, flitting between past and present and Iris' narrative and the first person narrative. At some points I was quite confused and a bit unsure at what exactly was going on at that point. However, the more I read the more absorbed I became in the story. More of the background was revealed by Atwood as the story progressed, culminating in a slightly obvious but interesting twist. The writing throughout the book is typical Atwood style; descriptive, but not wordy, and imaginative. For me, this book loses a star due to the slightly confusing way it was written and because it's just not as good as her other books that I've read.
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
5.0
Wow. I loved this book. A fascinating tale depicted the lives of three woman who have met and become friends as their relationships and lives have been destroyed by the mysterious and evil Zenia.
The writing throughout this book is sublime. Atwood's ability to create characters is fully explored in this novel. At first I felt the 3 main female characters (Tony, Roz and Charis) were a bit stereotyped and almost caricature's of real people. However, as the story developed and the back story of each woman was revealed I began to understand each character and the reason why Atwood has portrayed them that way. I still feel each of the characters, including Zenia, are stereotypes but I believe this is deliberate and cleverly done. I found Charis' back story the most interesting although I found her the more irritating character. I was kept in suspense almost biting my nails at times throughout the novel particularly towards the end when Zenia is confronted. I was happy with the ending, I wouldn't have wanted any other and felt it resolved the individual stories well.
Overall, nothing less than 5* would be good enough for this novel. The story was fascinating, exciting and interesting, the character development incredible and the writing beautiful.
The writing throughout this book is sublime. Atwood's ability to create characters is fully explored in this novel. At first I felt the 3 main female characters (Tony, Roz and Charis) were a bit stereotyped and almost caricature's of real people. However, as the story developed and the back story of each woman was revealed I began to understand each character and the reason why Atwood has portrayed them that way. I still feel each of the characters, including Zenia, are stereotypes but I believe this is deliberate and cleverly done. I found Charis' back story the most interesting although I found her the more irritating character. I was kept in suspense almost biting my nails at times throughout the novel particularly towards the end when Zenia is confronted. I was happy with the ending, I wouldn't have wanted any other and felt it resolved the individual stories well.
Overall, nothing less than 5* would be good enough for this novel. The story was fascinating, exciting and interesting, the character development incredible and the writing beautiful.
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
4.0
I chose this for a first meeting of a real life book group as I'd heard good things about it and it seemed a short read that everybody could get through.
I was quite surprised by this book. I wouldn't have thought something so short could pack such a punch. I found the first half absolutely brilliant; laugh out loud funny, thought provoking and interesting. I found myself reading sections aloud to others which is not something I usually do. The author very cleverly managed to make the character seem very real regardless of whether he was writing as a angst-ridden teenager, young adult or older man.
I found the second half less amusing which is why I knocked a star off (harsh maybe) but I would highly recommend this and will be seeking out more of Julian Barnes' work.
I was quite surprised by this book. I wouldn't have thought something so short could pack such a punch. I found the first half absolutely brilliant; laugh out loud funny, thought provoking and interesting. I found myself reading sections aloud to others which is not something I usually do. The author very cleverly managed to make the character seem very real regardless of whether he was writing as a angst-ridden teenager, young adult or older man.
I found the second half less amusing which is why I knocked a star off (harsh maybe) but I would highly recommend this and will be seeking out more of Julian Barnes' work.