Margaret Atwood takes the art of storytelling to new heights in a dazzling new novel that unfolds layer by astonishing layer and concludes in a brilliant and wonderfully satisfying twist.
For the past twenty-five years, Margaret Atwood has written works of striking originality and imagination. In The Blind Assassin, she stretches the limits of her accomplishments as never before, creating a novel that is entertaining and profoundly serious.
The novel opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura's story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a- novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist.
Told in a style that magnificently captures the colloquialisms and clichés of the 1930s and 1940s, The Blind Assassin is a richly layered and uniquely rewarding experience. The novel has many threads and a series of events that follow one another at a breathtaking pace. As everything comes together, readers will discover that the story Atwood is telling is not only what it seems to be--but, in fact, much more.
The Blind Assassin proves once again that Atwood is one of the most talented, daring, and exciting writers of our time. Like The Handmaid's Tale, it is destined to become a classic.
Barbara B. (GrannyGamer) from KEIZER, OR wrote on 8/10/2008...
UNABRIDGED, 18 HOURS
I almost gave up on this book because I found the beginning too slow and convoluted, but I stuck with it and by the end, I couldn't stop listening to it.
Yes, there are times that Atwood is too in love with her own words and goes on and on, over-stuffing the prose with far too many similes. I doubt if I would have READ the print version, but the narrator did such a marvelous job that I enjoyed just listening to her read, and appreciated most of Atwood's language.
The story itself is interesting, with stories within stories and several well developed characters, with an ending that may or may not surprise you, but is very satisfying.
By the way, ignore the "tags" someone put on this book that describe the box and the tapes. Some people still don't understand that those comments don't necessarily apply to the book being offered!
Robin M. (robinm) from LEOMINSTER, MA wrote on 5/4/2007...
A fairly interesting story, but WAAAAAAY drawn out.
Vikki C. (Vikki) from BYRON, NY wrote on 7/18/2006...
Excellent. I thought I saw the ending coming, and then I didn't and then I did. Listened to it while treadmilling