The Blind Assassin: A Novel

Margaret Atwood's most recent work, The Blind Assassin, is a masterful piece of prose.
The book attempts a feat of immense proportions. Iris Griffin-Chase, the narrator, is a woman in her mid-eighties. She is in the process of writing her memoirs, and in the process sharing them with us. Not only does she tell of her life, however, but she intersperses sections of a novel written by her sister, Laura Chase, who died tragically at a young age under mysterious circumstances. The ending is a surprise - suspenseful, but well supported by all three of the individual tales.
The book gives a sense of what life occurences develop to make a person who they are, and also how individuals are shaped by the workings of society. Overall, the book is both insightful and entertaining.

I have read several of Margaret Atwood's novels and I would undoubtedly classify this as her best. Atwood pulls off an odd blend of science fiction, family expose, social commentary and the relationship of two sisters with aplomb. The format of a novel within a novel reflects the bold originality of this novel. Atwood stirs up a mixture of emotions throughout the novel and all of the characters are richly drawn and open for inspection by the reader. This novel always leaves you guessing up until the very last chapters. Do not listen to those who claim the ending is weak! The ending is the strongest component of the novel and it wraps up the novel both as a mystery and as a family drama perfectly.

The Blind Assassin is the type of novel that my English professors would have assigned to me if I was a college student right now. This book encompasses everything my forward-minded professors adored in modern literature: complicated plots, creative storytelling, literary allusions, feminist implications, symbolism and foreshadowing - all wrapped up into a neat yet complex package.

For the non-collegiate reader, The Blind Assassin has a lot to offer too. It's got a little romance, a bit of a Gothic tendency and a sci-fi tale all woven into one. It's not surprising that The Blind Assassin is so widely read and the recipient of prestigious awards.

For this reader, I enjoyed the book's story-within-the story style. The majority of the story is written from Iris's perspective - a woman born of privilege whose loveless marriage and complicated relationship with her father and sister lead her into the arms of a lover. The second story is a fictional book "written" by Iris's sister, Laura. It features a nameless man and woman as they sneak around to hide their affair. Their time together was spent making love and creating a story about a far-away race of aliens. To be honest, I could have done without the sci-fi element. I wonder why it was even included except to show some symbolism. Writers of less ability than Atwood would not have been able to pull it off, but to her credit, she did.

Overall, I enjoyed The Blind Assassin. It definitely piqued my interest in Margaret Atwood's other works. Based on this book, I can see why she has earned such literary praise and is the favorite writer of many avid readers. I just wonder if Atwood, at the top of her game, produced The Blind Assassin robotically - its literary conventions are almost too perfect; the story, predictable; and the ending, done before. Perhaps that's the magic of the whole thing - and a grand show of force from a writer who can do it all.

The story of two sisters, Iris and Laura from their childhood to their deaths. Motherless from young, the two sisters grew up, close to one another. However, this did not prevent them from having secrets and living separate lives when they become adults. While Iris struggled in a loveless marriage, Laura also appeared to be going through a difficult life, which probably resulted in her death when she was just a young adult.
This is an intelligent book. In between the story of Iris and Laura, the story of the blind assassin was weaved in and is thoroughly entertaining. The story keeps you entranced as you slowly realizes that the story will led you to uncovering all the secrets in the two sisters¡¦ lives.

I'm not gonna judge the actual content of the book "Its a journey that individual readers should embark on themselves"
I'm here to judge the physical condition of the book. Its nice, the print quality is good and the feel it has in your hand is satisfactory.

The prose is beautifully Atwood - lyrical yet direct, poetic yet drily witty. The story is compelling enough to hold you. The intertwined narration is brilliantly dealt with. But where are the characters to evoke emotion or even interest? With the exception of Laura, the rest are not presented at all. What was there in Alex to make a tongue tied, demure, under confident housewife do something so uncharacteristic.He was just an impecunious version of Richard.- egotistical and mediocre. What are the complexities in these characters that led to the complex actions that are narrated. They are too stereo typed( or not described enough)to warrant behaviour which is so out of character in others. Alex, Reenie, Richard, could have been developed further so that the reader could relate to them. The narrative is thrilling but the characters with the exception of Laura leave the reader unmoved.

Margaret Atwood is one of the best writers of her time. She's one of those people who sucks you into her world, and doesn't let go.
This story follows the life of one of two sisters, Iris Chase Griffin, a somewhat cold-hearted wealthy socialite, and examines her relationship with her sister, her husband, and the tragic circumstances which bring Iris to the point at which she appears to the reader at the beginning of the novel.
Full of plot twists, this story is unpredictable; one of the reasons why it is so engrossing. An excellent read that will leave you thinking about these characters as if you had known them yourself.

Masterfully written book!! All the layers of story telling are weaved beautifully together to create such a rich and nuanced world. This world then becomes the canvas for Atwood to capture "life", which in itself is a rich and nuanced masterpiece that really grabs you by the heart

I love Margaret Atwood, her style of writing and how she seems to tell her stories backwards while giving you clues here and there. Laura was my absolute favorite character. Her openness & free spirit were beautiful. This was a sad story but an engrossing read... I prolonged reading the end just so the book wouldn't be over!

Reading this book, I experienced some of the same feelings I had when I saw Spielberg's 1989 film "Always" - namely, "Why is this very talented person spending their time on such a mediocre story?" The story and structure of Blind Assassin, while interesting enough, is the stuff of easy summer reading and well within the capability of a pulp writer like Danielle Steel. In Atwood's hands, it is made overly complicated. On the one hand, the writing, characterization, and story-telling are all very well-done. Unfortunately, the plot itself cannot support the literary weight Atwood places on top of it. In the end I was left feeling dissatisfied - it was all much ado about nothing. I found the supposed plot-twists obvious, gimmicky and unconvincing.
If you are a fan of Atwood's writing, I can recommend this book as a nice way to spend a weekend with a favorite writer. Those looking for an introduction to Atwood or for an all-around satisfying read should look elsewhere.

"I was sand, I was snow - written on, rewritten, smoothed over." A line that encompassed the exceptional novel, `The Blind Assassin' penned by Margaret Atwood. This novel is centered around Iris Chase and her sister Laura. The novel starts with Laura committing suicide right after the World War II. This suicide pushed changed Iris life forever. Now in the 20th century in Canada, Iris reminisces about her childhood, her bond with Iris in her twenties, and her unhappy marriage.

The beauty of this novel is not the storyline, but how it is etched onto the pages. Atwood uses a story with a story to explain the mind of both sisters, "the Blind Assassin" the science fiction novel written by Laura and Alex Thomas; A man whom the sisters shared intimate relationships with. These characters illuminate the internal feelings of Iris in the present day. To make the even more dynamic, Atwood uses newspaper articles to explain historical events and events in the characters lives. These aspects add intrigue and finesse to the philosophical language of Atwood.

This novel kept you interests and I highly recommend this book for readers who like to ponder the working of family dynamics and the value of life. The entire time I was reading this novel, I was mesmerized by Alex Thomas, whose real feelings were hidden from the reader. His role in Iris and Laura's lives added a dynamic twist to the story as a whole. This novel is a must!

Atwood layers narratives-within-narratives - including a comic-book story about two doomed characters including a child slave turned blind assassin in a strange but familiar alien world and newspaper clippings of mysterious crimes and society goings-on - in this fascinating account of the downfall of two women. The depictions of casual cruelty and the weight of the Great Depression are layered with a story of two sisters that seems similar to Ovid's tale of Philomel and Procne. I read and re-read this book - it's that good - and think this showcases Atwood at the height of her talent.

As a newcomer to Margaret Atwood, I was not sure what to expect. Never one to pass on a book just because the storyline or plot seem dull, I gave it a shot.
As you see from my reviews title, I am glad that I gave it a shot. Atwood is able to take the story of an elderly woman reflecting on her life and turn it into a riveting story featuring suicide, adultery, labor strife, and blackmail all in story that unexpectedly turns on itself in the end and surprises you with an ending so good and planned that you realize that it was all there in the book while you read it.
...
Highly Recommended

Not having read the other nominees, I can't compare, but the announcement that "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood has won this year's Booker Prize, I am not surprised. Atwood, having already written over a dozen novels, poetry, children's books, and some non-ficition, comes through with her latest in grand manner. A prolific writer she is indeed. That said, "The Blind Assassin" is an adventure--not to mention quite an ambitious undertaking--to read. Included in her convoluted plot line is a "novel within a novel" (see Reginald Hill's "Arms and the Women"!)--so be prepared to pay attention. Atwood's style of writing, however, is anything but convoluted; it is straight forward, but complicated, with expertly created characters.
The book is told by Iris who recounts her sister's death in Toronto in 1945, when she drives her car off a bridge. The inquest indicates that the death is accidental. Then Atwood introduces us to her "novel within a novel" entitled "The Blind Assassin." Told by a pair of anonymous lovers, the book stretches into science fiction--absorbing on its own as an intriguing story! What seems amazing about this work is the expert craftsmanship that Atwood possesses (and presemts), although, given her reputation, that is not surprising. She also captures the 1930s-40s atmosphere quite well, too! The novel is tiered, and the author explores each level, one by one, until the final pages.
With her themes of greed, love, and (inevitably) revenge, the story is right out of the Greek tragedies (well, actually, not, as "tragic" is not really exploited!). Be prepared to spend some time with this work--but it will be time well spent. What an intriguing novel! ([email protected])

Yes, fantastic, and I rarely say that. I do not get into these old lady fictions too much, but this book was a page-turner, well-written, well-plotted and well-executed.
I won't give anything away, although I am sure other reviewers have. It is indeed a story within a story within a story but as long as you have a brain in your head, you will have no trouble discerning them since one is Science Fiction, another takes place at the beginning of the 20th century, and the last is set at the end of the 20th century.
I wish I could say, "Just trust me on this!" but you dont know me. Go to the bookstore, read the first 50 pages and if you don't like it, put it down. What else can I say?

The Blind Assassin is a long, slow-paced, well-written, complex novel that I found alternately moving, fascinating, depressing and boring. I found it something of a challenge to get into this book and feel sympathy for the characters, especially Iris, the narrator. Iris tells the tale as an old woman who is bitter and melancholy. We find out on the first page that her sister Laura has died by driving her car off a bridge, probably on purpose. We further learn that Iris is basically alone, everyone close to her either dead or estranged. So pretty much from Chapter One, we already know that nothing turns out very well for anyone in this book. Iris is not a character who I found especially interesting or likable for the most part. She basically falls into the category of the repressed Victorian (though she is a Canadian living in the 20th Century) who lives a life of quiet desperation. The overall atmosphere of the household and surroundings is also rather Victorian, bordering on the gothic. It is set in the town of Fort Ticonderoga, near Toronto (but very far culturally), populated mainly by often malicious Philistines. Iris and Laura grow up in an old house with a mythic name, complete with a feisty Irish servant and a series of tutors, one a sadist. There is an air of the martyr about Iris, as she describes marrying Richard, a materialistic older man, for the sake of her father and sister at the age of eighteen. She agrees to this marriage even though she has good reason to suspect that Richard has conspired to burn down her father's button factory. Much later in the book we learn that Iris is not quite as passive and selfless as she first appears, but this is the impression she gives through most of the narration.

The Blind Assassin uses the "book within a book" device. The title refers to a novel written by Laura, published posthumously. To further complicate matters, there is yet another book within this one, as one of the characters in Laura's novel tells science fiction stories to his lover. I did not find that these layers added anything to the novel except making it more of a challenge to keep up with. The events in Laura's book, naturally enough, mirror the lives of the sisters. I think the problem for me is that the Blind Assassin (Laura's version) is itself slow-paced and repetitive, like the novel as a whole. There are repeated scenes of these lovers meeting, squabbling and parting. For some strange reason, the jacket of the audiobook says "the novel has many threads and a series of events that follow one another at a breathtaking pace." I can recall whole chapters about Iris as an old woman taking trips to the doughnut shop --not my notion of a breathtaking pace. The pulp stories within Laura's book are still another layer whose ultimate relevance escaped me. These stories were sometimes fun and amusing (filled with comic book characters such as lizard men and planets full of promiscuous, scantily clad women), but had no real relevance to the wider story that I could discern.

Margaret Atwood set herself the challenge of writing a downbeat novel with few sympathetic characters. Iris, as she writes about her life, is a curmudgeonly old woman full of rancor and regrets. Then there are two characters who are rather stereotypical villains. Iris's husband Richard is a ruthless businessman who treats Iris like a servant, has affairs with his secretaries and even does business with the Nazis. Richard's sister Winifred is, if possible, even worse. She comes across like a wicked stepmother from a fairy tale, and does nothing but hatch evil schemes. The only main character who I found interesting and likable is Laura, the unstable sister. She is the only one who really resists the stifling hypocrisy of the surroundings and she has a kind of enchanting quirkiness. Iris does not totally conform, but I found her passive-aggressive responses to her circumstances a little hard to take. Iris mostly assert herself just enough to survive and maintain her sanity while appearing to be the model docile, small town wife. The relationship between the two sisters and even some of the events that unfold reminded me a little of E.M. Forster's great novel, Howard's End, where the practical sister marries for money while the artistic sister drifts and gets into trouble. Forster's novel, however, was about reconciling diverse elements, while The Blind Assassin is essentially a tragedy. This is the first of Margaret Atwood's many novels that I have read, and despite my mixed feelings about it I developed a respect and appreciation for her skills as a writer. In criticizing this book, I am aware that some of the things that bothered me were probably meant to. This is, after all, a mostly depressing story about unhappy people. Even given this, however, I think the pacing of the story could have been a little brisker with some editing and several of the characters could have been a little less cliched.

This is a superbly written book. However, it is one of the most depressing books I have ever read. The protagonist has lived a long but basically empty life, not of her own choosing but of circumstances.

What can I say about this book? The story is simple yet complex. It is really more a work of art then a novel. When I first picked it up I thought I would get lost and confused with the story within a story within a story, but it wasn't confusing at all. It was very well set up and very well written. It was not a light read, but it was a fascinating read. I think this story and how the book was put together will stick with me for quite some time.

Old woman reminisces about her youth, weaving together narratives of her past and present, and her dead sister. The title comes from a fantasy story two star-crossed characters tell each other to pass the time.

I had never read Margaret Atwood, but I knew she wrote things that might appeal to me. I bought this thinking it might be a mystery or fantasy novel. Wrong. It was absolutely nothing I expected, and I probably wouldn't have bought it if you gave me the above paragraph as a description. It sounds like a chick book, and really, it mostly is. Not at all my cup of tea.

That said, I'm exceptionally glad I did buy and read it. The transitions are seamless and the narrator's styles changes appropriately. But aside from just admiring good prose, I found that I actually liked and was engaged with the chick-ish story. I found myself saying over and over again, "I can't believe I like this." It's one of the most unusual and most enjoyable books I've read in a while. I've bought a few more of her books as a result, and I feel comfortable recommending this to others.

As a side note, the blind assassin story itself could make for an interesting novella/novel if ever done.

This could be my favorite book, perhaps ever. It's a love story. It's an amazingly clever concoction of words. It's science fiction, and it's a feminist novel. I don't know of any other book that is all these things wrapped up in one. Most of all, though, it is a love story, and an incredibly touching one.

I think to truly enjoy this book, it must be read twice - once to figure out what's going on, what happened, and then at least once more to enjoy the words and the story without the suspense, and to wish it had ended differently.

The Blind Assasin is the best book I read this year. Atwood is a master writer. Some of her passages read like poetry. I loved the plot and the story within the tory feature. Ingenious. And skilfully blent together. The characters are masterfully analyzed and reveal themselves slowly to us page after page, chapter after chapter. Iris, the narrator, is pragmatic, stoic and tender, biting at life with al her teeth and facing old age and sickness with realims and courage. She is a survivor. Alex, her lover, a free spirit socialist, appears to be cynic at first until we discover his tenderness and his fears and we realise he is a most decent man compared to Robert, Iris' husband. Laura is the innocent victim consumed by her love for her family and humanity. The period is realistically depicted. In short, I find this book a masterpiece to read over and over again. Atwood deserves her Bokker prize.

I was blown away by the negative reviews on this book I found on the store, as when I put it down, I was heartbroken wanting more. I found the gradual unfolding of the complicated plot fascinating. When I came to the revelation at the end, it was something I that simultaneously surprised me and felt just right as if I'd subconsciously been expecting it all along--the only conclusion that could have been at all satisfying. The love story was bittersweet and engaging. As far as the characters go, why all the complains about not 'liking' them enough? I find books about sainthood very boring; the (often fatally) flawed characters in this book were one of the things making it worth reading--the brutal ways in which they betrayed one another were all too real, which is what makes it interesting, after all. The characters were extraordinarily well-drawn, and just as evil, or selfish, or weak, or sad, or beautiful, and fascinating, as, well, real people.
The interweaving of the different stories (Iris' story, the unnamed lovers, the fantasy serial) was skillful and surprising--every few pages, I'd be struck by another connection between the three stories. All three part supported each other thematically--stronger in some areas than others, but repeated images, words and ideas made each story all the more compelling. And as always, the prose was absolutely beautiful; Atwood has a way of speaking very profound truths in lovely and unepected ways.

The Blind Assassin opens with death, the young Laura Chase plunging off a bridge to her doom, which is ruled as an accident, but possibly a suicide. Her sister Iris discovers a collection of notebooks in her possession, notebooks that Laura had left specifically for her to find. Inside these notebooks is, among other things, a novel. Posthumously published, it creates a strong reputation for the deceased woman, critics considering it a tragedy of letters that Chase died so young.

From here, we wander through several chapters of Laura's novel, interspersed with excerpts from newspapers cataloguing other family member's deaths. Laura's novel concerns two young lovers, doing what young lovers do, but between that, the man - nameless for a very long time, an author of pulpy science fiction, and a clear, obvious story-link 'enigma' hook - tells the woman - also nameless - a story about the people of Zycron, a fictional planet. He outlines the customs, beliefs, habits, inserting the details she wants - zombified women, for one - and embellishing upon his own ideas. The story is much, much more interesting than the relationship between the two people, which is hardly understandable. It deals with a blind assassin and a mute young girl, the assassin sent to kill the girl, the girl sentenced to death in a grisly annual ritual to appease the many Gods of Zycron. This fantasy/science fiction blend is quite interesting, and is told through the voice of the male lover, which works to great effect. Rather than slogging through pointless side-story exposition, he and the woman banter, joke, discuss the particulars of the story, enjoying the creating as much as the creation.

Most of the novel is Iris' autobiography, and at the time of narration, she is an old woman. 'The temptation is to stay inside; to subside into the kind of recluse whom neighbourhood children regard with derision and a little awe; to let the hedges and the weeds grow up, to allow the doors to rust shut, to lie on my bed in some gown-shaped garment and let my hair lengthen and spread out over the pillow and my fingernails to sprout into claws, while candle wax drips onto the carpet.' She feels helpless, tired and useless, or thoughtful and curious and, in many ways, jealous of her dead sister whose memory taints everything in her life. Far from being Iris, she is Laura's sister, a title which chaffs, even at eighty years old. She is a bitter old woman, bitter and alone, which can sometimes be annoying to read - twenty pages of anger directed at the world is quite tiresome to read - but for the most part is enjoyable, the language 'historical' in a sense, and sad.

Unfortunately, the next 80 pages or so are wasted on a history of Iris's family, from her grandfather

down. This is an interesting section, it is true, but after the intriguing opening, it feels like a robbery. Why would I care about such things when my appetite for the fictional story of Laura has been growing? Perhaps if this section was placed later, or earlier, it would have been more warmly received, but as it is, the insertion seems a mistake.

We are then taken through the particulars of Iris' life, and the reason for the preceding history becomes clear. Clear, but still not appreciated. It is a shame that, with such an interesting opening, we are then forced to ignore and forget about it while a hundred, two hundred pages of family history go by. Happily, this sensation leaves us two hundred or so pages in, as the 'Blind Assassin' chapters come back with great regularity. If this had been kept up for the entirety of the novel, perhaps the problem of the Chase family history would not have existed.

The novel is filled with trite little one-liners to keep us reading, keep us guessing. A shame, because Atwood's writing and plotting is perfectly functional without this. Why do I need to read lines like, 'Aimee's death was not my fault', or 'Compared to where he might be, it's a palace'. The answer is: I don't. And yet there they are, right in the text. It's unfortunate that she felt it was necessary to insert these meaningless foreshadows. As a literary technique, foreshadowing is fantastic, and she uses it often in subtle and clever ways. But keep-me-guessing lines such as these are simply not good enough, and were probably the biggest disappointment of the novel.

But the writing is, for the most part, simply enjoyable to read. Who could not appreciate this: 'We pass a few more franchises - smiling chickens offering platters of their own fried body parts, a grinning Mexican wielding tacos.', or . But then there are less pleasant lines such as: Did I snore? ...I couldn't bring myself to ask. In case you're wondering, vanity never ends.' I hadn't asked; I don't care. But then a passage like this comes along: 'Why is a honeymoon called that? Lune de miel, moon of honey - as if the moon itself is not a cold and airless and barren sphere of pockmarked rock, but soft, golden, luscious - a luminous candied plum, the yellow kind, melting in the mouth and sticky as desire, so achingly sweet it makes your teeth hurt.', and Atwood is well and truly forgiven.

The novels moves along, chronicling Iris' life. It is unfortunate that the young Iris is presented as so vapid, so unaware so - stupid. Thankfully, the older Iris realises this, it is something for which she is quite apologetic and sad. She never fully understood the implications other people had on her life, or the lives of her sister and father. By the time she did, it was far too late. The older Iris is bitter and sad, but she never really descends into angst or insincere emotion - there are times when she chides herself for being melodramatic. This is an interesting way of presenting the story, because frankly, I had no sympathy for the young Iris - whatever happened to her was her own fault, and as the pampered, never-worked-a-day-in-her-life lazy wife of a rich man, the reasons for being 'on her side' are few - but the older Iris is very sympathetic, a sad, sorry woman who demands - and deserves - respect and caring.

I picked this for vacation reading because of the Booker award and because I had not reading anything by Atwood. I was a little leary because I've been burned by Booker award choice before (but also have been introduced to some wonderful books that way, i.e. Possession and The Remain of the Day). I was immediately engaged by the book and remained that way to the very end. This is not a page-turner but rather a book that keeps you thinking about it when you've set it aside for a few hours or days. I am not a fan of the story within a story technique but it works very well here.
I also like the style of her writing -- it is elegant but also very transparent. It never feels clever or labored, just flows naturally in laying out a very engaging story.
This is one I'm actively encouraging friends to read.

I have been very slow with my reading over the past few weeks. The weather is scorching, and I'm afraid I've been numbing my mind in front of the TV more than usual. But my new temp job near Tower Bridge (and the hideously long commute) has whipped me back into shape. In fact, the scenic Bridget Jones-esque walk down the South Bank in the mornings has put me in a more literary frame of mind. And like Bridget, I realise my lack of reading is 'v. bad, must try harder.'

The Blind Assassin is Margaret Atwood's tenth novel. Its epic proportions encompass the whole of the twentieth century, exploring the mysterious death of Laura Chase whose risque novel The Blind Assassin was published posthumously. It is told from the retrospective point of view of Laura's now elderly sister Iris who is trying to come to terms with her own life, as well as her sister's death.

Atwood, as always, is genius and the plot never falters. This novel is an amazing achievement of research and historical accuracy. The reader accompanies Iris on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary, attends lavish costume parties with her in the 1930's, gains an understanding of rationing and the effect of the Second World War and, most importantly, escorts the protagonist through the most confusing and unreal period of all: the present.

Although lengthy, the novel never loses momentum and the main narrative is broken up nicely with excerpts from Laura's novel as well as newspaper articles, press clippings, obituaries, etc. from different events and eras.

The Blind Assassin explores the theme of love in a completely omniscient, all-seeing way, and Atwood is anything but blind in terms of her ability to present this emotion. She also has the ability to clarify the theme of death, whilst at the same time, celebrating life. This is a wonderful example of an epic 'set against panoramic backdrop' that manages stays true to a poignant story without losing its place in history.

For more reviews like this, please visit my blog 'The Book Wormhole' at [...]

It's 3 stories in one. Beautifully crafted novel that intertwines the story of Iris & Laura growing up sheltered before & during the great depression, and how their lives changed because of that period in history. It's a great big novel, 500+ pages and each one is a page-turner. Love everything Margaret Atwood. Highly recommended.

Lots of hype can kill any good book, but luckily I wasn't really aware of the massive amounts of praise and awards surrounding The Blind Assassin when I picked it up for $6 at Half Price Books prior to departing on a trip to Argentina.

I'm very particular about the type of books I like, and often times I'll get only a few chapters into a book before I decide I hate it. Luckily, The Blind Assassin kept me intrigued the whole way through, and I found myself taking every chance I could to find out what would happen next. It has its slow parts - the description of Benjamin Chase's button factory, for instance - but the mystery of the two anonymous lovers and Laura Chase's death kept me intrigued enough to continue on. Atwood's characterizations are great and I found myself very much attached to them by the end -- except, notably, for Laura Chase, whose quirkiness and mystery seemed forced and trite. Actually, I'll just say it bluntly: I really hated Laura Chase. Not to say that the other characters were much more likeable, but I could definitely sympathize with Iris Chase, who served as a very insightful narrator.

I didn't find this book overconvoluted at all, like some other reviewers complained. On the contrary, I found that the interweaving of the three (well I see it as four) stories gave the book a good dose of variety. The newspaper clippings added a little edge to it all too. If the storytelling had been linear I would have gotten easily bored. However, I don't think this interweaving was entirely necessary and I can see how some might find it gimmicky.

Nevertheless, overall Atwood's story stayed with me, and the world she created dwelled vividly in my mind long after I finished the book, which in my eyes is a sign of talented writing. No doubt, the Blind Assassin is a great book, and I'll be sure to pick up more Atwood novels in the future. However, I don't think it deserved more laudatory praise and awards than some of the other fantastic fiction out there. I've read many other reviews that keep emphasizing Atwood's mastery over storytelling methods and historical detail and lyrical descriptions. True, she is very skilled, but clearly these reviewers have never read a novel by Ann-Marie MacDonald.

I liked this book, really, but it was on the brink of taking a fatal step from suspensful to boring. It was long, drawn out, and even tedious in parts. By the middle of the book I was wishing for more clues, something to help tie the sections together, but it just kept plodding along, season by season. However, despite my impatience, Atwood's charming observations of womanhood, which I loved so much in "A Handmaid's Tale," were just as wonderful in this book, and they helped me to understand how much her characters are like myself, and like every woman.

Layered and dynamic, this cross-generational story is, to me, a quintessential novel. Fine, polished prose that is as authentic as it is endearing makes this book eminently readable, regardless of the action. So many voices, so many perspectives, it was sometimes a wonder this was the work of one author, and not three or four. Still, there is a smooth, unforced continuity here that carefully sews the multiple story lines into one surprising - and at times altogether baffling - narrative.

Margaret Atwood has combined cunning, manipulative characters with sacrificial lambs, and the reader gets to choose who's who. "The Blind Assassin" is a nostalgic novel with crisp descriptions, so well written that the alternation between the sci-fi novel, news clips, and the main storyline moves smoothly.
The complexity of the plot will stimulate your imagination and carry you along with it for, maybe not a cheerful read, but a satisfying one.
This is my first Atwood novel, and now, I'm hooked!

Loved and relish every word of her beautiful book. There was always tension and depth in her writing, even when not too much seemed to be happening. Other words that come to mind regarding my reaction to this book (that is if I am any judge) are intelligence, sensitivity and imagination. The story has a special ethereal like space and pace of its own, all too believable characters and a redeeming end. It was a joy to read and until I stop savoring the ambience of The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood has spoiled me for other authors.

Twenty minutes ago I finished a book that has taken up much of my time these last two weeks. There were many moments when I believed that my time was well-spent. However my overall feeling is one of disappointment.
Margaret Atwood is a gifted novelist. Few can dispute this. She weaves words together with skill and passion. The problem with The Blind Assassin is that she spent so much time on the language that she neglected the plot. The story became tedious early on and even when the surprising revelations were made towards the end of the book, they came too late to save it.
The characters were mere shadows of themselves, despite the sheer girth of the novel. Even Iris is seen as a paperdoll, manipulated by those around her. Maybe that is what Atwood wanted to show.
I gave the novel three stars due to its wonderful language and technical superiority (novel within a novel, newspaper excerpts, etc.) If the Booker was awarded for the above-mentioned traits, it deserves it. I just cannot give 5 stars due to the unsatisfying plot, pace and character development.

I'm not much of a fan of reading long books, but The Blind Assassin was definitely an amazing book. Margaret Atwood made the plot of the story have such a difficult structure and it so twisted and intertwined, that is kept me interested and made me keep on reading. The plot itself has you standing on the edge of a cliff since the first page when you find out that Iris sister has committed suicide. This book has a book within a book, which even makes the reading of the novel a lot more intense. This book, believed to have been reading by Alex, in seen through different points of views which shows the reader that the protagonist is not really Laura but its Iris.

I believe what makes this novel so good is the climax of the story and all the revelations that are seen at the end of the novel, that is what I like the most. I definitely recommend this book to anyone. Although it is a long read, the ending is so surprising and unexpected that its totally worth it. It's a page-turner and once you are done you want to begin a new book by Margaret Atwood.

I found this book to be boring. I finished the last line of "The Button Factory Picnic" chapter, turned the page to start the next chapter and a feeling just came over me of "do I have to keep reading this?" I felt like I had been waiting and waiting for something to happen but the story just droned on and on. I had absolutely no interest in the story within the story (about the sacrifical virgin, etc.). I finally gave it up at page 182. I loved M. Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale and I have Alias Grace on my shelf. Think I'll give that one a try after awhile since it seems to have gotten good reviews here.

The story of the Chase/Griffin families was riveting. The author's descriptions and characterizations were first class. I particularly liked how the characters of Winifred and Richard were depicted. I also enjoyed her subtle humour throughout.
However the crafting of the story was far too complicated for my taste, moving back and forth in time at random. Neither did I care for those fictional stories that the couple indulged in.
But this book is tremendously rich and I would recommend it.

First I have to admit I have never been able to complete a Margaret Atwood novel due to the overwhelming dryness that plagues them. But I finally made it through this one (of course it took 6 weeks). The novel is actually beautifully written and does not suffer from the same dryness-affective disorder as its predecessors. Of course don't mistake that to mean it's a page-turner. Initially Atwood's title and wonderful first sentence drew me in but as the story slugged along great effort was required on my part to stay engaged. More importantly however I found myself waiting for the heroine Iris to take a stand, do something, do anything that was not solely in her own interest. Yet even at 83 years old, when she had nothing left to lose, she writes her memoirs only to hide them, half-expecting that someone would find them. To me, this novel is about a woman who wasted her life because she exerted minimal courage. I found that the only person in the novel with any courage was Iris' younger, wiser and tougher sister Laura. I enjoyed the Blind Assassin passages and thought the Sci-Fi segments were the most interesting parts. I think the novel is worth reading but only if you have a lot of time, and enjoy tragic heroines with self-inflicted wounds.

Maragret Atwood is by far my favorite author. One of the few I buy in hardcover(I live in New York and prefer paperbacks for their mobility) This is the 7th or 8th book of hers I have read. And I think my favorite next to the Handmaid's Tale. Such a wonderfully woven, original story. I loved both the 'old' and 'young' veiw of Iris's character. The details of her daily life entwined with her past, her biting humor and the 'novel' witnin the 'novel' combined with the stories underlying mystery are masterful. I read this book slowly, savoring it like a wonderful seven course meal.

Atwood is incredible. I'm astounded by the way she continues to explore women's issues, forever teasing apart the complexities of our conditioning and our impulses. This book, which has a novel embedded within the primary story, is quite remarkable in the way two stories are interwoven--scary fantasy and fiction blended with uncanny precision and mind-boggling effect. It's the kind of book I finish and turn back to re-read the opening chapters, wanting to feel my way deeper into the multiple layers of story.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, in my opinion, is one of her better books. She was able to incorporate three different stories and styles into this one book and was still able to make it read smoothly. However throughout the book, especially when Iris would be writing about herself in the present, I would find myself getting confused because the last chapter would end with her in the past talking about herself and Laura, and then the new chapter would start back up with her in the present and what she was doing that day. Other than that, I found the book really interesting and hard to put down. The twist at the end that in fact she, not her sister Laura Chase, wrote "The Blind Assassin" threw me for a spin, but then again the whole time I was reading the book myself I couldn't figure out how Laura would have been able to write the book, or would have wanted to. She never seemed interested in writing, and as Iris describes, Laura did not act in the sense that she had actual "street knowledge" or really any common sense, she always seemed somewhat estranged. Margaret Atwood has to have a really creative imagination in order to create this interesting and twisting story. I really liked how the book never got boring because each section had a new story to read. Although the book was about 500 pages, it read rather quickly and I equate that to the three different stories and styles that are written to run into one another. I really liked this book and I would recommend it for anyone to read, as well as any other of Margaret Atwood's novels.

I found this book to be boring. I finished the last line of "The Button Factory Picnic" chapter, turned the page to start the next chapter and a feeling just came over me of "do I have to keep reading this?" I felt like I had been waiting and waiting for something to happen but the story just droned on and on. I had absolutely no interest in the story within the story (about the sacrifical virgin, etc.). I finally gave it up at page 182. I loved M. Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale and I have Alias Grace on my shelf. Think I'll give that one a try after awhile since it seems to have gotten good reviews here.

The story of the Chase/Griffin families was riveting. The author's descriptions and characterizations were first class. I particularly liked how the characters of Winifred and Richard were depicted. I also enjoyed her subtle humour throughout.
However the crafting of the story was far too complicated for my taste, moving back and forth in time at random. Neither did I care for those fictional stories that the couple indulged in.
But this book is tremendously rich and I would recommend it.

First I have to admit I have never been able to complete a Margaret Atwood novel due to the overwhelming dryness that plagues them. But I finally made it through this one (of course it took 6 weeks). The novel is actually beautifully written and does not suffer from the same dryness-affective disorder as its predecessors. Of course don't mistake that to mean it's a page-turner. Initially Atwood's title and wonderful first sentence drew me in but as the story slugged along great effort was required on my part to stay engaged. More importantly however I found myself waiting for the heroine Iris to take a stand, do something, do anything that was not solely in her own interest. Yet even at 83 years old, when she had nothing left to lose, she writes her memoirs only to hide them, half-expecting that someone would find them. To me, this novel is about a woman who wasted her life because she exerted minimal courage. I found that the only person in the novel with any courage was Iris' younger, wiser and tougher sister Laura. I enjoyed the Blind Assassin passages and thought the Sci-Fi segments were the most interesting parts. I think the novel is worth reading but only if you have a lot of time, and enjoy tragic heroines with self-inflicted wounds.

Maragret Atwood is by far my favorite author. One of the few I buy in hardcover(I live in New York and prefer paperbacks for their mobility) This is the 7th or 8th book of hers I have read. And I think my favorite next to the Handmaid's Tale. Such a wonderfully woven, original story. I loved both the 'old' and 'young' veiw of Iris's character. The details of her daily life entwined with her past, her biting humor and the 'novel' witnin the 'novel' combined with the stories underlying mystery are masterful. I read this book slowly, savoring it like a wonderful seven course meal.

Atwood is incredible. I'm astounded by the way she continues to explore women's issues, forever teasing apart the complexities of our conditioning and our impulses. This book, which has a novel embedded within the primary story, is quite remarkable in the way two stories are interwoven--scary fantasy and fiction blended with uncanny precision and mind-boggling effect. It's the kind of book I finish and turn back to re-read the opening chapters, wanting to feel my way deeper into the multiple layers of story.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, in my opinion, is one of her better books. She was able to incorporate three different stories and styles into this one book and was still able to make it read smoothly. However throughout the book, especially when Iris would be writing about herself in the present, I would find myself getting confused because the last chapter would end with her in the past talking about herself and Laura, and then the new chapter would start back up with her in the present and what she was doing that day. Other than that, I found the book really interesting and hard to put down. The twist at the end that in fact she, not her sister Laura Chase, wrote "The Blind Assassin" threw me for a spin, but then again the whole time I was reading the book myself I couldn't figure out how Laura would have been able to write the book, or would have wanted to. She never seemed interested in writing, and as Iris describes, Laura did not act in the sense that she had actual "street knowledge" or really any common sense, she always seemed somewhat estranged. Margaret Atwood has to have a really creative imagination in order to create this interesting and twisting story. I really liked how the book never got boring because each section had a new story to read. Although the book was about 500 pages, it read rather quickly and I equate that to the three different stories and styles that are written to run into one another. I really liked this book and I would recommend it for anyone to read, as well as any other of Margaret Atwood's novels.

Although I am not usually a Margaret Atwood fan, I found The Blind Assassin the best book I've read this year. This is partly because Atwood, even at her darkest, writes wonderful prose filled with innovative, yet apt metaphors. The Blind Assassin, though, is far more than great writing. Here, Atwood keeps us guessing throughout the entire book about the relationships involving the narrator and her deceased sister. The characters are vividly drawn, particularly that of the chief villain, the narrator's sister-in-law. The plot, subplot, the story that one character, a sometime writer, is fabricating, and excerpts from a novel published by one of the sisters are all beautifully interwoven. The book is set primarily during the era between the two world wars and contains historical background on Canada during this period that is also of interest. This book, which plays with the role of artifice in daily life, is definitely a work of art itself deserving of the Booker Prize!

This novel was fantastic! It was very complex and jumped around quite a bit from the tale of Iris and Laura to Iris present day (She's about 82-83 years old when she's "writing" this book) to the novel-within-the-novel called "The Blind Assassin", with a good chunk of newspaper and gossip column clippings thrown in. It's a lot to pay attention to and remember. People who prefer a book that has a very linear timeline might be taken aback as a result. However, she never interrupts any plot advancements. There seemed to be a small secton of present-day and a big section of Iris and Laura in each chapter, so the jumping around is never annoying and easy to keep track of. So despite the complexity of the novel, it is easy to follow.

As for the characters, Iris and Laura are very well developed and undeniably believeable, and they are the main focus of the novel. Their father and (to a lesser extent) their nanny/housekeeper -Reenie- are well developed as well, and Winifred and Richard are pretty one-sided (your stereotypical rich, power-crazy villans). The net effect of all this (to me) keeps the focus on Laura and Iris and the plot moving. The way this was all done was perfect if you ask me.

The way all three stories crash together at the end is amazing, and expertly done. The novel does get a bit slow at times in the first 150 pages or so, but rolls on full-steam ahead from there. Ms. Atwood's wit and lyrical, poetic, and tight writing style are just flat-out entertaining. I was just blown away by this book

This is an awesome book! I love the way it is written. Two separate stories, one fictional and the other Iris's memories. How they intertwine! No wonder it is one of the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die.

Read this book for my book club and have to say, when I first saw the size of it and read the blurb, was NOT looking forward to reading it. In fact, while reading it, found the story-within-a story and frequent flash-backs/flash-forwards frustrating. But as the story progressed, and I came to understand more about the plot and the characters, I started to enjoy the style of writing much more--to the point that I couldn't put the book down.
So while this book was one of the most frustrating reading experiences, it was also ultimately one of the most satisfying. And it made for an excellent discussion in the book club.
I won't reveal any plot details other to reiterate another reviewers point that the science fiction portions need to be read metaphorically and as a way of understanding the characters spinning the stories.
Finally, while I don't personally recommend this, one of the women in our club actually decided to read the end first, then start over--this definitely combats the frustration factor but to me takes the edge off of satisfaction once the book's been fully read and absorbed.

Really wonderful read. Story flips between a story within a story and the main character in various states of life (her childhood, adulthood and present day as an older woman). Great character development and I enjoyed the ending as well. Highly recommend.

Great read. Vivid characters, lovely writing, and a story that is slowly revealed. There are some weaker elements, (the sections focused on the main character during the present day were often over-long without furthering plot or characterization), but with the brilliance of everything else...it doesn't matter. Well worth reading! I was captivated.

After having come to the end of the more than 500 pages of Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin, I am left in a mist. She writes too much. It is more than this reader wants to know about everything that is or has ever been in her head. Even as a memoir, I would find such detailed description spurious. No one can remember that amount of copious detail (and no one should fantasise that much) so it must be compiled from notebooks. This gives the writing the sense of being painstakingly artificial the more it tries for ingenuousness. Besides, what does it do for the book? It interferes with the plot, and, if there ever was a theme, it is too entangled, buried under too many unrelated words.
You can indeed write too many words. Atwood did. In the end, I found myself longing to escape the hopeless entanglements of her over-zealous bramble bush kind of a mind. I found the entire book suffocating and I am suspicious of the inordinate praise she garners as a writer. I was about three quarters finished with the volume when I reread the dust jacket notes. I wondered if the reviewer and I were reading the same piece!!!!! To be sure, there are interesting aspects of the book. There had to be or I wouldn't have finished the novel - for any price. The character of Laura is interesting . . . this grave, solemn child who believes her own heart to be the final judge of reality. Laura has no interest in accepting things just because it is the convention to do so. She is, for us, the type of conscience that throws caution to the winds because it does not recognise caution - only the search for the truth. She cuts out pages of the Bible because, she says, she does not like them. She is that rare thing - an original thinker and , as is the fate of all truly original thinkers, is not allowed to continue - she suffers and then dies. The story within the story is very promising - beginning by taking on the whole issue of mindless traditions which oblige societies to perform senseless acts, but it is itself, finally, not awfully fraught with meaning. Who or what is the Blind Assassin supposed to be and what has he to do with the larger story or, finally, with us? What gives him the right to be the eponym for the book? I cannot make any metaphor which is strong enough to hold the whole dreary 513 page opus together, and I am sorry that, in the end, neither does Atwood. I fear that her admirers who, significantly, include the judges who gave her the Booker Prize, were too dazzled by the trick of it all, pulling off the trick, that they failed to see that it really wasn't achieved so seamlessly after all.
There is far too much of a tendency today to admire because others admire and, what is worse, to admire for the same reasons others admire. This herd instinct, the direct antithesis of independent thought, skews judgement, causes great harm and waste and is, we can see from her books, one thing Atwood herself sternly disapproves of.
There is something of importance in The Blind Assassin, but it is buried under writing that is self-indulgent and peculiarly self-defeating (so, to my mind, is the currently fashionable brand of literary deconstructure that throws out meaning or relevance as a valid standard for judging writing) . The manuscript should have been cut. Cut and cut again. However, if ever you want the contents of your closet described in excruciating detail, I would refer you to the Margaret Atwood of The Blind Assassin. She wouldn't miss a thing.

Possibly Margaret Atwood's finest work. From the opening question of why Laura drove herself off of a bridge, to the well executed denouement, the three separate tales are cleverly entwined as you imagine how they relate, which is clarified beautifully by the end of the book. Atwood's writing skill is such that she moves the reader through the book from tale to tale without breaking the pace. The cleverly placed newspaper articles serve to anchor the reader in both time and space. Well written and beautifully constructed, this book held my interest from beginning to end and was unlike anything I've ever read before.

The Blind Assassin contains a novel within a novel and lucky readers get twice the Atwood. This is a tender and poignant story of love, death, family, and high society. All familys have secrets and family members often turn a blind eye to them. This story is a rich study of family and of the time it takes place. In beautiful language, Margaret Atwood takes the reader on a twisting, dangerous road full of hairpin curves and sudden obstacles. I loved the cliches of the '30's and the insights into high society. A complicated, dense novel that packs and emotional wallop.

Atwood writes a book that is so cleverly done, one has to wonder at how she did it. It is really a book within a book and it works flawlessly. I'm a fan of Atwood's although I don't like all of her books. What I do like about her is that she can write all kinds of genres. It's so rare to find a writer who doesn't crank out the same book over and over, if not the same character!

I really enjoyed The Blind Assasin although I admit that at first it was tough! The story is evocative and I appreciated how nicely it covers the 20th century in Canada, a country I don't know much about. I agree with other reviewers that this is not an easy read. The story of Laura and Iris's life is very involving, but the sci-fi sections and the encounters between the couple sometimes drag a bit. But all in all everything adds up to an original and exciting read which I recommend to everyone. And I love Mrs. Atwood's style...

The Blind Assassin was a challenging read, as the story unfolds in a mixture of time frames and actually includes many passages from a fictional work of fiction that is initially indistinguishable from the main story.

However, Atwood's writing sparkles with description and memorable phrasing, and the myriad flaws in the character of her characters are revealed gradually, increasing the interest in the outcome of a story that on its face hardly seems sweeping enough to fill a 500 page novel.

My complaint on the book is that it starts very confusingly with an almost jarring amount of switching between storylines. Eventually the connections between them become clear, but until the point of convergence I found the book difficult to follow and hardly page turning material.

But due to the satisfying revelation of the connection of the characters and the fictional material, as well as Atwood's unique writing from the perspective of an elderly character in a small town, the challenges of the early part of the novel are well rewarded in the conclusion.

I'm not much of a fan of reading long books, but The Blind Assassin was definitely an amazing book. Margaret Atwood made the plot of the story have such a difficult structure and it so twisted and intertwined, that is kept me interested and made me keep on reading. The plot itself has you standing on the edge of a cliff since the first page when you find out that Iris sister has committed suicide. This book has a book within a book, which even makes the reading of the novel a lot more intense. This book, believed to have been reading by Alex, in seen through different points of views which shows the reader that the protagonist is not really Laura but its Iris.

I believe what makes this novel so good is the climax of the story and all the revelations that are seen at the end of the novel, that is what I like the most. I definitely recommend this book to anyone. Although it is a long read, the ending is so surprising and unexpected that its totally worth it. It's a page-turner and once you are done you want to begin a new book by Margaret Atwood.

This was very reminiscent of the stuff you had to read in high school, lots of imagery, deeper meanings, poetic language, but like most of the stuff from high school... BORING, just plain boring.
It's hard to write a bad review of this book, it's well structured, it has some really good jabs at society and has some great black/perverse humor in it, all good qualities for reading and it's probably worth reading just for that. But it has main characters that I just didn't care about, and a plot that wasn't that complex but took over 600 pages to muddle through. Also, after about 500, Atwood/editor must've realized she was dragging on, and kind of finished off the loose threads and called it a book. And the last kicker, the great secret revealed at the end, very foreseeable.
oh well, wasn't a complete waste, but less than I expected

Margaret Atwood has created another work of beauty. Using flashbacks interspersed with present day, newspaper clippings with daydreams, Atwood brings the reader into the story of the Blind Assassin so smoothly one does not realize they are so involved in the story.
I have to say though that I did skim the novella within the novel. I don't like science fiction, and it didn't hold my attention. Don't let that stop you though. This book is well worth your time.

Margaret Atwood's latest novel is so lush I felt that I was swimming in words. Atwood's writing style has always been lyrical as in her other novels such as The Handmaid's Tale and Alias Grace. The newest one The Blind Assassin is not only a feast for the literary senses. It's also unique in its structure.
This structure is a novel within a novel. Iris Chase Griffen narrates the main novel by telling the events which surround and cause her sister Laura Chase to write a smaller novel called "The Blind Assassin". With newspaper clippings and The Blind Assassin in excerpts, Iris tells of her and Laura's lives and their repercussions in a letter to her estranged granddaughter. Her narration which is set mainly in the first half of the twentieth century portrays the limited roles of women at that time especially well-to-do women. Supporting characters include the sisters' father Norval Chase whose downfall puts them into the hands of scheming brother and sister Richard(who becomes Iris' husband) and Winifred Griffen. World Wars I and II figure into the politics of the novel as well as the fight between communism and democracy.
I wish I could write as well as Atwood so that I can properly do her justice in this review. She just has amazing psychological insights; she delves into the subjects in a poetical way. Although her writing style may be obtuse at times, the readers should stick with it so they can have their own epiphanies while reading, that a-ha feeling readers get from great literature.
Of course, it's not perfect. The only complaint I have is that the sister's novel is not as compelling as the rest of the book. But that still doesn't detract from the fact that Margaret Atwood is one of our best modern writers.
For more of my book reviews, check out the online review site epinions

this book was very interesting for the first 350 pp or so, but then started to collapse. i was disoriented for the first part of the novel but then things started to come together for me and i began to enjoy planet zycron, and the interweaving of this story with iris' past. however, by p 350 iris' story began to lag and somewhere around here atwood left zycron to itself. as a reader i wanted to know more about iris' relationship to laura as an adult, and i could not believe that these characters were as isolated as they were portrayed to be. i almost got the sense that atwood herself began to lose interest in her characters. my recommendation: read alias grace instead, a far superior novel.

That Margaret Atwood writes exquisitely stands without debate. Dipping into an Atwood book is like luxuriating in a warm bath.
Even so, if not for her literary mastery and reputation, I might not have read past the first 50 pages of "The Blind Assassin." So it's not her ability to construct crystalline sentences and scintillating scenes that tested my ability to persevere.
It appears Atwood (or someone in her constellation of early readers, agents and editors) knew she was on precarious grounds. Specifically, the plot lacks an element called BDQ -Big Dramatic Question - the tension, the hook, the dilemma that compels us to read, to turn the page, searching for a clue, for relief, for insight. The author used an old gimmick of transposing the end of the story to the beginning to create an artificial BDQ.
"Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge."
One wonders how many readers would have stuck with 600-plus pages without the tease as opener?
I found, also, that the warm bath was diluted. On page six hundred-something Atwood writes, "A fist is more than the sum of its fingers." I question whether the whole of the book is greater than the sum of the parts. "The Blind Assassin" is a book of many parts or sub-books. We've got Iris the narrator as an old woman, the newspaper clippings, the science fiction story with Zycronians, the episodes featuring the lovers' trysts, and the core story of Iris' and Laura's lives together. Whittle down or delete two or three non-core stories and what remains? Perhaps a tighter story with dramatic tension.
Although the bath water grew cold, I'm still an Atwood fan and will continue to read her books. P.S.
Who are we to suppose wrote the last segment called "The Threshold"?
Sincerely,
Beth Fowler

This novel is a complex, intriguing, humorous and deeply sad masterpiece--one of the greatest novels I've read (and I was an English major). The storytelling itself is rich, and the way in which Atwood eventually weaves the plot together so that all aspects can be realized by the readers is sheer brillance. (To readers who gave up before the end, you must finish it to appreciate it. Please don't comment on a work you haven't fully explored).

A Epic tale of love,humor and some speckle of touching untouchables entwined throughout.Old Iris told the tale with humor and sarcasm (but ,one asks,what is she really thinking?The possiblities are of infinity). The Untouchables are actually touched throughout and with much more sensitive or sentimental readers,the real heartwrenching part lies in the vivid imagination of this fictitious world ,rather than Iris 's wordy contact with the readers .Atwood ended the Chase tale like this
"I must admit I have a daydream about you.One evening there will be a knock at the door and it will be you.You'll be dressed in black,you 'll be toting one of those little rucksacks they all have now instead of handbags.It'll be raining,as it is this evening,but you won't have an umbrella,you scorn umbrellas;the young like their heads to be whipped about by the elements,they find it bracing.You'll stand on the porch ,in a haze of of damp light;your glossy dark hair will be sodden,your black outfit will be soaked,the drops of rain will glitter on your face and clothes like sequins..........What is it that I'll want from you?Not love : that would be too much to ask.Not forgiveness,which isn't yours to bestow..........By the time you read this last page,that -if anywhere-is the only place I will be."
Finally...... Iris Chase was prepared to face whatever was imminent.Despite how much I do not 'want' Iris Chase's 'direct contact' with the readers lamenting how much and how much she has done to not save her little sister,when one looks back and sees the young Laura jumping around and pondering about God or Pure Beauty and the father's love story and the war,the whole thing is simply inevitably poignant.Atwood or Iris did not exactly put who or What innocent Laura Was . Perhaps what truly is incredible and beautiful is something that is probably independent of reality and what is spoken - something that exists in another 'dimension' ?

This is the very first book that I've read, written by Margaret Atwood. Her excellent writing style, poetic prose, unforgettable sub-plots (especially Xenorians, Sakiel-Norn and other mind staggering stories) inside the deeply fulfilling plot made me felt rewarded as a reader after I read the last page just five minutes ago. Iris Chase and Laura Chase, the two main characters, were brilliantly depicted. Reenie's witty remarks, Winnefred's gaudiness, and Richard Griffen's highly ambitious but lurid characters were all portrayed with the guile of a master of art. The soliloquies of the main character are simply unforgettable. I've read few other booker prize winning books in the last few years, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood is the best among them. I heartily recommend it.

This is the first Margaret Atwood book I ever read. I'll admit- I bought it for the cover. I neede something to read and it looked cool. I took it with me on vacation. I brought another book because it looked hard and I wasn't sure I could get through it.
Well, I did, and I loved it. I have since read many of Ms. Atwood's other books and have loved them too.
Other reviewers here have said that the book was hard to get through, or that it was boring. This wasn't the case for me at all. The first twenty pages or so were confusing because the whole book within a book concept was a little hard to grasp, but once I got it, the book was impossible to put down and I finished it in less than a week. Read this book!

I've tried to read Margaret Atwood before and failed to be engaged, but Blind Assasin immediately nabbed my curiosity and never relinquished it. There were three endings, each more resonant than the one before, each a bittersweet cap on a strand of Iris's narration. And every time, when I was sure the book was over, I felt let down, like a dear friend had moved out of town.
Ms. Atwood used all her talents by braiding together two seemingly dissonant tales: a modern reminiscence of an early 20th century family spinning through history toward disaster, interspersed with an encapsulated science fiction saga shared by two mysterious lovers. Atwood spared no intrigue, leading us one way, then the other, until she finally marries the separate strands and clearly reveals--or intimates--all the important details.
My attention flagged and I was tempted to scan only during Iris's late life musings. By then I was so interested in the denouement of the reminiscence that I felt teased by an old lady's doughnut moments. Those elderly agonies were just too mundane to compete with the high passion of young life wasted, lust lost and the tragedy of never taking action until it no longer mattered. But I forgave Ms. Atwood, as I thanked her for engaging my powerful response to a well-woven novel.

I picked up this book because of it's title. "The Blind Assassin" has a romantic ring to it. When I finished the book, I was only 14 and yet I could relate to everything Iris had just said. My favorite part of the book were the stories of the blind assassin. I felt these were reflections of reality and all that was going on around Iris. I also liked how the story moved around different time periods, so that the entire story was revealed. This book moved me in a way that when I finished I wanted more to read.The ending is kind of obvious, but none the less a wonderful book worth reading.

I read this book back in 2000 and actually named one of my girls after the character Callie. It's been a long time since I read this, but really anything by Atwood is amazing in my book. The different stories being told in the same book were fascinating, and the history was wonderfully written.

I read The Blind Assassin about two years ago and loved it. Last Christmas I asked for my own copy since I had checked the book out from the library. (I felt I needed to own this book). This Christmas I reread The Blind Assassin and was captivated again. I've read Alias Grace and The Handmaiden's Tale years ago. The Blind Assassin does a lovely job of documenting the early 20th century. The main character/narrator Iris is wonderfully conceived. I found the love story engrossing. I also enjoyed the "news" articles in the book. An excellent narrative by a gifted author. My only regret is that I will never again get to read this book for the first time.

I was intrigued by this novel because of all the hype, but grew disillusioned as it went on and on for over 500 pages. At first the inter-weaving stories were somewhat interesting, but by the time I'd waded through two-thirds of this book, I was tired of it all. The worst pieces were about Iris as an old woman. She never does anything different. She goes to the doughnut shop, she uses the bathroom so she can read boring graffiti, or she goes to the cemetery. Slowly Iris tells the story of her life and that of her doomed sister, Laura. Do these girls ever make any friends? Are their lives that narrow? They never make an effort with anybody. I would hate to be seated next to either Laura or Iris at a dinner party. There is way too much description. If Iris goes down the basement to wash clothes, it takes 2 pages to get her down those stairs. If only some of the description had been used to flesh out the characters instead. Richard is never developed, yet he plays an integral role. In fact, both Richard and Winifred are cardboard cut-outs. The revelations at the end are what most readers must have figured out a long time before. The main problem is that Iris is such an unlikeable character that you don't care what happens to her. Alex Thomas is the most interesting person, yet he's hardly in it. And Laura, the thread that ties this book together, is not exceptional, she's just a little strange. Another big problem for me was the author's liberal use of bad similes. They rarely worked. This novel has its merits, mainly in the description of Iris' ancestors and the town of Port Ticonderoga, but it is humorless and almost devoid of dialogue. There's a lot that is meant to dazzle the reader, but underneath there is little substance.

This was another book I just picked up at the library and thought looked interesting. I was not disappointed. As you can read from the reviews, it is a book with several storylines and even a completely different novel that is interspersed within the book.

I have to agree that I thought parts of the book really dragged at times, but not for too long. Although I did sometimes find myself paging forward to see when the next installment of "The Blind Assassin" (the novel within the novel) was going to be. I truly did enjoy that sci-fi story more than the drama unfolding in the Chase/Griffen family.

For that reason, I gave the book a 4/5 stars. It is a lovely book and well-written. If you feel as though some parts are dragging, you really should stick with it to the end - it is worth the read.

Atwood's novel begins a little slowly, but quickly becomes a page turner you don't want to put down. Despite the fact that the "ending" (the suicide of the narrator's sister) is given away in the first two lines of the book, Atwood still kept me on the edge of my seat. She weaves together the present, the future, and several alternate universes completely seamlessly and smoothly. Her characters are well-rounded and have strong, distinct personalities. The book is hugely enjoyable, and I highly recommend it.

Margaret Atwood is yet another author I have mixed feelings about. While I admired The Handmaid's Tale and adored Alais Grace, Cat's Eye and The Robber Bride are two novels that I wish I had never read. I loathed them. Needless to say, I was somewhat reluctant to buy the Blind Assissin. The praise of her talents on the back of the jacket seemed a bit over indulgent, and I have always felt that, like Virgina Woolf, Atwood is all too aware of her powers and will go to great lengths to convince you that she is, in fact, a great writer. She favors unconventional structures for many of her novels (strange structures, even, that often jar the reader as jumps are made between characters and perspectives.) Don't even get me started on the frequently used (frequently mixed) metaphors which litter her pages. Such elements are once again present in The Blind Assassin; this time, however, the leap between different points of view (in this case between Iris' musings and Laura's novel) never feels gimmicky or false. In fact, The Blind Assassin moves smoothly from start to finish, and all of the stories, articles, and reflections pull you deep into the lives of the Chase sisters, and all are essential for the novel's unexpected conclusion. It is positively engrossing (I missed the finals of the US Open while reading this, grrr) and for the first time I began to realize that perhaps Atwood was right all along: she is a great writer.

warning, this review is written assuming the reader has read the book already!
In The Blind Assassin, the narrator, Iris Chase, apologizes for not describing Richard well. This may be true, but I think the person that she Should be apologizing for is her sister Laura. Throughout the book, Laura was depicted as this otherworldly character that had her head in the clouds with God, was forced to deal with molesting teachers, and sought refuge with fantasies about a man she loved but never posessed. Maybe it was because of the fact that Laura was so ethereal and dreamy that I never connected with her. But from the beginning Laura is never given a voice. (sorry for the spoilers) In the beginning I thought that I would be learning about the two sisters simultaneously, but in fact i was only hearing Iris's life.
Atwood plays with different voices throughout the book. She takes on Alex's persona with a fantasy story that is woven throughout the book. Although they may seem to be completely arbitrary, they are infact relevant to Iris and how she became who she was at the end of her life. Atwood also takes on the voice of the older Iris, telling about the life of the Chase family. The beginning section of the book about the history of the Chase family was lacking. I found myself trying to skim over their histories to go to the fantasy stories concocted by Alex. Their relevance to the story didn't justify the amount of space they took up in the book. I found Atwood's voice of the young lover, Iris, to be the most fascinating. In the beginning I was confused by the different images i had of Laura; one image of her through the Blind Assassins tory, and the other image of her as described by the elderly Iris. However by the end I figured out that it was Iris who wrote the story, and that made me want to read it over again and search out the details that made it hers.
cons:
-I thought that parts of the book dragged on for too long. They didn't have enough importance to the book and distracted from the main purpose. The book was not plot driven, but instead more of a artistic portrait of the life of an imperfect family. However, some parts were Very boring and didn't grab my attention. I fell asleep several times during these chapters.
-Many of the characters are two dimentional and without any depth. I would have liked to learn more about Laura.
-There were some indications of feminist man-bashing in the fantasy stories as well as the depictions of powerful men in Iris's world.
Pros:
-Very well written. Atwood is able to manipulate language to the highest level and create images that take on meaning throughout the book. She draws out objects in her chapters to name the chapters, and is able to make them count for something. She is able to write about Iris in a way that makes the reader care about her and understand her to a degree. Iris is not perfect in any sense, but that makes her more real and tangible.
-Atwood is able to surprise the reader every so often. Since Laura is never understood, her revelations at the end of the book are complete surprises to me, althoughsome hints were given.

Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin is a book filled with twists and turns and is a must read. The Blind Assassin is one of the best thought out and laid out novels I've ever encountered as its sub-novel, main novel shifts, characters and connection with her brilliant past works make this book a great reading experience.

The shift from the main novel to the sub novel is immaculately written. There are two stories that are followed in this novel as a sub-novel, also called the Blind Assassin, is tracked. The fact that the two stories put into one big story is done so seamlessly is amazing and downright genius of Margaret Atwood.

The character development makes this a much more enjoyable read. Characters like Iris Chase Griffin, Laura Chase, Richard Griffin and Winifred Griffin Prior are developed so well and let the reader connect emotionally with the novel. From Iris and her horrible life experiences to Richard and his selfish, greedy ways the reader can't help but bring these characters to life in their head.

The connection to her past novels is evident as her writing style can't be mistaken. She, like the Handmaid's Tale, leaves this novel on an open note and leaves it up for the reader to decide on how the story ends. This is the type of writing that has gotten Margaret Atwood the recognition she deserves. Truly a great author in a time where reading isn't given much thought to anymore.

The Blind Assassin is a must read that is harder to put down as the story unfolds. It is rather hard to get into it initially but once the reader is in, they can't get out because they just wouldn't want to.

As the manager of a busy inner city bookstore, I read quite a few books in a year. This was my absolute gem for 2000.
The Blind Assassin is a very different story, mixing pulp sci fi with mystery, early 20th Century romance and scandal. A fantastically explored piece, The Blind Assassin proves the Booker Judges once again gave the top nod to the right person, particularly as this was the third time Atwood was nominated for the award.
Read and enjoy.

I love Atwood's books, but this one in particular is pure genius. A book so intricate, so tightly woven! I admit that the beginning was quite slow going, but around page 182 the book took off and the payoff was so worth it. Everything around me disappeared while I was reading this book.

I feel like I might want to read it again to capture everything that I missed.

I highly recommend!

The Blind Assassin was a very interesting book. I was intrigued by it from the start of page one to the end of page five hundred and twenty one. It was a pleasure to witness the metamorphosis that Iris undergoes. Her character had been through so much in one lifetime. The way that she handles everything is amazing.
Even though I was very intrigued by the book I was also very confused. I do not understand how some of the "beyond this world" stories related to the overall book. I felt like they were not that important to the overall theme. If they did relate to the theme I must have missed. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to other people to read.
Even though I was very intrigued by the book I was very confused. I do not understand how some of the "beyond this world" stories related to the overall book. I felt like they were not that important to the overall theme. If they did relate to the theme I must have missed.
In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to other people to read. You would probably have to read this book a couple of times to understand it. I give it four out of five stars.

To any Atwood fans out there (and I'm one of them), reread one of her other books! Ultimately, the failure is in the main character. Iris is not likable, interesting nor even despicable. It's impossible to see how she could arouse any sort of passion in anyone - including apparently, Atwood herself. I forced myself to plod through hoping for redemption by the book's end. I didn't get it. Boring and ultimately not believable. Margaret, try to have more fun next time. Feels like this was written as an exercise in narrative rather than creativity.

i agree with the reader who said this book deserves a 6th star and the one who said she couldn't get into it. it is a slow starter--never awful, in fact, always of interest, but as i couldn't identify with the protagonist initally it took a long time before i really became caught up in it, but long before that i found a wonderful thing happening. i would be sitting drinking tea, holding my cat, looking out a window, cleaning a dish, and there would be a realness and rightness about that moment that i normally miss. by painstakingly observing and telling the life and times of the narrator, atwood allowed me to observe and experience the rightness and beauty in the banal details of my own life. i am so glad i didn't give up, as reader 2 did. it is a brilliant, subtle, phoenix of a book. it never overstates itself. it never jumps up and says GOD, I AM GOOD. it stretches out, gradually revealing layer after layer until the characters, and the reader with them, are completely themselves, in all the regret and simple beauty that we are. i am about to begin it again.

The Blind Assassin deserved the Booker Price and every other accolade it got. It's a
beautifully told, heartbreaking story; populated with convincing characters, set against a
rich and well-researched backdrop.
Add to that story-technique finesse: The narration consists of flashbacks, newspaper
articles and stories within stories within stories. A lesser writer would have lost her
audience (and herself), but Ms Atwood can not only pull it off, but make it an enjoyable,
gripping read. Five stars!

Despite constant urging from my friends and family to read Margaret Atwood's other books, this was my first experience with her writing--it will not be my last. The Blind Assassin was a little hard to follow at first, but very rewarding as the pieces came together. I was surprised by other reviews saying they 'skimmed' or skipped the science fiction portions of the book--I too am not a sci-fi fan, but I greatly enjoyed it in this story and skipping it would have taken away from the "whole picture" of the novel!

Atwood's novel contains a novel within a novel within a novel. In this skillful and complex saga, Atwood weaves her plot and subplots, sprinkling them brilliant foreshadowing and haunting characters.
Her one-liners are engaging, penetrating the reader's consciousness after the book's page has been marked and until further reading. Riveting with suspense, just as her earlier Handmaid's Tale.

To me, "The Blind Assassin" is Atwood at her very best. The story glistens with its different facets without feeling aimless or gimmicky. Every twist, turn, and dive of the plot has purpose, and the characters are full and real. The moments of humor shine against the drama and action, and I appreciated that the ending wasn't the obvious.

No question Margaret Atwood is a wonderful stylist and that she has here written a tour de force in her structuring three stories in one, the stories of Iris and Laura Chase and the science-fiction story within a story, as the lover of both girls, Alex Thomas, tells a gripping tale while making love to Iris. In itself this tale of Alex's could have held my attention if it had not been constantly interrupted to go back to the main tale and, in that interruption, gradually diminished my interest in Alex's story and rendered the main tale slow going.
The main story, Iris's, holds most of one's attention but finally shows that Iris is a woman with little spunk over the early years of her life, thus causing misery for herself and her sister. Yet, this is probably Atwood's aim: not to create a romantic heroine, but to show how we can mess up a life through inaction or what James Joyce would call paralysis.
None of the characters in the novel win our sympathy, with the exception of Laura, who spends most of the time in the wings. Alex Thomas, loved perhaps by both sisters, is an unworthy recipient of anyone's love. And Iris's husband Richard and his sister Winifred are Dickensian villains.
I found myself marking several insightful passages in the novel, but finally the excessively disruptive nature of the story made me take forever to read it and left me with little satisfaction at the end.

Once I figured out which stories belonged where and to whom, I was very comfortable with the style. Of course, Iris is in all three...the SciFi story which I didn't care for and skimmed briefly when it reared its head (matter of taste,) the illicite love affair that went on for many years as a separate element, and, finally, the story of the lives of Iris and her sister.
I found the book to be gripping and I really wanted to find out what was going to happen next. At the heart, it was a mystery and we didn't find out who did what till almost the last page. And then it was a bit of a shock...well maybe not to us, but to Iris.
Margaret Atwood has a way of giving her characters such depth, which is what makes her books win awards and sell millions of copies. I was enthralled with Alias Grace, another mystery, and hoped that Blind Assasin would be as entertaining. I wasn't disappointed.
The book seemed to garner some bad reviews when it first came out and I wasn't sure if I should buy it, but I can't pass up a Margaret Atwood Novel. I knew it would be worthwhile.

Having been a fan of Margaret Atwood for many years, I bought "The Blind Assassin" as soon as it came out. I wasn't disappointed as I found it a wonderfully juicy read, and quite different in style to her other books. It is true to a certain extent that the characters were somewhat lacking in depth, and this is the main reason it didn't get the fifth star from me. However, as the novel progresses and one watches with infuriation and pity as Iris's life unravels due to her ineffectiveness to assert herself or to take control of her destiny, one cannot help being deeply moved.
It's a book which I have lent to my closest friends only, and look forward to rereading next year.

Margaret Atwood, a well-known Canadian poet, novelist, short-story writer, children's writer and editor born in 1939, won this year's Booker Prize for her latest work, The Blind Assassin. It is about time, too - this was her fourth novel nominated for the award. Atwood started writing seriously at the age of sixteen. Now, ten novels later, she has reached a new level of brilliance. The Blind Assassin isn't perfect, but it's breathtakingly close to it.
Thomas Mallon from the New York Times called The Blind Assassin "overlong and badly written". Mallon is simply a victim of the initial inaccessibility of Atwood's most recent work. When reading The Blind Assassin, one gets the distinct feeling that it would exist quite happily with or without the reader - Atwood is giving us a glimpse into the complex world she has created. It is not important that the reader understands the book fully: The Blind Assassin is not created for the sake of the reader. Instead, it has a life of its own. It is a piece of artwork, constructed using a brave new style of literary structure. The seeds of this structure can be found in one of Atwood's previous novels - Cat's Eye, and yet The Blind Assassin is ingeniously imaginative and original.
The Blind Assassin does not follow the usual patterns - it isn't written chronologically; it moves between the realm of science-fiction and reality; it uses newspaper reports, newsletter articles, stories within stories, and multiple storytellers, to enhance the reader's understanding of the characters and their journeys. Considering that the book is made up of a number of supposedly incongruous elements, The Blind Assassin is remarkably coherent. Somehow, it works.
The main story is set in Port Ticonderoga, Canada. It explores the story of the Chase family, owners of the successful, lucrative Button Factory in the area. The Chases have plenty of money - they live in a large, grand house called Avilion, and the daughters of the family, Iris and Laura, are too well off to be allowed to mingle with the poorer children of the neighbourhood.
Their mother dies of a miscarriage when they are both young, and their father is a distant, troubled man who takes little interest in his daughters' lives. Their tutors are either useless or tyrannical - certainly not the sort of people they can turn to for love. Reenie, the live-in housemaid, fulfils in part the girls' need for a mother figure, as does Callista, their father's companion. And yet Iris says, "There were only the two of us...on our thorn-encircled island, waiting for rescue; and, on the mainland, everyone else."
The main body of the novel is in the form of a memoir, written by Iris. She recalls and explores two factors that led to Laura's suicide, as well as Iris' own unhappiness - the love that she and her sister had for a young man, Alex Thomas; and the loveless marriage that Iris' father forced her into to save his business.
The story about the city of Sakiel-Norn, which is intertwined with the main story, needs a good deal of concentration and at least two readings of the book before things start to really make sense. (A few hints for the reader - the literal talk about sacrifice in the city of Sakiel-Norn is linked to the themes of sacrifice in the Chase family's story; and, some of the characters in Laura's novel mirror the characters in Iris' memoir, though perhaps not in the way you'd expect them to).
It's best to read The Blind Assassin all in one hit. If you interrupt the flow of the story for a second, you can become quite lost. It's important to follow all of the threads of the different styles and sections simultaneously. So find a spare long weekend, or better yet, call in sick at work until you've finished. The Blind Assassin can be heavy reading, but with a bit of patience, you'll realise it was all worth it.
Atwood's appeal is far-reaching, however, many of her fans are women. And yet her books aren't just vehicles for pushing the feminist line. Instead, they are genuine, fascinating explorations into the humanness of her female characters. Katherine Viner from the Age Good Weekend writes that "her work is feminist in a much less literal and more mature sense, in that it features women who are good and bad, neat and messy, normal, damaged, whole, human." In other words, Atwood's characters reflect the diversity and complexity of women in the real world. In The Blind Assassin, Atwood explores issues relevant to women today - the importance of love in marriage, sexuality, motherhood, sisterhood and women's rights. She uses the stories of women in different times and realities to speak to the women of today.
Atwood was born into a world still recovering from World War One and the Great Depression, and was alive during the Second World War. Atwood uses these events, and the way they affected people's lives, in The Blind Assassin. She also discusses important issues like global warming, sacrifice, suicide and death, God, and child abuse, to name a few. The book is multitudinous - it covers nearly everything. The Blind Assassin is a must-read for all Atwood fans - it surpasses all of her previous work. If you've never read her books before, find out what you've been missing out on. No reader who enters Atwood's world will leave it unaffected. In fact, if you're anything like this reader, you'll leave it hungry for more. Write on, Margaret Atwood!

Review after reader review gives "The Blind Assassin" four or five stars, praising the fact that it's a slow read, ponderous, convoluted, confusing... More than one reader confesses to having to keep referring back to previous chapters to make sense of the narrative. This is proof of good writing? I'll admit that the writing itself is often beautiful and powerful, but it's all in the service of a long, drawn-out novel with a surprise twist everyone but myself seems to have figured out. I knew there was "something" coming, but when it did (or seemed to) I had to read the same pages over and over to try and make sense of it. The denouement seemed awfully elliptical or cryptic or...maybe just not clearly written. Or would that have been banal? I didn't enjoy the novel-within-the-novel. The most surprising thing in the whole book was Atwood's narrator's admission, toward the end, that one of the characters she's written of came off as a cardboard cutout, not three-dimensional! If only the rest of the book had been as honest. By the time I finished, I was aware of the same feeling I had after seeing "American Beauty": that the style of the piece was more compelling than the content; that the gloss of "art" couldn't, ulimately, keep me from thinking "So what?"

Starting a Margaret Atwood novel is always an adventure... you can't even begin to guess where she'll take you on via what route, but you know you'll love both the journey and the final destination.

This one is no different. You won't necessarily like the characters, but you'll understand (or at least think you understand) what drives them, and the story that unfolds is unexpected, unpredictable, and a joy to read.

What more could you ask for?

This dark tale of family triangles and secrets is at first
confusing and intrigueing. I had a hard time getting into it at first but once I was in the midst of it it became like an addiction. I appreciated her lovely descriptions, details and dynamics. The romance, the death, the family struggles were presented excellently. I could really feel the feelings and emotions of the characters.
I was however very bored with the story line of science fiction parable. I felt that it was completely unnecessary to the story.When I was at those points of the story I wanted to shout WHY!?
The darkness that ensued and never ended was also something I did not enjoy. I was looking for a little brighter outcome. She created the dark characters very believably but yet there needed to be something somewhere to counteract that doom.
The characters needed to have more conflict resolved. It somehow felt incomplete.
If you want to be engulfed in a family's tragic reality from the
very beginning this is your book. These characters were anything but typical. The way the plot moved was nothing if it wasn't intricate. But if you want an easy mellow feel good read this is not yours. If you enjoy resolution and clear cut ideas this is not yours either. Prepare to be melancholy and sullen but seriously taken under and curious as this tale unfolds.

Margaret Atwood is a literary genuis. Her style of writing is well-thought out and descriptive, her plots are fast-paced and exciting, and her characters are realistic and believeable. However, her talent that stands her apart from others is her ability to write several different interweaving plots at the same time, and then combine them together in the end. Nowhere is Atwood's gift better exemplified than in The Blind Assassin.

The Blind Assassin is a good read because Atwood is such a clever writer. She is a master of structure, and The Blind Assassin is truly a gem as far as structure goes. The characters are also interesting and true to life, at first. The book reads like a mystery novel, always keeping you wanting more. Although I knew halfway through who was who, I felt compelled to keep on. So, what's wrong? why only 3 stars? Atwood does not convey emotions. The characters are interesting but not real. I couldn't help but compare this thick novel (two or three trees per book?) to The Bridges of Madison Country which while being so small and simple, engages you and makes you feel every emotion possible. This book leaves you cold or worse, wondering, how can people be like that? How could Iris be so naive and good as to marry Richard, then so wise and deceitful as to meet her lover always with a micky at hand? just doesn't fit. How could he love her as he did while he had nothing of his true self to share with her but his stories? How could Laura really be gotten at by Richard? the whole thing is a work of clever and wonderful structure, but truly lacks emotion. Something was missing as she wrote this.

My guess is The Blind Assassin won the Booker Prize because Atwood does successfully interweave all the different aspects of her storytelling, including the novel within the novel, very well.
But, the book was dull, long-winded and did not hold my attention at all. I normally read a book a day. This book took me over a week to read as I kept picking it up, reading ten pages and shoving it aside. The characters were unlikeable, lethargic and did nothing. Even Iris, who is looking back on her life with regret, didn't really do anything - she just sat there and let everyone else around her have their lives destroyed. But, even then I didn't care enough to even hate Iris, she was just simply there like a whisper of smoke - no substance, no character, no appeal - vaccuous.
I expected much better, not only because of the Booker, but also because I have read all of Atwood's previous books and liked them very much. This was just too long and too uninteresting to hold my attention.
An interesting idea but I think Atwood could have written it in a much more captivating way. Very disappointing.

A fantastic read. Multiple, extremely original story lines, wonderfully realized. Not a book I would have bought for myself, it was a gift, and sat in the study for over a year before I brought it along on a vacation. I had a hard time concentrating on the vacation when we arrived because I wanted to finish the novel. Extremely enjoyable.

I've never been much of a groupie before (I hate to even use that expression), but for the first time in my life, I wish that I could meet this superb author, or even write her a fan letter. Living in the states, in southern California, when I'm originally from the east coast of english speaking Canada, Margaret Atwood is like a childhood "blankie". Sound weird, probably so, but it is such a pleasure to read descriptions and experiences that I feel I've lived myself. The Blind Assasin, as do many of M.A.'s books, has a few strange scenarios, and some surprising twists in the plot, but again the emotions she allows her heroines (and non-heroines) to reveal is gripping and believable. Please, please Ms Atwood, continue...

Ms. Atwood is, simply put, brilliant. Not only is her writing beautiful...but her suspenceful storytelling makes her books as mentally stimulating as they are enjoyable. The Blind Assassin keeps you on your toes from start to finish and the three different storylines keep you interested. A book is a good book when it is one you cannot put down, when you care what happens, when you can't wait to find out what happens...when you feel involved with the characters. The Blind Assassin satisfies all these needs. Margaret Atwood is one of the best contemporary writers there is.

I was turned on to Attwood in school. This is not one of her sci-fi, futuristic stories (which I also enjoy) but a mystery that, although it takes a while to develop, is well worth the wait. I disliked the protagonist until around page 50 or so, and I was glad I kept at it. Her poetry is also great, and very dark.

I greatly enjoyed this book. I loved the way it featured several different writing styles: the novel within a novel, the newspaper/magazine articles, and Iris' narrative. The book included several hints of what was really going on without ever truly coming out and directly saying it until the end. I hated having to put it down. This is the best book that I have read in a while!!

I have just read my first Margaret Atwood novel and am still reeling from its effect. As much of the plot and intricate workings are discussed below, I'll skip that and just say this is not a novel to be missed. I look forward to reading Atwood's other works.

What an amazing book. The plot beckons and the structure intrigues, on the first read, pulling the reader along through the seeming slow spots, glossing over the flatness of the characters. The gradual illumination of an elderly woman's inner life is both touching and wryly humorous. The foreshadowed but still surprising plot twist towards the end, the hopefulness of the ending, is beautifully turned. So satisfying.

But on the re-reading, once the initial puzzles of structure and events are solved, is the real payoff. Who is the actual "Blind Assassin" of the book as a whole? Why are the characters so flat? What are the points of the stereotyping, the unnuanced characterizations. the narrator's lack of depth or insight? Savor the beautiful writing, the intricate structure, and Atwood's mastery of the form, on your second time through, and it will all come clear.

I thought this was a very strange book. Ms. Atwood waves a very complicated plot around a story the point of which does not become clear, because the characters and their motives do not become clear. Before our eyes, great disasters take place, 2 World Wars, the rise and decline of a small town dynasty, secret love, arranged marriages, an abortion, the social upheavals of the twenties, the Big Depression... and yet it does not reach us because all that is important in this story, is not told, not directly. We do not know Alex, for example, what his motives are, what exactly he is running away from, does he love Iris, what does he think? We can suppose he is afraid, in love, an anarchist, a murderer, a rebel... We do not learn about Laura, what really happened between her and Richard. We can suppose she is sad, lonely, special... We do not know anything at all, in fact, about Iris herself, because nearly until the end, she does not participate in what surrounds her, she only reacts, never acts. It is very strange, for example, that she should have been stupified to the point of letting others shut her sister away without even the wink of protest. We can only suppose she is conformist, intimidated, frightened, in love, confused... Instead of reading about the real tings, we only read about what happenes around, before and after them. Laura is - supposedly - raped by her brother in law, but we only see her not eating and taking her coffee outside, to put just one example. I fail to see the point in this technique when the real events must have been immensely touching and interesting.

This book is one of the best books I've read all year. I actually listened to the sound recording - which is wonderful - the female reader is one of the best I've ever heard! Do not be discouraged if you are confused in the first few chapters (or listening to the first tape) - hang in there - it's worth it! Atwood's descriptions of ordinary happenings are made magical by her worthy prose - don't miss this book - and this story! A great Christmas gift - especially the sound recording. Be sure to get the unabridged version.

Get ready for lots of simile, lots of metaphor, lots of imagery and symbols, and lots shady truth wrapper together in an exceptional story. This book was difficult to start, as there is lots of jumping around in context. As the pages turn, however, the story becomes more interesting, and the exposition of what you know from the beginning takes on ever greater color. The only concern, I think, is getting past the start of the book. I know some readers would have trouble with that.

I just read that The Blind Assassin won the Booker prize. While I admit I'm not quite finished with it... I can say that I am enjoying the ride. Literally. I am listening to a book on tape while I drive and find myself sitting in the garage unable to leave my car and go into the house. There are plenty of reviews below. I just want add that this is a well deserved award for Margaret Atwood.

I have never been a huge fan of Margaret Atwood, so I picked up The Blind Assassin with much trepidation. But I was pleasantly surprised when this novel turned out to be a fascinating read. Many have mentioned that the constant shift from first person to the third person narrative of the story within confusing, but it is that characteristic that kept the story moving along. It captivates and manipulates at the same time. Certainly this is not a quick beach read, but something that deserves much more attention than that.

From start to finish, the Blind Assassin keeps you guessing. Through out the novel, Atwood drops hints as to who the mysterious lovers are in the embedded novel of the same name, but you can't really be sure who they are until the very end. However the path to get there is tedious, and although I found the conclusion rather satisfying, the bulk of the novel in between was quite bland and uninteresting.
At first the deviations into science fiction and suspense via the lover's after the deed story telling provides some distraction from Iris' long and boring life, but even this fabricated story becomes too repetitive. Laura Chase is the only character in the novel that was of any interest, her sister Iris and the rest of the cast were cookie-cutter characters with hardly any depth. It was infuriating to passively watch Iris get sold off to her husband, it seems as if she spends her entire life in the passenger seat of a car, she is never driving, and she hardly makes any movement to control the direction she's going in. She rarely does anything for herself- the only major thing she ever does is revealed at the end of the novel. I won't give it away, but then again it's not worth reading 500 pages to discover.
As summer reading, I found it difficult to turn the pages, the plot barely exists and the two page chapters barely sink their teeth into you before you are force fed a fabricated newspaper article that usually has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the book. And then you have to read about Iris going to the restroom in a donut shop.

Having been introduced to works of Margaret Atwood through an English class, I decided to venture on my own to explore the volumes of her work. I had hoped to find the gem that obviously was thought to be in Blind Assassin, considering it had received the booker prize. But once reading through the novel, I was left with nothing significant.
I won't drag on and on like Margaret Atwood's novel to make a simple point, it was too long.
The length itself is not a bad thing, but when the characters and the plot does not extend in proportion to the length, it can be quite tedious. She does still have hits of that wit and humor within this novel, however, her writing style is so consistant that you are better off reading a shorter Margaret Atwood novel for the same effect. Even the ending was some what contrived and predictable. Through the course of reading half of the novel, it gave me enough time to figure out the major twists and endings.
I had such big expectations for such a long novel with so many awards... but now I see, sometimes, less is best.

Many others have said most of what I wish to say about this wonderful book. I am a guy who, perhaps like all guys, never understood the internal dialogue of a woman. Iris, whose memoir constitutes the bulk of the book, is no hero, no victim, rather a good person who finds herself victimized by her own choices. I have a clearer picture of how she made sense of the world and ultimately of the layers of underlying truth, and this gives me a small opening into understanding women.

The Blind Assassin is the first book I've read by Margaret Atwood, and I must say, it was excellent. Although I am usually not fond of a plot that leaves the reader guessing throughout (mostly because the author fails, and I know "who done it" right away), THIS novel kept me guessing right up until the end.
Atwood does an incredible job of telling a story within a story (within a story), being careful not to slip and give away the ending. She seems to have a knack for getting the reader to really care for her characters. I will certainly be reading more by this author!

I was not sure about this for the first 25 pages. I had trouble keeping track of the interweaving of stories: Iris's story from her childhood viewpoint, from her viewpoint as an old woman, the secret story, the newspaper record for background, and the fiction of the blind assassin all end up coming together with amazing power. Stick with this, Atwood is amazing.

I was a bit disappointed as I read the other reviews for this book; many of them were so negative. I highly recommend this book. I did not think it was overly complex and garbled. I found it to be comfusing at first, but I just kept reading and all of a sudden, I had been drawn into an incredible story. This is a great book.

I was lent a copy of The Blind Assassin by a friend who didn't want to give me her opinion before I'd read it myself. I found it difficult to read because Atwood would jump from character to character without making it obvious who was, at that point, telling their story. About halfway through, I finally got the feel of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the remainder.
Afterwards, however, as a result of going through some of the store.com's Readers' Reviews, I was led to read Atwood's prior novel, Alias Grace. This latter book proved to be a far better story, more well-written and much easier for me to read. As a result, I will continue on with another of her novels.

I absolutely love this book. The characters were almost life like and I could relate to Iris and her family, her aging and her humor. She led an interesting life. Plus that, I enjoyed the concept of 2 novels in one story. It added to depth of the book and characters in it. It was hard to put down.

THIS BOOK KEPT ME ABSOLUTELY SPELLBOUND! THERE ARE MANY TRANSITIONS BUT WITH EACH ONE YOU ARE SWEPT AWAY INTO THE LIVES OF THE CHARACTERS. TRUE TO THE NATURE OF OF OUR OWN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, THERE IS A COMPLEXITY INDIVIDUAL TO EACH ONE. I FOUND HER WRITING TO BE SIMPLE IN READING AND FAST MOVING WITH A PERFECT ENDING. ANYONE WHO READS THIS BOOK WILL BE GLAD THEY DID.

I believed Atwood had attained her acme of story telling in Alias Grace until I read this completely absorbing tale of two sisters. Atwood is such a poet - one cannot escape that when reading her novels. Her sense of humour often arrived at from her powers of observation and a mocking attitude continues to engage my interest in her as one of the greatest Canadian authors.

Picked this up just after The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. A lot of paralells between the two books, both focus on siblings growing up in disfunctional, isolated families. The Blind Assassin unraveles the story in a very obtuse way, so that the whole view is obscured until the very end. A little frustrating, the urge to skip to the back is strong. However it is wonderfully written and a marvelous read.

Margaret Atwood's 'The Blind Assasin' tells the story of Iris Chase Griffin and her prematurely dead sister, laura. The book alternates between the narrative of the aging Iris, which reflects on her past and her sister's, and a novel attributed to her sister, also entitled 'The Blind Assassin'. This novel-within-a-novel tells the story of a secret affair between an upper-class girl and a lower-class man. The identity of the man is discovered through Iris' story, yet Atwood keeps you guessing which sister is his lover until the very end. I loved this book, and Atwood's insights into society and humanity are poignant and true-to-life. I would recommend to anyone interested in reading a good story.

There was no way I could put this down. Atwood's fantastically chosen words and artfully cagey plotline had me riveted. This woman is at the top of her craft. This is a story about storytelling, and each facet of the work is wry, original, and satisfying. Atwood's characters are full of mystery and flaws, and the overlying sadness and melancholy of the book fall over you like a mist, luring you into deep sympathy and deeper thought. In short, the Blind Assassin is a mind-bogglingly good book.

I found this work disappointing. I am a huge Atwood fan, and I found myself struggling through this novel. I could not bear to read the sci-fi Zycron passages. The primary story was a good one, and the ending was fascinating, but this ride was not worthwhile. Read any of her other works before this one -- Alias Grace, Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, Robber Bride.....

Poor little rich girls, one with icewater in her veins one the Immaculate Mary. Communist plots. Tortured artists. Cream colored Bentleys. Raging river. War. Dirty secrets. A sci-fi subplot for good measure. Can't you just see it? Atwood weaves it all together masterfully, if a little tediously.

It was too confusing.The dates go from 1945 to 1975 then to 1998 then it goes back to 1934 and 1935.Then some of it was pretty good. It is a sad story about a girl named Isabel and her parents die and she has to take over the family busines.She goes through all these depressing times.Then she meets a guy.This guy is really set out to kill her.So will she die or not that is for you to find out. I didnt like the book maybe you might enjoy it.

This is a book for people who love mysteries, but this one is not for me.

After reading about 300 pages the "complicated" plot twists had all been straightened out, and the only reason to drudge through the remainder of the book was the hope of coming across more of Atwood's occasionally poignant passages. The novel does cover a lot of ground, just not very well. Class tension, blah. The depravity beneath the genteel surface, blah. This is not a novel with incisive observations about life. Which could be excused if the story and characters were engaging. Laura was the only interesting character, but unfortunately, due to the method of narration was only seen sparingly in the second half.
Could have been four stars with 200 less pages and tauter descriptive passages. The story itself would have still been trite, but at least it wouldn't have taken so long to get through. There IS beautiful writing here, it's just stuck in a dull story with mostly dull characters.

ok, so im 17 and just about to graduate highschool, when i was told that i had to read a book for a final project in a major british writer's class. i have never been a fan of reading books, whether for school or pleasure. nothing has ever seen to catch my attention, however once i picked up this book, i couldn't put it down. i know its corny, but that is truely what happened. i had 2 months to read a book; this one was 521 pages long and it only took my 3 weeks to read it. and with it being may, my seniortits has already set in. at first it's very confusing to follow, but once the plots thicken, the stories became very clear. this is a great book, and probably the only book i have ever enjoyed reading for school in the past 12 years. love, mystery and suspense all play a key role in a wonderfully written book. if it can keep a senior's attention one month before graduation, it must be good!!!

If you're expecting this story to be an Atwood classic like "The Handmaid's Tale" or "Oryx and Crake", forget it. The writing is lovely, but...there was no point. I kept asking myself, "What is the point of this? Is there a point?" The story's basically about a (once) well-to-do Canadian family who falls upon hard times, the father persuades the elder sister to marry some rich guy so she'll have a roof over her head, the marriage sucks, the younger sister writes a novel about a couple having a secret affair, and in THAT story the male lover tells the female lover a quasi-sci fi love story that takes place on another planet..so this novel is a sci-fi story within a story within a novel. And, well, there was just no point to it all. Sorry.

This story is truly a masterpiece! Atwood weaves all three narratives successfully and beautifully. Her prose was fluent and witty. I loved her character, Iris, because of her cynicism towards life. It really is a wonderful book. If you haven't read a good book in ages, this is the book you should read. It was a pity the ending was a bit abrupt, but I'm certain it was Atwoods' intention to make you yearn for more. Read this book, other books after this, however, will pale in comparison.

I just finished experiencing The Blind Assassin, and I was truly impressed. What a beautiful book. Even though I am a die-hard Margaret Atwood fiend, I have sometimes been frustrated by the coldness of her novels. I mean, waht's wrong with a love sotry once in awhile? This book was satisfying to read, and its complexity made it even more engrossing. I would recommend this one even to a non-Atwood fan. I think what Atwood manages to do with this book is cross genres (mystery, romance, "literature") and create something very true. I can't wait to re-read it.

Once again if this book was not written by Atwood, it would be produced to be the pure dreck it is. Oh give me a break. Her sister committed suicide. How cunning. I was starved for a book and found the blind assassin. Much to my horror I could not get past the drivel after 100 pages

Given that Atwood's latest is an intriguing novel within a novel; given that it's story-driven and sexy; given that her characters are carefully developed and deliciously flawed; given that she helps us all feel better about the duplicitous lives we lead and lies we tell. All this being true, still, the glory of Atwood's writing is the majesty of her prose, her exacting choice of words and careful research. Clothes, food, architecture, home furnishings - she has the 30s and 40s pegged. Her creative integrity and superb story-telling skills left me breathless as the book hurtled toward its jaw-dropping conclusion.

This is the first book by Margaret Atwood that I've read, but it won't be the last. I absolutely loved it, and I can't wait to read her other books. This so richly deserved the Booker Prize. I had high expectations of this book and it didn't disappoint me at all. Brilliantly written, not one word was out of place. I don't understand all the negative comments about this novel, it was excellent.

I really think that Atwood's books only get better. The Blind Assassin is a great tale- I don't feel cheated by it or as though the ending was stunted.
Atwood blends the past and present as well as Science-Fiction and love to create a unique tale. Worthy of the awards it won, and fascinating to read.

The problem with highly plotted novels is they so often come at the expense of style and plausibility. I nearly gave up on this book, but a friend urged me to keep going for the clever ending. I also liked one of the three strands of narrative - the one which, interestingly, is never resolved.

I'm a slow reader and I wish I'd followed my instincts. The twist at the end comes nowhere close to compensating the general lack of soul in this book. As I say, one of the interwoven stories - a clandestine love affair in which the man is also telling the story of the destruction of an imaginary planet - is good. It's crisp and well written, and you believe in the characters, which is important.

Would it were so in the several hundred other pages. The main narrative is written from the perspective of an old woman looking back over her life. I think Atwood means this character to come across as wry and cynical; but with her constant references to old age, she only manages to be self-conscious and trite. Not to mention self-pitying and passive - the worst qualities available to a protagonist.

I should say that several people I know love this book. But they're the kind of readers who are prepared to put up with cardboard characters, mediocre prose and gaping holes in return for a shiver at the end, I have to assume. If you want the shiver with no sacrifice to quality, try A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I'm sorry but although I think Margaret Atwood is an excellent, imaginative writer, it was an absolute struggle to get through this book. It almost seemed as if she was trying to show how clever and imaginative she could be by writing essentially three stories, all with different tones, but I just found it boring. By page 500 I really had no interest in the characters and finished the book merely because I "come this far" didn't want to give up. Her descriptions of Winifred and Avilion were tedious, the story in the Blind Assassin novel was confused, she spent hundreds of pages covering a very short time frame in her life but then devoted what seems like a page and a half to the Aimee/Sabrina portion of her life. I would skip this one and read Alias Grace instead. It's just as imaginative, it also keeps you guessing, but it is a much, much better book.

I just finished The Blind Assassin. I can't say it was the BEST book I've ever read (that still remains Green Dolphin Street) but I have to say it was the best WRITTEN book I've ever read. Margaret Atwood is absolutely masterful. The way the stories are woven together and her language and syntax - just beautiful. Every page, every paragraph and every sentence is wonderfully thought out and beautifully written.
I would have given it 5 stars but only for one criticism (actually, who am I to criticize!!!) - I wanted to like Iris more and I didn't.

The Blind Assassin was the first M. Atwood book I read. I liked the book so much I ran out and bought two of her earlier books (Alias Grace and The Robber Bride), neither of which I liked at all. Read this book if you want to read a great story with terrific writing. Not to be missed.

I've said it before and i'll say it again, Margaret Atwood is one of the world's greatest living novelists. The Blind Assassin is an amazing story, mixing crime and science fiction and pseudo biography. You will be caught up in the web and desperate to find out the twist. Go! Read! Now!

This book is so mysterious that most readers don't even know it's a mystery until the last 25 pages. If you like nano-nuanced mysteries wrapped in enigmas, you'll love this book. For those with logical minds, particularly males; read the last 25 pages first, so you won't spend the first 100 pages wandering what the blazes is going on. Unless you enjoy caricatures of really bad sci-fi, you can also skip all the chapters on sacrificial maidens and red-panted lizards.

Once you've gotten through the first 100 pages, (if you don't cheat and read ahead) you'll conclude the following:

1. The writing is beautiful.
2. The characters are universally unappealing, especially the two apparently airhead heroines. (They aren't really airheads, but this isn't revealed until the end.)
3. The plot is so plodding it makes the characters look exciting.
4. The egregious sci-fi stuff must have been thrown-in to reach the page minimum.
5. The love scenes are so bad, unless you like sex in garbage, that they should be separately published as preventative tracts for parents of libidinous teenagers.

My theory of this book is that it was a brilliantly designed attempt to win a Booker prize. The formula goes as follows:

1. Be Canadian, they were overdue.
2. Use a politically correct theme : All rich Canadians are either monsters or morons is the result.
3. Make the plot so convoluted and mysterious that half the judges will conclude that this must be great literature.
4. Throw in some weird sci-fi stuff so the other judges will conclude that it must be a new genre.

She's a good writer, too bad she had to write something like this to get the prize. Unfortunately, English teachers love it, and another generation of students will have it forced down their throats until they learn to hate all literature.

Kate, the main character of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, is caught and taken to the school's gymnasium in Gilead, the plot. The gymnasium at this time was called the Red Center. In the Red Center there were women who could bear children, such as Kate. These women are taught to be handmaids. Handmaids are to stay at a house, go through a religious ritual with the man of the house and his wife and bear a child for them, given that the wife may be sterile. Kate is assigned to the Commander's house. The day she arrives, the Commander's Wife, Serena Joy, establishes very understandable rules, such as no talking or any type of contact with her husband. Kate is given another name, Offred, and a room to herself. She must wear a red dress and a hat to cover her face. Offred may not talk to any man nor have any form of relationship with a man. This foreshadows what will happen later on. As days go by, the first ritual arrives. The Commander and his wife are in the living room with Offred. After reading from the Bible and saying a prayer, the three enter the Commander's bedroom and go through the procedures that need to be done. The ritual is brutal yet the three must do it. One night when Offred was sneaking around the house, Nick, the Commander's chauffeur caught her by surprise. Nick kissed Offred, for there is some feeling between the two, and reported to Offred that the Commander wanted to see her secretly in this office the next night. Subsequently, he left. This incident is another one of the many rising actions. The following night Offred went to the Commander's office. This is also another rising action. Unknown of what to expect Offred finally knew why he wanted her there. The Commander wanted to befriend her. In doing so, the Commander played Scrabble, allowed her to read magazines, and after many visits, he gave her some hand lotion. Then one night, the Commander took Offred out to a private club, Jezebel. Then, the succeeding occurrence leads to the climax. The Commander takes Offred to a room and reveals her how true sexual intercourse is. Some time later, Serena Joy discovers what Offred has done by realizing there was lipstick on the clothes that Offred wore at Jezebel, which actually belonged to Serena Joy. This, personally, is the climax. Offred, unknown of what will be done to her now awaits in her room. Finally, the Eyes's van pulls up in the driveway. The Eyes are the secret police of Gilead, but these Eyes differ. These Eyes are rebels in disguise. This is the falling action. Nick is also part of these rebels and informs Offred to go with them. Offred leaves in the van and escapes with Nick. The Commander and his wife are left open-mouthed for they did not call the Eyes. This is the resolution of this novel.

Last night my bookclub discussed The Blind Assassin, and everyone enjoyed the selection, however, there was one specific area we could not agree upon. The question is regarding the words Laura wrote in the Mathematics notebook that Iris discovered. This is in part XIV and begins "Avilion, no. No. No. Sunnyside. No Xanadu, no. No. Queen Mary, no, no. . . ." A few of us concluded that this was a tally of the times that Laura was forced by Richard, there were a couple of us that disagreed but could not offer another explanation. I am curious as to what other readers derived from this passage.

I can already tell this will be among my favorite books for the year, maybe because you get three stories in one, and Margaret Atwood is masterful at interweaving them. Plot, language, charaterization, it has them all.

There are two things I really liked about this novel: it is difficult to draw obvious parallels between the main narrative lines; and, the main character is not easy to like -- my sympathy for her is hard won. These may not seem like positive attributes, but they are important aspects of a book that I won't soon forget. I liked this novel's complexity, it's richness of character, and it's mystery. And as a Torontonian, it was nice to see some Canadian place-names in there!

After I finished A Handmaid's Tale, I was truely impressed with Margaret Atwood's writing style and innovative storyline. When I finished the Blind Assassin, I found myself compelled to reread it immediately. Atwood's unique Pulp Fiction style novel about a woman, her sister and their combined experience in a world of priveledge and deceit deserves the Booker Prize. It has to be one of the best books I have ever read.

Reading The blind assassin is an unforgetable experience.
Atwood's prose is fascinating. The book is a useful catalog of witty and savory quotations about life and relationships. The passage where Iris and Laura's mother dies is so delicate and beautiful, that I had to close the book for a while just to recover my breath. It is my first Atwood novel but it is not going to be the last. English is not my first language and, therefore, some pages were a real challenge. Well, the rewards were just incredible. Don't miss it.

I listened to this on cassette tape. After the first three tapes I realized that the author was telling a story from the first person way too much. There is a rule in writing good fiction, show not tell. She had to tell a lot since it was first person, but she could have did more showing to make it more interesting.
After the third tape, I resolved to listen to the last tape, number eleven, and then pick back up with number four. This was to see if she was going anywhere. She wasn't. I found out that the other tapes were essentially useless. I missed a little plot development, but not much. I'm not going to listen to the other tapes.
A good editor would have told her to cut this novel in half, then it might have kept the readers attention.
On the plus side, she's a good writer with a good style. I might pick up another of her novels and try again.

the reviews for this book were so great that I had to read it. I found though that it was choppy, i couldn't figure out what was going on, and it was terribly difficult to read. However, if you get through it you are dying to know who's who and whats what and why it all happened. Didn't really like the sci-fi stuff mixed in...personal opinion there.
all and all good, but not as good as everyone said.

If you thought "The Handmaid's Tale" was intricate, convoluted, passionate and terrifying, wait until you pick up "The Blind Assassin," get into its tale-within-a-tale, travel through the decades with the chilly narrator Iris, and come out on the other side weeping uncontrollably for someone, something, anything.
This highly recommended Atwood latest is a novel of silences, ambition, madness, lust and secrets. Don't read it if you're contemplating a family reunion.

Once again Margaret Atwood truly delivers a stunner of a novel.In The Blind Assassin Atwood not only delivers 1 but 2 equally intersting stories-1 a woman looking back on her life and the other a sci-fi novel written by her sister before her untimely death.The novel truly begins to pick up speed when Atwood introduces us to the girls' later lives,and what became of them as they grew.When the end comes,you can truly sympathize with all that happened to the main character.In all,a truly unmissable read.

There are two things I really liked about this novel: it is difficult to draw obvious parallels between the main narrative lines; and, the main character is not easy to like -- my sympathy for her is hard won. These may not seem like positive attributes, but they are important aspects of a book that I won't soon forget. I liked this novel's complexity, it's richness of character, and it's mystery. And as a Torontonian, it was nice to see some Canadian place-names in there!

After I finished A Handmaid's Tale, I was truely impressed with Margaret Atwood's writing style and innovative storyline. When I finished the Blind Assassin, I found myself compelled to reread it immediately. Atwood's unique Pulp Fiction style novel about a woman, her sister and their combined experience in a world of priveledge and deceit deserves the Booker Prize. It has to be one of the best books I have ever read.

Reading The blind assassin is an unforgetable experience.
Atwood's prose is fascinating. The book is a useful catalog of witty and savory quotations about life and relationships. The passage where Iris and Laura's mother dies is so delicate and beautiful, that I had to close the book for a while just to recover my breath. It is my first Atwood novel but it is not going to be the last. English is not my first language and, therefore, some pages were a real challenge. Well, the rewards were just incredible. Don't miss it.

I listened to this on cassette tape. After the first three tapes I realized that the author was telling a story from the first person way too much. There is a rule in writing good fiction, show not tell. She had to tell a lot since it was first person, but she could have did more showing to make it more interesting.
After the third tape, I resolved to listen to the last tape, number eleven, and then pick back up with number four. This was to see if she was going anywhere. She wasn't. I found out that the other tapes were essentially useless. I missed a little plot development, but not much. I'm not going to listen to the other tapes.
A good editor would have told her to cut this novel in half, then it might have kept the readers attention.
On the plus side, she's a good writer with a good style. I might pick up another of her novels and try again.

the reviews for this book were so great that I had to read it. I found though that it was choppy, i couldn't figure out what was going on, and it was terribly difficult to read. However, if you get through it you are dying to know who's who and whats what and why it all happened. Didn't really like the sci-fi stuff mixed in...personal opinion there.
all and all good, but not as good as everyone said.

If you thought "The Handmaid's Tale" was intricate, convoluted, passionate and terrifying, wait until you pick up "The Blind Assassin," get into its tale-within-a-tale, travel through the decades with the chilly narrator Iris, and come out on the other side weeping uncontrollably for someone, something, anything.
This highly recommended Atwood latest is a novel of silences, ambition, madness, lust and secrets. Don't read it if you're contemplating a family reunion.

Once again Margaret Atwood truly delivers a stunner of a novel.In The Blind Assassin Atwood not only delivers 1 but 2 equally intersting stories-1 a woman looking back on her life and the other a sci-fi novel written by her sister before her untimely death.The novel truly begins to pick up speed when Atwood introduces us to the girls' later lives,and what became of them as they grew.When the end comes,you can truly sympathize with all that happened to the main character.In all,a truly unmissable read.

All I need to say is I loved this book. I haven't read any of Atwood's other books but soon will. This was a book club choice and I read it over a weekend. I loved the intricate timelines, plot and suspense of it. Great book that I have since reccomended to friends.

Atwood writes very well. That's the good news. However, the story is dull, depressing, slow-moving, and obvious--yes, obvious. Virtually all of the plot twists are telegraphed so completely that the book's surprises come as no surprise at all. As the narrator unfolds her life, it is so pathetic and, honestly, uninteresting that one should admire Atwood's fortitude in completing the manuscript. But if you think a famous author and a famous prize make a book worth reading, you're as mistaken as I was! Learn from my mistake!

The Blind Assassin keeps you enthralled from the first page to the last. It is impossible to put this book down. Margaret Atwood artfully captures the period of the thirties and forties, the folly of young women, the reflection of old women, and the style and mannerisms of all three. This book within a book within a book is so tightly woven, so perfectly designed,, that the reader is able to flow seamlessly from one story to the next. Atwood is a master of literature and I am in suspense for her next novel.

Margaret Atwood has a rare encylopedic knowledge of what people find interesting and her books are a testament to that. This particular book allows you to read it without giving away any clues to the ultimate plot-twist. There's no hokey feminism in the strength of her female characters. The sci-fi "novel within a novel" is appealing to even those who despise sci-fi.

I have not read Atwood before but I am sure this can't be her best work. I kept hoping that Iris would cease being the persecuted victim. I realized by page 400 that this would not happen. I skipped the ending of "The Blind Assasin" (which was probably more interesting than Iris' life) because I just couldn't take reading this book anymore. With the exception of Iris, who is not likeable, the rest of the characters felt like strangers. What do we really know about Laura, Richard, Winifred, or Alex??? Perhaps it is Atwood's style being lost on me, but I found it frustrating that she spent so little time on the events that shaped Iris' life (her arranged marriage, giving up her daughter, Laura's suicide) and yet page after page on gray detail.

This book is one of the best books I've read all year. I actually listened to the sound recording - which is wonderful - the female reader is one of the best I've ever heard! Do not be discouraged if you are confused in the first few chapters (or listening to the first tape) - hang in there - it's worth it! Atwood's descriptions of ordinary happenings are made magical by her worthy prose - don't miss this book - and this story! A great Christmas gift - especially the sound recording. Be sure to get the unabridged version.

The Blind Assassin is honestly one of the most wonderful novels that I've ever read. I finished it almost 1 month ago and I still am unable to get it off my mind. I went through a two week period without reading because nothing else could compare and it was so frustrating! Finally I just gave in, went to the bookstore and bought Cat's Eye, Alias Grace and Oryx and Crake. Cat's Eye is breathtaking. Margaret Atwood is incredible.

I must have missed something, because I just don't get much more disappointed in a book than I was in The Blind Assassin. I have both loved (The Haidmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride)and hated (Alias Grace) Atwood's other works. This falls into the "hate" category. It was never interesting and not particularly well written. The science fiction story was just plain painful. Was the "surprise" really much of a surprise? I'm rarely disappointed in Booker Prize winners; what happened here?

I usually love Margaret Atwood's books, but this one is the exception. The lack of compassion, the lack of common sense, the lack of warmth in all the characters throughout the book becomes, frankly, infuriating. We are not mute virgins. We are strong, smart women. Educated. Independent. I am going to re-read Atwood's Surfacing and try to forget all about monstrous Iris, the blind assassin, killing off what she can't even see that she has.

I was drawn to the book because of the author's reputation and the book's award. Who am I to give the book less than 5 stars? Well, it might be great literature but I was just not mesmerized by the story itself. In general, I think it is probably appreciated more by a female audience. Multiple fictional, romantic tales (primarily set around WWII) interweave and converge, compelling you to consider how you would respond to similar circumstances and pressures. This is not a mystery-thriller but a mystery does develop. The fact that you can solve the mystery does not detract from its impact.

I brought the hard bound edition when "Blind Assassin" was released and couldn't get into it. Having read your review (the store) and the reviews of those readers who have finished incouraged me to try again. Three hundred pages down and two hundred to go and loving every minute. I'm glad I read the customer reviews before shelving this book forever.

The first short chapters of the book put me off, but I persevered because the author is Margaret Atwood, I had recently read another book of hers I liked, and Atwood can't write a bad sentence. It starts with a newspaper article, then a man and a woman at a picnic and then an assignation, neither ever named. This is because, I believe, Atwood wanted to keep us wondering at first who they were, and later which of the two sisters was with the sketchy man they both were drawn to sexually. The main narrator is the older sister, Iris, and the timeline hops back and forth between her and her sister Laura's youth, Iris's young adulthood, and Iris's old age. The blind assassin is the title of a story the male lover tells during the assignations--much later we find out he writes pulp science fiction to earn a little money. Never enough to support him--his radical friends do that. At first we think he is only telling the story to his lover, who we suspect is Iris, something confirmed far into the book--or was he also telling it to Laura, which we are halfway led to believe close to the end of the book. Which would mean he was being with both sisters separately. The story begins in the pre-World War I era, moving forward through Iris's life. The cover of the book, intriguing because it appears the woman on it has an amputated arm--or does she?--doesn't have anything to do with anything in the book. It just wants to make us read it, trying to find out... A misleading joke by the artist or the publisher. Maybe even Atwood. It is a project to read--quite long and in very small print, for those who have trouble with that.

This book is a true masterpiece and testament to Margaret Atwood's brilliance as a writer and storyteller. The blended plot lines and intermingling of science fiction with reality keep you hooked from the very beginning.

Beyond it being extremely well written, rich in language and content, the story itself is incredibly moving.

Read it, you'll love it.

I liked this book a lot, however, I didn't love it.
The premise of the book was great, and I really enjoyed the "novel within a novel" writting.
My biggest complaint is that it reminded me of those movies where there's no way to really say that the obscure guy did it, but you feel that way, and so just kinda ruins the end when the guy actually DID do it.
My other complaint has absolutely nothing to do with the book--it has to do with the cover artwork. If the person it's supposed to represent is blond, why draw a brunette? But then, I had the same problem with the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books.

While the way in which the narrative is presented is complex and novel, I found that the story itself got bogged down at times and was rather tedious. I finished the book and, having pieced together the convoluted story, felt that it had not really been worth my time or the 500+ pages.

I am reviewing the audiobook version of this novel. It has become my second favorite audiobook of all time (my first is The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell). In fact I finished it last week and began it again this week. I got to work this morning (70 miles) and don't even remember the trip and this is on my second listening. The story is compelling and the reader is excellent.

Ms. Atwood has a very vivid imagination and she is able to make the reader see and feel all the emotions that the characters feel. Whenever I finish one of her books I want to discuss it immediately with someone and to double check that I did not "miss" any part of the story. I get so involved with her books that I try to read faster to see what happens. Then I am sorry when it ends but there is nothing left to explore. She has done it all. Amazing!

... Tons of languid, artful description, but not much movement, epitomizes the self-indulgent plague of modern literature: too many pages for not enough plot.
The novel inside the novel is even more of a snoozer, and the sci-fi story inside the inner novel is a total waste of time...Stan Jones
Anchorage, Alaska

When I read The Blind Assassin, I had never before read any of Margaret Atwood's novels. Consequently, I was not sure what to expect. However, Atwood's intricate style and carefully planned plot soon stunned me. Her masterful intertwining of the past, the present, and the novel within the novel was flawless, as was her character development. Rarely has a story touched me to the extent that this one has.