Alias Grace

Atwood's writing style is unconventional, switching from third to first person while narrating from Grace's perspective and Simon's. She writes the first person (Grace) in the common writing style of the day with run-on sentences and lots of punctuation ... I found that a little hard to get used to. Typical Atwood style, she flips from the story to poetry and other miscellany to add interest...more

Atwood's writing style is unconventional, switching from third to first person while narrating from Grace's perspective and Simon's. She writes the first person (Grace) in the common writing style of the day with run-on sentences and lots of punctuation ... I found that a little hard to get used to. Typical Atwood style, she flips from the story to poetry and other miscellany to add interest (if you can tolerate that in fiction/novels ... ) The historical context is quite fascinating and I particularly liked the "true Canadian crime" approach - I want to visit Richmond Hill next time I'm in Toronto! Overall a well written, really good story.   hide

An interesting tale with a slow build-up. Everything the reader knows about the crime comes from Grace's thoughts as she relays the backstory to a psychologist, who has himself a story, though not quite so interesting as Grace's. Atwood brings up a lot of issues to think about here; how women were (and are) treated in the justice system and in society, the balance between good and evil, and most...more

An interesting tale with a slow build-up. Everything the reader knows about the crime comes from Grace's thoughts as she relays the backstory to a psychologist, who has himself a story, though not quite so interesting as Grace's. Atwood brings up a lot of issues to think about here; how women were (and are) treated in the justice system and in society, the balance between good and evil, and most importantly, the consciousness vs. the soul. Are they one and the same? Are they two different things? Could you have more than one soul, as some people have more than one consciousness in the same body? Not a gripping read, but the characters will remain in your thoughts after the book has shut.   hide

a masterpiece of suspense and intrigue

Great Story, great writing, well done again, Margaret.

Brilliant. Hard to put down.

I absolutely adored this book ... until the end. Atwood has a bad habit of ruining her books with the last chapter (take the Edible Woman for example.) In the case of Alias Grace the narrative become downright creepy, but with a distinctly different tone than the creepiness that flavours the rest of the novel. To say any more would spoil the ending, and perhaps turn potential readers away from an...more

I absolutely adored this book ... until the end. Atwood has a bad habit of ruining her books with the last chapter (take the Edible Woman for example.) In the case of Alias Grace the narrative become downright creepy, but with a distinctly different tone than the creepiness that flavours the rest of the novel. To say any more would spoil the ending, and perhaps turn potential readers away from an otherwise good read. Because other than the ending, this period piece is completely engrossing with interesting characters and a perplexing mystery. Atwood teases the reader with clues along the way but nothing prepares you for the solution. Despite the strength of this novel, it exists largely in the shadow of Atwood's more prolific work.   hide

As I started reading "Alias Grace" I was thinking how, unlike everything I've read thus far by Ms. Atwood, this one was going to be the clunker of the batch. I'm not too thrilled with "period piece" novels (unless written in that day, and even so...not something I'd choose to peruse whilst stretched out by the pool sipping a margarita). Yet, she won me over again: her account of a teenage...more

As I started reading "Alias Grace" I was thinking how, unlike everything I've read thus far by Ms. Atwood, this one was going to be the clunker of the batch. I'm not too thrilled with "period piece" novels (unless written in that day, and even so...not something I'd choose to peruse whilst stretched out by the pool sipping a margarita). Yet, she won me over again: her account of a teenage girl accused of murder in the 1840s in Canada hooked me in and didn't let go. When (in the end notes) Ms. Atwood explains it was a fictionalized acount of a very real story, I stood in awe of how much I really enjoyed the book. My only quibble is the one I've found with all of her books: she sometimes gets a little to lost in relating the tiniest minutiae, some of which is a tad bit irrelevant to the plot. Overall, "Alias Grace" is a well-structured, compelling, even haunting look at a girl's coming of age while growing up poor, thrown in jail for murder, and languishing in prison in the 19th century. It sounds quite bleak and lurid, but it's often times quite meditative and hopeful.   hide

My favorite book in the universe.

Alias Grace is not Atwood's most popular novel, but it was one that was mentioned at an English teacher conference as a "must read" and as a possible contemporary literature teaching piece. This book has a lot of "deeper, inner, hidden" meaning which makes it very difficult to say that there is a right interpretation. Alias Grace is based of a historical incident from the...more

Alias Grace is not Atwood's most popular novel, but it was one that was mentioned at an English teacher conference as a "must read" and as a possible contemporary literature teaching piece. This book has a lot of "deeper, inner, hidden" meaning which makes it very difficult to say that there is a right interpretation. Alias Grace is based of a historical incident from the 19th century and Atwood weaves some of the actual artifacts and resources into the storyline. It is a very detailed, descriptive, and figurative account of a young woman's life and the effects she has on all she comes in contact. She is accused of murder and as she is being evaluated in the Penitentiary, she proves to be the ultimate unreliable narrator. I think I had more of a sympathetic feeling toward Grace and her circumstances, but after discussion, it is obvious that she manipulates her company, and especially men, well. The book sheds light on the "women issues" of the day and the literal imprisonment of Grace is a testiment to this. I enjoyed the read and because it is a "murder mystery," I found myself questioning her statements, truth, and stories through the detailed imagery of the novel. Atwood had many motifs in the story and I am still thinking about what the representation or symbolism could be with these references. Overall, it was an interesting read and it made for great discussion!   hide