Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (ISBN:0385720955)

English (US)

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		Blind Assassin
	
				(430 reviews)			
(16225 Readers)

			Margaret Atwood		
	
The Blind Assassin opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge." They...more
 The Blind Assassin opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura?s story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a-novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist. Brilliantly weaving together such seemingly disparate elements, Atwood creates a world of astonishing vision and unforgettable impact.   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I'll admit, I didn't read the "sci-fi" novel within the novel. I tried, but was it ever tedious! I'm sure I missed a lot of imagery and clues which would have helped me figure out some of the things that happened in the story, that I honestly didn't see coming. If you skip it like I did, you still have a decent story, with a few surprises along the way. As a few...more
 I'll admit, I didn't read the "sci-fi" novel within the novel. I tried, but was it ever tedious! I'm sure I missed a lot of imagery and clues which would have helped me figure out some of the things that happened in the story, that I honestly didn't see coming. If you skip it like I did, you still have a decent story, with a few surprises along the way. As a few other people have said, though, the ending was just too neat.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I love this story. I love the way it's written, the story itself and story within the story. The protagonist seems to be a very meek housewife, but she finds a way to escape and survive the life that she has been forced to live. I am looking forward to reading more from Atwood.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I didn't really get into this. I found it hard to relate to the main character and felt like significant chunks of the book could have been removed.

People have told me that Atwood is worth persisting with, but I'm not in any hurry to read more at the moment!

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							Taha
						
							few weeks ago						
like chocolate- you want to devour this as quickly as possible and the prose just melts away in your mind..

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							Snotchocheez
						
							few weeks ago						
A densely packed whirlwind of a story, "The Blind Assassin" would be just about perfect except for when Ms. Atwood reverts the narrative to a fictional novel-within-a-novel (called, appropriately enough, "The Blind Assassin") which ultimately explained the amazingly thought out plot of the actual novel, but was incredibly confusing.  The story, told primarily in flashback, examines the accident...more
 A densely packed whirlwind of a story, "The Blind Assassin" would be just about perfect except for when Ms. Atwood reverts the narrative to a fictional novel-within-a-novel (called, appropriately enough, "The Blind Assassin") which ultimately explained the amazingly thought out plot of the actual novel, but was incredibly confusing.  The story, told primarily in flashback, examines the accident (er, suicide) of a woman in the thirties as she drives off a bridge, as told by the older sister of this woman.  I don't think I've read a more imaginative, well plotted novel in quite some time...a little paring here and there would've helped move the story along tremendously.  Still an absolutely fascinating read.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
very pleasurable reading, an intriguing story. but just because there's a novel within the novel, it doesn't mean this is a masterpiece.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This is a haunting book which deals with the morality, selfishness and sacrifice of the rich in 1930s-40 Canada. Should a woman marry a much older rich man to save her own family's legacy? If she is not in love with her husband should she take on a lover? Why can't she love her own child? Is this women to blame for her sister's suicide or is it someone else? These are some of the issues the...more
 This is a haunting book which deals with the morality, selfishness and sacrifice of the rich in 1930s-40 Canada. Should a woman marry a much older rich man to save her own family's legacy? If she is not in love with her husband should she take on a lover? Why can't she love her own child? Is this women to blame for her sister's suicide or is it someone else? These are some of the issues the reader wrestles with when delving into Atwood's wonderfully written novel. While such questions are difficult to answer, after finishing the book, the reader will have a clear answer to the question of whether the main character is likeable or not.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This was one of her best.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I highly recommend reading John Updike's review from The New Yorker.  

"History, that ancient dame, exalted and false."  -de Maupassant

"The novel gets us in his grip and then loosens it and leaves us feeling lost.  Love, throughout, is in insufficient supply, and when it exists is usually in the wrong place.  The cosmos above us and underneath our feet is void; in our...more
 I highly recommend reading John Updike's review from The New Yorker.  

"History, that ancient dame, exalted and false."  -de Maupassant

"The novel gets us in his grip and then loosens it and leaves us feeling lost.  Love, throughout, is in insufficient supply, and when it exists is usually in the wrong place.  The cosmos above us and underneath our feet is void; in our poor neediness we are as carnivorous and blind as the gods."   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I just re-read this book and found it even better, second time around. The mystery was very human and pervasive. Recommend it.

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