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juushikaTitle: The Robber Bride
Author: Margret Atwood
Published: New York: Doubleday, 1993
Page Count: 466
Total Page Count: 35,789
Text Number: 102
Read For: my own enjoyment, checked out from the library
Short review: Roz, Charis, and Tony have been brought together by Zenia: a beautiful, intelligent, manipulative woman that deceives all of them in order to pluck their husbands and lovers out from under their noises. Zenia enjoys the hunt and the chase; once she wins these men, she throws them away. When Zenia returns from the dead, some time after a funeral that all three of them attended, the women recount their life stories and what Zenia did to them and then search for ways to come to terms with her--and to beat her at her own game. Written in Atwood's distinctive writing style, rich with characterization and intricate description, the text is compelling, weaving through time from the present (Zenia's return) back to the past (the women's life stories and what happened to their husbands) and then back to the future (coping with Zenia's return). However, unlike some of Atwood's other novels, this one lacks staying power. The characters are realistic and unique, and Zenia's impact raises some pertinent questions on a range of subjects from life-changing events to women's relationships with men and with other women. The three protagonists, however, split up the book and limit the amount of time that the author can spend with each one, making each story a little more shallow and a little less meaningful; the topic, as well, lacks the relevance and import found in novels like The Handmaid's Tale. The book is a good read, but is far from my favorite Atwood novel and I only moderately recommend it.
Atwood's writing style is an unusual combination of intensive detail and exceptional readability. She follows her characters through everything from daily activities to their life stories, all in unapologetic intricacy. However, the text never gets slow or boring despite this level of detail—a fact that has always surprised me and which makes Atwood's novels swift, often accessible reads. The trio of protagonists puts Atwood's writing style to the test, and it excels, bringing to life characters that are distinctive without being two-dimensional. The writing also weaves in and out of time, running along the present but then dipping back into the past for the bulk of the story. The confused time allows the women's stories, knitting together both their own lives but also Zenia's. While it does make the book a little more difficult to read, it is an essential part of story and character development, and Atwood uses it effectively.
However, for all of the novel's technical skill, it is not as fulfilling or as meaningful as some of Atwood's other novels. For one, the trio of protagonists limits the amount of time that Atwood spends with each. The end of the book is sped up as a result, and the reader knows the characters too well for them to be enigmatic but not well enough for them to be truly compelling, therefore limiting the text. A single protagonist would perhaps allow the author to delve into her life story in more depth and with greater result (as in The Blind Assassin). The subject matter itself—the relationship between women and women, women and men, and act and identity formation—is relevant but not quite as large as topics such as the roles of women in a dystopia (Handmaid's Tale) or the consequences of genetic engineering and playing god (Oryx and Crake). The Robber Bride is well-crafted, but it is not a satisfying read—especially in comparison to Atwood's other novels.
I enjoyed this text, and I do recommend it, but Atwood is so prolific and so many of her other words are more complex or else have a greater impact, so I would recommend them first, and found myself a little bit disappointed by this book in comparison. It's a good read, but it isn't exceptional at Atwood's novels usually are.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Margret Atwood
Published: New York: Doubleday, 1993
Page Count: 466
Total Page Count: 35,789
Text Number: 102
Read For: my own enjoyment, checked out from the library
Short review: Roz, Charis, and Tony have been brought together by Zenia: a beautiful, intelligent, manipulative woman that deceives all of them in order to pluck their husbands and lovers out from under their noises. Zenia enjoys the hunt and the chase; once she wins these men, she throws them away. When Zenia returns from the dead, some time after a funeral that all three of them attended, the women recount their life stories and what Zenia did to them and then search for ways to come to terms with her--and to beat her at her own game. Written in Atwood's distinctive writing style, rich with characterization and intricate description, the text is compelling, weaving through time from the present (Zenia's return) back to the past (the women's life stories and what happened to their husbands) and then back to the future (coping with Zenia's return). However, unlike some of Atwood's other novels, this one lacks staying power. The characters are realistic and unique, and Zenia's impact raises some pertinent questions on a range of subjects from life-changing events to women's relationships with men and with other women. The three protagonists, however, split up the book and limit the amount of time that the author can spend with each one, making each story a little more shallow and a little less meaningful; the topic, as well, lacks the relevance and import found in novels like The Handmaid's Tale. The book is a good read, but is far from my favorite Atwood novel and I only moderately recommend it.
Atwood's writing style is an unusual combination of intensive detail and exceptional readability. She follows her characters through everything from daily activities to their life stories, all in unapologetic intricacy. However, the text never gets slow or boring despite this level of detail—a fact that has always surprised me and which makes Atwood's novels swift, often accessible reads. The trio of protagonists puts Atwood's writing style to the test, and it excels, bringing to life characters that are distinctive without being two-dimensional. The writing also weaves in and out of time, running along the present but then dipping back into the past for the bulk of the story. The confused time allows the women's stories, knitting together both their own lives but also Zenia's. While it does make the book a little more difficult to read, it is an essential part of story and character development, and Atwood uses it effectively.
However, for all of the novel's technical skill, it is not as fulfilling or as meaningful as some of Atwood's other novels. For one, the trio of protagonists limits the amount of time that Atwood spends with each. The end of the book is sped up as a result, and the reader knows the characters too well for them to be enigmatic but not well enough for them to be truly compelling, therefore limiting the text. A single protagonist would perhaps allow the author to delve into her life story in more depth and with greater result (as in The Blind Assassin). The subject matter itself—the relationship between women and women, women and men, and act and identity formation—is relevant but not quite as large as topics such as the roles of women in a dystopia (Handmaid's Tale) or the consequences of genetic engineering and playing god (Oryx and Crake). The Robber Bride is well-crafted, but it is not a satisfying read—especially in comparison to Atwood's other novels.
I enjoyed this text, and I do recommend it, but Atwood is so prolific and so many of her other words are more complex or else have a greater impact, so I would recommend them first, and found myself a little bit disappointed by this book in comparison. It's a good read, but it isn't exceptional at Atwood's novels usually are.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
