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The Blind Assassin
The Blind Assassin
Author: 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 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 i...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780385720953
ISBN-10: 0385720955
Publication Date: 8/28/2001
Pages: 544
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 502

3.8 stars, based on 502 ratings
Publisher: Anchor
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

SG avatar reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 25 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
I just loved this book. There were times when it seemed it might get a little hard to follow, since, as many of the reviewers have noted, it really is (at least) 3 stories wound together. At first it may not seem clear what Atwood is getting at by intertwining these very different stories, particularly the science fiction-y one, but eventually I came to understand that each of the disparate pieces shed light on each other, and especially on the narrator. Without giving too much away - since part of what made the book so spellbinding was the various twists and revelations - I would say this is a classic example of an "unreliable narrator" story. The narrator is initially pretty unlikable, but as the story unfolds, you become aware of the events that have shaped her into what she is. I think I remember that the book started out a bit slow, but by the end, I was eating it up and trying hard to resist flipping to the last page. A wonderful book, beautifully written, and very unique. I would highly recommend it to book clubs, too, as I think people could have many different takes on what happens, and what they think of the various characters. I could see how some people might lose patience with it, but for me, it ended up being one of the best books I've read in awhile.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 18 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
In The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood presents her readers with a novel-within-a-novelor, more accurately, a story told within a novel within a novel. This complex interweaving of multiple narratives draws the reader forward through a dramatic and turbulent tale of love, betrayal, and death, while simultaneously using its structural puzzles to reconsider the act of storytelling itself. The effect is mesmerizing.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on
Helpful Score: 4
This novel is considered Atwood's strongest and most profoundly entertaining work, in which three wonderfully rich stories weave together, gradually revealing through their interplay the secrets surrounding the entire Chase family -- and most particularly the fascinating and tangled lives of the two sisters. The Blind Assassin is a brilliant and enthralling book by a writer at the top of her form.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This is a very unusual book. It is 3 plot lines woven into a single story. Plus there is a science fiction story to boot. It kept switching between modern times and the 30's and 40's. You would think it would get tiresome but it really was easy to stay attached. I really enjoyed the mystery of it. You really weren't sure of the outcome until right up to the very end. Hints were dropped throughout the book. But you still weren't sure. She was very good at weaving history into it too. It was a nice relaxing read.
quilty45 avatar reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 100 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Excellent book! Little slow in the middle but keep reading, it's worth it. The prose is beautiful.
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Hophead avatar reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 285 more book reviews
Perhaps the reviews printed on the cover misled me and I expected too much, but overall I was disappointed in this book. It was well-written, but the characters did not interest me. The ending was predictable yet still somehow satisfying. Definite mixed feelings about recommending this book.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on
This book has three story lines that are woven together very well. Atwood is one of my favorite authors, and she did not disappoint me this time. I especially liked the ending, which was unexpected!
reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 2 more book reviews
Absolute loved it. Well-written, and convincing.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 100 more book reviews
Very well read by Margot Dionne. Good story.
GrannyGamer avatar reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 153 more book reviews
UNABRIDGED, 18 HOURS

I almost gave up on this book because I found the beginning too slow and convoluted, but I stuck with it and by the end, I couldn't stop listening to it.

Yes, there are times that Atwood is too in love with her own words and goes on and on, over-stuffing the prose with far too many similes. I doubt if I would have READ the print version, but the narrator did such a marvelous job that I enjoyed just listening to her read, and appreciated most of Atwood's language.

The story itself is interesting, with stories within stories and several well developed characters, with an ending that may or may not surprise you, but is very satisfying.

By the way, ignore the "tags" someone put on this book that describe the box and the tapes. Some people still don't understand that those comments don't necessarily apply to the book being offered!
reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 57 more book reviews
A fairly interesting story, but WAAAAAAY drawn out.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on
Excellent story.
mokie avatar reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 10 more book reviews
Another personal favorite. I just read this one this past Spring and loved it. It keeps you entertained and gripped to the storyline.
Tells the story of two sisters growing up in Ticonderoga, Canada before WWI. One sister kills herself by driving her car over a cliff and the other sister is left to pick up the pieces and unravel the mystery of her Sister's death.
reviewed The Blind Assassin on + 141 more book reviews
If you want reviews of this book, go look at the "Hardcover" edition. Which isn't really hardcover. It's an oversized softcover edition that is listed as "Hardcover" because of its weight. That's where all the reviews are lurking.


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