2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Margaret Atwood‘s book, The Blind Assassin.


***Please remember to mark spoilers.***

Participants: Alexxy, Kristina, Kristin, SarahKat, Jennifer Lynn

Suggested break down of reading so that you can check in and let us know how you're doing. The following breakdown is purely a suggestion and is therefore not set in stone.

Rather than putting dates for each section I've done it so that it takes into account that not everybody will necessarily have the book at the same time.

Week 1: 80
Week 2: 80
Week 3: 80
Week 4: 80
Week 5: 80
Week 6: 80
Week 7: 80
Week 9: 80

I’m really excited for this one! I bought it 3 years ago and then kept getting sidetracked with other books. I will start by next weekend.

Just started this. I had forgotten about Atwood's lack of quotation marks. I also was reading this while working out at the gym, so my focus was a little off. I like it, and I'll figure out what's going on eventually.

Kristin wrote: "I am pretty sure I won't be able to finish this one this month. Wanted to see if anyone would be interested in turning this into a 2-month read."

2 month’s works for me. I started this weekend but I can go at a moderate pace.

2 months is fine with me also. I have 3 other buddy reads this month, so I can focus more on those. This one is denser than I thought it would be as well.

I have edited the suggested reading pages and have updated my list to extend it into an April buddy read!

Kristin wrote: "There are parts of this story in which the writing is so beautiful and so amazing I stop and re-read it several times. I am in awe of Atwood's writing. But then there are passages that seem to drag..."

I agree with that Kristin. There are some passages that are great descriptions, where I think I need to write that down. However, a lot of this book is dragging for me. The only other Atwood I've read is The Handmaid's Tale which I thought was so amazing that I re-read it less than 3 months after finishing it so I could buy a copy and mark it all up. I thought this would be similar in that regard at least but I find myself zoning out at times in this one.

I'm 42% through the book, and it got returned to the library. I'll check it back out when I'm done with my many other March reads.

Hello there! I am new to your main group and actually, I JOINED the '2018 Reading Challenges Group' simply BECAUSE I saw that there is a Buddy Read for THIS book! I have owned a gorgeous hard copy of Atwood's novel for ages and have yet to read it (I always try to buy + read each book that wins the Booker Prize). So, is it possible to pop in on this thread as I (finally) read this novel? Thanks and I am really digging the vibe of this entire group so far! Cheers! --Jen from Quebec :0)

Jennifer Lynn wrote: "Hello there! I am new to your main group and actually, I JOINED the '2018 Reading Challenges Group' simply BECAUSE I saw that there is a Buddy Read for THIS book! I have owned a gorgeous hard copy ..."

Of course! I have added you to the list of participants! Have fun!

I have moved this thread to the April 2018 Buddy Reads folder!

Kristin wrote: "There are parts of this story in which the writing is so beautiful and so amazing I stop and re-read it several times. I am in awe of Atwood's writing. But then there are passages that seem to drag..."

I just finished Part IV. The story is good so far but I also agree that some parts are a little long winded so it's hard for me to stay focused on the parts Iris narrates. But I feel like the background she's giving is all building up to something so I'm trying to pay attention and not just skim through. I do like the parts with The Blind Assassin inner story and the short articles. They help move the story along.

I finished this over the weekend and I really liked it. It was slow-going there for the first half almost. I will say it was easier to read this alone (when I didn't have a bunch of other books I was focusing on equally) and in a large chunk of time that I could devote to reading.

Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

SarahKat wrote: "I finished this over the weekend and I really liked it. It was slow-going there for the first half almost. I will say it was easier to read this alone (when I didn't have a bunch of other books I w..."

I had to put this down for a while to focus on some other reading commitments, but I have finally finished. I wasn't sure how to rate this book at first because even thought it was interesting, I was slogging through the first 2/3 of the book, but everything came together so well in the end and just the way the book is structured is brilliant. It's definitely story you have to be patient with going in and I wasn't prepared for that initially. But now I kind of want to go back and read it again (skipping over some of the parts though). I think it would be interest to read just "The Blind Assassin" inner story, as it's own book.

SarahKat, your review pretty much captures my sentiments about the book as well.

Some other things that stood out to me (HUGE spoilers if you haven't finished the book): (view spoiler)[I liked reading from Iris's perspective as an elderly woman. Her character was really well done. She was genuine, witty, smart and complex. I thought it was terrible what Iris had to put up with with her marriage to Richard/Winifred, especially since the marriage was futile in it's attempt to preserve her father's business. It was relieving in a way to learn the she was the one having the affair with Alex because she was able to find love in her own way and have something that made her happy, if only briefly. Richard and Winifred were so controlling and manipulative and she couldn't escape the effect of it for her entire life. I thought it was heart-breaking that her daughter and granddaughter were taken from her and that all she wanted at the end of her life was to see her estranged granddaughter. I was glad Iris had Myrna though. I liked Reenie and so it was nice that Iris still had the connect to her through Myrna. It was also an interesting parallel that that family took care of her when she was young and also now when she is old. Laura's end was really sad for me, the whole thing with Richard and realizing that her self-sacrifice didn't save Alex in the end and completely losing faith in God. I thought it was a good choice that Iris had "The Blind Assassin" published under Laura's name to commemorate her. Although it was partly to avoid using her own name, it also was a way symbolically for Laura keep Alex alive, even if just the memory of him. (hide spoiler)]