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Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion
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The Blind Assassin
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The Blind Assassin
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I loved this book, I am a big fan for Atwood, this was my 3rd novel of hers. Though it has been a bit of a while since I last read this book my impression is that I do not think that Iris truly enjoyed the luxury of her marriage, or at least I don't think that was one of the motives behind her weakness. I think that part of it is just the kind of person she is. She did not like to try and invite trouble, and I think a part of her was angry at having to have Laura as her reasonability and I think she was angry with the way in which Laura unlike her could check out of the world, and not feel the same sense and need for responsibility and obligation that Iris felt. Iris was the one who had to make sacrifices for the sake of the family, and she was the one who felt that sense of family obligation, but Laura was too otherworldly.
It was easier for Iris to keep her head in the ground and not to look too closely at things because she did not have the strength to face the truth of the situation.
I really enjoyed this book, too. To me, Iris and Laura were portrayed in classic birth order roles, which were reinforced by the age that the story took place. Iris was the "hero" older child who was going to be the good girl. Her inability to protect Laura may have been due to her resentment of Laura's free spirit, or due to a lack of understanding - 'how can she possibly be the way that she is?' I enjoyed the not-knowing who was Adam's lover - even when I was fairly certain it was Iris, I still had a lingering doubt and wondered if they had both been his lover. Oh how good girls love bad boys!!!
I really enjoyed the book as well. The thought that Laura was both Adam's lover and the author occurred to me towards the middle of the book, but I was not sure. Laura seemed too asexual in her otherworldly ways to have had the affair, and when the elderly Iris started writing the style was very similar to the Blind Assassin chapters.
I don't think she enjoyed the "luxury" of her marriage to Richard, but both girls had very insular upbringings without much attention paid to them, and Iris didn't have a very independent, willful personality. She needed to be provided for, materially at least, until she broke away.
Words cannot explain how wonderful this book is. I loved it.
I disagree and actually did not care for the book. I predicted that Iris was the actual author and that she was having an affair long before the "big" revelation. If there's going to be a twist, I want to be surprised. I really hope Atwood's other books are better and was disappointed to realize that it was Time magazine's book of the year when it was published.
i loved this book! one of my favorite reads of the past year or so. i literally savored each part and read the book very slowly, trying to draw the experience out as long as possible.i can't really re-create my review of this awesome novel, so i'll just be lazy and post the link of my review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
y faulty memory required me to go back and forth a lot to reread details of events which were reported in (fictional) newspaper articles. But I didn't mind as I usually do. In fact, this is one book I would like to read again; want to see where clues that I missed were actually given. SPOILERS COMING: Early on I believed that Iris was the actual author of novel attributed to Laura. But I was mad at myself for not realizing that it was Iris, not Laura, who was Adam's lover until halfway through the book. I figured that Richard had raped or seduced Laura on the boat, but not that he started earlier than that or the reason that he married Iris. Still don't know as much as I'd like about his sister Winifred - and her so-called husband! Very sad that Iris did not look after Laura better. Couldn't figure out if she was so weakened by her own sad situation (and past with own mother and father) that she could not see what was happening or if she was basically selfish ( perhaps a little jealous, too). Did she just want to live in her fantasy world with Adam and avoid, as much as possible, unpleasantness with Richard and Winifred. Or did she actually like the luxury her marriage provided? Would love opinions of others. Agree that this book should be on list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. Both plot and literary style unique and worthy!