Atwood once again interweaves social commentary with intriguing characters and plot. A fictionalized reconstruction of alleged murderess Grace Marks's story, Alias Grace presents a vivid 19th century provincial Canadian setting, moving between two characters with very different positions in society: Grace Marks herself, and psychologist Dr. Simon Jordan, the latest in a line of doctors examining Grace. Both voices are rendered authentically and underscore how deterministic social conventions of gender and class can be. Atwood also relies on actual accounts of the murder to illustrate the sensationalistic "journalism" which is all too familiar to present-day readers. Grace describes the various accounts which alternately report "that I am a good girl with a pliable nature and no harm is told of me, that I an cunning and devious, that I am soft in the head and little better than an idiot. And I wonder, how can I be all of these different things at once?" For the most part, Atwood admirably manages to maintain the integrity of the actual circumstances of Grace's life, preserving the ambiguous elements of her story yet still providing a thorough and detailed narrative. The novel's conclusion does seem a little contrived (I won't give it away), and is maybe the one unsatisfactory element of the novel. Still, this is a book that should captivate fans of historical novels, women's narratives, Victorian literature, and of course, of Atwood's other works.Read full review
Excellent author!
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I have been meaning to read Alias Grace for years. Margaret Atwood is an amazing storyteller with an attention to detail that never leaves you hanging. From the Handmaid's Tale to her latest work, Oryx and Crake, she uses science, history, and understanding of human nature to bring a plethora of memorable characters to life.
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