The Sweetest Dream: A Novel Review

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The Sweetest Dream: A Novel ReviewDoris Lessings's 24th novel, "The Sweetest Dream" concerns itself with people from whom we never seem to find escape, even if we want to...family members.
This is a book that many people may not like. It's fairly long, not divided into chapters and, for the most part, lacks a plot. Rather than plot, Lessing chooses to concentrate of the needs of family members instead...immediate family members and extended family members. This is a book filled with "issues" and each character seems to have his or her opinion on each and every one of them. If the book seems too long, consider this: the pages are filled with so much dialogue during the discussion of these "issues" that they (the pages) simply fly by. It really doesn't take long to read "The Sweetest Dream."
I wouldn't say that this book is "about" anyone in particular, although its heart and soul is Frances Lennox a British actress and writer, who, at a very young age, made the mistake of marrying Johnny, a devout communist. Although she attempted to correct that mistake, she seems to only become mired even more deeply in Johnny's troubled life and times.
Frances and her two teenaged boys are at home much of the time while Johnny cavorts in various parts of the world. He only seems to light long enough to deposit yet another person on Frances' doorstep for her to take care of. (The latest being Johnny's current wife.) Frances finally finds a little peace and solace in the home of Johnny's widowed mother, Julia. This is a house filled with misfits: Frances' and Johnny's sons' friends and Sylvia, the troubled, anorxic daughter of Johnny's current wife. Although Frances dreams of the theatre, the need for cash seems to trap her in the world of journalism instead. Meantime, she's become the "family" caretaker and caregiver, much to Julia's distress.
Why doesn't Frances tell the selfish and self-centered Johnny when to quit? After all, his own mother thinks he's a cad, a brute, a loser. Frances, though, just keeps on lavishing love while her dreams of the theatre and a real man by her side seem to be slipping away. To find out whether they really do or not, you'll have to read the book.
While "The Sweetest Dream" is a very well-written novel with a premise that seems to have all the requirements, as I read, I realized that something was missing from the narrative. It is passion, fire. The characters seem almost defeated from the start. While believable, they are somewhat flat. I think Lessing needed to delve more deeply into their hearts and souls. It is only in the book's final development that Lessing really lets us care. And no, it isn't too late.
In the final analysis, however, "The Sweetest Dream," though a little flat, is still a wonderful book and one any fan of Doris Lessing absolutely should not miss.The Sweetest Dream: A Novel Overview

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The Underdog and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot) Review

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The Underdog and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot) ReviewI haven't read Agatha Christie since junior high or so, and I recall her writing as equal parts frustration -- tying my brain in a knot -- and exhilaration -- even if I didn't scry the mystery, I felt smarter for having read Christie. Not wanting to jump back into her writing with what I was sure was going to be a convoluted, complex, and complicated full-length novel, I wanted to reintroduce myself to the world of Hercule Poirot with some shorter-form fiction. Hence, "The Under Dog and Other Stories."
Christie's writing isn't as tangled as I remembered -- and while I still feel smarter having read her, I'm just as frustrated by my inability to be one step ahead of the Belgian detective. There are nine stories here, ranging between 12 and 70 pages in length. And they're all satisfying. My favorites include "The Under Dog" and "The Plymouth Express," but they all have their charm.
One major irritation: In this Berkley paperback edition, the editors opted to insert little text bits before the end of several stories that state something akin to, "It is suggested that the reader pause in his perusal of the story at this point, make his own solution of the mystery -- and then see how close he comes to that of the author."
Christie isn't a juvenile writer, and her work deserves less juvenile treatment. Thoughtful readers will take pause regardless of the editors recommendation.The Underdog and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot) OverviewA beautiful heiress, a dashing playboy, a handsome prince, and a forgotten recluse. What do they have in common? They're all victims in a series of crimes only Hercule Poirot could solve.

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Death of a Peer (Dead Letter Mysteries) Review

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Death of a Peer (Dead Letter Mysteries) ReviewI know for a fact that I've read this book at least four times. Once when I was barely pubescent and had no idea that Ngaio Marsh was an important mystery author. Again in my 20's when I seriously started to read Marsh's books (an had forgotten that I'd read Death of a Peer). Once more in my 40's for the heck of it, and now, once again. The best recommendation I can ever make is that this is an immensely re-readable book.
One doesn't read a classic English mystery story for the puzzle, as perplexing as that might be, but for the wonderful settings and characters. Lord Peter, Albert Campion, and Marsh's Roderick Alleyn are all not just great detectives but fascinating people that you would love to have as friends. What makes Marsh especially strong is how much detail she gives to her supporting cast.
The Lampreys are all perfect jewels of the story tellers art. They are the classic eccentric, down on their luck, British nobility. Too busy being noble and sincerely lovable to remember to be practical. They are all charming, and your heart will also go out to Roberta Grey, one of the Lamprey's particular friends.
Other reviewers have gone over the plot, so I'm not going to bore you with details. Suffice it to say you will be alternatively delighted and and horripilated (I think that's the word) as the book moves from light hearted comedy to a rather ghoulish end game. Everything the mystery addict could ever want!
There are many good reasons to read this book. It is one of the novels that helped define the British mystery story doyen. Ngaio Marsh is on of the most important writers in that genre (even if she isn't quite British), and Death of a Peer is certainly one of her best books.
But the real reason to read it is that it is simply very, very good. If you have never read a Marsh book this is a great way to start. If you have, you know what you're missing.
Death of a Peer (Dead Letter Mysteries) OverviewMurder becomes a family affair...The Lampreys were a charming, eccentric happy-go-lucky family, teetering on the edge of financial ruin. Until the gruesome murder of their uncle-and unpleasant Marquis, who met his untimely death while leaving the Lamprey flat-left them with a fortune. Now it's up to Inspector Roderick Alleyn to sift through the alibis to discover which Lamprey hides a ruthless killer behind an amiable facade...

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After the Armistice Ball: A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery Review

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After the Armistice Ball: A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery ReviewReading "After the Armistice Ball" was almost like stepping back in time and a bit of a challenge. To begin with the author's, Catriona McPherson, style of writing was reminiscent of Nancy Mitford and E.F. Benson, with some (very) light Agatha Chrsitie-like touches thrown in. All this really takes getting uses to -- esp characters' tendency to pepper practically all their conversations with the word "darling." But once you get used to it, the book was quite the enjoyable read, full of atmosphere and colour, and fairly intriguing from beginning to end.
World War I is over, and the landed gentry is beginning to feel the pinch not only of the changing times and fashions, but also monetarily-wise. All except the Esslmonts, that is. Silas and Daisy Esslmont are enjoying all the comforts and luxury that owning the very distasteful and comercial enterprise of an insurance company can bring. That is until scandal rears its ugly head. Lena Duffy has discovered to her horror that the fabulous Duffy diamonds are fakes, and she's claiming that the switch must have taken place when she was visitng the Esslemonts during the Armistice Ball. She wants Silas to pay for stolen diamonds and because he won't (because the policy has lapsed) is conducting a whispering campaign about Silas' culpability and his lack of honour. At her wit's end about what to do, Daisy, Silas's wife, hires Dandy Gilver to find out what it is Lena really wants. Bored with life at the moment, Dandy readily agrees, especially since Daisy has offered her a fee to solve her problem for her. But the last thing Dandy expected when she agreed to act as go-between for Lena and the Esslemonts was to become involved in the suspicious death of a young giril she's rather fond of, or that trying to make heads or tails as to what's going on would bring her face to face with a very cold blooded killer...
Cationa McPherson has written a very absorbing debut novel. The prose style may take a little getting used to, and Dandy's tendency not to accept certain unpleasant home truths mainly because she cannot believe anyone of her set would behave that way can get a little grating, but that manner in which the author presents us with a strata of society that has had its time and that is struggling to come to grips with the change while valiantly plowing onwards, was fasincating. So that even though "After the Armistice Ball" was not very supenseful and lacked any telling plot twists and red herring suspects, it was a compelling read neonetheless. Reading of how Dandy gradually come to realise what's going on, and how she manages to solve the mystery was great fun -- I rather enjoyed the realistic manne in which the author presented us with how an amateur investigator would naturally blunder about while trying to solve her first case. A well written and enjoyable read, this is especially for readers who enjoy mysteries set in the 1920s and that is full of vibrant fun.After the Armistice Ball: A Dandy Gilver Murder Mystery Overview

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Live Flesh Review

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Live Flesh Review"Live Flesh" is not the usual crime mystery/thriller. It is, however, a thrilling psychological study of a rapist, Victor Jenner, who suffers from chorea, a disease of the nervous system marked by involuntary, jerky movements of the arms, legs, and/or face. Sometimes this illness is called "live flesh." Victor also has a severe phobia of tortoises, along with a multitude of other neuroses. Throughout the novel, he feels a need for psychiatric treatment, but never follows through. Typically, he blames the system for not providing him with therapy. He does understand that he has serious problems, though, and more often than not knows the difference between right and wrong. The inimitable Ruth Rendell thoroughly explores Jenner's motives, secrets, and complex emotions. She paints a chilling portrait of a man doomed by violence he cannot control. This is obviously much more a book driven by characters, and their development, than by action. The heart of "Live Flesh" lies in the complexity of Victor Jenner's personality and how he interacts with others, two characters in particular. These people are all steeped in a web of consequences stemming from one single event, a gunshot, which alters their lives forever.
Victor Jenner was convicted of shooting a young police officer in the lower back and permanently crippling him. He had been holding a young woman hostage in her bedroom, after breaking and entering her home, while escaping from the scene of an attempted rape. David Fleetwood, the officer, had been trying to gain the woman's release. Victor was not tried for the attempted rape, or the numerous other acts of sexual violence he had successfully committed. The police probably had no idea he was responsible for the crimes. After ten years Jenner is released early, for good behavior. He has serious problems adjusting to life after incarceration. But then, he always had problems adjusting. His irrational thought processes cause him to blame everyone but himself for the events leading up to the shooting. Underneath, however, he feels tremendous guilt for giving in to his irresistible urges which cause so much harm to others. The author allows the reader to enter Jenner's mind, his very thoughts, throughout the novel. He constantly constructs false scenarios which absolve him of guilt. Primary among his rationalizations is that if David Fleetwood had not taunted him by saying that the gun was a fake, a replica, then he wouldn't have had to fire it in order to prove that it was real. Other rationalizations include: if the girl hadn't screamed, then he wouldn't have had to hold her hostage; and if his uncle hadn't owned a gun, which he had easy access to, he never would have had it in his possession. Victor is also firmly convinced that he is incapable of restraining himself because of the chorea, which acts up when he is stressed. He believes that his behavior is as blameless and uncontrollable as the involuntary twitching which torments him.
The plot takes an unusual twist when Victor looks to meet the man he maimed, now wheelchair bound. His delusions allow him to think that, for the first time in his life, he has found true friendship. I must say that I really empathized with Victor, right up until the conclusion - which is a stunning one. His crimes are heinous, but so is the life he has to live with himself. I don't absolve him. I just feel terribly sorry for him - which is all Ms. Rendell's doing. Her characters are rich and so believable. And her narrative is spellbinding. This is a brilliant analysis and portrayal of a deranged man.
JANALive Flesh OverviewAfter ten years in prison for shooting -- and permanently crippling -- a young policeman, Victor Jenner is released to a strange new world and told to make a new life for himself. It's hard to fill the days, but at least there's one blessing -- he was never convicted for all those rapes he committed. Then Victor meets David, the policeman he shot all those years ago, and David's beautiful girlfriend, Clare. And suddenly Victor's new life is starting to look an awful lot like the old one . . .

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Kissing the Gunners Daughter Review

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Kissing the Gunners Daughter ReviewChief Inspector Wexford, protagonist in many Rendell books, investigates the shooting death, in an apparent robbery, of a well-known writer in her home, along with most of her family. The only survivor and eyewitness is the teenage granddaughter, Daisy, wounded and depressed. As the police investigate, a number of suspicious characters complicate the process; while Wexford's own strained relations with his daughter Sheila make Daisy's plight more poignant.
This longish mystery, with well-drawn characters, plenty of red herrings and several social classes, is enjoyable until the end. The book comes to a rapid conclusion, as Wexford uncovers the truth in a burst of insight and detection, while short-changing evidence gathering.
--inotherworlds.comKissing the Gunners Daughter OverviewInvestigating the murder of a socialite family, Inspector Wexford is forced to face his own deepest feelings. Called "one of Rendell's darkest and most suble character studies" (SF Chronicle).

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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Hercule Poirot) Review

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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Hercule Poirot) ReviewThis is a classic mystery, although not quite as shocking as some. The fact that the murderer put too many clues in the plot make the ending and denouement a twisty, spiraling set of events that may make you read it twice just to make sure you have it all.
It's a wonder that something so simple (a dentist's apparent suicide) could actually have so many motives behind it. There is a word of warning here: if you tend to like dark, dangerous criminals with suspicious pasts, don't read this. You might find yourself feeling a sort of empathy with the criminal, and may be rooting for Poirot to let him off the hook. Well, if I haven't said too much already, I will soon. So, so long and farewell. Do read this, though, when you're ready to sit down and concentrate on trite and complicated details.One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Hercule Poirot) OverviewWhy on earth would a successful and happy dentist commit suicide? Leave it to Hercule Poirot to drill the doctor's patients...and to assuage the numbing fear that another murder will follow.

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The New York Stories of Edith Wharton (New York Review Books Classics) Review

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The New York Stories of Edith Wharton (New York Review Books Classics) ReviewPeriodically, it seems, Edith Wharton (1862-1937) pops up into our attention span, most recently due to the fine biography by Hermione Lee, the release of several Wharton volumes in the Library of America series, and movie versions of her novels, such as "The Age of Innocence" (with Daniel Day-Lewis) and the "House of Mirth." This compilation in the New York Review Books Classics series contains about 2/3 of her total short story output that is tied to NYC. Wharton is simply a master stylist; in fact Louis Auchincloss suggests nobody surpassed her ability to write lucid and polished prose. Very high praise indeed, given Auchincloss's own stature in American letters.
Much like Auchincloss, Wharton writes of the upper class, well-to-do New Yorkers, although her focus in the late 19th century while Auchincloss usually focuses upon the 20th century period. Remarkably, the stories, which appeared between 1891-1934, for the most part seem fresh and engaging. Much like Auchincloss, Wharton was writing about her own social class and experiences, which lends a superb sense of authenticity and authority to her stories. The reader really emerges with a sense of what characteristics this environment manifested: the mores, taboo subjects and actions (such as divorce), the role of women, the overwhelming potency of social exclusions for those who violate its folkways, and how members of this elite social grouping were expected to behave and conduct themselves privately and in social situations. For example, one should never been seen taking a hansom cab to dinner--rather, one should be seen with their own rig. Almost all of the stories enchant the reader, since they often have surprise endings, but I found the final story published in 1934, "Roman Fever," to demonstrate how gifted an author Wharton was. But there are many more.
A word should be said about the high quality of the NYRB series. Each is produced on outstanding paper, with great cover art, and clear typhography. Each has a valuable introduction; this volume is introduced with a fine essay by Roxana Robinson (who has written a biography of Georgia O'Keefe). They are a pleasure to read and hold and relatively modest in price. This results in a fine amalgamation in this volume: a beautiful paperback containing superb short stories: what a combination!The New York Stories of Edith Wharton (New York Review Books Classics) OverviewA New York Review Books OriginalEdith Wharton wrote about New York as only a native can. Her Manhattan is a city of well-appointed drawing rooms, hansoms and broughams, all-night cotillions, and resplendent Fifth Avenue flats. Bishops' nieces mingle with bachelor industrialists; respectable wives turn into excellent mistresses. All are governed by a code of behavior as rigid as it is precarious. What fascinates Wharton are the points of weakness in the structure of Old New York: the artists and writers at its fringes, the free-love advocates testing its limits, widows and divorcées struggling to hold their own. The New York Stories of Edith Wharton gathers twenty stories of the city, written over the course of Wharton's career. From her first published story, "Mrs. Manstey's View," to one of her last and most celebrated, "Roman Fever," this new collection charts the growth of an American master and enriches our understanding of the central themes of her work, among them the meaning of marriage, the struggle for artistic integrity, the bonds between parent and child, and the plight of the aged. Illuminated by Roxana Robinson's Introduction, these stories showcase Wharton's astonishing insight into the turbulent inner lives of the men and women caught up in a rapidly changing society.

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Blue Genes: A Kate Brannigan Mystery Review

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Blue Genes: A Kate Brannigan Mystery ReviewI am a huge fan of McDermid's work, and the Brannigan series is my favourite. Blues Genes brings together all the great characters, with a special focus on Kate's best friend, the wonderful Alexis, who is caught up in creative procreation! Apart from well-structured plots and well-drawn characters, I love the humanity and humour which these books have. Highly recommended.Blue Genes: A Kate Brannigan Mystery Overview

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A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #10) Review

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A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #10) ReviewVenetia Aldridge, a bitchy, brilliant criminal attorney with a talent for getting guilty clients off the hook, is brutally murdered in her Chambers. Once again, Commander Adam Dalgliesh steps in to unravel a mystery that, as is the case in almost all James' finest novels, lies buried in the past.
Though A CERTAIN JUSTICE is not P.D. James' most intricately plotted or fast-paced novel (that distinction belongs to the brilliant SHROUD FOR A NIGHTINGALE), it's a great throwback to her early days, during which some of her most compelling books were written. The central character, Venetia, nearly upstages Dalgliesh here, and with good reason: she is probably the most enthralling, fascinating character James has ever created. She is eminently respectable and thoroughly unpleasant, and because of this she has naturally surrounded herself with a gallery of suspects, all of whom have reason to do her in. The way in which James reveals the true murderer, however, is nothing short of brilliant. In fact, the entire plot is a marvel of construction, with every clue scrupulously laid out for the reader. As always, however, the relatively simple details of the crime belie the emotional and psychological turmoil boiling beneath the surface.
What distinguishes A CERTAIN JUSTICE from her more recent books is the quality of the writing. James' technique is as stylish and literate as ever, but so much more readable; she wastes few words on unnecessary details about architecture (as one reviewer aptly pointed out below). The novel is much shorter than A TASTE FOR DEATH, DEVICES AND DESIRES, or ORIGINAL SIN, fine mysteries that were undermined by excessive rambling. At under four hundred pages, A CERTAIN JUSTICE is leaner and cleaner, and also has a thrust and energy lacking in its predecessors. This is truly P.D. James at the peak of her form--an exquisite, beautifully crafted novel that also shows a tremendous amount of grace and restraint.A Certain Justice (Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series #10) Overview

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The Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue Review

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The Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue ReviewI bought this book preparatory to a month in Ireland, as a mental/political exercise (aware of former banning). I couldn't put it down, and got three hours or less sleep for three nights in a row. I foisted it on my mom with warnings not to begin it on a weeknight, she got hooked on a Tuesday and went downhill too. We talked for days about how tightly written it was, how clean, spare, descriptive, full of foreshadowing, and painful to any woman who knows what it is to be centally disappointed by a man. Yet the book never whines, it never pushes itself sobbing on your shoulder. It sits in dignity with sadness.
Very quietly and methodically tragic, in the Irish way that says you do not whine about tragedy, you do not make fuss of it, you just simply pray a bit and go on. What makes the book so very valuable and unusual is that it applies the Irish knack for storytelling and forthright 'un-tragic' tragedy to women's lives and women's stories. It is both an Irish book full of water and woodsmoke, and a women's book in all its painful honesty and revelatory grace.
Please read.The Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue OverviewThe Country Girls Trilogy and Epilogue is an absolutely engaging saga that is, thematically, about opposites - opposite dispositions and opposite views of life, the survivor versus the ungovernable romantic. It charts unflinchingly the pattern of life, for women, from the high spirits of youth to the chill of middle age, from hope to despair. It is both painful and hilarious.

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The Lake of Darkness Review

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The Lake of Darkness ReviewRuth Rendell is a fabulous British author who has churned out mystery after mystery filled with dark, demented twists. This is another tautly plotted, well crafted mystery with characters that, though seemingly normal, are just a tad off the beaten path.
This book features Martin Urban, a staid and somewhat stuffy young man who would have felt at home in Victorian England. Martin wins a very large sum of money in a football pool with a little help from Tim Sage, an old friend of his. Altruistic and given to some rather god-like pronouncements, Martin wishes to give the money away to the deserving poor, in order to enable them to buy a home. Poor Martin, there are none so blind, as those who will not see.
Beset by subliminal homo-erotic thoughts regarding Tim Sage, he meets a mysterious young woman named Francesca, who is as demure and submissive as a Victorian maiden and captures his heart. Unfortunately, she is bound to another. All, however, is not as Martin thinks that it is.
Enter Finn, the twisted son of Lena, former cleaning lady to Martin's mother. When Finn's path crosses that of Martin's, during one of Martin's fumbling attempts to give some of his winnings away, a very clever dialogue ensues between these two with some unexpected, deadly results.
Fans of Ms. Rendell will not be disappointed by this book. It is filled with the slightly off-beat characters for which she is known, some of whom harbor dark twisted thoughts, while others are entirely socio-pathic. Well-written is spare, clear prose and filled with enough twists and turns to satisfy the most discerning of readers, this is another gem in Ms. Rendell's treasure trove of mysteries.The Lake of Darkness Overview

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The Country Girls Review

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The Country Girls ReviewCaithleen Brady and Bridget(Baba)Brennan are friends in a poor rural area in Ireland. Written in the first person by Caithleen we see through her eyes a poignant portrayal of friendship, family, first love and disappointment. Edna O'Brien writes in what could only be described as a haunting manner. A gentle coming of age story which follows the girls through the death of Caithleen's mother, the shiftlessness of her father, a scholarship to a convent and their expulsion. The gentleness of Caithleen is a foil to the bright sharpness of Baba, who manages to mislead Caithleen against her better judgement; though she is her friend and anything they do they do together. There are numerous wonderful unique characters: the endearing Hickey, Baba's parents, Joanna the German boarding house proprietess and the enigmatic Mr Gentleman (though that is not his real name - he has a difficult French name so the neighbours changed it to Mr Gentleman). "The Girl With The Green Eyes" continues the adventures of Caithleen and Baba and is as good as "The Country Girls"The Country Girls OverviewMeet Kate and Baba, two young Irish country girls who have spent their childhood together. As they leave the safety of their convent school in search of life and love in the big city, they struggle to maintain their somewhat tumultuous relationship. Kate, dreamy and romantic, yearns for true love, while Baba just wants to experience the life of a single girl. Although they set out to conquer the world together, as their lives take unexpected turns, Kate and Baba must ultimately learn to find their own way."It's a difficult trip, this coming of age . . . O'Brien tells it with love and outrage, compassion and contempt." (Los Angeles Times Book Review)"A treasure . . . powerful . . . intelligent . . . ironic." (The New York Times Book Review)

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Delta Wedding (A Harvest/Hbj Book) Review

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Delta Wedding (A Harvest/Hbj Book) ReviewReading "Delta Wedding" is like attending a family wedding and meeting all your distant relatives for the first time. You have a sense of belonging and, at the same time, a sense of being an outsider. Everyone seems to know everyone so much better than you do and you're rushing to catch up on everyone's story and sort out who is who. This is a relatively short book, but perhaps because she is primarily a short-story writer, Eudora Welty has packed this book so densely with character and detail, you will feel as though you have read a family saga of many hundred pages. The delta is recreated in such detail that you can feel the humid, misty breezes and hear the crickets chirping. The young girls through whose perspective you watch the proceedings are enchanting. Struggling to keep track of the characters forced me to go back and re-read parts of the book at times, which was, in fact, helpful in discovering important overlooked details. This is a book you can re-read many times always discovering something or someone new. Eudora Welty ranks at the very top of Southern writers and American writers in general.Delta Wedding (A Harvest/Hbj Book) OverviewA vivid and charming portrait of a large southern family, the Fairchilds, who live on a plantation in the Mississippi delta. The story, set in 1923, is exquisitely woven from the ordinary events of family life, centered around the visit of a young relative, Laura McRaven, and the family's preparations for her cousin Dabney's wedding.

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The Blind Assassin: A Novel Review

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The Blind Assassin: A Novel ReviewNot having read the other nominees, I can't compare, but the announcement that "The Blind Assassin" by Margaret Atwood has won this year's Booker Prize, I am not surprised. Atwood, having already written over a dozen novels, poetry, children's books, and some non-ficition, comes through with her latest in grand manner. A prolific writer she is indeed. That said, "The Blind Assassin" is an adventure--not to mention quite an ambitious undertaking--to read. Included in her convoluted plot line is a "novel within a novel" (see Reginald Hill's "Arms and the Women"!)--so be prepared to pay attention. Atwood's style of writing, however, is anything but convoluted; it is straight forward, but complicated, with expertly created characters.
The book is told by Iris who recounts her sister's death in Toronto in 1945, when she drives her car off a bridge. The inquest indicates that the death is accidental. Then Atwood introduces us to her "novel within a novel" entitled "The Blind Assassin." Told by a pair of anonymous lovers, the book stretches into science fiction--absorbing on its own as an intriguing story! What seems amazing about this work is the expert craftsmanship that Atwood possesses (and presemts), although, given her reputation, that is not surprising. She also captures the 1930s-40s atmosphere quite well, too! The novel is tiered, and the author explores each level, one by one, until the final pages.
With her themes of greed, love, and (inevitably) revenge, the story is right out of the Greek tragedies (well, actually, not, as "tragic" is not really exploited!). Be prepared to spend some time with this work--but it will be time well spent. What an intriguing novel! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)The Blind Assassin: A Novel Overview

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