Bookish Thoughts: Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove her car off a bridge. ~ Opening of Blind Assassin

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Anchor, 2000

Fiction; 521 pgs

From the Publisher:

More than fifty years on, Iris Chase is remembering Laura's mysterious death. And so begins an extraordinary and compelling story of two sisters and their secrets. Set against a panoramic backdrop of twentieth-century history, The Blind Assassin is an epic tale of memory, intrigue and betrayal...

Margaret Atwood was among the authors whose work I wanted to try, but hadn't yet gotten to.  Years ago, my husband recommended I try Blind Assassin.  He thought I might like it.  For some reason, I got it into my head that Blind Assassin was a mystery.  In a way, I suppose it is.  Only, not the kind of mystery I was expecting.  When Carrie added Blind Assassin to her list for the "I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge, I thought it was as good a time as any.

Admittedly, it took me three months to read this book, but it was not for lack of interest.  Not exactly.  I found myself taking my time as I read it, fully entranced, and yet when I set the book down, I found it a little too easy not to pick up again right away.  Hence the length of time it took me to finish.

I am not sure I can adequately describe what this novel is about.  There are several different story lines running through it; it is almost as if you are reading four different stories at the same time.  And somehow, amazingly, all four come together perfectly in the end.  I was not sure that was possible at first.  You have present day Iris, who is working furiously to finish documenting her life story--the truth of it--which had never been told before.  Within her story, of course, is the story of hers and her sister Laura's childhood, how they grew up and what became of them.  Add to that excerpts of a controversial book Laura wrote which had been published about an illicit affair between a wealthy woman and a down on his luck man on the run.  And within that story, is a science fiction tale about a faraway planet, a kingdom, a blind assassin and a virgin sacrifice.  Interspersed throughout are news clippings relating events that had happened to Iris's prominent family long ago.  Under the layers of each story, the reader gets closer to knowing the truth about what happened to Iris's sister, Laura, and Iris's own family, including her husband and daughter.

Taking the characters through a boom of success to the hardships of the Great Depression and into World War II, Atwood shows them at their best and at their worst. I really felt for Iris's character, both in her younger years and as a lonely elderly woman. She was the older sister, and, when her mother died during their childhood, was instructed to look out for her sister.  Laura was always a little different, more free in thought and always questioning.  With no son, Iris's father expected Iris to step into a son's place in the family business of button factories.  Only, Iris had no talent for or interest in it. Iris is forced to make a difficult decision after her father's death, and as hard as her sister was on her, I felt Iris did the only thing she knew how to do.  She did her best under the circumstances.  We can argue right and left that she should have done more or made different choices, but Iris was Iris.  Iris, just like Laura, was a complex character.

I loved Margaret Atwood's writing.  It begs to be savored.  And while early on I had no idea what was going on or how everything would connect, I soon began to speculate and put things together.  While I can't say I was surprised by the outcome in the end, it all felt so right, the pieces having fallen nicely into place.  

The Blind Assassin was not what I expected, but it was a book I am very glad to have read. This will definitely not be my last Margaret Atwood novel.

Rating:   (Very Good)

You can learn more about Margaret Atwood and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased both an e-copy of the book for my own reading pleasure (and also occasionally opened by husband's print copy of the book).

  

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wordless Wednesday: A Day at the Pool

Hosted by Wordless Wednesday

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Where Is Your Bookmark? (07/29/2014)

As seems to be my habit, I completely forgot to acknowledge the anniversary of my blog last week. I began blogging on July 23, 2006. That makes it 8 years.  I have seen book blogging change and grow, trends come and go as well as fellow book bloggers, and somehow I am still hanging on.  My blog has under gone a few transformations as my life outside of blogging has changed.  I am ever grateful to those of you who take the time to read my thoughts and especially to those of you who comment (I still feel a rush of excitement when I see a comment pop up).  Thank you for your support, whether you are a new friend or visitor or an old one!

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Thunder storms and flash flood warnings are the weather report of the day.  I wish it would rain where I live.  It seems to be falling all around us, but not in my town.  Not that the rain will help keep water restrictions at bay any longer.  The most recent "joke" (or it would be if it weren't actually happening) is how people are being fined by the city for having browning grass in their yards while at the same time being fined by the water company for watering lawns as usual.   Hopefully someone will get that ironed out soon.   

On another note, someone dropped a box of puppies off at a coworker's house this weekend, and she is frantically looking for homes for them. She brought them to work yesterday in hopes some of us would find it in our hearts to bring them home. She knows my situation, about how my dog passed away last year and how I go back and forth about wanting another one. She cruelly set one in my arms during her visit yesterday and then walked away, leaving me holding this adorable little puppy who promptly fell asleep against my chest. *Sigh*

As much as I wanted to, I did not bring her home. As much as I miss having a dog in the house and as cute as that puppy was, the timing is not right. One of my other coworkers argued that the timing is never right to take in a puppy--you just have to do it. And I would. If I wasn't working long hours, if I was home more, if I didn't have a husband who doesn't like dogs, if my daughter was a little older, and if I was not already having to spread my attention between two cats who I already feel get the short end of the attention stick. You get the idea. I am hoping all those adorable puppies find homes--and from the sounds of it, they will--because it will make me feel better about saying no.

Enough about the weather and dogs, and onto ghosts!  I began reading Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo recently and am quite taken with the novel.  The novel is set in colonial Malaya, with one foot in the afterlife, and I'm loving it so far.  I mean really loving it.  I hope it continues to be this good.

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  

participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 

book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.

The opening paragraphs from Ghost Bride by Yangszee Choo:

One evening, my father asked me whether I would like to become a ghost bride.  Asked is perhaps not the right word. We were in his study. I was leafing through a newspaper, my father lying on his rattan daybed. It was very hot and still.  The oil lamp was lit and moths fluttered through the humid air in lazy swirls.

"What did you say?"  

 Would you continue reading?

Mouse with my copy of Further Out Than You Thought by Michaela Carter

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

From the Archives: A Taste of Truth, Nonfiction

I began keeping a reading journal several years before I began blogging. I find it interesting to sift through my thoughts of books that I read back then. My reviews were often brief and contained little substance, but I thought it'd be fun to document them here on my blog as well as share them with you. Here are two from October of 2005: 

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

W.W. Norton & Company, 2003

Nonfiction; 303 pgs

I couldn’t resist picking up and reading Stiff. The author is someone I’ve come to know through Reader’s Digest, her little articles about daily life making me laugh out loud and nod my head in understanding. With all the suspense/thriller and mystery books I read, gory fictional death scenes and dead bodies don’t give me much pause anymore [Ha!  Not so true anymore, says my 2014 self]. So with a bit of morbid curiosity mixed in with wanting to read more by journalist Mary Roach and the high praise I had heard in regards to this book, I took a chance. It was well worth it. 

Mary Roach is a layperson who takes on a difficult and not often thought of subject. Her humor throughout is tasteful and respectful. I do wonder what the scientists and professionals thought and said after her visits though! I especially was interested in the historical bits she included in the book, often reading passages to my husband and coworkers much to their chagrin. I found myself shaking my head in wonderment at some of the experiments or ideas tested, laughing at the absurdity of some, and cringing at others. There were also moments when I had no doubt of the good accomplished by some of the trials cadavers are put through. Stiff has given me much to think about in regards to the life of my body after death. I never realized just how many uses there are for a cadaver.

The Mind at Night: The New Science of How and Why We Dream by Andrea Rock

 Basic Book, 2004 

Nonfiction; 224 pgs  

I first heard about this book in a newsletter and the subject matter intrigued me. I have always been interested in dreams, including the how and why. While some of the research covered in this book was a review from my undergraduate days, I found this book fascinating just the same. The Mind at Night focuses on the science of dreaming, much more so than analysis or interpretation of dreams, although there is some mention of that as well. The current theories regarding dreaming tend to evolve around the significance of dreams during memory and learning processes. The emotional significance demonstrated in dreams was discussed at length, including how they impact individuals during their waking hours. Also, the current advances and theories in the uncovering of consciousness were touched upon. I came away from this book with more admiration for the brain and it’s complexities than ever before. The brain is an amazing organ. I look forward to seeing what further research reveals in this area down the road.   The Mind at Night was well written and interesting over all.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Bookish Thoughts: A Vampire's Promise & A Vampire's Soul by Carla Susan Smith

I was folding laundry and watching an old CSI rerun on TV when Laycee called. ~ Opening of A Vampire's Promise

A Vampire's Promise by Carla Susan Smith

Kensington, 2014

Romance (Paranormal); 306 pgs

From the Publisher:

Rowan Harper is nothing but a smart-mouthed bookstore clerk with a crappy love life on the night she walks into Rosie's Bar. Most of the drama in her life is borrowed from her best friend's adventures. But when she meets Gabriel--tall and movie star gorgeous--everything changes. Never mind that she turns down the drink he offers, or that he brims with secrets she can't begin to guess at. He ignites a desire in her she never suspected--and shows a fascination with her she can't explain.

He has no family, no job, no bank account;he knows where she lives and her favorite flower. An aura of mystery cloaks him, even as Rowan grasps for facts, even as she fears an answer that could destroy her happiness. Gabriel can guide her through a wonderland of new sensations. But only if Rowan trusts him enough to follow. . .

I took to the character of  Rowan right away even if I didn't agree with all her choices.  She is a bit awkward and doesn't have it all together the way her best friend, Laycee, does, but, in her own way, she's a strong woman.  She speaks her mind as she sees fit.  Rowan hasn't had the luck with men that her best friend has had either, and so she has some self-esteem issues when it comes to men.  She can't quite believe someone like Gabriel would be interested in her. 

I really liked the early interactions between Rowan and Gabriel.  He comes off as one of those perfect men--good looks, humble and yet strong, caring, and wanting to cater to Rowan.  He has his secrets though, and while I appreciated that Rowan didn't press him in the beginning, I found myself getting annoyed with her the more involved she and Gabriel became for not asking questions. It went to show just how desperate Rowan was to hold onto Gabriel.  I wanted to reach into the book and shake her.  So, maybe that wasn't the part where she was at her strongest.  Still, she did prove to be strong in other ways, and I have to give her credit for that.    

Of course, I knew what Gabriel was from the beginning even if Rowan did not.  And as perfect as he is, I still found myself enamored by him.  The attraction between Rowan and Gabriel was clear from the very first moment and, as the novel went on, it was clear the two were perfectly matched.  

As a book lover, I wouldn't have minded spending more time in the bookstore where Rowan worked, but, well, the book isn't about the bookstore.  Or books for that matter.  Although, I did have to wonder at times how someone so well read, including having read many vampire books, didn't instantly think "Vampire!" given some of Gabriel's behaviors and actions.  Then again, in a world where most people do not believe vampires are real, I suppose I shouldn't be so hard on her.  I mean, our brains automatically want to rationalize what we see and hear and put it in a context that fits our reality.  I thought the theory Rowan came up with was great, although I questioned her judgement in staying with someone she thought was up to no good.  

I had such fun reading this novel and trying to figure out just what a vampire's Promise is.  It's clear that Rowan is special to Gabriel for a reason, and I found myself floating many theories as I read.  Some came true, just maybe not for the reasons I expected.  The vampires in Carla Susan Smith's world are definitely more on the side of the angels--well, some of them, anyway--than they are like the ones you might run into Bram Stoker's Dracula.  But that's okay. It is a paranormal romance, after all.  

Warning: If you do decide to give A Vampire's Promise try, plan to read A Vampire's Soul as well.  The first book doesn't bring you much in the way of resolution.  The two books read as Part One and Part Two.

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There are some people who will tell you that if you fall in a dream it's a bad thing. ~ Opening of Vampire's Soul.

A Vampire's Soul by Carla Susan Smith

Kensington, 2014

Romance (Paranormal); 270 pgs

From the Publisher:

Rowan Harper’s world has been wrenched apart. The man she thought she loved—the man she does love—is a vampire, and not the kind that glitters. Running away isn’t an option. Gabriel isn’t just her lover. She’s bound to him in ways she can’t comprehend, ways that put both of them in desperate danger even as Rowan’s desire for him blazes anew.

The rules of her life before are gone. But she has a power of her own, a power she is remembering in fits and starts even as time races against her. With her life and Gabriel’s very soul on the line, Rowan has to choose who to believe—and who to trust…

I would not recommend anyone start with this book without first reading A Vampire's Promise. A Vampire's Soul picks up where the first book ends.  Rowan has just discovered that not only are vampires real, but that her boyfriend, Gabriel, is a vampire.  Rowan's reaction when she does discover this is how I imagine a real person might react--complete panic and utter fear.  It was an aspect of the book I really appreciated.   The author did a good job of bringing out Rowan's emotional turmoil.  I could feel her fear, frustration and confusion.  I could understand her anger and also her feelings of uncertainty.  

In A Vampire's Soul, Rowan is soon to learn exactly what a vampire's Promise is and how it impacts her. Despite her new found knowledge that her boyfriend is a vampire, Rowan realizes she loves Gabriel with all her heart.  He will do anything to protect her, but is she willing to risk everything for him, even if it means she might lose her life?  It's a question she has to ask herself the more she learns about Gabriel's past and a promise made long ago. 

In the midst of trying to remember a moment in her past she has locked deep away as well as figure out a way for her and Gabriel to have a life together, Rowan must also contend with a jealous vampire hell bent on getting her revenge.  It places those closest to Rowan in jeopardy as well.  This is where Rowan really shows her strength as a person, I think.  She's the kind of person who would not think twice about giving someone the shirt off her back if he or she needed it.

The reader gets a better understanding of Gabriel and his past in this novel.  I had my doubts at first, but the the author pulls it off well, I think.  It does make me want to know more about him.  

I was completely pulled into Gabriel and Rowan's story, both in this and the first book, A Vampire's Promise.  The revelations in A Vampire's Soul brought some satisfaction, but also more questions.  I am guessing the author will continue to write more books set in the world she's created with A Vampire's Promise and A Vampire's Soul.  Or at least I hope so.

Rating of Books:  (Good +)

You can learn more about Carla Susan Smith and her books on the author's website.

Source: I received e-copies of both books for review from the publisher via NetGalley.

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© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.