The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Robber Bride
Book Review: Malicious Acquaintence
Summary: 4 Stars
Three middle-aged Canadian women have kept in touch since college. They are vastly different: Roz is brash and aggressive, a very successful businesswoman with a grown son and two almost-grown daughters; Charis is a spacey flower child who sees auras and consults psychics and is treated with exasperation by her grown daughter; and Tony is a war historian obsessed with military battles.
All three women had broken childhoods that damaged them in ways not always clear, but this is perhaps what made them such good targets for Zenia. Zenia was another student with them at college who, one by one, told malicious lies in order to gain the trust of each woman and then used that trust to destroy her relationship and her life. None of the three women was torn apart when they heard the news that Zenia had been killed in an explosion.
Years later, though, Zenia has somehow returned. Each woman, older and more experienced, is determined not to let Zenia play her again. Each worries, though, what Zenia will try to take from her this time around, and how she will protect herself from being suckered again.
I found the characters fascinating in this book. All three of the women had difficult childhoods, and their childhood identities followed them throughout their lives. It was amazing how the author was able to set such a tone of unease in the everyday as Tony and Charis, especially, made their way through their daily lives.
I would have liked to have known more of what Zenia was going through and why she would have chosen to terrorize this group of women throughout the years. I found it unsatisfying to think that she was just mean for the sake of being mean; I would have preferred some sort of motive behind her behavior.
Book Review: My Absolute Favorite Atwood!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Since reading this book a few years ago, I have repeatedly thought back about it. This book and the complex relationships embedded in it have really stuck with me. I recommend this book to everyone I know who has interest in understanding the dynamics of female relationships. Truly my favorite book perhaps ever.Book Review: My favourite Atwood novel
Summary: 4 Stars
A book definitely to reread; at first, it's all to easy to hate Zenia. However, Atwood is also subtle enough to make us realise that the three friends are not entirely blameless. For me, the Roz part of the story was the most interesting and I can't recall rereading any other modern novel so often. It's much more real than the distant and cold Handmaid's Tale and less indulgent than Cat's Eye. The symmetrical structure also works without provoking feelings of artifice.Book Review: My second time reading it
Summary: 4 Stars
I read The Robber Bride when it first came out and didn't like it. I think I'd just read The Handmaid's Tale and had such high expectations for the new Margaret Atwood that I was disappointed by this modern day, relatively mainstream novel.Picked it up again a few weeks ago and liked it much better the second time around. It's no Handmaid's Tale - but it is engrossing and the characters are well drawn.
The only aspect of the book that was still disappointing to me was the trouble I had believing that Zenia could still exert such force over three women whose lives she had derailed. As compelling a character as Zenia was - I think these women would be smart enough to never believe a word she said. And yet...
A good read with just a touch of mystery. Guess the second time was the charm.
Book Review: NEWS FLASH: man reads Atwood... and likes it.
Summary: 4 Stars
I just finished this book... in fact, Zenia's ashes are probably still hovering over the water... Roz and Tony are right now slipping some of Charis's well-intentioned hors d'oeuvres into their pockets under the table to throw out on their way home...I am a guy, and I actually enjoyed reading about these gals. I'm sure the book probably has a 99% female readership... which is O.K. and understandable, but it's too bad more guys don't read Atwood stuff... it's very educational and entertaining. There's more grit, hilarity, and bouncing off the ropes here than in any afternoon of the WWF !!
For a while I was disappointed in the co-incidence that all of the female characters seem to come from overly similar dysfunctional (even suicidal) parental lineage... they have similar inner struggles and propensities toward dual personalities. Redundant? But then I considered that it is often this very type of thing that can cause people to gravitate towards one another... even without the awareness of each other's history. So it is not unduly "contrived" that the three main characters should come together over the decades that are represented here. At any rate, it is Zenia, (who leaves nothing of "co-incidence" in her wake) that is the common denominator... the robber "mistress" as it were, that causes the three to increasingly interact and support one another.
Word to the men here though... if you need to feel like a hero, stick with Tom Clancy or whatever. The only real criticism I have of The Robber Bride is that (with all due respect to the capricious properties of testosterone), I'm not sure that all men are as ready to abandon established relationships and chase after silicone as are the men that are portrayed here. But, all that aside, I really enjoyed the book and was interested throughout.