Book #63
Reviewer: Inspirational Reads
This sprawling novel is one I have checked out of the library a number of times and never gotten around to reading. I think the size of it coupled with it being widely heralded as a modern classic put me off a little. Boy, was I foolish.
So where to start in summarising this novel. Set over nearly 8 decades, the tale centres around two sisters, Iris and Laura Chase and is told mostly from Iris’s perspective. The story opens with 25 year old Laura’s suicide and unfolds through an elderly Iris’s memories reaching back to childhood, various news articles and even a novel-within-the novel. All this sounds like it should be confusing, but Atwood never allows this multi-thread narrative to overwhelm what is essentially a novel about remorse, guilt and family secrets that have far-reaching consequences.
This has a little of something that will appeal to nearly everyone – romance, mystery, tragedy even science fiction. My selecting this novel just days before joining this book challenge has also paid off with one of my favourite websites doing a free-for-all discussion of it which can be found here.
I highly recommend The Blind Assassin. I’ve given it one of the highest marks that I’ve ever given outside of the Harry Potter series :P; A-
1001 Books to Read Before You Die 
I read this book last month and thoroughly enjoyed it. A huge novel that didn’t seem to take too long to read. I loved the story within a story aspect, and the sense of loss and sadness that permeated the pages. Brilliant. I have a few more Atwood’s on my to read list this year!