Alias Grace: A Novel

In her bestselling novel" The Handmaid's Tale, " Margaret Atwood masterfully took us to a chilling world of the future. In her astonishing new novel "Alias Grace, " she just as convincingly takes us back 150 years and inside the life and mind of one of the most notorious women of the 1840s. Grace Marks is serving a life sentence for her part in the vicious murders of Thomas Kinnear, a wealthy landowner, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Grace herself now claims to have no memory of the murders.

Simon Jordan, a young New England doctor in the field of mental health and an expert on amnesia, has been engaged to find out the truth. To do so, he must awaken that part of Grace's mind that lies dormant, using the practices of the science he has such great faith in. As Grace reveals details about Kinnear's and Nancy's unconventional domestic arrangements, Simon brings her closer and closer to the day she has so determinedly repressed.

Into this rich work of the imagination--of sex, violence, immigration, spiritualism, and the brutal existence of the underprivileged--Margaret Atwood has brought her brilliant insights into the relationships between men and women and those between the society of the entitled and those without positions. Superbly evoking a century past and alive with mesmerizing storytelling, "Alias Grace" is vintage Atwood.

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468 pages

Average rating: 7.13

166 RATINGS

6 REVIEWS

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Anonymous

Dec 18, 2024

10/10 stars

THIS BOOK!!
Where to even begin?! Sarah Gadon's reading? Margaret Atwood's writing?

I don't remember the last time I read a book and didn't get bored even once. I really don't. I was hooked from the start with this one. And now, in hindsight, I can see some parts could be described as wordy, or slow, or boring, but such was not the case for me.

Alias Grace is filled with themes like guilt vs. innocence, gender roles in the Victorian era, and a plethora of others that could be examined, dissected and pulled apart to no end. But you won't find it here. I don't even know where to start. I was entirely too entranced by Grace's story to even think about all of that.

Grace is a magnificent story teller, and often blurs the line between what really happened versus what she's saying just because she knows it's what Dr Jordan wants to hear. But that's neither here nor there. I'm not here to tell you about whether Grace is guilty or innocent. She tells a captivating story, and Sarah Gadon's voice added to the mix only makes things better.

I've now read Alias Grace and The Handmaid's Tale, and both times I was blown away by the way the books are written. Atwood is such a fantastic writer, she makes the words sing and dance, and they just flow from the page. I'm eager to dig into another of her books.

E S Honour

Mar 02, 2024

8/10 stars

Well written novel of historic murder case of the 1840s in Canada, involving asylum and psycho therapist post come nvi tion. Eventual pardon given the woman, male was hanged

Paula B.

Sep 24, 2022

7/10 stars

I was intrigued from the very beginning until the end, captivated with Atwood’s beautiful writing and the detailed description of the 19th century women’s condition and its many injustices. A surprising and unexpected ending.

Penni

Sep 24, 2022

9/10 stars

Atwood’s writing is so detailed and captivating.

Zoe E.

Apr 05, 2022

8/10 stars

Like any Margaret Atwood, a gripping and well-written story that simultaneously touches upon political and cultural topics. Explores issues of class and gender, with a big focus on unreliable narration and who gets to write history. I was immersed in the story but couldn’t help but wish it were one to two hundred pages shorter