“Alias Grace” is based on true events in mid-19th century Canada. Margaret Atwood takes a lot of artistic license to flesh out the story of Grace Marks, but she acknowledges the embellishments as well as the facts that hold the plot together. Grace is a recent Irish immigrant to the Toronto area and soon begins a life in service (maid) to make money for herself and to avoid being a “burden” to her alcoholic father. After making a good name for herself she finds an […]
Another Atwood!
I think one of the Fug Girls (gofugyourself.com) recommended this book in a discussion of some sort. As a seasoned Atwood reader, I jumped on it. I got the audiobook version of this, which I 100000% recommend you get if you’re going to read this book. It’s a story, but also a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. The audiobook actually performs the play. I can’t imagine how much less enjoyable it’d be if I had to perform everything in my head. It would probably still […]
Margaret Atwood is a goddess
Alias Grace takes a number of things I love – Margaret Atwood, history, and true crime – and makes a truly fantastic book that is as deeply interesting as it is hard to put down. Grace Marks was convicted, alongside fellow servant James McDermott, of the murder of their employer Thomas Kinnear and his mistress and housekeeper, Nancy. Convicted due to circumstantial evidence, some believe that Grace is evil personified, while others believe her to be another innocent victim of the case. Trying to get […]
I really liked it, until I didn’t.
So this novel has a lot going for it. I think the initial premise is really good. I think a lot about what would/will happen when there’s a huge environmental or financial crash that topples the total authority of governments to the point that there are corporate enclaves we swear fealty to. I personally will select Amazon because they’re clearly going to be the biggest, have the best supply chains, and I very honestly have thought about what it might mean to live on an […]