Margaret Atwood

Alias Grace

By the author of The Handmaid's Tale Now a major NETFLIX series Sometimes I whisper it over to myself: Murderess. Murderess. It rustles, like a taffeta skirt along the floor.' Grace Marks. Female fiend? Femme fatale? Or weak and unwilling victim? Around the true story of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the 1840s, Margaret Atwood has created an extraordinarily potent tale of sexuality, cruelty and mystery. 'Brilliant... Atwood's prose is searching. So intimate it seems to be written on the skin' Hilary Mantel 'The outstanding novelist of our age' Sunday Times 'A sensuous, perplexing book, at once sinister and dignified, grubby and gorgeous, panoramic yet specific...I don't think I have ever been so thrilled' Julie Myerson, Independent on Sunday

Jemima Scott

‘I would never blame a human creature for feeling lonely.’

‘Men such as him do not have to clean up the messes they make, but we have to clean up our own messes, and there’s into the bargain. In that way they are like children, they do not have to think ahead, or worry about the consequences of what they do. But it is not their fault, it is only how they are brought up.’

Erica England 

They are hypocrites, they think the Church is a cage to keep God in, so he will stay locked up there and not go wandering about the earth during the week, poking his nose into their business, and looking in the depths and darkness and doubleness of their hearts, and their lack of true charity; and they believed they need only be bothered about him on Sundays when they have their best clothes on and their faces straight, and their hands washed and their gloves on, and their stories all prepared.

(Bre)anne✨

The way I understand things, the Bible may have been thought out by God, but it was written down by men. And like everything men write down, such as the newspapers, they got the main story right but some of the details wrong.

The pattern of this quilt is called the Tree of Paradise, and whoever named that pattern said better than she knew, as the Bible does not say Trees. It says there were two different trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge; but I believe there was only one, and that the Fruit of Life and the Fruit of Good and Evil were the same. And if you ate of it you would die, but if you didn't eat of it you would die also; although if you did eat of it, you would be less bone-ignorant by the time you got around to your death.

Such an arrangement would appear to be more the way life is.

GIRL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT BEING GASLIT FOR 30+ YEARS CONDITIONS YOU TO THINK

The truth is that very few understand the truth about forgiveness. It is not the culprits who need to be forgiven; rather it is the victims, because they are the ones who cause all the trouble. If they were only less weak and careless, and more foresightful, and if they would keep from blundering into difficulties, think of all the sorrow in the world that would be spared.

But only God knows whether it would have been better or worse; and I have now done all the running away I have time for in this life.

And what McDermott said I said, and what the others said I must have said, for there are always those that will supply you with speeches of their own, and put them right into your mouth for you too; and that sort are like the magicians who can throw their voice, at fairs and shows, and you are just their wooden doll.

okay buddy, you keep thinking that she thinks that way you idiot

He must retain his position of all-knowing authority in her eyes.

I said, wouldn't that be a deception and a cheat? And Jeremiah said, no more than at the theatre. For if people wish to believe a thing, and long for it and depend on it to be true, and feel the better for it, is it cheating to help them to their own belief, by such an insubstantial thing as a name? Is it not rather a charity, and a human kindness?

But I don't know why it is, a girl of fifteen or sixteen is accounted a woman, but a boy of fifteen or sixteen is still a boy.

I would never blame a human creature for feeling lonely.

When you believe that you yourself are soon to go to the same road, you must take your bearings of it.

Just because a thing has been written down, Sir, does not mean it is God's truth, I say.

He laughs his bark of a laugh, Hah, and tells me I am quite right about that. 

He is not making a joke. He really does not know. Men such as him do not have to clean up the messes they make, but we have to clean up our own messes, and theirs into the bargain. In that way they are like children, they do not have to think ahead, or worry about the consequences of what they do. But it is not their fault, it is only how they are brought up.

Then she lent me her red flannel petticoat until I should get one of my own, and showed me how to fold and pin the cloths, and said that some called it Eve's curse but she thought that was stupid, and the real curse of Eve was having to put up with the nonsense of Adam, who soon as there was any trouble, blamed it all on her.

And since that time I have thought, why is it that women have chosen to sew such flags, and then to lay them on the tops of beds? For they make the bed the most noticeable thing in a room. And then I have thought, it's for a warning. Because you may think a bed is a peaceful thing, Sir, and to you it may mean rest and comfort and a good night's sleep. But it isn't so for everyone; and there are many dangerous things that may take place in a bed. It is where we are born, and that is our first peril in life; and it is where women give birth, which is often their last. And it is where the act takes place between men and women that I will not mention to you, Sir, but I suppose you know what it is; and some call it love, and others despair, or else merely an indignity which they must suffer through. And finally beds are what we sleep in, and where we dream, and often where we die.

“When you are in the middle of a story it isn't a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it. It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all."

Read for Unit 3 VCE Literature, and absolutely loved it. Whilst Margaret Atwood is most well known for her novel The Handmaiden's Tale, Alias Grace without a doubt trumps it (although it was a close call!). The book explores themes of truth, justice, and culpability through the retelling of real-life murderess Grace Marks' life, and leaves the reader thinking about it long after they turn the final page.

Charli Williams

“When you are in the middle of a story it isn't a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it. It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all."

Read for Unit 3 VCE Literature, and absolutely loved it. Whilst Margaret Atwood is most well known for her novel The Handmaiden's Tale, Alias Grace without a doubt trumps it (although it was a close call!). The book explores themes of truth, justice, and culpability through the retelling of real-life murderess Grace Marks' life, and leaves the reader thinking about it long after they turn the final page.

Patrick Book

I almost always feel like I would enjoy Atwood more of her books were judiciously edited.

Ryan Mateyk

First re-read of one of my favourite books after about 8 years and Margaret Atwood remains my favourite along with this book. Grace Marks is a fascinating and complex character and this book is just an amazing piece of historical fiction. Yas Queen Atwood!

Love Atwood, love speculative fiction (which she does so well). But I did kind of have to drag myself through parts of this. Themes felt too heavy for the plot to carry.

elizabeth

ROMAN. AUSGEZEICHNET MIT DEM GILLER PRIZE 1996

ALIAS GRACE

Sarah Sammis

In 'Alias, Grace, ' bestselling author Margaret Atwood has written her most captivating, disturbing, and ultimately satisfying work since 'The Handmaid's Tale.' She takes us back in time and into the life of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteenth century. Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace a female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she the victim of circumstances?

Pioneered the “Feminist” as a genre meaning (both a critique and a compliment). I have nothing to say on this that the millions of feminist writers online haven’t said millions of times better. When I ask my boyfriend who his favorite feminist is he answers “my girlfriend” and then says “and Margaret Atwood”.

margo farto

azliana aziz

before amazing amy and gone girl, there exist amazing grace and alias grace.

i am always game for ambiguity and unreliable narrator and i got the best of both here.
grace marks was a cipher through and through and it was such an exquisite thing to read her 'accounting' her experience to others (unassuming men!) and excelled in it. 

that ending! YES YES YES

Af forfatteren til bestselleren TJENERINDENS FORTÆLLING og bogen bag Netflix-serien ALIAS GRACE, som havde premiere i november 2017. I 1843 idømmes sekstenårige Grace Marks livsvarigt fængsel for at være medskyldig i mordet på sin arbejdsgiver og dennes husholderske. Grace kan intet huske fra dagen, hvor mordene fandt sted, og mange er af den opfattelse, at hun er ond eller ligefrem sindssyg. Dr. Simon Jordan, specialist i mentale lidelser, opsøger Grace i fængslet, hvor hun fortæller ham sin historie, og han forsøger at hjælpe hende. ALIAS GRACE er baseret på virkelige hændelser og er en gribende historie om usle livsvilkår i Irland og udvandringen til Canada samt en fortælling om den usynlige grænse mellem bevidsthed og ubevidsthed. "Suverænt. Atwoods blanding af fakta og fiktion er enestående." - Jyllands-Posten "Sproglig kraftfuld og psykologisk fængslende." - Berlingske Tidende "Ganske enkelt en skøn læseoplevelse." - Politiken

maariyah 

Andrew John Kinney

This is one of very few books that had me up at 4 in the morning to finish. Margaret Atwood is a treasure; this book reminds me a bit of True Grit in style; Atwood has faithfully recreated the manner of speaking and writing of the mid-19th Century, with all its class divisions, while creating a story based upon true events that is riveting and tremendously satisfying for readers. Her depiction of 19th Century life and womens' place therein is well researched and full of truth. One detail I noticed was her offhand comment about an immigrant who jumped overboard in mid-Atlantic because he could no longer stand the constant sea-sickness; Herman Melville witnessed and wrote about exactly such a thing on an ocean crossing in the 1850's. This is the sort of attention to detail that makes me love Ms. Atwood's writing.

Veronica 

so bad. 

i read this for school so thats kinda self explanatory

Anum Memon

I cannot put into words how truly compelling this book was. Margret Atwood is literary genius. Every chapter of this book had me aching myself for how much tension and suspense this novel gave me and the ending was the perfect addition. I’m going to start reading more Margret Atwood because she is such a thrilling author with captivating pieces.

Meghan Navoy

I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down and was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I can't wait to watch the Netflix version of this. Margaret Atwood must have done so much research for this and I'm glad she did. What an interesting story made all the more interesting because it was based on a true historical event. Highly recommend this one!

Prashanth Srivatsa

On one hand, you want Grace to move on with her story and not entrap us with her daily activities. On the other, Atwood, who has structured this narrative so elegantly, subtly drives us through the minds of her secondary characters who have lived with, observed and judged Grace Marks for her apparent murder. While it is a true story, Atwood's depiction of the cynicism towards (relatively) modern medicine and faith in acts of redemption is arguably accurate.

Okay....many thoughts. I had watched the show when it came out a few years ago, and happy to report back that (as far as I can remember), it stayed pretty true to the book. I love that we hear most things from Grace's dialogue vs. a traditional thought-narrative headspace. It emphasizes that Grace is not a reliable narrator, which leaves us at the end of the novel questioning if she actually has DID, if Mary Whitney was actually real, etc. etc. There's layers upon layers in this book, and it feels really rewarding to make those analyses/connections/comparisons while going through it. When I finished reading this book last night, I was really team Grace is innocent until I got thinking about one of the last highlights I made re: her writing about her opinion of the truth of forgiveness. When I first read it, I was basically thinking like...oh no sweetie they gaslit you into thinking that you have to be forgiven for everything (as she is often portrayed as the victim in many situations in the book). But later on I thought...oh my god...she's talking about everyone else. She's not the victim, and they seek forgiveness to her, and she's played them all into her hand. We'll never get an actual answer to this, but either way -- this book is an original "I support women's wrongs <3" novel and I'm here for it. So very glad this was the first Atwood book I read! (Also if you get the chance, grab a US first edition of this -- the hardcover is gorgeous under the dust jacket!)

TW to be added later

Okay....many thoughts. I had watched the show when it came out a few years ago, and happy to report back that (as far as I can remember), it stayed pretty true to the book. I love that we hear most things from Grace's dialogue vs. a traditional thought-narrative headspace. It emphasizes that Grace is not a reliable narrator, which leaves us at the end of the novel questioning if she actually has DID, if Mary Whitney was actually real, etc. etc. There's layers upon layers in this book, and it feels really rewarding to make those analyses/connections/comparisons while going through it. When I finished reading this book last night, I was really team Grace is innocent until I got thinking about one of the last highlights I made re: her writing about her opinion of the truth of forgiveness. When I first read it, I was basically thinking like...oh no sweetie they gaslit you into thinking that you have to be forgiven for everything (as she is often portrayed as the victim in many situations in the book). But later on I thought...oh my god...she's talking about everyone else. She's not the victim, and they seek forgiveness to her, and she's played them all into her hand. We'll never get an actual answer to this, but either way -- this book is an original "I support women's wrongs <3" novel and I'm here for it. So very glad this was the first Atwood book I read! (Also if you get the chance, grab a US first edition of this -- the hardcover is gorgeous under the dust jacket!)

Nicole

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE! Honestly, one of the most intriguing books I've read this year. The story of Grace Marks is so interesting and was approached in a great way. I think she did an amazing job with retelling these events. The magazine articles of the time were a great addition to the story.
The author lets us make up our own mind about Grace's supposed innocence and for me, that was one the best things about the book. It kept me guessing all the time. 
All the character had depth and contradictions, they were at the same time good and evil; humans, really. 
I'm a history junkie, so I really loved the setting of the book and being able to experience the culture of that time. 
I believe that one of the most important aspects of this book is how women are seen in society and throughout the story, the sexism of that period, that perpetuates to this day, was constantly described. On the book, women were portrayed as weak-minded, the fragile sex, less capable than man and immoral beings. There were some passages about this that felt very harsh to my 21st-century ears that were considered to be true at the time and that still are for some today, of course in a much less obvious way.
Grace herself represented the stigma suffered by women: is she week-minded and fragile or is she evil and insane? There is no black or white. Women were not considered to be complex, whole human beings. As a feminist, I really loved this particular characteristic of the book. It led to thinking about the role of woman today.
I also really loved the writing, although it took a while to get used to it.
Well, I really recommend this book. It's amaaaaaaazing! Just go read it. NOW!

edith w.

Oh, Margaret. I tried, I really did. I got to about page 50 of this book before I realised that I cared nothing for any of the characters or what they were doing. I was vaguely interested in fact that Grace's family left Northern Ireland for the 'new world', as many of my ancestors had done, but even that story arc didn't hold my attention for long. 

I persevered until I realised I actually hated this book, and then gave up 100 pages from the end. 

Shame, for I always like you so...

Sandi King

Gave up after 2/3. Just didn't care about any of the characters.

InAlias Grace,bestselling author Margaret Atwood has written her most captivating, disturbing, and ultimately satisfying work sinceThe Handmaid's Tale.She takes us back in time and into the life of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteenth century. Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace a female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she the victim of circumstances? From the Paperback edition.

Celeste Richardson

Alias Grace isn’t what I expected. I suppose I thought this would be similar to Atwood’s most famous novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. And it was in some ways, especially in the tone of the main character. Though I can’t quite call Grace a protagonist, as Offred is in the aforementioned classic of dystopian literature. What I wasn’t expecting was very well researched historical fiction.
“Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you. It has a smell to it, that word - musky and oppressive, like dead flowers in a vase. Sometimes at night I whisper it over to myself: Murderess, Murderess. It rustles, like a taffeta skirt across the floor.”
I’m not sure how this happened, but I somehow managed to completely miss the fact that this novel was based on a true story until I reached the afterword. Grace’s story is fascinating, and is made even more so by the fact that she was a real woman and the crime she was accused of really happened. Because no one quite knew what was truth in regards to Grace’s life and possible guilt, Atwood took it upon herself to give Grace a fictional voice and allow her to tell her side of events. Atwood did this brilliantly, giving Grace a voice that rang true.
“If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged.”
This book could skew much too descriptive for many readers. However, I wallowed in the descriptions found in Grace’s tale, as they did much to aid the setting in time and place, and brilliantly illuminated Grace’s character and what made her tick. Grace is obsessed with the physical, and she laces her story as she tells it to Dr. Jordan with a minutely detailed account of her wardrobe and the wardrobes and belongings of others present in her tale. As she is a talented seamstress, this would appear fairly natural. But on further consideration, it shows how much material goods matter to Grace, and seems to convey a lack of caring and compassion about her fellow human beings. She carefully studies every situation and assumes the role she determines is expected of her without showing much real emotion. I found her wily and cunning, and by the end of the book I was still just as unsure of her guilt or innocence as I was of her character.
“A prison does not only lock its inmates inside, it keeps all others out. Her strongest prison is of her own construction.”
Atwood really knows how to write. The craftsmanship of this book is impeccable, and the prose definitely helped draw me deeper into the story. Atwood deserves the accolades she has received over the course of her career. She is truly on of the masters of the craft for our time.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Sarah Escorsa

I absolutely loved this book and once again enjoyed Margaret Atwood's fantastic writing style. She definitely is one of my favorite authors and an amazing story-teller!

Caroline Mao

Margaret Atwood's writing is the kind that leaves me awake at night, staring at the ceiling and my thoughts spinning at a thousand miles a minute, too in awe to even pull them together into something orderly and coherent.

Okay, so, first. Characters, because I care the most about characters in a book.

They're pretty much all terrible people.

I liked Dr. Jordan at first even if he wasn't perfect, (view spoiler)[until the way he acted toward Mrs. Humphrey, (hide spoiler)] and the way he thought about women in general. At any rate, he was one of the narrators, and that was enough to interest me in him. The way men treat women in the story (James McDermott, Grace's employers, Grace's father) is an abomination. At that time, it was the norm. The novel highlights it as such, and I do not actually think Atwood is a raging misogynist (not that I've done any research into her life). That doesn't actually make me like the men, though, including the ones who were not (attempted) rapists or abusers.

That includes, say, Jamie Walsh. I thought his little schoolboy crush on Grace was sort of cute, (view spoiler)[until he decided she was guilty, and then until he turned back later to beg her forgiveness. He's not a great husband. (hide spoiler)] Then there's Mr. Kinnear, who I didn't really care for, mainly because I didn't really care for any of the men in the book. (Or any of the characters in the book. Then why have I put this as my 'loved characters' shelf? I'll get to that.) He didn't have much personality. Also, Mackenzie was a conceited prick - I'll agree with Dr. Jordan's assessment on that point - and Reverend Verringer was a bore, nothing more, nothing less.

Then there's the women. I didn't care for Nancy at all; I didn't hate her, but she was more of an irritant to me than anything. I was okay with Grace, who personality-wise didn't have a lot that I liked, but I adore her because I love her narration. I was initially attached to Mary Whitney - her coarse language, her friendship of Grace, both were points I went for. Now, under the cut, I will discuss how that changed. 

(view spoiler)[When I found out about the ending, I decided I heartily did not like her. Certainly she never tried to harm Grace directly, but they were friends, and their friendship seemed and seems to be real. Except that you're not a very good friend if you decide to possess her, and more than that - just possession I would have forgiven - make the people around her think she's going mad, and doing things like screaming and throwing fits that spoil her reputation further, and having affairs with people and letting Grace wake up and have strange men hovering over her, trying to have sex with her.

Also, judging from the way she talked at the end of the novel, Mary Whitney is extremely rude to the people around her, some of whom she doesn't even know well. Although I should have known she would be, considering how Grace spoke of her, but I can't see how she got along with Mary if that's how she behaved. They don't exactly have much in common.

Funnily enough, towards the very beginning of the novel I predicted Mary wasn't a real person, but an imaginary friend of sorts that Grace had made up and hallucinated, and was actually a second personality of hers that was guilty of the murders. I dumped this theory later when I learned Mary was indeed a real person. When I think about it, it's pretty close to the truth. (hide spoiler)]

...To summarize, the only character I actually liked was Grace. Everyone else annoyed me or was boring.

To say I loved them would be an overstatement, but they fascinate me. I could talk about them for hours, not because of their amazing personalities, but because of what they contribute to the story, which I can't say I've ever cared about much before. (Please don't test me on the 'talk about them for hours' thing. I'm still pulling myself together.) And that is why this book is shelved the way it is.

Other things I liked:
- I will always remember Margaret Atwood as the person who made me remember I like classics.
- The plot twist at the end. It was...well, I'm not actually sure how I feel about it. Part of me is disappointed, because while it was foreshadowed to the point it was almost obvious, (view spoiler)[this book wasn't supposed to be a book about spirits, or the supernatural, or whatever. And it's not. I knew from the start Grace was probably mentally ill in one way or another and was innocent in some way, but I feel like introducing sudden supernatural elements and expecting that to just go smoothly with the rest of the story didn't make sense. (hide spoiler)] another part knows it interests me. I don't care about plot much, but I care a lot about plot twists and how they affect the characters.
- Grace's ending. I so badly wanted a happy ending for her, and I would say that qualifies as a happy ending. Was Jamie appearing somewhat out of nowhere and changing his mind a little abrupt, especially when there wasn't much writing between the major events of the novel and the years that passed until she was released? Yes, but it makes sense. It's kind of bittersweet, because I knew Grace wasn't going to have a happy ending, not without Atwood making a bunch of things up and introducing a new character by either rushing the plot in the last few pages or extending it by quite a length and swiveling the focus of the story. Jamie Walsh isn't exactly the best husband she could possibly have and they don't love each other with the passion of a thousand burning suns, but he is a decent enough person, and by the end of the novel, she is much more well off than she started as. Good is good enough.
- The narration was so skillful, I loved it. Atwood implies a lot of things that get across quite well without having to be direct, and she's very good at setting the atmosphere. The shift between voices, the way Grace's narration (and Dr. Jordan's, too) was written - it was amazing.

To conclude: I really loved this book. I don't know if I got that across, but I love this book, and I love Margaret Atwood a lot.

madina

the journey to the end was amazing and the quilt. yes

Kristýna Voženílková

Some parts were a bit boring (Simon's parts) but otherwise great book

Paula Zipp

I am a huge Atwood fan and this is one of my top 3 books of 2021. I‘ve had it on my shelf for years. If you are into historical crime fiction you should definitely read this one. 

Mayra Melo

After so much YA, I had forgotten that trance you get after finishing a really good, complex book, when your mind just whirls all you have read over and over for an hour after finishing, connecting the many, expertly guised threads.

Alias Grace

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