The Edible Woman

by Margaret Atwood

Paperback, 1998

Status

Checked out

Publication

Anchor (1998), Edition: Reissue, Paperback, 336 pages

Description

A humorous, ironic, disturbing, and parabolic novel features a woman who, after her engagement to be wed, first loses her appetite and then becomes obsessed with the idea that she herself is being eaten.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member grheault
A very quick witted book, that for me, congures memories of a Muriel Spark boarding house book, with psychic subject of Stephen King's "Thinner", and TV's “Madmen” 1960's sensibility; populated by marketing/ advertising, “soap men”, people in their late 20’s, post college, anxiously
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coupling up ahead of their 30’s, set in Toronto. I loved the clever misdirects: One chapter opens with Marian “walking down the aisle….” Given her recent engagemet you think she might be already at her own church wedding, but as the reader arrives at the church with her, the scene morphs to the mundane reality of grocery shelves featuring Vegetarian Baked Beans . Haha –gotcha, reader, didn’t I? Obvious contrasts and vivid characterizations: Ainsley/Marian, Duncan/Peter. Who are all these characters? Who are the the three virgins the three grad student roomates. This could be dream/scifi/modern myth/psycho fiction, or a real story of a real person playing out a real period in a real life. What is real, who is real, and what is the stuff of dreams?
As Marian approaches marriage she undergoes a sort of personality exfoliation, an eraser sloughing off the elements of her identity, whether an old doll being sent off, or more corporeally, food options erased from a previously abundant list of options. The final chapter switches from the Eating (not) Woman to the Edible Woman, a cake consumed like a Catholic Communion: Body of Christ. And presumably a happy ending. Margaret Atwood’s has a great sense of humor and a knack for ticklish storytelling. Her characters are real, of another age, in this case 1960’s 'soap men'. In a more ageless way these are people one may have known, perhaps oneself, in one’s own ‘coupling’ period of life. This could be a movie. Easily.
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LibraryThing member unapersson
A story about a woman taking that first step towards marriage and finding that her digestive system doesn't quite want to go along for the ride. As time goes on the list of foods she can stomach gets smaller and smaller. It's also a fascinating slice of 1960s Canada, a precursor to the feminist
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novels of the seventies, with lots of paternalist traditions being brought up for a humorous dig. An expectation of resignation upon a woman getting a job, the travails of a friend who wants a fatherless child then becomes desperately in need of a father figure. It has everything you expect in an Atwood novel but one before she has quite hit her stride, so not quite as good as The Robber Bride or Cat's Eye, but still a satisfying read.
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LibraryThing member dandelionroots
Set in the 1960's when women attending universities was still... questionable, a graduate becomes engaged because what the fuck else was she supposed to do? Shouldn't force things even if that is the socially acceptable route and you're a sensible girl. Her body rebels, she deals with the stress by
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escaping to another self-cocooned man. Love the auxiliary characters, especially Ainsley and Clara. Margaret Atwood has definitely made it to my devour list.

"Oh," I said, "I didn't want to interrupt you." I had realized by this time what my prevailing emotion was: it was rage.
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LibraryThing member bexaplex
Atwood bridges the gap between the "woman's experience as horror" genre (Perkins Gilman, Plath) and the modern female-centered narrative of self-determination. This is a classic work of literature, Atwood's first novel, and interestingly, it's been one of the last Atwoods that I've read. I've been
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doling them out over the years so that they last longer.

The descriptions of the book harp on consumerism, and perhaps Atwood intended to write a novel about consumerism, and instead wrote a classic piece of feminist literature. The main character is not getting any fulfillment out of buying things, but she's also unhappy with the lack of emotional intimacy in her relationship, her boring job, and the tension between her nutty roommate and overbearing landlady. She starts a rather bizarre affair, as if she's staging a different concept of herself. At one point she keeps on asking the people around her if she's normal, and they all reassure her that she's normal, but what she's really looking for is reassurance that she's not normal, that she has something different to offer than what is currently expected of her.

This was the first book I read coming out of 3-4 years of difficulty focusing which turned out to be chronic migraine. I cannot adequately explain the pleasure I took in reading a real (read: complex) novel for the first time in several years. I'm so happy it was this one.
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LibraryThing member funfunyay
This book is about the increasingly alienated Marian, her life, friends, and food. This book is written as though it were any little story, but there is really a lot of depth here. Marian's suppression of herself and her own desires and needs in favour of those of her boyfriend lead to an eating
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disorder, at least on the surface. But there is another layer, that of consumerism. In a consumeristic society, isn't the consumer also the consumed? Consumed by advertising and the constant push to buy, to use, to own, just for the profit of businesses. As the alienated Marian begins to identify with the food she consumes, she is projecting on to the food the very problems she faces as a woman and as a consumer - "You are very appetizing" she says to her food, "But that's what you get for being food." I found this book very cathartic in it's main character learning to not be alienated by life, to not be consumed by consumerism, to escape being the Edible Woman.
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LibraryThing member CommonReeda
I was really taken with this when I read it in the 70's. I still think her description of the young woman with the incredibly shrinking list of foods she can eat is so good. 'She was watching her own hands and the peeler and the curlof the crisp orange skin. She became aware of the carrot. It's a
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root, she thought, it grows in the ground and sends up its leaves. then they come along and dig it up, maybe it even makes a sound too low for us to her, but it doesn't die right away, it keeps on living, right now it's alive... "Oh no" she said, almost crying. "Not this too" '
Vegans, watch out.

Not as assured as her later books but pretty good.
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LibraryThing member readingwithtea
"I had returned from lunch and was licking and stamping envelopes for the coast-to-coast instant pudding-sauce study, behind schedule because someone in mimeo had run one of the question sheets backwards, when Mrs. Bogue came out of her cubicle."

From the blurb: What happens to someone who has been
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a willing member of consumer society when she suddenly finds herself identifying with the things consumed? ... The witty and diverting story of a young woman whose sane, structured, consumer-oriented world suddenly slips strangely out of focus. As a result, Marian McAlpin finds herself unable to eat: first meat, then eggs, and finally even vegetables become abhorrent to her. In this tour de force, Margaret Atwood presents a striking condemnation of contemporary society and of the rampant consumerism that deprives people of both soul and sustenance.

Well, I don't know at what point Marian starts identifying with the consumer products, but it hadn't happened by page 100. Until then, she had just pottered along with her existence, her quite strange boyfriend, her fairly dead-end job, her bizarre housemate... so far, the setting has been confusing rather than dystopian. So I lost patience and gave up.
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LibraryThing member lewispike
I found myself really enjoying this book and staying up far too late to finish it but trying to think of how to explain why is really hard.

The setting is 1960's Ontario and you live several months in the life of Marian who seems to be living the older dream of a woman's life (job for a while, then
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marriage, quitting work and being a decorative adornment for her husband and a baby making machine) but the closer she gets to saying "I do" the more detached from her body and gradually the world around her she becomes.

She is surrounded by various well portrayed characters: the friend who really is just a baby-making machine now, despite her degree; the friend who wants to become the same, initially without a man in the baby's life; the variations on amazingly patronising men despite their having next to nothing else in common.

And that, I think, is where it's really scary. This book was set around the time I was born but the society it describes is actually more alien to me than reading fantasy and sci-fi. Was it really like that back then? Jane Austen has feistier and more independent women, even the ones that just want to get married, than are portrayed here.

That is part of the fascination, the rest is the lovely language at various points that suck you in so that whilst part of me was wondering if Marian was insane I could still feel her as a real presence in the world and follow that journey through this alien world of 40 years ago.
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LibraryThing member Meggo
This is Atwood's first novel, a story about a women slowly losing grip with reality. Written in 1969, the gender issues and stereotypes of the time make the book feel dated and somewhat stale. Still, Atwood is a wonderful writer, and the book paints vivid word pictures replete with emotion. The
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feeling of gradually increasing disconnectedness and loss of control experienced by the main character becomes ever more palpable, and I, at least, found the book heavy going, like reading whilst sleepwalking, in the latter third of the work. I would recommend the book only to hard core students of the era, or to Atwood fans, but many may enjoy it.
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LibraryThing member lindawwilson
Very good; now in 2008 I don't remember that much about it, but I like all of Atwood's books
LibraryThing member ilovecookies
I read this a long time ago and although it is a little bit strange (as are many of Atwood's works), I thought it was really well done. Marian, the main character, gets engaged and finds that after her engagement, she can't eat certain foods. This goes on until she can't eat anything at all. She
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then comes to some kind of self realization about herself, bakes a cake in her own image and proceeds to eat it!!!! Strange but true!!!
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LibraryThing member samfsmith
Atwood’s very first published novel, way back in 1969. A little awkward, but her promise is obvious. It has the Atwood style and feel about it, even though it is somewhat stiff.

A woman, about to be married and give up her independence, feels as if she is being consumed. She stops eating. Plenty
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of symbolism, which seems a little heavy-handed at times, something that Atwood doesn’t do in her later novels. It’s also very slow to begin.

But if you are one of her fans, like I am, by all means give it a read for some insight into the author’s early years.
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LibraryThing member bhowell
This is Margaret Atwood's first novel The Edible Woman published by McClelland and Stewart Ltd. (Toronto) in 1969. This eminent writer had at that point published 2 works of poetry but no fiction. This is the true first edition and is extremely rare. It is not even in any data base that I could
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find. Pictures are rare and therefore I will use my digital camera and get a picture added. The Dust Jacket is orange with some pink in the woman's face. It is hardcover with dust jacket as described. Mine is also signed which makes it doubly rare. I searched high and low for this book for years in used bookstores and on the internet. It completes my collection of Margaret Atwood first editions, many of which are signed. I was finally successful with a bookstore in Toronto and my joy was complete. There are a lot of first editions which I am hunting for but this was the most important by far.
As for the merits of this book I read it shortly after it was published and loved it as did all of my friends. I think it is close to a perfect novel and if you haven't read it , there are lots of paperbacks available.
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LibraryThing member ladybug74
I enjoyed this book. I like the way that Margaret Atwood writes. I couldn't quite figure out for most of the story if Marian was reacting to her feelings about being engaged, if perhaps she was pregnant and having food aversions, or if she was mentally ill. She definitely had some strange behaviors.
LibraryThing member nkm25
I'm a huge Margaret Atwood fan, but I have to admit that this wasn't one of my favourites. According to the introduction, Atwood was only 24 when she wrote this, and I think that this shows - it's not particularly subtle in terms of plot (which had a bit of a fairy tale-esque ending) or imagery
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(which was generally a bit too obvious). However, the characterisation is complex and interesting, and I would still say that this is a good read.
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LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
I'm usually a little wary of high-profile Margaret Atwood. Most of her prose is entertaining, but gives of sense of effect more than depth.
This book, however, I thoroughly enjoyed. The variety in her characters and their personalities, the pedestrian yet powerful situations, the social taboos
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(motherhood, eating disorders, gender roles) that she addresses all combine to make an exciting, fast-paced yet unpretentious fresco. I loved her unique feminist message presented in such a creative fashion. I will definitely remember this one to be a favourite.
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LibraryThing member kpolhuis
There is much food for thought in this book (sorry... I couldn't resist!). I have decided to read all of Margaret Atwood's books in chronological order so that I can experience her growth as a writer. I was impressed with this first book, and pleased with how relevant it seems to be today as it was
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forty years ago. I look forward to reading every other book she has ever read.
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LibraryThing member cassieguthrie
This is one of my all-time favorite books. It was relevant to me at 18 when I first read it, in my 20s when I re-read it, and again at 39.
LibraryThing member actonbell
Intriguing coming-of-age story in which a young woman named Marian comes to an important crossroads in her life. It's also a reminder of how drastically society's expectations for women have changed. In the end, Marian must discover how to be true to herself and live her own life, even if this
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means casting off others' expectations of her.

I loved the symbolism in this novel, and found it to be an engaging read from the first page.
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LibraryThing member Rhinoa
Written in the 1960s, Marian works for a market research company. She went to university and had big dreams, but somehow got stuck writing survey questions for new products. She is dating Peter who wishes to always remain a bachelor. His last single friend has just gotten married and he begins to
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look at his life and really think about remaining unmarried. Marian seems to have never really thought about whether she wants to marry or stay single, she just goes along with the flow. When Peter does propose she accepts, but her unconscious seems to rebel. She runs from him and begins a friendship with student Duncan who is unattainable.

Marian's housemate Ainsley decides that to fulfil herself as a woman she wants to have a baby. She is unconventional and refuses the idea of marriage. She sets out to find a suitable father for her baby and trap him into having sex with her without him thinking she is trying to marry him. Marian is in the position of not enjoying her career but not wanting to run into marriage to escape it.

The book looks at gender stereotypes and although was written before feminism became popular, it definitely has a feminist feel to it. It's interesting spending time with the different characters, especially Ainsley. Clara is always pregnant and has forgotten her studies and of course there are the "office virgins" who are out to snag a husband. A book that really set Atwood on the map.
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LibraryThing member wendyrey
Written when she was 24 which shows in the naiveity of the plot and images , a short novel that has themes around eating disorders and the way men control women. I was reminded that married women were not expected nor ofen allowed to work until surprisingly recently. The youth of the author and/or
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the protagonist was clear - she was horrified that an older woman was not wearing any make up - not even a touch of lipstick.
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LibraryThing member toongirl81
For a modern reader, Atwood's insight into gender politics seems both validating and depressing. Written in 1965 and published four years later, Atwood has carefully scrubbed this story nearly clean of time and place and as such it seems to exist in the ever-present. Following protagonist and
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sometimes-narrator Marian as she tries to create an identity for herself within a relationship, friendships, work environments, and society at large, I felt a general sigh of relief to hear some of the nuanced and impossible contradictions of femininity put into words. At the same time however, I was struck by how few moments felt "old-fashioned" to me, a reader under 30, which took me aback.

In terms of storytelling and narrative structure, Atwood is always a champ--her symbolism here is as top notch as you can expect--but her strongest competition seems to be herself. I read this after recently finishing The Handmaid's Tale, and The Edible Woman has none of the compelling moments of tension or sense of purpose of the latter book possesses. I believe The Edible Woman was her first novel, and between the pages you can tell that here is a talent that's really gearing up for something. But that potential for greatness never quite plays out on the page. Subplots languish and characters fade in an out of being fully-realized. And in the end the whole thing seems to collapse under its own clever symbolism, as I walked away feeling like I read more of an allegory than a novel. Ultimately not her most satisfying work, but it still contains an important voice worth listening to, even 40+ years later.
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LibraryThing member triscuit
I reread this book after a long long time, having last read it when both Atwood and I were young. I was impressed then; this time I struggled to get involved. Sigh. Still rates 31/2 stars for old times sake.
LibraryThing member jlizzy
Disturbing and engrossing.
LibraryThing member bibliophileofalls
This book was filled with immature/dysfunctional people of all sorts. They formed dysfunctional relationships and were mostly out of touch with reality. Although I basically like Atwood, I'm beginning to think no book of hers can live up to Cat's Eye which I read about 15 years ago and thought was
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amazing. I'll try a few others to see if I can possibly find one I consider as good. This was definitely not a contender.
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Language

Original publication date

1969

Physical description

336 p.; 7.9 inches

ISBN

0385491069 / 9780385491068

Local notes

Fiction
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