Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Seal Books (1999), 448 pages
Description
Joan Foster is the bored wife of a myopic ban-the-bomber. She takes off overnight as Canada's new superpoet, pens lurid gothics on the sly, attracts a blackmailing reporter, skids cheerfully in and out of menacing plots, hair-raising traps, and passionate trysts, and lands dead and well in Terremoto, Italy. In this remarkable, poetic, and magical novel, Margaret Atwood proves yet again why she is considered to be one of the most important and accomplished writers of our time.
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Media reviews
Atwoodové román se odehrává v druhé polovině 20. století a politicky odráží zejména existenci západních levicových hnutí. Sama Atwoodová se aktivně hlásí k levici a patří k propagátorům ekologického života. V očích Joan jde ale o bezzubé bojůvky, kterým přes
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velkolepé ideály chybí konkrétní cíl i prostředky. Show Less
Bohatý děj doplňuje neodolatelný atwoodovský humor a samozřejmě i ironický feminismus. Její hrdinka se sice motá v začarovaném kruhu, své konání ale reflektuje s dokonalým odstupem: Joan se snaží řídit svůj vlastní život jako život svých romantických románových hrdinek,
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ale vůbec se jí to nedaří, život se jí vymyká z rukou. Každá další maska je jen komplikací, z níž už není cesty zpět. Snad jen ta schopnost nadhledu ji ještě drží nad vodou. A že se nedočkáme laciného happyendu, jaký by nechyběl v Joaniných románcích, či naopak nějaké konečné tragédie, je nasnadě. Show Less
Které já však v závěru vítězí, není vůbec jasné. Joan se v Itálii místo pocitu osvobození zmocní paranoia a fikce se životem se jí promíchá natolik, že ve snaze uchopit život do vlastních rukou praští flaškou naprosto nevinného chlápka.
Obgleich manche Passagen allzu sehr ausgewalzt werden, so ist der Roman doch durchweg amüsant und stellenweise auch grotesk: er liest sich mitunter wie eine Parodie auf unsere Zeit. Unverkennbar macht sich die 1939 in Ottawa geborene Schriftstellerin und Literaturkritikerin Margaret Atwood - die
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"Frankfurter Allgemeine" nannte sie einmal "Kanadas Vorzeigeautorin und Beinahe-Feministin" - über Modeströmungen lustig, über unrealistische Fanatiker und linke Bewegungen, weibliche Wunschvorstellungen, den Literaturbetrieb im allgemeinen und die Machart von Trivialromanen und den Geschmack des Publikums im besonderen. Die einzelnen Figuren zeichnet sie witzig und treffsicher mit hintergründiger Ironie und spitzer Feder, vor allem die Männerwelt wird mit Seitenhieben reichlich bedacht. Humorvoll, zuweilen auch zynisch, hält sie der heutigen Gesellschaft mit ihren Ansichten über Identitäten, ihrer Oberflächlichkeit, Verlogenheit und Sensationsgier einen nicht allzu schmeichelhaften Spiegel vor. Obgleich das Buch schon vor mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten erstmals in Kanada auf dem Buchmarkt erschien, hat es von seiner Aktualität nichts eingebüßt. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member samfsmith
Another great early Atwood novel. First published in 1976, her third novel. This is the first one where she employs what will become a favorite technique. She starts at the end of the story, this time with a great opening line: “I planned my death carefully; unlike my life, which meandered along
After that beginning, Atwood goes back and fills in all the details, so that the reader learns how and why the narrator has gotten to this point. Later Atwood uses this same technique in several more novels, always to great success.
Highly recommended.
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from one thing to another, despite my feeble attempts to control it.” That line perfectly describes the novel. Of course, we learn within the first paragraph that she is not really dead, just faking her death, but the reader is already hooked.After that beginning, Atwood goes back and fills in all the details, so that the reader learns how and why the narrator has gotten to this point. Later Atwood uses this same technique in several more novels, always to great success.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Laura400
From 1976, this novel is fairly early Atwood. It doesn't completely satisfy as a story, perhaps, with its unusual structure and a sense of leaving too much unresolved. And it might be argued that the novel sinks for too long into the heroine's past, when her present seems so interesting. Yet this
So it's enjoyable and memorable. Atwood's imagination is captivating and her vision certain. The character of Joan is perfect. Even in this early work, Atwood has the clarity to make Joan's flaws clear, the skill to make them comic and sympathetic, and the strength not to rescue her. A really excellent book.
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is obviously deliberate, and a mark of Atwood's confidence, and her sureness.So it's enjoyable and memorable. Atwood's imagination is captivating and her vision certain. The character of Joan is perfect. Even in this early work, Atwood has the clarity to make Joan's flaws clear, the skill to make them comic and sympathetic, and the strength not to rescue her. A really excellent book.
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
This is not really a review - more a collection of thoughts about this beguiling and bewildering (at times) novel of identity, gender, and the manufacture of stories. I'm not sure I got everything there is to get out of this early Atwood work, but I did enjoy it.
Identity: Atwood plays with notions
Role of women: Joan "fails" in the traditional roles of women - daughter, mistress, wife. But what she fails at is to live up to the traditional notions of what these things are. She's ashamed of her secret role as the author of Gothic romances but she also feels like a fraud as a much-hailed author of feminist poetry. She wants a "normal" life and what is wrong with that? But, also, what IS a normal life?
Politics: This novel is quite funny, especially when Atwood pokes fun at radical politics and the people who espouse whatever radical philosophy is currently in vogue. Nationalism, communism, feminism, Fascism - it's all fair game when so much of it is empty rhetoric and blind allegiance.
Romance: Joan makes a living producing romance novels, the embodiment of traditional ideas of love stories and fairy tales. And she seems to yearn for this kind of dramatic, sweep-you-off-your-feet relationship and is willing to make all sorts of compromises to have even a hint of it ("...he had gone to a lot of trouble to find me. He'd walked at least three blocks in the rain: that meant dedication of a sort." (page 196)) She has a vivid imagination and loves the grand gesture, but also keeps these feelings hidden because they do not conform to the contemporary feminist ideal.
I don't know enough about feminist theory and gender politics to do much of this justice. Lady Oracle can be read quite easily and only as a novel about a woman searching for herself but there are also a lot of layers to be explored. I can see this work as being worthy of a re-read, as well as the spark to a lot of fascinating conversation.
"For a while I wanted to be an opera singer... Unfortunately I couldn't sing. But it always appealed to me: to be able to stand up there in front of everyone and shriek as loud as you could, about hatred and love and rage and despair, scream at the top of your lungs and have it come out music. That would be something." (page 78)
Identity: Atwood plays with notions
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of identity and self. Some are hidden, others doubled, often misread and misunderstood. Joan Foster, the protagonist, doesn't seem to know herself for much of the book, but she knows that the person she sees reflected by the people around her is not who she is. "But hadn't my life always been double? There was always that shadowy twin, thin when I was fat, fat when I was thin, myself in silvery negative, with dark teeth and shining white pupils glowing in the black sunlight of that other world." (page 246)Role of women: Joan "fails" in the traditional roles of women - daughter, mistress, wife. But what she fails at is to live up to the traditional notions of what these things are. She's ashamed of her secret role as the author of Gothic romances but she also feels like a fraud as a much-hailed author of feminist poetry. She wants a "normal" life and what is wrong with that? But, also, what IS a normal life?
Politics: This novel is quite funny, especially when Atwood pokes fun at radical politics and the people who espouse whatever radical philosophy is currently in vogue. Nationalism, communism, feminism, Fascism - it's all fair game when so much of it is empty rhetoric and blind allegiance.
Romance: Joan makes a living producing romance novels, the embodiment of traditional ideas of love stories and fairy tales. And she seems to yearn for this kind of dramatic, sweep-you-off-your-feet relationship and is willing to make all sorts of compromises to have even a hint of it ("...he had gone to a lot of trouble to find me. He'd walked at least three blocks in the rain: that meant dedication of a sort." (page 196)) She has a vivid imagination and loves the grand gesture, but also keeps these feelings hidden because they do not conform to the contemporary feminist ideal.
I don't know enough about feminist theory and gender politics to do much of this justice. Lady Oracle can be read quite easily and only as a novel about a woman searching for herself but there are also a lot of layers to be explored. I can see this work as being worthy of a re-read, as well as the spark to a lot of fascinating conversation.
"For a while I wanted to be an opera singer... Unfortunately I couldn't sing. But it always appealed to me: to be able to stand up there in front of everyone and shriek as loud as you could, about hatred and love and rage and despair, scream at the top of your lungs and have it come out music. That would be something." (page 78)
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LibraryThing member Clara53
An irresistibly compelling storyline, with poignant flashbacks into the past - a girl growing up in a disturbing household, with a domineering mother and aloof father, making her turn to food for escape and all the nasty experiences that go with it - and then the unexpected and well-desired actual
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escape to a new life, first abroad, then back in Canada, a change of identity, dealing with weird acquaintances/partners, finding love (or resemblance of it), discovering a talent she didn't know she had, and then another, forced, escape... all this with a master touch of an accomplished author (even at the start of her novel writing!), a quality that makes you want to read on and on, enjoying the flow of the narration, with unexpected twists and turns, to the utmost. My only mini-grudge is with the ending, I wanted it more explicit. But otherwise, quite a read... and quite an imagination! Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaJeanne
I've had dreams like this - when the doctor had me on opiates. The main character has a disfunctional life, as in many Atwoods, but this time she seems to call most of it on herself. She makes her way through a web of varying fictions, until it is unclear whether the main story of her life is
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another fiction she is telling, or a fiction she is living. Show Less
LibraryThing member samantha464
Not my favorite Margaret Atwood, but still good. You definietely see the early origins of her later works like Cat's Eye in some of the plot points, but this one, like all her books, is perfectly capable of standing on its own. It also inspired me to write my first crappy vampire romance.
LibraryThing member thioviolight
This is the very first Atwood novel that I read, which I did for a literature paper. I'm so glad I discovered this book, because I totally fell in love with her writing! It remains one of my favorites because of this.
LibraryThing member Esquiress
Lady Oracle bore some similarities to others of Atwood's novels in that the female protagonist is faced with a crisis (or several crises) and has to work her way out of the problem(s). These women vary in personality, of course, and their situations are always unique, but I see that common thread
Lady Oracle had two things that I found really fascinating.
One is that it deals with the occult, spirits, astral bodies, and the like. The protagonist of the novel is inspired to write in a new way after attending a chapel with her beloved aunt. This new way of writing kind of weaves itself through the novel, popping up in several places. In addition, the idea that the spirit, or part of it, can separate from the physical body appears several times as well. I felt that this was a unique feature of Lady Oracle, and it helped the title to resonate with me.
The second thing is that this novel bears some similarities to The Blind Assassin in that the protagonist is writing a story that appears at multiple points in the novel. It's not as structured as it is in The Blind Assassin, but I can't help but hope Atwood first germinated the idea of story-within-a-story here in Lady Oracle. As the novel comes closer to the ending, the written words of the protagonist and her actual life begin to merge more and more, and I thought that was quite well done.
There were some bits that were a little slow-going for me (but not *too* slow-going; just a hair), which is why the 4.5 stars instead of the full 5. However, I think this earlier novel of Atwood's definitely holds up against some of her later works with which I am more familiar. I quite enjoyed my reading.
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running through the novels of Atwood.Lady Oracle had two things that I found really fascinating.
One is that it deals with the occult, spirits, astral bodies, and the like. The protagonist of the novel is inspired to write in a new way after attending a chapel with her beloved aunt. This new way of writing kind of weaves itself through the novel, popping up in several places. In addition, the idea that the spirit, or part of it, can separate from the physical body appears several times as well. I felt that this was a unique feature of Lady Oracle, and it helped the title to resonate with me.
The second thing is that this novel bears some similarities to The Blind Assassin in that the protagonist is writing a story that appears at multiple points in the novel. It's not as structured as it is in The Blind Assassin, but I can't help but hope Atwood first germinated the idea of story-within-a-story here in Lady Oracle. As the novel comes closer to the ending, the written words of the protagonist and her actual life begin to merge more and more, and I thought that was quite well done.
There were some bits that were a little slow-going for me (but not *too* slow-going; just a hair), which is why the 4.5 stars instead of the full 5. However, I think this earlier novel of Atwood's definitely holds up against some of her later works with which I am more familiar. I quite enjoyed my reading.
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LibraryThing member greeniezona
I wasn't really sure I would love this book until the very last page. I mean, it's Atwood, and I've loved Atwood in the past, but it's been a while since I've read anything by her. Really, quite a while. Maybe college? But I'd had a flurry of love for her then, collecting several of her books and
So, Lady Oracle it was. Atwood would be perfect for taking women seriously, only her character, Joan Foster, doesn't take herself terribly seriously. In fact, she is sometimes unrelatable, a few times nearly unlikeable, but there is a bit of a mystery, in that the book starts with Joan reminiscing on her faking her own death. The book is her examination of her life -- how did it come to this? Where could she possibly go from here? Her memories are juxtaposed with excerpts from her books -- Joan is a writer, primarily of bodice-rippers. In a strange way it suddenly reminds me of 1982, Janine, by Alasdair Gray, one of my favorite novels, in that both use fantasy to reveal character, and both fantasies begin to fall apart as the dreamers confront themselves and their need for the dreams.
Then in the end things fall apart so rapidly and completely that I am sure I was cringing as I read, envisioning no possibility for anything resembling a reasonable, let alone happy, ending. But, without saying how it ends, it somehow achieved a sudden clarity, and that last paragraph I could kiss Atwood for -- it is surely one of my favorite last lines of all time.
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dutifully moving them from house to house as I moved on to other literary loves. But then, after Aurororama, I was looking for some new fiction to read. And I have a fiction problem. Have I told you? Jessa and I used to keep each other in balance. She would read mostly fiction and I read mostly non-fiction and we would recommend the gems we found along the way. Now she's on Berlin and we rarely chat and I don't know how to find new fiction on my own! So I was skulking about my bookcases, trying to find an antidote to my growing irritation with two-dimensional representations of women all around me and... of course. Atwood.So, Lady Oracle it was. Atwood would be perfect for taking women seriously, only her character, Joan Foster, doesn't take herself terribly seriously. In fact, she is sometimes unrelatable, a few times nearly unlikeable, but there is a bit of a mystery, in that the book starts with Joan reminiscing on her faking her own death. The book is her examination of her life -- how did it come to this? Where could she possibly go from here? Her memories are juxtaposed with excerpts from her books -- Joan is a writer, primarily of bodice-rippers. In a strange way it suddenly reminds me of 1982, Janine, by Alasdair Gray, one of my favorite novels, in that both use fantasy to reveal character, and both fantasies begin to fall apart as the dreamers confront themselves and their need for the dreams.
Then in the end things fall apart so rapidly and completely that I am sure I was cringing as I read, envisioning no possibility for anything resembling a reasonable, let alone happy, ending. But, without saying how it ends, it somehow achieved a sudden clarity, and that last paragraph I could kiss Atwood for -- it is surely one of my favorite last lines of all time.
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LibraryThing member dmenon90
Margaret Atwood’s Lady Oracle tells the story of Joan Foster, an author who finds success rather unintentionally, by way of a book named Lady Oracle: she has been writing pulp Gothic romances under an assumed name, but hides this fact from everyone she knows.
The underlying theme of this novel,
The novel provides some characteristically sharp and poignant insights into a woman’s self-image issues in terms of obesity. There is also a fraught and sharply-etched relationship with her mother and her girlhood companions.(The snowy ravine incident is almost identical to one from Atwood’s Cat’s Eye- hmmm.) The extremely vivid dream imagery and story-within-story method is also familiar because of Atwood’s other works. The writing is in itself excellent; none of the characters except Aunt Lou are particularly likeable, yet the layers of identity and the underlying humor, deceit, tenderness and need for validation kept me engaged.
Atwood writes with a piquancy that comes from a doubtless razor-sharp mind, one that is unhesitating in drawing out the cruelties faced by women, and in Lady Oracle, overweight women in particular. It is also interesting to come across nuggets like ‘girls didn’t wear slacks to school in those days’ and comments about her cooking - these seem anachronistic on the surface but are essentially still true if one thinks through the layers.
The one grand success of Joan Foster’s life- her bestselling book- is unintentional, as are most of her life’s choices and consequences. Her ultimate choice to fake her own death seems childish, but wholely typical of her- even the ending suggests a familiarity, as though we are now so accustomed to Joan’s character that this ending seems fitting.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as some of Atwood’s others, but it’s still a book worth reading. She is a writer of consequence, one that I admire for intellect and intensity.
The underlying theme of this novel,
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as far as I could tell, is identity. Joan is searching for hers, and ultimately rubs it out in order to survive. Then the other main characters too seem to have at least two identities, as Joan herself points out. She is a clumsy, somewhat endearing, humorous, childish woman whose one great motivation in life is ‘escape’.The novel provides some characteristically sharp and poignant insights into a woman’s self-image issues in terms of obesity. There is also a fraught and sharply-etched relationship with her mother and her girlhood companions.(The snowy ravine incident is almost identical to one from Atwood’s Cat’s Eye- hmmm.) The extremely vivid dream imagery and story-within-story method is also familiar because of Atwood’s other works. The writing is in itself excellent; none of the characters except Aunt Lou are particularly likeable, yet the layers of identity and the underlying humor, deceit, tenderness and need for validation kept me engaged.
Atwood writes with a piquancy that comes from a doubtless razor-sharp mind, one that is unhesitating in drawing out the cruelties faced by women, and in Lady Oracle, overweight women in particular. It is also interesting to come across nuggets like ‘girls didn’t wear slacks to school in those days’ and comments about her cooking - these seem anachronistic on the surface but are essentially still true if one thinks through the layers.
The one grand success of Joan Foster’s life- her bestselling book- is unintentional, as are most of her life’s choices and consequences. Her ultimate choice to fake her own death seems childish, but wholely typical of her- even the ending suggests a familiarity, as though we are now so accustomed to Joan’s character that this ending seems fitting.
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as some of Atwood’s others, but it’s still a book worth reading. She is a writer of consequence, one that I admire for intellect and intensity.
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LibraryThing member bexaplex
Lady Oracle is the title of the protagonist's book - the result of experimenting in Automatic Writing. The unintended success of a book written unconsciously is a pretty good description of Joan's life. She manages to bumble through a pudgy adolescence, romance, marriage, a career in costume Gothic
The tone is very Candide-ish, with the ickiness of some of the subject matter (eating disorders, creepy blackmailers) belied by Joan's overall good humor. The pieces of the romance novel embedded in the book are pure comic genius. I wish Atwood had published the romance novel as a companion.
All the while Joan struggles with the eternal Atwoodian problems - relationships with her mother and husband, different parts of the self competing for expression, being reborn while still retaining the old self. I love all of Atwood's books, but this is the only one that leaves you laughing at the end, as well as thinking.
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novel-writing which she hides from her husband, an affair with a performance artist and a faked drowning. All of which, from her mother's perspective, should have ended in disaster but didn't.The tone is very Candide-ish, with the ickiness of some of the subject matter (eating disorders, creepy blackmailers) belied by Joan's overall good humor. The pieces of the romance novel embedded in the book are pure comic genius. I wish Atwood had published the romance novel as a companion.
All the while Joan struggles with the eternal Atwoodian problems - relationships with her mother and husband, different parts of the self competing for expression, being reborn while still retaining the old self. I love all of Atwood's books, but this is the only one that leaves you laughing at the end, as well as thinking.
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LibraryThing member jayne_charles
The usual witty and entertaining writing style I associate with Margaret Atwood, but this one seemed alarmingly devoid of plot. I also find it irritating when characters in books make an apparently easy living churning out fiction - like it's really that easy!
LibraryThing member MarysGirl
I liked this book. The writing is breezy and fun from the first sentence: "I planned my death carefully, unlike my life, which meandered along from one thing to another, despite my feeble attempts to control it." We then get to "meander" with Joan through her early life as an obese child, her
At first, I didn't care for the ending; but on reflection, it's appropriate for the book and the character Joan. This was a fun read.
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pathetic search for love in all the wrong places once she slims down; and her many secret lives as Gothic novel writer, adulteress, and reluctant revolutionary. In between these reminisces, Joan tells us about her current attempt to start over after faking her death and writes her newest Gothic.At first, I didn't care for the ending; but on reflection, it's appropriate for the book and the character Joan. This was a fun read.
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LibraryThing member izzynomad
this is my least favourite margaret atwood book. not bad, but i was expecting more.
LibraryThing member lewispike
It is very tempting to liken this book, somewhat appropriately, to a wonderfully tasty and filling sandwich made on cheap, past-its-best bread.
The story begins with a successful author who has faked her own death. This ought to be a good hook, but I found it odd and hard to get to grips with - I
The story then flips back to the author's youth and moves forward to the situation that made her fake her death in the first place, then to the faking of it. Whilst there are parts that I find personally odd - I don't obsess about people's clothes in the way that the character does for example - I found this compelling reading. Her semi-passive rebellion against her mother (by eating) and her relationship with her far more vivacious aunt were wonderful. The changes after the untimely and unexpected death of her aunt were plausible, and her development into an adult, if not mature, self-confident woman, was beautifully done. In fact, so beautifully done at times I found myself wondering just how autobiographical this book was.
The secrets, the relationship with Arthur and the need to keep and make new secrets could have been dull. Actually it felt plausible and delightful, as I was swept along with the character and how she'd got there and understood the choices she made. I certainly understood that once into such a situation she felt the need to maintain the illusions. The Royal Porcupine introduces more flamboyance at a time where you wonder how grey and mundane her everyday life was becoming, until he becomes grey, then the final couple of elements to finish the move to faking her own death come to light.
Then, sadly, it's back to her run-away home as things unravel. And we have the other side of the sandwich and more of that slightly formless pap. However, there is, perhaps, a reason for it. It transpires, mainly through the medium of her difficulty in finishing her current novel, that she is growing up at long last, and starting to become independent and strong. Well, maybe. There is, at least, an indication that, a bit like a butterfly, she is moving on to a new phase in her life.
If the sandwich had been made on better bread I'd have given it 5 stars. As it is, 4 and a half is all I can manage.
The story begins with a successful author who has faked her own death. This ought to be a good hook, but I found it odd and hard to get to grips with - I
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think on reflection establishing the confusion central to the main character and her tendency to drift or move more rapidly at the behest of those around her.The story then flips back to the author's youth and moves forward to the situation that made her fake her death in the first place, then to the faking of it. Whilst there are parts that I find personally odd - I don't obsess about people's clothes in the way that the character does for example - I found this compelling reading. Her semi-passive rebellion against her mother (by eating) and her relationship with her far more vivacious aunt were wonderful. The changes after the untimely and unexpected death of her aunt were plausible, and her development into an adult, if not mature, self-confident woman, was beautifully done. In fact, so beautifully done at times I found myself wondering just how autobiographical this book was.
The secrets, the relationship with Arthur and the need to keep and make new secrets could have been dull. Actually it felt plausible and delightful, as I was swept along with the character and how she'd got there and understood the choices she made. I certainly understood that once into such a situation she felt the need to maintain the illusions. The Royal Porcupine introduces more flamboyance at a time where you wonder how grey and mundane her everyday life was becoming, until he becomes grey, then the final couple of elements to finish the move to faking her own death come to light.
Then, sadly, it's back to her run-away home as things unravel. And we have the other side of the sandwich and more of that slightly formless pap. However, there is, perhaps, a reason for it. It transpires, mainly through the medium of her difficulty in finishing her current novel, that she is growing up at long last, and starting to become independent and strong. Well, maybe. There is, at least, an indication that, a bit like a butterfly, she is moving on to a new phase in her life.
If the sandwich had been made on better bread I'd have given it 5 stars. As it is, 4 and a half is all I can manage.
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LibraryThing member elleceetee
I love Margaret Atwood and she can do (almost) no wrong, so it's probably not shocking that I really liked this book. After all, I have read (in order): The Handmaid's Tale (multiple times), Cat's Eye, Robber Bride (I should go back and re-read these as it's been a long time) The Blind Assassin,
Lady Oracle treads over some of what most readers of Margaret Atwood will realize is familiar ground. The premise of the book is that Joan Foster, a woman who for all appearances seems to be a success, has found herself unable to escape the mess she's made of her life. Therefore, she decides to fake her death and embark on a new life. However, most of the book is not dedicated to this new life - in fact, it only appears briefly in the beginning and occasionally throughout other parts of the book. Instead, the book in the story of her life. Through her recollections (starting from childhood) we see how things like childhood and teenage obesity, a controlling mother, an absent father, and and emotionally distant husband shape the way that she views the rest of her life and ultimately leads to the mess that she has made. Joan Foster is incidentally a closet writer of gothic romances, and many of the parts of her story and interspersed with snippets of the books that she writes as well.
Lady Oracle is one of her earliest books, written before her success with The Handmaid's Tale. It doesn't quite have the same lyric quality to the writing that some of her later novels have. It's also interesting to see the way that some of the themes from this early novel appeared later in The Blind Assassin, like the secret novels, the way that the book passages are written into the narrator's life story, and the possible death by drowning.
I remember my friend E reading this book and not particularly liking it. Certainly, it's less polished than her later work. That being said, some of this book really resonated with me and I would still recommend it almost without reservation.
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Alias Grace and The Penelopiad.Lady Oracle treads over some of what most readers of Margaret Atwood will realize is familiar ground. The premise of the book is that Joan Foster, a woman who for all appearances seems to be a success, has found herself unable to escape the mess she's made of her life. Therefore, she decides to fake her death and embark on a new life. However, most of the book is not dedicated to this new life - in fact, it only appears briefly in the beginning and occasionally throughout other parts of the book. Instead, the book in the story of her life. Through her recollections (starting from childhood) we see how things like childhood and teenage obesity, a controlling mother, an absent father, and and emotionally distant husband shape the way that she views the rest of her life and ultimately leads to the mess that she has made. Joan Foster is incidentally a closet writer of gothic romances, and many of the parts of her story and interspersed with snippets of the books that she writes as well.
Lady Oracle is one of her earliest books, written before her success with The Handmaid's Tale. It doesn't quite have the same lyric quality to the writing that some of her later novels have. It's also interesting to see the way that some of the themes from this early novel appeared later in The Blind Assassin, like the secret novels, the way that the book passages are written into the narrator's life story, and the possible death by drowning.
I remember my friend E reading this book and not particularly liking it. Certainly, it's less polished than her later work. That being said, some of this book really resonated with me and I would still recommend it almost without reservation.
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LibraryThing member land_mammal
Not Atwood's most famous novel, but it's one of my two favorites of hers (the other being Cat's Eye).
LibraryThing member abirdman
A very strong Atwood novel, about a woman who finds her power only after she gains a lot of weight, and then loses the weight and keeps the power. Possibly not nutritionally correct by today's standards (I read it in the 80's), but it's a strong, affecting read. It made me love Atwood, and made me
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realize she wasn't just a histrionic proto-feminist. Show Less
LibraryThing member omnia_mutantur
I adore Margaret Atwood, and so much like other reviewers, it's no surprise that I liked this as well. Double lives, and realizing there are parts of you that even when you run away, you take with you.
LibraryThing member thatotter
Not sure quite what to say about this one. On one hand, some of it was very witty and lively. But I had no time for Joan's whininess about her weight, relationships, and self worth.
LibraryThing member steadfastreader
Definitely not her best work. Though in another review I read that this was one of her earlier novels which may explain why it was so irritating. It just feels like there was no resolution.
LibraryThing member francesanngray
Story of a woman who goes to extremes to escape her childhood.
LibraryThing member Bagpuss
This is my first experience of Margaret Atwood. My Mum and I have a very similar taste in books and she’d read one of Atwood’s others (Oryx and Crake, I believe) and hadn’t enjoyed it at all, so it was with some trepidation that I started on this one and had it not been picked for my Book
Within the group it certainly got very mixed reviews and I think I was the only person who fully enjoyed it. However, from the opening lines I was engaged with it, although now I come to write this review several weeks later I’m struggling to put my thoughts down on (electronic!) paper! It’s a novel of Joan’s relationships and how they influence her life. From her relationships with her bullying mother and loving Aunt Lou, to a Polish count and a dull husband… and how she eventually decides to leave this life behind for a new one.
People who like to have all the ends tied up neatly in a novel definitely won’t like the ending of this (this was one of the major criticisms from the other members of my book group), but I thought it was great – although I’m not convinced I want to read anything else by her!
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Club then I’m perfectly sure I wouldn’t have picked it up.Within the group it certainly got very mixed reviews and I think I was the only person who fully enjoyed it. However, from the opening lines I was engaged with it, although now I come to write this review several weeks later I’m struggling to put my thoughts down on (electronic!) paper! It’s a novel of Joan’s relationships and how they influence her life. From her relationships with her bullying mother and loving Aunt Lou, to a Polish count and a dull husband… and how she eventually decides to leave this life behind for a new one.
People who like to have all the ends tied up neatly in a novel definitely won’t like the ending of this (this was one of the major criticisms from the other members of my book group), but I thought it was great – although I’m not convinced I want to read anything else by her!
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
Not my favourite and so many years since I read it there were only a very few pages I had any memory of. Still a really interesting read and mixes so many different genre styles and themes, covert as well as overt! I read this really quickly so I obviously found it hard to put down. However at
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bottom pretty bleak despite the laughs although the protagonist is still pretty young at the end (I think) and a better future is still open. Show Less
LibraryThing member renbedell
A tale of a 1960s woman struggle to find her place in the world and deal with issues made by herself and loved ones. The book is good as in it grabs your attention and delivers the author's message; about gender issues and parents long lasting effect on their children. While the characters are
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interesting, there isn't much of a plot. It's a lot about the message. It's written really well with great details that bring a strong sense of realism. (Although, there are a lot of either run-on sentences or sentences that need commas.) I enjoyed the book for the ideology, but be prepared for a very slow storyline. Show Less
Awards
Toronto Book Award (Winner — 1977)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1976
ISBN
077042824X / 9780770428242