Cat's Eye (Paperback)

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Margaret Atwood charts the psychological process of memory as compulsion and memory as a healing act through the character of Elaine Risley, an artist who returns to her home town of Toronto for a retrospective of her work. Elaine's visit triggers thoughts of her childhood with all the urgency of a bad rash. Dominating her reflections are her childhood "friends", three girls who wreak havoc on Elaine's self-esteem. Having spent her early childhood on the road with an entomologist father, a less than traditional mother and a brother more concerned with snot and snakes than the intricate behaviour codes of girls, the young Elaine is vulnerable to the indirect aggression of Cordelia, the ringleader of the group who seeks to improve her. Through Elaine's experiences, Margaret Atwood turns a keen and ironic eye on the training of females in North American culture: "All I have to do is sit on the floor and cut frying pans out of the Eaton's Catalogue with embroidery scissors, and say I've done it badly." The self-effacement of these girl-children barely masks a need for power that erupts all too often in cruel forms of play. This is a story in which the lines between victims and oppressors blur, in which forgiveness becomes an act of gaining power. Through humour, pain and insight, she makes us see, with surprise and recognition, details from childhood we may well have forgotten. --Chris Kellett, From 500 Great Books by Women

Review
'Not since Graham Greene or William Golding has a novelist captured so forcefully the relationship between school bully and victim...Atwood's power games are played, exquisitely, by little girls' LISTENER 'Irrestistible...This book is about life for all of us. She is one of our finest novelists. Read it' THE TIMES 'Atwood's taut and exquisite use of language makes all her books irresistable...' THE WEEK 'Margaret Atwood charts the psychological process of memory as compulsion and memory as a healing act through the character of Elaine Risley, an artist who returns to her home town of Toronto for a retrospective of her work. Elaine's visit triggers thoughts of her childhood with all the urgency of a bad rash. Dominating her reflections are her childhood "friends", three girls who wreak havoc on Elaine's self-esteem. Having spent her early childhood on the road with an entomologist father, a less than traditional mother and a brother more concerned with snot and snakes than the intricate behaviour codes of girls, the young Elaine is vulnerable to the indirect aggression of Cordelia, the ringleader of the group who seeks to improve her. Through Elaine's experiences, Margaret Atwood turns a keen and ironic eye on the training of females in North American culture: "All I have to do is sit on the floor and cut frying pans out of the Eaton's Catalogue with embroidery scissors, and say I've done it badly." The self-effacement of these girl-children barely masks a need for power that erupts all too often in cruel forms of play. This is a story in which the lines between victims and oppressors blur, in which forgiveness becomes an act of gaining power. Through humour, pain and insight, she makes us see, with surprise and recognition, details from childhood we may well have forgotten.' - Chris Kellett, From 500 Great Books by Women, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW

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23 Reviews 5 star:  (13) 4 star:  (8) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.4 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   33 of 34 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Attwood's most poigniant and compelling novel to date., 22 Mar 2001 By A Customer If you only read one Margaret Attwood book this should be it. This was the first of her novels that I read and I have been gripped by her work ever since. Cat's Eye is, on the surface, a first person documentary of a young girl's progression from childhood to her life as a moderately successful artist of a certain age. Attwood's use of stream of consciousness may confuse an unwary reader. However don't be put off. Attwood reminds us from the outset that time is not a line but more like a pool of water into which our memory dips a hand from time to time. In fact this method of writing is aptly suited to Elaine's journey through the infulences and relationships which explain the woman she has become. It would be impossible for anyone to read this book as a story. It is a series of memories. The backdrop to our journey is set in the present where Elaine, our navigator, is being 'honoured' with a retrospective of her artwork in a small gallery Toronto, the city of her upbringing. By way of a parallel to this Attwood gives us glimpses of Elaine's life in retrospective showing how each of the pivitol moments in her life have shaped her ability to interact with her environment and with those around herm, both men and women. To emphasise this point Attwood has dispensed with the uniform chapter titles and numbers. Instead there are numerous sporadic switches between the past and present, each of which is segmented under what could be the titles of paintings/artwork, the pictures of which we are encouraged to form in our own minds as we experience the world through Elaine's senses. In particular Elaine centres on the influence of Cordelia her childhood 'friend' around whom her early attempts at stability were centred. Before coming to Toronto, the world Elaine knew was that of a wanderer, travelling from place to place with her Professor father, a scientist. The permanent life in Toronto introduces her to the lives and relationships of other girls her age and so she cements herself, nervously at first, into a group of girls. Then she is changed forever by the arrival of another girl, Cordelia who haunts her throughout the book. Although by defenition, Cordelia is not a physical bully, she exerts an influence on Elaine which will hold her forever. It is this relationship with Cordelia which has left her emotionally stunted until now as she grapples to lay her emotional ghosts to rest. The subtlety of Attwood's expression is evident from the beginning. In particular the representation of Elaine as an artist and Attwood's manipulation of Elaine's view of the world are manifest in the quality description of Elaine's world. We are smothered by the colours, textures and feelings which surround Elaine, both in the physical world and in her own mind. But Attwood manages never to overstress the technique. Above all this book is about subtlety, what goes on behind the physical in Elaine's one true and constant world, her own mind. This book is not exciting, never a whirlwind of action. But it is an enthrawling journey on which the reader is compelled to follow. It will bring back memories you never thought you had and remind you that it does not matter how we may change in our adult lives, it is our past which pursues us and which we ultimately must learn to control else it will ultimately consume us. A thoroughly enjoyable work. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   33 of 36 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Intense, profound and moving, 25 Oct 2001 By A Customer I had to read this novel for my A-levels at school, but since we had already done 'The Handmaids Tale' (another winner), I wasn't apprehensive in the slightest. The emotions it stirs up in you are amazing, and if you study the language and way it's written, as I had to, then you begin to see it's different levels. This is the story of Elaine, the girl who is bullied by her 'friend' Cordelia. I found myself getting totally immersed in this story and making myself read faster just so I could find out how Elaine prevails. She's a strong little character, but with flaws that allow the bullying to continue. Once she has ridden herself of it, we begin to see how it effects her life and how she deals with it years after it has ended. I think I had a week to read this book, and it only took me 2 days. Every spare second was taken up with it. I admire Margaret Atwood's writing a great deal - there's an honesty and a sense of poetry in the tales she tells, and she has a gift of sweeping you up in them. This novel is definately one of her best, and worth keeping on the bookshelf to read over and over. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars An Emotional Rollercoster - Must Read!, 19 Sep 2001 By A Customer This is one of the most absorbing books I have ever read. As a (young) adult, it stirred up many memories and emotions that I had long buried of how difficult growing up can be. It is not a particularly easy book to begin, but once I did, the story gradually sucked me in to the point where I could think or do nothing else until I had finished the story. The book is an emotional marathon and at times is a little harrowing. When I finished I felt as if I had just been through an intensive psychotherapy session! You MUST read this book. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 23 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Value for money Arrived promptly and was fit for purpose. Not in good enough condition to keep but ok as a book club read. Published 2 months ago by M. M. Broderick 4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight into psychological bullying Atwood is without doubt one of the finest modern writers, and her prose never fails to disappoint. This is a story that will strike a chord with anyone who has been bullied as a... Read more Published 7 months ago by BookWorm 5.0 out of 5 stars The agony of girlhood - dissected with a scalpel Margaret Atwood turns her lucid prose to the experience of a young girl being coerced and bullied by her "best friend" - or is the victim complicit in some way? Read more Published 18 months ago by Book Groupie 4.0 out of 5 stars Spot on `Cat's Eye' is the story of Elaine Risley, a painter who returns to Toronto for a retrospect of her work and finds herself flooded by memories of her past. Read more Published 22 months ago by theshortmad1wivmessyhair 5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all time top ten books by one of my all time top ten writers. Just brilliant. You don't notice you're even reading because you're so caught up in the fiction. Wonderful. Published on 28 May 2007 by lilysmum 4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking... brilliant. Cat's Eye was the first Atwood novel i read and i can definitely say that it got me hooked! (I am currently reading it for the second time. Read more Published on 11 Feb 2007 by Heather 5.0 out of 5 stars Cat's Eye I'm currently studying this novel and Atwood's Alias Grace as part of my Advanced Higher English course and I have to say I absolutely love it. Read more Published on 4 Oct 2006 by L. Omelasz 1.0 out of 5 stars Boring and pretentious I can never understand why so many people are attracted to Margaret Atwood's work. With all due respect, I believe the reason so many people read her books is to all do with... Read more Published on 29 Jul 2005 4.0 out of 5 stars Atwood's writing as strong as ever As a writer myself (largely unpublished I'm afraid), I read Margaret Atwood and regularly find myself thinking 'I wish I'd written that'. Read more Published on 23 Oct 2003 by Smurfy 4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Higher or A-level English work Atwood's use of characters shows deep insight into the cruelty of chilhood bulling and the lasting effect it can have. Read more Published on 24 Jan 2002 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 23 customer reviews...

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