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33rd out of 676 books
—
1,345 voters
Cat's Eye
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
Cat's Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own id...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
January 20th 1998
by Anchor
(first published 1988)
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Nov 28, 2011
Mariel
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
barbarism begins at home
Recommended to Mariel by:
doll house
Cordelia: Hey! You think I'm never lonely because I'm so cute and popular? I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone. It's not like any of them really know me. I don't even know if they like me half the time. People just want to be in a popular zone. Sometimes when I talk, everyone's so busy agreeing with me, they don't hear a word I say.
Buffy: Well, if you feel so alone, then why do you work so hard at being popular?
Cordelia: Well, it beats being alone all by yourself.
(from Buffy th...more
Buffy: Well, if you feel so alone, then why do you work so hard at being popular?
Cordelia: Well, it beats being alone all by yourself.
(from Buffy th...more
i know for a fact that books were written and published after this one, but i can't for the life of me understand why.
"Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise."
Simply put, I worship this book.
Cat’s Eye follows the controversial painter Elaine as she reflects upon her childhood and younger years when she returns to Toronto (the city of her youth) for a retrospective of her works. Her reflections stir up memories of friendship, longing, betrayal, love, hate, and pain. Especially haunting are her memories of Cordelia, a childhood friend with whom she had a co...more
Simply put, I worship this book.
Cat’s Eye follows the controversial painter Elaine as she reflects upon her childhood and younger years when she returns to Toronto (the city of her youth) for a retrospective of her works. Her reflections stir up memories of friendship, longing, betrayal, love, hate, and pain. Especially haunting are her memories of Cordelia, a childhood friend with whom she had a co...more
Upon rereading in 2011: I have little to add, except to say that it was even more astonishing on the second-go-round.
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I have no words (well, in a manner of speaking) to describe my love for this book. I finished it really, really late the other night after a night out with some friends and was completely overwhelmed. It's taken me a few days to review it, just because of how emotionally devastating the book is.
Cat's Eye (from the almost-always-fabulous Atwood) is less a narrative than a glimps...more
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I have no words (well, in a manner of speaking) to describe my love for this book. I finished it really, really late the other night after a night out with some friends and was completely overwhelmed. It's taken me a few days to review it, just because of how emotionally devastating the book is.
Cat's Eye (from the almost-always-fabulous Atwood) is less a narrative than a glimps...more
“There are things I need to ask her. Not what happened, back then in the time I lost, because now I know that. I need to ask her why.
If she remembers. Perhaps she’s forgotten the bad things, what she said to me, what she did. Or she does remember them, but in a minor way, as if remembering a game, or a single prank, a single trivial secret, of the kind girls tell and then forget.
She will have her own version. I am not the centre of her story, because she herself is that. But I could give her so...more
If she remembers. Perhaps she’s forgotten the bad things, what she said to me, what she did. Or she does remember them, but in a minor way, as if remembering a game, or a single prank, a single trivial secret, of the kind girls tell and then forget.
She will have her own version. I am not the centre of her story, because she herself is that. But I could give her so...more
I am always so surprised by how cruel girls can be to each other. I am afraid that I am more like Elaine's parents- not exactly part of the mainstream of life. The weaving of the story from past to present, the interplay of the characters, growth of Elaine and shifts of power and focus were all well done to my mind. I often find that the actual story Margaret Atwood writes about is not as compelling as her details and work with the characters. There is an everyday-ness about them and a seeming n...more
Having read The Handmaid's Tale, and loving it, and reading The Robber Bride, and not loving it (at all), I was unsure how I would feel about my third Margaret Atwood tale.
While not being able to immerse myself into the story as quickly or as deeply as The Handmaid's Tale, I found the book to instead be a slow burn, gradually drawing me in and not letting go until the end.
In Cat's Eye, Atwood's protagonist reflects on the development of relationships between women (girls) in all their complexi...more
While not being able to immerse myself into the story as quickly or as deeply as The Handmaid's Tale, I found the book to instead be a slow burn, gradually drawing me in and not letting go until the end.
In Cat's Eye, Atwood's protagonist reflects on the development of relationships between women (girls) in all their complexi...more
Apparently, it’s extremely difficult to grow up female, and members of the fairer sex can be cruel and unusual in their treatment of each other both in childhood and beyond. How much of a fool am I that I didn’t discover this earlier?
I had difficulty getting into this book, and fought the urge to put it down and never resume reading until around page 300. Following the life of our fictitious narrator, I had difficulty finding something to which I could relate until she hit college age and became...more
I had difficulty getting into this book, and fought the urge to put it down and never resume reading until around page 300. Following the life of our fictitious narrator, I had difficulty finding something to which I could relate until she hit college age and became...more
This one did not live up to my Atwood expectations after Blind Assassin and Handmaid's Tale. The narrator spent way too much time lamenting her aging self and by page 445 I had no sympathy for her. The flashbacks to her childhood and adolescence were enthralling and at times visceral. Her younger self was well explicated and felt very real to me; the older Elaine felt flat. Every comment she made was about how old she was, how everything had changed, how she used to do this or act that way. I GE...more
I was thrilled when I first found Margaret Atwood's books about two years ago, and as I've been slowly working my way through them I've started to become disillusioned that they all seem to be similar to each other. The last one I read before this was the Robber Bride, and both books have a kind of annoying habit of having the main (female) characters think obsessively about other peripheral females who have wronged them or hurt them in some way. I got tired of hearing about Zenia in Robber Brid...more
I know people who have very specific conditions for books they read -- one who doesn't like any book that portrays adultery in a positive light, another who hates anything in first person. I like to think I don't have any of these, but that's kind of a lie: I hate passive characters.
Elaine's the most passive character in any book I can remember reading this year, and she's the protagonist and narrator to boot. She just sat around and waited for the book to happen to her, and meanwhile I'm readin...more
Elaine's the most passive character in any book I can remember reading this year, and she's the protagonist and narrator to boot. She just sat around and waited for the book to happen to her, and meanwhile I'm readin...more
I’d read Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake, so I thought I had her pegged as to what kind of novelist she is. But this book has no excursions into the future and mores. It’s an in depth exploration of our experiences as children and how they shape our lives.
The story is mostly told in flashbacks. A woman comes to Toronto for a retrospective showing of her art. She hasn’t been there in many years, and now finding herself there she is awash in memories, especially those involving another...more
The story is mostly told in flashbacks. A woman comes to Toronto for a retrospective showing of her art. She hasn’t been there in many years, and now finding herself there she is awash in memories, especially those involving another...more
Apr 20, 2012
Cecily
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
american-canadian,
miscellaneous-fiction
"We are survivors of each other. We have been shark to on another, but also lifeboat. That counts for something." The power of abusive friendships and relationships is the theme of this book, though not all the relationships are tainted, so it's not depressing and at times it's quite amusing (e.g. discerning the mysteries of puberty). There is also a fair bit about art and artists, with a dash of early feminism.
Elaine is an artist in her late fifties/early sixties revisiting Toronto for the ope...more
Elaine is an artist in her late fifties/early sixties revisiting Toronto for the ope...more
How is it I have never read any Margaret Atwood? Well, that's changed now after starting Cats Eye on Friday and finishing on Sunday. I couldn't put the book down, Atwood's Cats Eye was a pleasure to read especially after my last book, AS Byatt's stunning but dense Possession, dripping with symbols, mythological themes, and references to ancient and Victorian poetry. But, enough about that book, it's Atwoods Cats Eye, I'm possessed with right now.
I admit Atwoods easy to read writing style, was re...more
I admit Atwoods easy to read writing style, was re...more
This story follows the life of Elaine, from when she was in the "wilds" of Canada with her parents, to when they first moved into a house near Toronto. The story weaves in and out of the 'present' and her past, expanding on who she is as a person and how she relates to those around her.
At times heartbreaking, it offers a glimpse into how life was during what I presumed to be the 40's and 50's. (There are some historical things you need to know to understand parts of the book, I think.)
Overall, I...more
At times heartbreaking, it offers a glimpse into how life was during what I presumed to be the 40's and 50's. (There are some historical things you need to know to understand parts of the book, I think.)
Overall, I...more
This book has been on my must-read list for a long time, so I was very excited to finally get my hands on a copy. Unfortunately, as much as I tried, I did not love this book. The language was absolutely stunning, with scenes rendered with such poetic language and detail that I felt I was in the scene. The problem was that the scenes Atwood described were so miserable, I did not want to be there. I have never been to Toronto, and after reading this book, I never want to go. I can't imagine a more...more
No one ever explicitly recommended Margaret Atwood to me. But I had heard her name mentioned in the periphery of my literary world now and again. When I picked up The Handmaid's Tale this summer, I couldn't believe I had never read it before. I thought it was brilliant. So I was anxious to find time this fall to read Cat's Eye. And again I am amazed that my life has not revolved around this author from day one. I'm rendered speechless by how brilliantly Atwood can tell a story. There were paragr...more
Mar 03, 2008
Kim
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves an engrossing read.
Recommended to Kim by:
No one- I'm a longtime Atwood fan.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I read this book probably at the beginning of this year. It didn't take me as long as the Book Thief, but it took a really long time to get through, and it didn't necessarily stick with me like I wanted it to. It was a little too abstract for my tastes.
However, I love Margaret Atwood, and I did appreciate the themes in this book. The reason I'm reviewing it now is because it was quite similar to the Myth of You and Me. From the POV of a woman reminiscing about a best friend from her childhood,...more
However, I love Margaret Atwood, and I did appreciate the themes in this book. The reason I'm reviewing it now is because it was quite similar to the Myth of You and Me. From the POV of a woman reminiscing about a best friend from her childhood,...more
I thought The Handmaid's Tale was my favorite Atwood. Then I read Oryx and Crake and figured nothing could ever top that. Both of those books are futuristic dystopias, which is one of my all-time favorite genres. So when I picked up Cat's Eye, a humdrum "regular" novel, it was mainly because I love Atwood's prose. I wasn't expecting it to become my new favorite Atwood novel, let alone the book that would define my young adulthood, as Ender's Game had defined my adolescence, and The Neverendi...more
Aug 18, 2008
Amy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Margaret Atwood fans
Recommended to Amy by:
Elisabeth
I don't know what it is with Margaret Atwood. I found Handmaid's Tale to be one of the most thought provoking, wonderfully written books I've ever read in my life. However, every other book I have picked up by her has fallen short. In my experience, I have to be able to relate to at least one of the characters. While I could relate to some of the things that happened in this book, I didn't find myself relating the actual character and her motivations. It left me frustrated.
All in all, I thought...more
All in all, I thought...more
در اين سالن زن های زيادی هستند و چند نقاش ديگر، چند آدم ثروتمند ...
با آنها دست می دهم. حركت دهانشان را می بينم. اگر جای ديگری بودم مقاومتم در برابر اين جور برخوردها، اين نوع خودنمايی ها بيشتر بود، خودم را از تك وتا نمی انداختم اما اين جا احساس می كنم در مقابل نگاه شان برهنه ام. در فاصلهی ميان آدم های پولدار، دختری با دست راهش را باز میكند و پيش می آيد. دخترك نقاش است. جای بحث هم ندارد اما به هر حال اين را به زبان می آورد. موهايش را از پشت اصلاح كرده، مثل برادرم در گذشتهها. مدل موی جوانهای...more
با آنها دست می دهم. حركت دهانشان را می بينم. اگر جای ديگری بودم مقاومتم در برابر اين جور برخوردها، اين نوع خودنمايی ها بيشتر بود، خودم را از تك وتا نمی انداختم اما اين جا احساس می كنم در مقابل نگاه شان برهنه ام. در فاصلهی ميان آدم های پولدار، دختری با دست راهش را باز میكند و پيش می آيد. دخترك نقاش است. جای بحث هم ندارد اما به هر حال اين را به زبان می آورد. موهايش را از پشت اصلاح كرده، مثل برادرم در گذشتهها. مدل موی جوانهای...more
I'm so happy I finally gave myself the chance to read Margaret Atwood. "Cat's Eye" was so beautiful. I was moved by the way in which Atwood displays and dissects the nuances of female relationships as well as her general art of description and imagery. "Cat's Eye" is a mirror that prompted me to examine my own life and self, besides being beautifully written and full of seductively tangible prose. Elaine's perspective may have been before I was born, but I definitely felt the story calling quite...more
Jan 04, 2010
Karen Powell
added it
Long before there was "Mean Girls," Margaret Atwood was writing about the complexities and cruelties inherrent in young, female friendships, and how it has long-term effects. The novel's protagonist, Elaine, is a celebrated, yet controversial, painter showing off her work in a gallery. Her work represents the turmoil locked inside her, depictions of people and events from her past. The novel continuously skips from the present to the past to show just how Elaine's girlhood remains a shadow over...more
I liked Cat's Eye, but it made me feel terrible.
This is one of those books that I felt unprepared for. There is so much here. I became overwhelmed with the themes and commentaries and issues. So I focused on the story.
I loved reading about Elaine's childhood. I loved the description of the time, the scene, the day to day life of another generation. The children were fascinating in their meanness, a meanness I remember. Was I that mean? The idea that I may have been is heartbreaking. Once the mai...more
This is one of those books that I felt unprepared for. There is so much here. I became overwhelmed with the themes and commentaries and issues. So I focused on the story.
I loved reading about Elaine's childhood. I loved the description of the time, the scene, the day to day life of another generation. The children were fascinating in their meanness, a meanness I remember. Was I that mean? The idea that I may have been is heartbreaking. Once the mai...more
It took me a really long time to get through this book, partially because I have so much other reading for school, but partially because while I found it interesting (interesting enough to keep reading for three months), not interesting enough to become engrossed. I found the beginning more interesting, when she was a child, and very heartbreaking. There were also a few gems sprinkled throughout that I think revealed things about life/gender/social norms in a very casual way.
"Something is unfold...more
"Something is unfold...more
This book is just beautiful.
There is not much plotting, in the traditional sense. The story is instead a retrospective of the narrator's life leading up to the present as she prepares for a gallery showing of her artwork. The events of Elaine's life can be pretty dull - in fact, many of the events are events that everyone has experienced. The reason the book is so engaging is the way Atwood illuminates these mundane events and explores their effects on Elaine (and everyone else). Atwood's writi...more
There is not much plotting, in the traditional sense. The story is instead a retrospective of the narrator's life leading up to the present as she prepares for a gallery showing of her artwork. The events of Elaine's life can be pretty dull - in fact, many of the events are events that everyone has experienced. The reason the book is so engaging is the way Atwood illuminates these mundane events and explores their effects on Elaine (and everyone else). Atwood's writi...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sometimes it's just nice to know that somebody else went through it all too. Switching back and forth between present and past, Elaine tells the story of her childhood. And the story of her childhood was mostly the story of girl cruelty, girl bullying, and the sad things we do to each other before we're old enough to understand that hurts don't always heal. In her pre-teen years, Elaine's friends were the primary influence in her life, and that influence was heartbreakingly destructive.
I could r...more
I could r...more
I have now read all but one of Margaret Atwood's fiction works, and one can only admire the craftsmanship of her work. She is a brilliant writer, and has a particular knack of immersing us in childhood. This will be a painful read for anyone who was bullied during their youth. Girls can be very unpleasant to each other and actually so can boys. My own solution to being bullied at the age of about 11 or 12 was to beat seven bells out of one of the bullies which solved the problem, but I honestly...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FABClub (Female A...: * Cat's Eye (May/June 2013) | 1 | 3 | May 04, 2013 07:22pm | |
| [spoiler alert] Stephen | 3 | 39 | Dec 12, 2012 06:14pm | |
| Rookie Readers!: Cat's eye | 1 | 15 | Dec 09, 2012 03:53am | |
| Critical to feminism? | 11 | 59 | Oct 06, 2011 02:35pm |
Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in northern Ontario, Quebec, and Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master's degree from Radcliffe College.
Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is the author of more than thirty-five volumes of poetry, childr...more
More about Margaret Atwood...
Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is the author of more than thirty-five volumes of poetry, childr...more
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“Love blurs your vision; but after it recedes, you can see more clearly than ever. It's like the tide going out, revealing whatever's been thrown away and sunk: broken bottles, old gloves, rusting pop cans, nibbled fishbodies, bones. This is the kind of thing you see if you sit in the darkness with open eyes, not knowing the future.”
—
1,665 people liked it
“Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.”
—
1,598 people liked it
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Nov 28, 2011 09:23pm
Nov 28, 2011 09:38pm