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34th out of 544 books
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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
June 8th 2011
by Anchor
(first published 1988)
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I always have trouble reviewing books that I have studied at school, because I have so much to say and not enough patience to explain it properly. In any case, I studied (read: memorised) this book for an oral, and as a result it is one of my all-time favourite books.
Cat's Eye is about the painter Elaine Risley's journey back to the city of her childhood, Toronto, for a retrospective exhibition of her work. This trip is a catalyst for the revelation of the traumatic memories of the w...more
Cat's Eye is about the painter Elaine Risley's journey back to the city of her childhood, Toronto, for a retrospective exhibition of her work. This trip is a catalyst for the revelation of the traumatic memories of the w...more
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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.
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.
...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.
...more
"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 chil...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 chil...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 At...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 At...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 ...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 ...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 (gir...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 (gir...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 ...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 ...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 meanwhil...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 meanwhil...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 i...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 i...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 b...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 b...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
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...more
Kim
rated it
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...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...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 ...more
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 al...more
All in al...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...more
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 s...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 hea...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 hea...more
I always think Atwood is going to be harder to read than she actually is, though this might be because I gravitate toward her books about women and their complicated, often hurtful, relationships with each other.
However, because of this, it was also emotionally wearing to read. I was bullied as a child when I was around Elaine's age and there were times when I had to put the book down because my skin was crawling at the spot-on voices of Elaine's friends, the things they said to and *how* ...more
However, because of this, it was also emotionally wearing to read. I was bullied as a child when I was around Elaine's age and there were times when I had to put the book down because my skin was crawling at the spot-on voices of Elaine's friends, the things they said to and *how* ...more
I deeply enjoy Atwood’s storytelling and style. Within a few pages I felt like I was putting on a warm, comfy sweater. Hello, old friend. Nice to be swaddled by you again. I like the tool that Atwood uses here as well as in other stories, the progressive flashback. Action takes place primarily in the past, but secondarily in the present too. Both sections compliment each other and reveal parts of the story.
The story pulled me in right away. The details of young Elaine’s life a...more
The story pulled me in right away. The details of young Elaine’s life a...more
Okay, good reads annoys me because this book was a true 3.5 - a solid B+ book. Maybe I'll just start doing ratings in terms of letter grades.
Anways, Cat's Eye. The first half of this book is excellent, almost too real, and the second half is a little more lackluster. You can tell that the first part is a true reflection and account of what happened to Margaret Atwood (or something similar) as a child and the latter is her fictional account of what happened to that version of her.
...more
Anways, Cat's Eye. The first half of this book is excellent, almost too real, and the second half is a little more lackluster. You can tell that the first part is a true reflection and account of what happened to Margaret Atwood (or something similar) as a child and the latter is her fictional account of what happened to that version of her.
...more
Prachtig boek!! Eerder las ik haar 'de blinde huurmoordenaar', waar ik nog steeds veel aan denk. Dus de verwachtingen waren hooggespannen.
Ik vond het begin niks aan, maar na ongeveer 120 p. kwam het ineens in een stroomversnelling. Het verhaal is heel zwaar, dus 'even snel uitlezen' lukte me niet.
Waarover gaat het? Elaine Risley, schilderes, keert op 50-jarige leeftijd terug naar Toronto, de stad waar ze opgroeide, omdat er daar een overzichtstentoonstelling wordt georganisee...more
Ik vond het begin niks aan, maar na ongeveer 120 p. kwam het ineens in een stroomversnelling. Het verhaal is heel zwaar, dus 'even snel uitlezen' lukte me niet.
Waarover gaat het? Elaine Risley, schilderes, keert op 50-jarige leeftijd terug naar Toronto, de stad waar ze opgroeide, omdat er daar een overzichtstentoonstelling wordt georganisee...more
Elaine Risley, Forty-something with a reputation as a controversial painter returns home for the opening of her new gallery exhibit. She takes us from the past to the present and to the past again as she reminisces about her childhood.
It is in this manner that Elaine tries to shed light on how she has grown to be the woman she has become. Her most meaningful relationship seems to be with her
one time childhood friend/tormentor, Cordelia, who is now mostly physically absent in Elai...more
It is in this manner that Elaine tries to shed light on how she has grown to be the woman she has become. Her most meaningful relationship seems to be with her
one time childhood friend/tormentor, Cordelia, who is now mostly physically absent in Elai...more
I wasn’t sure what I would think of this novel. I mean, I wasn’t sure where it would go. Ultimately, there is little more to it than a middle aged women thinking through her past as far as she can remember it. the surprise being that apparently much of her older memories had been suppressed by a somewhat traumatic experience brought on by her supposed friends at the time.
I thought the protagonist was fairly weak. I also didn’t really like her. In the first third of the book she is bullied and yo
...more
Margaret Atwood is a freakin' genius, she's one of my favourite novelists in the world, and Cat's Eye may, after a bit of reflection, be the best thing of hers that I've read yet (A Handmaid's Tale, a sci-fi examination of the politics of women's bodies, is the other contender, in case anybody's interested). I've mentioned before in this blog that I have a very short list of authors of whom I will, before I die, read their complete works. Cat's Eye puts Margaret Atwood on that list. It's that fr...more
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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 po...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 po...more
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“Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.”
—
1,198 people liked it
“I don't want to see anyone. I lie in the bedroom with the curtains drawn and nothingness washing over me like a sluggish wave. Whatever is happening to me is my own fault. I have done something wrong, something so huge I can't even see it, something that's drowning me. I am inadequate and stupid, without worth. I might as well be dead.”
—
279 people liked it
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