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Alias Grace

by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 31,569 ratings · 1,525 reviews

'Sometimes I whisper it over to myself: Murderess. Murderess. It rustles, like a taffeta skirt along the floor.' Grace Marks. Female fiend? Femme fatale? Or weak and unwilling victim?

Around the true story of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the 1840s, Margaret Atwood has created an extraordinarily potent tale of sexuality, cruelty and mystery.

Paperback, 545 pages

Published 1997 by Virago (first published 1996)

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Apr 21, 2013 Stela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: postmodernism, reviews

Take a sensational event. Gather all information available about it, credible or not (testimonies, newspaper articles, letters etc.). Fill in the gaps with your own imagination. Carefully delete any border between reality and fiction. Here it is: the perfect recipe for a postmodernist novel.
And what a novel! As usual, Margaret Atwood creates a "oeuvre d'art". The story of Grace Marks, a "celebrated Canadian murderer" of the 19th century, is retold in a ludic manner, enriched with unexpected mea...more Take a sensational event. Gather all information available about it, credible or not (testimonies, newspaper articles, letters etc.). Fill in the gaps with your own imagination. Carefully delete any border between reality and fiction. Here it is: the perfect recipe for a postmodernist novel.
And what a novel! As usual, Margaret Atwood creates a "oeuvre d'art". The story of Grace Marks, a "celebrated Canadian murderer" of the 19th century, is retold in a ludic manner, enriched with unexpected meanings and robbed of all her "real" reality to be invested with a whole "fictive" reality. Do you get now the "alias" in the title? Of course, the surprising adjective stands also for the subtle transformation of "grace" into a commun noun, and for many other meanings, yours to discover.
I think the theme of this extraordinary novel is the destiny, viewed like, why not, a quilt pattern, to decipher before assembling. This becomes evident as soon as you understand Mary Whitney's death story as a "mise en abyme" which foresees Nancy and her lover's deaths. Almost the same story (the love between the gentleman and the servant gone bad), but with different consequences and a somehow better served justice. Because Grace identifies herself with Mary (another explanation for "alias"), and avenges her but saves herself by putting her actions in Mary's hands (as in she doesn't remember, she has black-outs, she was possessed by Mary's vengeful spirit as revealed in the seance of hypnotism organized by the impostor Jeremiah the Peddler).
And this is only one interpretation of this peculiar story centered apparently around one big question: "Is Grace guilty or not?" No one is able to discover the answer, not Simon the doctor who interviews her to better understand the mind's mechanics, not her lawyer, not the hospice doctor, not the reverend who writes petition after petition for her pardon, and of course Grace herself never explains, only tells some parts of the truth. Like a quilt (the leitmotive of the novel) with too many different patterns, the truth is hidden under too many variants.
But is the answer to the guilt question important? For real justice it certainly was. For literature, not as important as the strong character created by a skilful writer from small details, from many voices and little action. And this is, finally the main quilt pattern to discover.(less)

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Aug 16, 2011 Maxine McLister rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alias Grace, although a work of fiction, is based on one of Canada's most infamous murder cases. In Toronto, in 1843 16-year-old Grace Marks and fellow servant, James McDermott were accused of murdering their employer, Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper and mistress, Nancy Montgomery. Both were sentenced to death and McDermott was hanged. However, Grace's lawyer was able to get her sentence commuted to life imprisonment by arguing her youth, her gender, and, according to him, her feeble-mindedne...more Alias Grace, although a work of fiction, is based on one of Canada's most infamous murder cases. In Toronto, in 1843 16-year-old Grace Marks and fellow servant, James McDermott were accused of murdering their employer, Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper and mistress, Nancy Montgomery. Both were sentenced to death and McDermott was hanged. However, Grace's lawyer was able to get her sentence commuted to life imprisonment by arguing her youth, her gender, and, according to him, her feeble-mindedness.

The story opens when Grace has been in Kingston Penitentiary for 15 years. This is a period of reform in Canada and a group of clergy and others hire Dr Simon Jordan, a young American psychiatrist, to establish her innocence as Grace claims to have no memory of the actual murders. The story is told from different perspectives. Each chapter begins with an actual quote from the period, including excerpts from the trial, her and James' confessions, newspaper articles, and from Susanna Moodie, an early Canadian writer who went to see Grace, both at the penitentiary and, in the insane asylum, where she spent five years. The story is also told by Grace in the first person while Jordan's part of the story is told in the third.

Each chapter is also named after a quilt pattern with a corresponding picture of the pattern and each pattern gives us a hint of what to expect in the chapter. Throughout the story, Grace talks about quilt patterns and she is often pictured piecing a quilt together while telling her story. Grace, frequently, points out that quilts appear differently when seen from different angles and, like the quilts, Grace's story is pieced together from fragments, not all of which seem to fit together.

Atwood never establishes the guilt or innocence of Grace. Instead, she leaves it up to the reader to decide whether Grace is the innocent she seems to portray herself or the murdering temptress others have named her. As Grace tells her story, she often admits to the reader, but not to Jordan, that she is telling him what she thinks he wants to hear, so that we are never sure whether to believe any or all of what she says.

But this story isn't really about whether Grace is innocent or guilty although guilt plays an important role in the story. It is about class, and status, and about the role of women in Victorian Canada at a time when women, regardless of class, were seen as the weaker sex, feeble of mind and body, always at the mercy of men who invariably seem to betray them. According to Grace, poor women have only three avenues open to them, service in a wealthy household, marriage, or prostitution.

Alias grace is a fascinating look at Canada West (Ontario) in Victorian times; it is also an intriguing psychological thriller as well as a brilliant feminist novel. Margaret Atwood is often considered Canada's greatest living writer. It is easy to see why when you read Alias Grace.(less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001, booker, 2011

I felt about Alias Grace the same way I did about probably half of Atwood's novels I've read so far - I just didn't fully get it.

Nobody conveys Life ain't easy for a woman message as well as Atwood. Past, present, future - the living is rough for women. It is particularly unpleasant for Grace Marks, a young servant girl in mid-19th century Canada, accused of murdering her employer and his housekeeper with the help of her co-worker and alleged paramour, and who is locked up first in an insane as...more

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Feb 07, 2009 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 1001-books, undergrad, read-in-2009

Margaret Atwood occupies a strange nook in my heart. She's become a bit of a chore lately, as I'm including her in my senior honors thesis; on the other hand, I've now read almost all of her novels, and while none are bad or even...not really good. Just that because a few of the novels shine so brightly, that the others seem duller in comparison.

Well, Alias Grace is a supernova. It's an absolutely phenomenal novel, and a truly thrilling read. It's a departure for Atwood, as it's historical ficti...more Margaret Atwood occupies a strange nook in my heart. She's become a bit of a chore lately, as I'm including her in my senior honors thesis; on the other hand, I've now read almost all of her novels, and while none are bad or even...not really good. Just that because a few of the novels shine so brightly, that the others seem duller in comparison.

Well, Alias Grace is a supernova. It's an absolutely phenomenal novel, and a truly thrilling read. It's a departure for Atwood, as it's historical fiction (of course, she did do the Journals of Susanna Moodie before), but moreover, it employs similar narrative techniques as detective fiction, while turning them on their head--in any case, it's definitely a page-turner, which is not something you usually mention in conjunction with Atwood. This doesn't discount the literary merit--there's enough meat in the book to write a dissertation or five on it. There's something quite fresh in her style here, with many many passages I absolutely had to read aloud to whomever was (un)fortunate enough to be near me as I read.

The general structure of the novel is from the outset quite fascinating--each section is tied under the flag of a quilt pattern, and each begins with a series of epigraphs, combining historical documents, poetry, "witness accounts" and so forth--ultimately questioning the validity of each, and how we reconfigure the past with necessarily limited frameworks at hand. Writing a fictionalized account of a historical person is itself an indictment of history, but Atwood takes it so much farther, and in much more wonderfully 'political' ways. Grace is still a frustrating enigma by the end of the text, but you'll adore her and her sly moves, her secret longings, and her storytelling ability--Dr. Jordan, as we discover, has no idea what he's getting into with her. It's certainly a dark read, and often I would have to lay the book down for at least a minute or two to catch my breath. But Atwood has a wonderful way of infusing humor into even the bleakest of moments, so there were just as many times when I found myself laughing aloud. This book will not leave you for a long time.(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Shirley Schwartz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: prize-winners, my-5-star-reads

Margaret Atwood's writing skills are extraordinary, and she has a wonderful legacy of books that she has written. This book tells the true story of a crime that was committed in Richmond, Ontario in 1843. The true facts of the case are that a landowner and his housekeeper were killed in their home. The stable boy and the maid were accused and convicted of the crime. Both were sentenced to death but the maid (Grace) was saved from the gallows and spent 28 years in prison. These are the bare bones...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Maciek rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-in-paperback, owned-books, historical-fiction, read-in-2011, reviewed, canadian-literature, booker-long-and-shortlist, favorites

Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood's ninth novel is a work of historical fiction, although based on a true historical event - the story of Grace Marks, a Canadian housemaid who was convicted of murdering her employer Thomas Kinnear, and suspected of murdering his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery on July 23, 1840. The murder has been extensively reported in Canadian, American and British newspapers. It has sparked quite a controversy: Nancy was Kinnear's mistress who has before given birth to an illegitim...more

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Aug 30, 2007 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007august

I loved this book.

Right up until I didn't.

Atwood creates such compelling characters, and Grace Marks was no exception. I was curious (did she commit murder?), compassionate (boy, her life sucked) and drawn in (the tale bit by bit enthralled me). I couldn't make the pieces fit, which was just what I wanted.

For about 450 pages.

And then it all unravels. I knew she'd have to give the readers an answer as to what really happened, even though we'd been spoonfed info tiny bit by bit. The revelation was...more

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Jul 26, 2007 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Okay. My beef with Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace? It was a technically impressive novel - very impressive. Her skill with narrative voice as well as her unique framing device (the different kinds of quilts, their names ["Hearts and Gizzards," "Tree of Paradise," "Falling Timbers"] being relevant to the content of their section) were both wonderful. But she withholds important information like Agatha Christie. Oh, so Grace Marks had MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES? Maybe if you'd revealed this BEFORE THE...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Stephanie Pina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of course, it was Elizabeth Siddal's portrait on the cover that prompted me to read this book, but Margaret Atwood did not disappoint. Grace's narrative brought me into her world. I felt for her. I felt sorry for Doctor Jordan, who is examining Grace, because he just seemed so lost in regards to his personal life.
Inspired by the true story of Grace Marks, convicted of murder in 1843, Margaret Atwood weaves a compelling story that gives Grace dignity and pride in the midst of what must have been...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Christy B (Readin' and Dreamin') rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, neo-victorian, historical-fiction

My first Atwood. I was very excited to dive into this seeing as how her books have been on my list for ages.

Alias Grace is a fictionalized account of a true story. In 1843, Grace Marks, a Canadian housemaid, was convicted of murdering her employer and his mistress. She and her supposed accomplice, James McDermott were both found guilty and set to hang, but Grace's sentence was later reduced to being committed to an asylum. Grace then spent the next thirty years in a variety of asylums and prison...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: recommended, historical-fiction

I must have read this the first time a couple of years after it hit the shelves. I read it a second time a few years ago when a friend commented on it; how much she enjoyed it. I have to agree. As did others: it won a number of awards.

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Oct 02, 2011 Lisa James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books-list, historical-fiction, non-fiction

I just finished this book, including the author's afterword, which is edifying as well. Based on a true incident, this is a sensational story for the truth of the double murder, the hanging of McDermott, & the conflicting stories that exist. Coming towards the end, the suggestion that this is an early case of dissociative or multiple personality syndrom really makes you THINK. This story definitely makes you feel awful for Grace, & leads you to believe that yes, she was indeed innocent o...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Johnny D rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was approximately eleven, a young teen and his friend approached the schoolyard fence during recess and talked to two of my friends and me. After asking us if we went to a school for albinos (it wasn't a school for albinos, it just so happened to be a school filled with children of mostly Dutch background), he proceeded to tell us a number of tales.

There was, according to him, an insane janitor that lived in the shed atop the vocational school across the way. This janitor had once murdere...more When I was approximately eleven, a young teen and his friend approached the schoolyard fence during recess and talked to two of my friends and me. After asking us if we went to a school for albinos (it wasn't a school for albinos, it just so happened to be a school filled with children of mostly Dutch background), he proceeded to tell us a number of tales.

There was, according to him, an insane janitor that lived in the shed atop the vocational school across the way. This janitor had once murdered a student but no one could prove the connection, so they let him go. Also, he himself possessed a sawed-off shotgun that could literally rip through the metal poles holding up the very fence we were leaning against. He saw that our appetites were whetted by violence, real or implied, so he told us of the downtown gangster who limped along with a three foot long machete hidden in his pantleg.

While I pondered the efficacy of trying to access such a weapon in a moment of presumed need, he told us of the time his front teeth had pierced straight through the area directly above his upper lip. He boasted at having never reacted to the pain until his mother shuttled him to the emergency department.

Despite my youth and naïveté, I was still smart enough to doubt the veracity of his stories - particularly the one about the insane janitor. Still, there was a part of me that wondered if maybe there were some truth to his stories. Which parts, though?

This is what I love most about Alias Grace, it's never clear what we can believe about Grace's tale. Grace is a much more sympathetic and reliable narrator than my young aquaintance from years ago, but the struggle for the truth is similar. Is she a cunning sociopath? Is she a victim of misunderstanding? Does she have dissociative identity disorder? She admits to telling the doctor what she thinks he wants to hear, and we never know whether her narrative is from her thoughts or her words.

Atwood does give us hints, but we never receive a clear answer. We are left to draw our own conclusions and to weigh the evidence ourselves. I lean toward the theory that Grace has dissociative identity disorder brought upon by the traumatic death of her best friend. I could be swayed by other theories very easily, though.

This book is a mystery, an historical fiction, an exploration of point of view, and a subtle feminist novel all at the same time. This is a masterful tale woven in the patchwork fashion of the quilts that are a prominent motif throughout the novel.

Man, I hate that word - motif. Anyway, this book is excellent.(less)

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Jul 26, 2010 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Everyone wants "the truth" from Atwood's Grace. Did she or didn't she participate in the infamous murders of her employer and his housekeeper/lover?

But as Grace herself comments, no one really wants to hear a truth that supercedes the boundaries of popular credibility.

Instead, "truth" is concocted around her story by those seeking to villify her and those trying to protect her. She was a loose whore in love with Mr. Kinnear, the man who employed her. She was a greedy temptress willing to kill...more Everyone wants "the truth" from Atwood's Grace. Did she or didn't she participate in the infamous murders of her employer and his housekeeper/lover?

But as Grace herself comments, no one really wants to hear a truth that supercedes the boundaries of popular credibility.

Instead, "truth" is concocted around her story by those seeking to villify her and those trying to protect her. She was a loose whore in love with Mr. Kinnear, the man who employed her. She was a greedy temptress willing to kill for a pair of coveted gold earrings owned by housekeeper Nancy. She was too young. She was insane.

Atwood takes us through this extraordinary (fictionalized) character's childhood to assist us in understanding the enigma that is Grace, a simple Irish girl thrust into one horrific circumstance after another during the most formative years of her life; and, as an accused murderess, manages to drown so many in the depths of her almost childlike simplicity combined with sharp observational powers and intelligence.

Some general thoughts:

a. Grace's ideas of sex are extremely prudish, in direct opposition with almost every other character in the book, regardless of their appearance in Victorian society. Grace, in her own voice, has observed sex as a fearful thing whose consequence is always woman's downfall.

And yet Atwood never comments on Grace's marital relations when she finally marries at the end of the book (well past the flush of youth). Only a comment on what really seems to (ahem) turn her husband on - her lurid descriptions of life in prison before her release, bringing us to -

b. what appears to be a loose commentary on the general psychology of the males in Alias Grace. Whether gentlemen or the most degenerate of jailers, each man she encounters (with one apparent exception) wishes to use Grace for their own ends, whether monetary (her father), sexual or mental/emotional. At least sex is straightforward. But it's those seeking entrance into her mind, into her virgin confidence, (while trying to convince themselves it's for her own good) that are the most wily, the most sinister and the most complicated. They need her answers; they need her cowering, simpering gratitude at the efforts they expend on her behalf; they need her forgiveness for the sins they pride themselves on commiting against her. Only Jeremiah the peddler/magician-scientist/con man appears to have something close to true concern for her behalf.

Even her relationship with her husband seems to be tainted with that something she has so often observed with the other men in her life.

c. The "truth" in the story is discovered in a scene which embraces all the spiritualst/scientific/hypnotheater mumbo-jumbo charactizing the fads of the time in which the story unfolds. Atwood makes a fascinating statement here on the spectrum of illusion and physical, of the connection between the scientific and the spiritual. (less)

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Dec 29, 2009 علی rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

مردم دنبال مقصر می گردند. وقتی جنایتی رخ می دهد، دوست دارند بدانند کار کیست. بی خبری را خوش ندارند. کافی ست به یک نفر اشاره کنید. (آلیاس گریس، ص 109)
To me, a good novel is the one I read it’s first 400 pages one day, and the last 50 pages in the next couple of days!... I don’t like to finish it! I had the same experience with Alias Grace by Margarett Eleanor Atwood.
Atwood is one of the most wonderful writers / story tellers when it comes to women. She creats them as God supposed to do it. Sure i...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009

While reading this, I had trouble putting it down, as Atwood's writing style is luscious an wonderful. So a three? What about that interesting changes in point of view that are superbly handled, with each character getting a full and interesting inner life? Yeah, that was great. And the plot? Absolutely intriguing. How about the meta narrative comment on the difference between not-fiction and truth? Intriguing and interesting.

So what's the deal? In the end, it's not a book that really lingers....more

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Dec 22, 2011 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of biographical fiction

Recommended to Donna by: 1001 books you must read before you die

Shelves: 1001-books, historical, canada, crime, prison, contemporary-literature, favorites, read-in-thailand

It took me a good ten chapters to get into this book, as I found the shifting character perspectivees and shifting voices within the same character, from first to third person, to be incredibly distracting. However, by two-thirds of the way through, I was beyond hooked and basking in the sheer cleverness of Atwood's writing.

Atwood is, with this novel, creating a portrait of a convicted murderess who, in her day, had much speculation surrounding her as to whether or not she was innocent or guilty...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Madeline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-list, historic-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm giving this three stars, but the correct rating would be 2 1/2 stars - I liked this book, for the most part, but there were just too many unanswered questions and minor annoyances for me to want to read it again.
Usually, I hate giving away the endings of books in my reviews, but I honestly cannot talk about Alias Grace without giving away major plot points. You've been warned.

So: for the most part, this was a cool story, mostly because it's based on the true story of Grace Marks, who suppo...more I'm giving this three stars, but the correct rating would be 2 1/2 stars - I liked this book, for the most part, but there were just too many unanswered questions and minor annoyances for me to want to read it again.
Usually, I hate giving away the endings of books in my reviews, but I honestly cannot talk about Alias Grace without giving away major plot points. You've been warned.

So: for the most part, this was a cool story, mostly because it's based on the true story of Grace Marks, who supposedly helped murder her employer and his housekeeper. She served thirty years in prison, plus several years in a mental institution. Atwood's story has two perspectives: Grace Marks and Simon Jordan, a doctor who's interviewing her and basically trying to get her to remember the day of the murders. This was all pretty cool, and I liked Grace a lot as a protagonist. So let's move on to the negative.
Stuff I Didn't Like:
-Simon creeped me out. One minute he's half-heartedly flirting with the daughter of the prison Govenor while mentally undressing her, and then he's screwing his landlady for reasons that even he doesn't understand. And then towards the end of the book he's suddenly like, "Oh wait! I'm in love with Grace! Yes! Totally in love" and it made NO SENSE. This was the first time I'd read a book where Atwood writes from a man's perspective, and it did not go well.
-I guessed the ending. This is an extremely bad sign, because I can NEVER guess book endings, ever. But with this book, I'd gotten to the part where Grace describes how McDermott told her she'd promised to sleep with him, and she was like, "I did not" and I thought, "She's being possessed by the spirit of Mary Whitney." And then I thought that it had to be more complicated than that, and that there would be a scientific explanation for it. But there wasn't. Which brings me to my next point...
-Atwood's half-hearted commitment to the paranormal aspect of the story. The hypnosis scene revealed that Mary was possessing Grace, but then everyone was like, "But that's not possible, there's a psychological explanation" but they never gave one. All the elements of a good ghost story are here: the peddlar who reads palms, divination with an apple peel, people making strange, random prophesies (like Grace's mother saying she wouldn't survive the voyage, and Mary telling Grace she'd cross water three times before getting married), and the bizarre possession. But Atwood, probably because she didn't want to lose her credibility or something, refrains from going all-out with the paranormal events. If she'd have relaxed a bit and written the book as a ghost story instead of historic fiction, it would have been really good.
-The whole hypnosis. I was sure it was all an act, because Jeremiah had been telling Grace earlier about setting up a fake spiritualist act, but then Grace didn't seem to remember anything about the hypnosis or what she said during it. So could Jeremiah actually hypnotize people? After the hypnosis scene, and as soon as I realized I was expected to believe that it had been authentic, was when my faith in the story really started to drop. It was all downhill from there.
-No twist ending. I was waiting, up until the last page, for Grace to be like, "I'm so glad I killed those two bastards. Mwahahahaha! The end." But no such luck. In retrospect, I should have known better - Atwood hates giving readers a straight answer to anything, and conclusive endings where everything gets wrapped up in a neat little package is for lesser authors, I guess.
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Feb 23, 2008 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: crime, historical

I've never been really keen on female authors - which is pretty obvious if you look back over my reading history - but I had Atwood recommended to me by several friends, so I picked up this book with the intention of giving it a whirl. I'd heard good things about The Handmaid's Tale but I didn't want to start with that one. It felt kind of like a cop-out.

Alias Grace was the most interesting sounding at the bookstore, so I picked it up and it grabbed me immediately. It's so beautifully written, a...more

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Nov 20, 2007 Nathanial rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Lizzie Borden

Shelves: mystery

Similar to Testimony Of An Irish Slave Girl, but instead of being framed by the prejudiced perspective of an interrogator who questions the prisoner, we read the first-person viewpoint of the prisoner herself. Here the drama lies in the way Atwood uncovers layers of suspicion and reveals the tragic details of a life spent deceiving the masters - employers, jailers, and doctors, all - in order to live a life; whereas with McCafferty's novel -even with the extended passages of first-person testimo...more Similar to Testimony Of An Irish Slave Girl, but instead of being framed by the prejudiced perspective of an interrogator who questions the prisoner, we read the first-person viewpoint of the prisoner herself. Here the drama lies in the way Atwood uncovers layers of suspicion and reveals the tragic details of a life spent deceiving the masters - employers, jailers, and doctors, all - in order to live a life; whereas with McCafferty's novel -even with the extended passages of first-person testimony - the narrative tension is counterbalanced by the drama of how a biased man begins to loosen his intolerance and see the servant as a woman.

Atwood's approach leaves much more room for us readers to enter as participants who identify both with the strengths and foibles of the character, rather than sit in judgment of one with whom we may or may not share certain traits, but of whom we're always aware of how we're supposed to feel. By virtue of his position as a white man taking the testimony of the slave woman, the interlocutor character in McCafferty's book becomes an unreliable narrator; Grace, the protagonist of Atwood's novel, is also unreliable, but the difference is that her task is not to evaluate others, but to avoid evaluation herself.

Such a playful framing also gives Atwood room to introduce extra-literary devices such as songs, drawings, and newspaper clippings into the text. Along the way, of course, she does switch perspectives, which becomes part of the fun.

Oh, and it gets better and better. Of course I shouldn't have expected Atwood to stay in one place - she does delve deep into the mind of the interrogator character, with a very close 3rd person POV that she contrasts with the the distant and formal airs of excerpted letters from him to other officials. Her title character, Grace, retains the primary role, with an irreverent 1st person narrative that (if I'm not mistaken) stays in the present tense. All in all, this combination adds to the playful and yet serious tone - or the serious and yet playful one, as the case may be.

Atwood is so extraordinary at making such distinctions as humor-in-tragedy vs. tragedy-in-humor - which may not seem so delicate a divide when stated so plainly, but in deed informs the psychological demands each protagonist asks of one another. By virtue of the clear breaks between chapters and subtle surprise that suspends across them, we readers are allowed to decide just how willing we will be: how much credit to give to each account, especially because Atwood has left so much room for variation that we can take a joke for a serious jibe - or contemplative rumination for buffoonery, as it pleases us.

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Jan 09, 2009 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read this as a book club selection - else I probably wouldn't have picked it out for myself. The story is interesting -- young girl in 1800s Canada is convicted as a murderess. The story is based on fact; the dialogue and perhaps some surrounding tidbits are fictionalized. Author's writing style is different - takes a bit of getting used to at first. I found myself finishing the book just to finish it and skimming parts. Not a standout for me.

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May 02, 2008 Summer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, novels, i-will-lend-this-to-you

Like with any well-written book, I notice new things every time I reread a Margaret Atwood novel. This time, I was struck by the way things happened in threes: the deaths of three mother figures, three iconic sheets, three dresses, three "suitors" at the farm, three sides to Grace's personality. Is it confirmation bias? Or is Atwood playing around with a number that has a lot of literary and pseudomystical background?

Anyway, this book is great in that it has several levels of narrative - the str...more

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Apr 15, 2009 Aimée rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Margaret Atwood. It took me a bit to adjust to the different approaches of storytelling, but I really enjoyed how she chose to do that. The story kept me glued to the pages!

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Nov 24, 2012 Arukiyomi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books

Another Atwood down. She’s quickly becoming an okay author. But on the whole, I’m not wowed by her writing. Handmaid’s Tale was, of course, excellent. This is good, but not as good as that is.

Grace Marks was a real person. She was really convicted for murder back in 19th century Canada and there has always been controversy about her trial and imprisonment. Having read a bit of Atwood, I can easily see what appealed to her about Grace’s story. The appeal of a woman falsely imprisoned by a male-do...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think Margaret Atwood is a better writer when she is writing a world of her own invention. I suspect that is the reason that I found this book so unsatisfying in the end. Constraints often work for an author, but Atwood seemed boxed in by the facts in this book, afraid to leap too far outside of them. She was presented with a unique quandary with the end of this book as no one knows what actually happened to the real Grace Marks. She could have taken the ending in a number of directions and I...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-school, owned, 1001btrbyd

I had to read Alias Grace for a literature interpretation class. I didn't care for the class itself, but I did enjoy this book.

I have never read a book by Margaret Atwood before and I have known people to either hate her or love her, so I went in a bit skeptical at first but I found myself firmly on the love side.

Alias Grace is based on the true story of Grace Marks, a historical murderess, accused of having murdered her boss and his lover. The thing is, Grace blacked out and can't remember if...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Dinah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, novels

That third star is mostly Atwood good will, pushed over the edge by what must have been pretty impressive research to pull the book together.

Here's a thing about Atwood worlds: there is something urgent about them, but the urgent thing is very far away from everything that's actually going on. So what we're reading about is, more or less, daily tedium and social shuffling. And yet we read!

Basically I got too far into this book to turn back. There's a lot of interesting stuff being almost-address...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Cameling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Historical fiction on the life of Grace Marks, the teenage Canadian domestic help who was imprisoned on the charge conspiracy to murder Thomas Kinnear, her employer and Nancy Montgomery, the housekeeper in 1843. She spent some years in a lunatic asylum before being moved to a regular prison and was selected by the Governor's wife, to be escorted out daily to work in the Governor's house as a maid. After being abused by doctors, she is suspicious of a Dr Simon Jordan, who visits her regularly and...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Harsha Priolkar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Finally read my first Atwood! I'd received mixed reviews about her work and thought it was time to see for myself, although I'm generally wary of award-winning authors! I must confess in this case I needn't have worried - I enjoyed the book. Atwood tackles the sensational real-life double murders of a gentleman & his housekeeper by their servants; a young, 16-yr-old maid Grace Marks & a stable hand James McDermott. Where she excels is in weaving fact & fiction together so seamlessly...more

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Dec 31, 2012 AliceinWonderland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

- I liked most of this book, until I came to the end - "Pandora's Box" chapter.
- I was hoping it would reveal if Grace really did commit those murders or not; instead, all we got was a woman being hynoptized displaying potentially dual personality disorder - with the spirit of Mary Whitney, no less! Wha??! I was very disappointed.
- While I understand in the context of "based on a true story", Atwood was limited to the type of ending she could provide, and yes, literature should not always strive...more

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About Margaret Atwood

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

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Books by Margaret Atwood

The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy, #2)

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Quotes from Alias Grace

“Gone mad is what they say, and sometimes Run mad, as if mad is a different direction, like west; as if mad is a different house you could step into, or a separate country entirely. But when you go mad you don't go any other place, you stay where you are. And somebody else comes in.” — 156 people liked it

“If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged.” — 137 people liked it

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