In 1843, a 16-year-old Canadian housemaid named Grace Marks was tried for the murder of her employer and his mistress. The sensationalistic trial...
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Aug 16, 2011
Maxine
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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
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(6 people liked it)
Jun 05, 2011
Tatiana
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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 More...
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 More...
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(20 people liked it)
Feb 07, 2009
Jamie
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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 More...
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 More...
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(18 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Lori
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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 s More...
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 s More...
Jul 26, 2007
Jessica
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(4 people liked it)
Oct 03, 2011
Stephanie
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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 h More...
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 h More...
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Sep 19, 2010
Christy
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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 asylum More...
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 asylum More...
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Jan 11, 2009
Bonnie
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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
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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 of the
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 22, 2011
Donna
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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 innoc More...
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 innoc More...
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 15, 2008
Madeline
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(10 people liked it)
Feb 23, 2008
Mary
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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 beautif More...
Alias Grace was the most interesting sounding at the bookstore, so I picked it up and it grabbed me immediately. It's so beautif More...
Nov 20, 2007
Nathanial
rated it:
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 testim
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Jan 09, 2009
Jen
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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
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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 More...
Anyway, this book is great in that it has several levels More...
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 21, 2012
Emily
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- Well-written
- Interesting set-up of the book: chapters divided by quilt patterns, alternating between 1st-person narrative of Grace, 3rd-person narrative for Simon and starting each chapter with accounts from the time of the trial
- I felt like I wanted more from the plot-line with Jeremiah the peddler. My fave part of the book was when you find out Dr Dupont has been Jeremiah the whole time. But then you never hear what he thinks of the murders or if he influenced Grace dur More...
- Interesting set-up of the book: chapters divided by quilt patterns, alternating between 1st-person narrative of Grace, 3rd-person narrative for Simon and starting each chapter with accounts from the time of the trial
- I felt like I wanted more from the plot-line with Jeremiah the peddler. My fave part of the book was when you find out Dr Dupont has been Jeremiah the whole time. But then you never hear what he thinks of the murders or if he influenced Grace dur More...
Nov 29, 2011
Webbnina
rated it:
Alias Grace is a fictionalized view of the life of Grace Marks, a renowned Canadian murderess.She's a remarkably unsympathetic character. At no point in the story can the reader truly get a handle of who she really is.
I felt that Margaret Atwood could have taken a bit more liberty with Grace's guilt or innocence. In historical fiction accuracy matters, but when no facts point to the truth we rely on the author to fill in the blanks. The trouble with Alias Grace is that the reader never kn More...
I felt that Margaret Atwood could have taken a bit more liberty with Grace's guilt or innocence. In historical fiction accuracy matters, but when no facts point to the truth we rely on the author to fill in the blanks. The trouble with Alias Grace is that the reader never kn More...
Oct 14, 2011
Becky
rated it:
Wow. This book had a lot going on. Axe murders, seances, vivid descriptions of delicious civil-war era dinners. This book is a fictionalized account of a true and very famous murder that was committed in Canada in the 1840s. Grace Marks, a servant, was clearly in the house during, and somewhat complicit in, the murder of her employer and his maid, the same maid that was also pregnant with his love child. The newspapers of the time went crazy with the salaciousness of it all. Just how Grace
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Sep 27, 2011
Jeanne
rated it:
A complete classic, "Alias Grace" works on many levels and weaves together tones and themes to compelling effect.
Against the real life backdrop of the case of Grace Marks, a servant girl accused of murder in 1800s Canada, Atwood has created truly believeable characters and events.
"Alias Grace" tells the story of Grace through the guise of her recounting her life to a "new fangled" psychiatrist who has been sent to study her. Grace's story is More...
Against the real life backdrop of the case of Grace Marks, a servant girl accused of murder in 1800s Canada, Atwood has created truly believeable characters and events.
"Alias Grace" tells the story of Grace through the guise of her recounting her life to a "new fangled" psychiatrist who has been sent to study her. Grace's story is More...
Sep 03, 2011
Rod
rated it:
The novel is based on the life of Grace Marks who, together with James McDermott, was found guilty of murdering their employer, Thomas Kinnear. Kinnear’s housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery, was also murdered, but since Marks and McDermott had already been found guilty of the murder of Kinnear it was decided a second trial was not necessary.
Although based on these events, and the acknowledgements show that much research went into it, the book is a work of fiction, so it is probably best to t More...
Although based on these events, and the acknowledgements show that much research went into it, the book is a work of fiction, so it is probably best to t More...
Jul 28, 2011
Derek
rated it:
Battered and faded and over-priced, I dithered over getting this at second-hand bookshop but as I'd enjoyed the other Atwood novels I'd read I eventually decided in its favour.
After a bit of a slow start this book draws you in and is very powerful. Basically its the story of Grace Marks, a mid-C19 murderess, spared from execution because of her youth and naive beauty.
A series of unreliable narrators, not least herself, look back over Graces's life and the events which led to her conviction. Al More...
After a bit of a slow start this book draws you in and is very powerful. Basically its the story of Grace Marks, a mid-C19 murderess, spared from execution because of her youth and naive beauty.
A series of unreliable narrators, not least herself, look back over Graces's life and the events which led to her conviction. Al More...
Jul 20, 2011
Laura
rated it:
This book is based on a bit of grisly history – the murders in 19th Century Canada of a landowner and his servant and the subsequent execution of one of the perpetrators and jailing of the other, Grace. It’s a longish book told in both first and third person, in past and present tense and through a collection of letters. The book itself is, in the main, fiction as the accounts of the crime, trial and later prison term of the protagonist are sketchy.
The bulk of the book is a retelling More...
The bulk of the book is a retelling More...
Jul 01, 2010
Ellen
rated it:
I thought this book was really interesting. In Canada in 1843, Grace Marks, a 16 year old Irish immigrant working as a servant, was, along with a man who also worked in the same household, convicted of killing their employer along with his housemaid who was his mistress. They were both sentenced to death but Grace's sentence was commuted to life due to her youth and the fact that there was considerable disagreement as to whether she was a willing or forced accomplice. Although her accomplice
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Jan 22, 2010
Joselito
rated it:
Grace Marks was from a big starvation-poor Irish family who migrated to Canada to survive. In Canada she became a serving maid [housemaid/housemaid nowadays:] of one family after another and lost contact with her own family. Before she was 16 she became a service maid of a rich bachelor Thomas Kinnear who was having an affair with his other service maid Nancy Montgomery.
Grace Marks was young and pretty. Aside from her and Nancy, Kinnear had a houseboy who apparently fell in love with More...
Grace Marks was young and pretty. Aside from her and Nancy, Kinnear had a houseboy who apparently fell in love with More...
Sep 07, 2009
Sherrie
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"Alias Grace" by Margaret Atwood
(from the inside flap)
In the astonishing new novel by the author of the bestsellers The Robber Bride, Cat's Eye, and The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood takes us back in time and into the life and mind of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteeth cenury. Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, the wealthy Thomas Kinnear, and of Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistre More...
(from the inside flap)
In the astonishing new novel by the author of the bestsellers The Robber Bride, Cat's Eye, and The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood takes us back in time and into the life and mind of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteeth cenury. Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, the wealthy Thomas Kinnear, and of Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistre More...
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Aug 20, 2009
Jamie
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It's been ages, so I don't feel I can give a terrible accurate review. I read this for my first freshmen year college course on true crimes. For my final project I fictionalized the Manson Family Murders on Waverly Place, which is now down the street from me. How small the world is.
This was my first experience with fictionalized accounts of real crimes--or ficionalized accounts of anything that historically happened. Since then, they've become one of my favorites. I love the idea that More...
This was my first experience with fictionalized accounts of real crimes--or ficionalized accounts of anything that historically happened. Since then, they've become one of my favorites. I love the idea that More...
Jul 04, 2009
Sylvia
rated it:
This is my first time reading Margaret Atwood and I enjoyed the book. I don't think I would have chosen it if it hadn't been a Book Group selection -- which is one of the wonderful reasons to belong to a good book group. The book was a "grabber" which means in my lexicon that when you start it, you have to finish it. The writing was beautiful, leisurely and evocative. My favorite parts of the book were the scenes of life in the city and country in Canada in the 1860's. I loved one
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Jun 27, 2009
Jason
rated it:
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 real More...
So what's the deal? In the end, it's not a book that real More...
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May 30, 2009
Shannon
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I was expecting a little bit more from Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, which was shortlisted for a Booker Prize. I am also a fan of historical fiction and crime stories/mysteries, both of which Alias Grace could be categorized as. I found the story interesting, if a little slow moving, with no truly likeable or unlikeable characters.
Alias Grace was inspired by the real-life murderess Grace Marks. Marks was a servant for a man named Thomas Kinnear. She, along with another servant named More...
Alias Grace was inspired by the real-life murderess Grace Marks. Marks was a servant for a man named Thomas Kinnear. She, along with another servant named More...
