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Didn’t Like It “Could have been good, but the style of the story was all over the place with the character going off on all these tangents.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Could have been good, but the style of the story was all over the place with the character going off on all these tangents. ”
Rachel M wrote this review Tuesday, March 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ Amanda L 3 out of 5 stars Bodily Harm is about Rennie, a journalist recovering from breast cancer. In an attempt to escape from reality, she takes a working vacation to the Caribbean islands of St. Agathe and St. Antione. There she becomes involved in the political turmoil of the region.
Author, Author Shelf wrote this review Saturday, March 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book is similar to some of Atwood's other books in that you get bits and pieces of the story as you go and have to put them all together when you get to the end of the novel. Having read some of her more recent novels, it was obvious to me that in this earlier book she hadn't quite hit her stride yet. I didn't like this book as much as some of her others (like The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin), and I didn't think it was as good as her later work.
One of the main problems I had with it was that I didn't like Rennie because she constantly made stupid choices that put her in danger and continued on a self-destructive path even when she knew what she was doing was a bad idea. I can understand that she acted this way as a result of some form of post-traumatic stress disorder that came from her battle with cancer, but I just didn't feel any sympathy for her.
For fans of Atwood, this book is worth reading, but it's probably not the one to start with if you've never read her.
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“Bodily Harm is about Rennie, a journalist recovering from breast cancer. In an attempt to escape from reality, she takes a working vacation to the Caribbean islands of St. Agathe and St. Antione. There she becomes involved in the political turmoil of the region.
Amanda L wrote this review Friday, March 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book is similar to some of Atwood's other books in that you get bits and pieces of the story as you go and have to put them all together when you get to the end of the novel. Having read some of her more recent novels, it was obvious to me that in this earlier book she hadn't quite hit her stride yet. I didn't like this book as much as some of her others (like The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin), and I didn't think it was as good as her later work.
One of the main problems I had with it was that I didn't like Rennie because she constantly made stupid choices that put her in danger and continued on a self-destructive path even when she knew what she was doing was a bad idea. I can understand that she acted this way as a result of some form of post-traumatic stress disorder that came from her battle with cancer, but I just didn't feel any sympathy for her.
For fans of Atwood, this book is worth reading, but it's probably not the one to start with if you've never read her.”“I was on a big Atwood roll one time. Loved Handmaid's Tail, and The Edible Woman and Lady Oracle but then I read this, Bodily Harm, and Life Before Man back to back and that put me off her. They both seemed to wallow and heave, little story, and lots of grimness that seemed to go nowhere. Haven't read another Atwood in 10 years now.”
Dee R wrote this review Sunday, August 17 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book made me feel like I needed to wash the grime off afterwards. It is a lot like Francesca Lia Block's "Quakeland," and I read them back-to-back. They were both about inequities that can exist in male/female relationships.
Jessie H wrote this review Tuesday, August 12 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I actually know a woman a lot like this woman too. I think there are a lot of her. And like usual, Margaret Atwood builds character amazingly.
However, I'm already a feminist and already tend a little towards being depressed about the state of the world. I tend to need to know how to create beautiful things in the midst of sad and imperfect situations, rather than learn more about why they are imperfect. Because of this, I favor Francesca's story.”“As a rule, I love Margaret Atwood, but this one was a clinker. She didn't seem to have a point.”
SmilingirlBlue wrote this review Tuesday, July 15 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Maragaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors. Ever since I read The Handmaid's Tale for the first time as a sophomore in high school, I have been a big fan and have read her novels avidly. Bodily Harm is one of her earlier works and this one definitely does not stand up to her later novels. The book is about Rennie, a fashion/travel writer. Following a bout of breast cancer, she travels to the fictional Caribbean Island of St. Antoine which is on the brink of revolution. There, she gets involved with Paul, a mysterious man with shady credentials. Mayhem and self-discovery ensue. What I found most disconcerting about this novel is that it lacked Atwood's poetic style of writing. Usually, when I've finished one of her novels, I have a list of quotes to write down and keep and savor later. But this one was completely without that and I felt like it could have been written by anyone. Like many of Atwood's later characters, all of Rennie's relationships with men are self-destructive in different ways, but there is no sense that she learns anything from most of these encounters. The non-linear storytelling works to a certain degree, but also is distracting at times. The character of Lora (an island ex-pat) is more irritating than tragic. I found this book to be more disappointing than the Penelopaid. ”
Lissa T wrote this review Thursday, June 5 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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