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babydollsarah's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel like this is a book I need to come back to when I'm older. I feel like I'll appreciate it more. Some parts of this book were impossible to stop reading and other parts were just too drawn out, especially near the end (the last 100-150 pages or so).
I really enjoyed the childhood aspects of the book, but the adult aspects I pretty much could not have cared less. Sometimes the childhood and adulthood stories felt too disjointed. I felt like I was reading 2 completely different stories. However, I would like to revisit this book in my late 20s or early 30s and see how I feel then.
I really enjoyed the childhood aspects of the book, but the adult aspects I pretty much could not have cared less. Sometimes the childhood and adulthood stories felt too disjointed. I felt like I was reading 2 completely different stories. However, I would like to revisit this book in my late 20s or early 30s and see how I feel then.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
yleavy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This novel has Atwood’s signature beautiful prose and lovely recurring imagery. Like many of her other books, the protagonist is angry at a lot of things, mostly other women. Probably 250 pages too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, and Abortion
Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War
teh_niarr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and War
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
lay_kone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and War
annatan's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
Minor: Misogyny and Death of parent
amberlen's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Margaret Atwood writes about the dynamics of human social interaction with such precision that it's always a joy to read.
I admit, I was skeptical at first, because the last novel I read of hers was The Robber Bride, and I did not like it. However, in Cat's Eye I found a lot to identify with. At times, the feminist issues seemed quite dated but that is to be expected in a novel set in post-war Toronto. Elaine's standpoint on feminism also sometimes annoyed me but I don't think she's necessarily supposed to be likeable.
I admit, I was skeptical at first, because the last novel I read of hers was The Robber Bride, and I did not like it. However, in Cat's Eye I found a lot to identify with. At times, the feminist issues seemed quite dated but that is to be expected in a novel set in post-war Toronto. Elaine's standpoint on feminism also sometimes annoyed me but I don't think she's necessarily supposed to be likeable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death
Minor: Suicide attempt and Death of parent
caleighlynne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Finishing a book like this, mostly any Atwood, gives me such a special feeling. Mostly of accomplishment but also wisdom. I feel like I just lived another life after finishing this book. It’s a nice spectacle to see this book finally without my bookmark placed inside the pages.
My favorite character was Stephen. He is very different from my own brother but something about the way Margaret wrote him felt so real and his story was so interesting to me. But the hero of this book was Elaine. Most of the time it was hard to know what she has doing, because although sometimes she described her surroundings or actions. We were mostly shown everything in this world through her thoughts.
This book is perfect for a woman to read. She made me relieve so many things about my childhood I never considered and the impressions they left on me.
The beginning was slow and I almost dnfed it but I kept coming back to her. It was like the whole time I wanted to put it down but I couldn’t. If you read this I really recommend taking your time and reading the words carefully because this is not a quick and easy read in any way.
Cats Eye is so impactful to me. I loved the themes on memory, trauma, relationships, and hometowns. I loved the hometown aspect of this, how the locations of her childhoods greatest and worst events cause her to remember even the things she tried so hard to forget. Cordelia was such an annoying character but she was so real. The bullying and little quartet of girls was just so real. The representation was so real. Everything was perfect.
Another thing was Elaine’s father. This was super minor but meant a lot to me. I found is so interesting that even forty years ago when this book was published Atwood was already warning us about our treatment of the planet and the creatures on it. I loved how because this book was set in the early-ish 1900s we saw a piece of the past that doesn’t get shown a lot. I love reading about characters from a time without cell phones to fill their spare moments, or even social media to compare themselves to. They only had one another and that was hard but made everyone quite different if that makes sense.
If anyone reads this sorry this review is splotchy. If you are a woman, or perhaps a man, this book will leave you feeling raw and exposed.
My favorite character was Stephen. He is very different from my own brother but something about the way Margaret wrote him felt so real and his story was so interesting to me. But the hero of this book was Elaine. Most of the time it was hard to know what she has doing, because although sometimes she described her surroundings or actions. We were mostly shown everything in this world through her thoughts.
This book is perfect for a woman to read. She made me relieve so many things about my childhood I never considered and the impressions they left on me.
The beginning was slow and I almost dnfed it but I kept coming back to her. It was like the whole time I wanted to put it down but I couldn’t. If you read this I really recommend taking your time and reading the words carefully because this is not a quick and easy read in any way.
Cats Eye is so impactful to me. I loved the themes on memory, trauma, relationships, and hometowns. I loved the hometown aspect of this, how the locations of her childhoods greatest and worst events cause her to remember even the things she tried so hard to forget. Cordelia was such an annoying character but she was so real. The bullying and little quartet of girls was just so real. The representation was so real. Everything was perfect.
Another thing was Elaine’s father. This was super minor but meant a lot to me. I found is so interesting that even forty years ago when this book was published Atwood was already warning us about our treatment of the planet and the creatures on it. I loved how because this book was set in the early-ish 1900s we saw a piece of the past that doesn’t get shown a lot. I love reading about characters from a time without cell phones to fill their spare moments, or even social media to compare themselves to. They only had one another and that was hard but made everyone quite different if that makes sense.
If anyone reads this sorry this review is splotchy. If you are a woman, or perhaps a man, this book will leave you feeling raw and exposed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, and Abortion
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Self harm, and Death of parent
tea_t's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Violence, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail