The Blind Assassin

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Margot Dionne

Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Margaret Atwood takes the art of storytelling to new heights in a dazzling new novel that unfolds layer by astonishing layer and concludes in a brilliant and wonderfully satisfying twist.

For the past twenty-five years, Margaret Atwood has written works of striking originality and imagination. In The Blind Assassin, she stretches the limits of her accomplishments as never before, creating a novel that is entertaining and profoundly serious.

The novel opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the listener expects to settle into Laura's story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a- novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist.

Told in a style that magnificently captures the colloquialisms and clichés of the 1930s and 1940s, The Blind Assassin is a richly layered and uniquely rewarding experience. The novel has many threads and a series of events that follow one another at a breathtaking pace. As everything comes together, listeners will discover that the story Atwood is telling is not only what it seems to be—but, in fact, much more.

The Blind Assassin proves once again that Atwood is one of the most talented, daring, and exciting writers of our time. Like The Handmaid's Tale, it is destined to become a classic.

©2000 by O.W. Toad, Ltd.

Critic reviews

Book Sense Book of the Year Award Finalist, Adult Fiction, 2001

"Dionne’s narration is hypnotic and moody, mapping out Atwood’s social and emotional geography, the many little hurts and betrayals, and the hopes. Listeners will find themselves piecing together the clues, guessing at truths, but the rewards are to be found in the layering of details and the skill of the storytelling." –AudioFile

“An example of a writer at the very peak of her performance.…As it delves into the kinds of relationships that can exist between men and women and the rich and poor, it becomes a compassionate and utterly honest book. It is profound and touching. It is to be treasured.”
–Edmonton Journal

“The Blind Assassin is the kind of story so full of intrigue and desperation that you take it to bed with you simply because you can’t bear to put it down.…It’s one thing to write an accomplished novel; it’s another entirely to spin a tale so brilliantly that the reader internalizes it.” –Harper’s Bazaar

“Margaret Atwood is one of the greatest writers alive.…A novel of luminous prose, scalpel-precise insights and fierce characters.…[The Blind Assassin] is so assured, so elegant and so incandescently intelligent, she casts her contemporaries in the shade.” –Atlanta Journal-Constitution

the reading assassin

The writing of this book is a work of art. I loved the imagination so well intertwined with wisdom. The reading however was mechanically grave to the point hysteria. I felt that the reading was so grave and rageful that it presented the main character, Iris, as perpetual victim. Yet no victim will go to the trouble of writing a book, as Iris does, with the long shot hope of being heard by someone lost.
Though i love audio books i reccomend reading this one.

Beautifully written and beautifully read

Just finished listening to this book for the second time. I didn't have the problem others have reported regarding sound quality, perhaps it was the equipment they were using. Atwood's perspectives on life, where it has meaning and where perhaps we expect too much meaning, moved me the second time as much as the first. And Dionne's personification of the characters brought the story to life. One of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to, and I'm certain will listen to again.

Not bad audio people! It's called Ambiance...

This was a terriffic story, within a story within a story. And the static and hiss in the background gave the narration (which was excellent) an eerie, haunting quality and created a richer setting for the mystery within. Reminisce of long ago radio drama, perfect for the reading of such a painful revelation, it created the perfect setting for the tale told by our "protagonist". Don't let the complainers scare you from this one, not as good as The Handmaid's Tale, but hey, few novels are anyway, and this one is full of amusing observational dialogue looking back on the mistakes made in an interesting life, as well as mystery and drama. Recommend!

The world's best-written unhappy story

Gorgeous, captivating writing and an evocative troubling story. Not a love story but a woman's story. The protagonist is unsympathetic but each character is beautifully draw in depth. At times you will feel trapped at a bake sale with the most negative woman you've ever met; but at other times a few words, a sentence or a short paragraph will absolutely astonish you.

Slow confusing start but excellent in the end

This book takes some patience to get into the story. It is a little confusing at first but in the end is a brillant story. I am a big Margaret Atwood fan and find her writing doesn't always go in the direction you think that it will. There are definately some surprises and makes it worth a listen. The narrator is okay but not great!

The Blind assassin

When you finally finish the book you will say that it is a fine novel. The problem I had with this book was that I had a difficult time wanting to continue. It was a long drawn out story. Was it science fiction? Was it a love story? Was it a mystery? I am not sure. I always ask myself would you go back sometime in the future and listen again. The answer is no.

are there birds chirping?

Ditto with everyone on the sound quality. I loved the story and listened to the whole thing, but had to actively ignore the bad sound quality and heavy handed addition of music at the end. It sounded to me like birds chirping in the distance throughout most of the reading. And was it really necessary to play the main character out with violins??

Good book, but very bad sound quality

It's wonderful book and very well read, although terribly bad sound quality. First hour or so is specially bad, it gets a bit better later. It's very well written story with interesting structure and thought-provoking characters but it really deserves better quality copy.

Excellent

Margaret Atwood's talent is showcased beautifully in this work, the narrator adds to the quality of the piece, it is poetic. Well worth the time and download!!

Give it the time it takes to get going and you’ll be fine

First, I saw a lot of reviews bashing the audio. I can s e what they’re saying, but, to me, that was done intentionally because of the era. As the story goes on and flips from present to past, those go away. It added some interesting authenticity to the story.

This definitely took some time to get going. I felt a little lost at first with all the different story lines. It’s probably one that would’ve been better read with a physical book, but just for the beginning. That, or, the reason audible should stop listing chapters by number and put the book titles of the chapters on the list.

Really liked the story. Not one of my favorites, but, let’s be honest, she’s an amazing writer, so “not a fave” still ranks it above most other authors. That’s why my overall is a 4, but for her, it’s a 3. She does weave these complicated stories all together, holding out the big picture for as long as possible, and that I admire. I tend to figure things out quickly, so I appreciate that I can’t always do that with her until the very last bit of info is gathered.

Overall, good, interesting story. A must if you like the author. Choose something else if you’ve never read her before. This is my 3rd Atwood novel, so I’m already hooked. If you’re willing to invest the first 1/4-1/3 of the book to feel like you can follow along, go for it. It’ll pay off. Following along ended up being part of the mystery to solve for me. Haha.