The Robber Bride

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

From the bestselling author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments—one of Margaret Atwood’s most unforgettable characters lurks at the center of this intricate novel like a spider in a web. The glamorous, irresistible, unscrupulous Zenia is nothing less than a fairy-tale villain in the memories of her former friends.

Roz, Charis, and Tony—university classmates decades ago—were reunited at Zenia’s funeral and have met monthly for lunch ever since, obsessively retracing the destructive swath she once cut through their lives. A brilliantly inventive fabulist, Zenia had a talent for exploiting her friends’ weaknesses, wielding intimacy as a weapon and cheating them of money, time, sympathy, and men.

But one day, five years after her funeral, they are shocked to catch sight of Zenia: even her death appears to have been yet another fiction. As the three women plot to confront their larger-than-life nemesis, Atwood proves herself a gleefully acute observer of the treacherous shoals of friendship, trust, desire, and power.

Critic reviews

"Funny, thoughtful, moving. . . . Atwood's plotting is masterful, and her humor is razor-edged, sexy, and raucous." —The Washington Post

“Vividly written, acutely observed and . . . very possibly the most intelligently tongue-in-cheek novel of the year.” —Salman Rushdie, The Independent

“Moving amid these three women, touching up their portraits with one perfect detail after another, conjuring Zenia from their memories and tears, Atwood is in her glory. What a treasure she is.” —Newsweek

"Margaret Atwood continues her long-running roll, offering us the good fortune of yet another disturbing and brilliantly conceived work of fiction." —Chicago Tribune

Second Margaret Atwood

…and likely there will be no third. Narrator’s voice is probably appealing to most listeners but the childish quality and occasional whistle/hisses were rather off-putting. The writing style of Ms. Atwood is beloved by millions and incredibly successful , but just too dismal for me.

BORED with her own novel?

It started off strong but ended with a well-written whimper. The prose was strong, the characters were interesting, but in the end it just seemed a little too predictable a tad too structured. By the concluding sentence, it almost felt as if Atwood was bored with her own novel.

Everything a Novel Should Be

I really enjoyed this book, and particularly, the writing style of the author. She is able to go backwards and forwards in the timeline, and use long descriptors without the story feeling bogged down or awkward.

I enjoyed “seeing” the inner perspectives of each of the three women: Tony, Charis and Roz as they come in contact with the dark figure of Xenia.

There are so many memorable quotes from the text, but I especially love the one which addresses the male gaze, expressing so brutally straightforward and yet so relevant to the context of the story of these women.

This book is everything a novel aspires to be: a commentary on life; realistic fiction; humorously-entertaining examination of romantic attachment.

Engrossing

This story is so well written and the narrator is perfect. MargeretAtwood is brilliant once again.

Perfect audio book.

Great story, I wish there was part 2. Beautiful language. Attwood is my new favorite author.