Margaret Atwood continues to astound me with her versatility. Most of this book is written from the point of view of Grace Marks, a servant in the Toronto area in the early 19th century. Grace is a largely uneducated girl who's grown up through a series of hard circumstances. She's not terribly imaginative, but she's observant, and smarter than most of the people around her would guess. Atwood's version is based as closely on the original as research allows. Her voice is prosaic and matter-of-fact, a big change from Atwood's usual style. So it's interesting to see how very well and consistently Atwood carries it off (Other characters, especially the young Dr. Simon Jordan, are written with the barbed humour I've grown to love).

After a lot of detail about Grace Marks' childhood and her work experiences, we are led up to the central event, the double murder of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery. Was Grace guilty, and if so how much? The historical record is far from clear, and Atwood invites us to form our own conclusions. This isn't my favorite book of hers (Robber Bride!), but she is such an engrossing and brilliant author that I can easily lose myself in any of her books.

But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?

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