Journal Entry 1 by Gooner from March, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Monday, August 04, 2003

Someone wanted this as a bookring, so have registered it from memory, not being in the same county as the book! 

Journal Entry 2 by Gooner from March, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, August 12, 2003

This was posted off to psychjo today, hopefully as the start of a bookring. I'll read it when it returns to me ...

Batting order for the bookring is as follows:

1. psychjo - UK
2. bookmaniac70 - Bulgaria
3. JesseBC - USA
4. Secotyne - Switzerland
5. ziggythecat - UK
6. tehuti - UK - received May 26 2004
7. Olliebear - UK
8. adrienne10 - USA
9. Tuz - Brazil
10. chinasourcer - UK
11. TinaJo
12. Gooner
 

Journal Entry 3 by psychjo from Bristol, not specified not specified on Thursday, August 14, 2003

This was waiting for me this morning........thanks Chrisp93! I will read after the current bookray book I am reading and then see if anyone else wants it...... 

Journal Entry 4 by psychjo from Bristol, not specified not specified on Friday, August 22, 2003

Not sure about this one - was really enjoying it, interesting story, occasionally got confused about who she was talking about people in present or memories from past (but maybe it was supposed to do that - the bringing out of past memories through present events), but then felt slightly unsatisfied at the end.

Ready to send on to someone else, or back to Chrisp93..... 

Journal Entry 5 by psychjo from Bristol, not specified not specified on Tuesday, September 02, 2003

Sending to Bookmaniac70 in Bulgaria today..... 

Journal Entry 6 by bookmaniac70 from София / Sofia, Sofiya Bulgaria on Monday, September 08, 2003

Received today. Psychjio has included a lovely post- card from Portsmouth, UK- thank you, that was nice!
I`m about to finish another library book and will start reading this one.  

Journal Entry 7 by bookmaniac70 from София / Sofia, Sofiya Bulgaria on Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Liked it less than "Alias Grace" because I din`t understand some turns in the story. She is as good as ever, though,to create her unique atmosphere. It was an easy reading and despite some unclear episodes, not bad. Like psychjio, I`m not quite satisfied with the end, too. Anyway, thank you, Chrisp93,for sending it to travel. I have read only one book of her so far...it was interesting to see another story and get to know her style better.

I wait for Chrisp93 to tell me where to ship the book next. 

Journal Entry 8 by bookmaniac70 from София / Sofia, Sofiya Bulgaria on Monday, September 29, 2003

Sent to JesseBC, US. I hope the book will keep travelling. 

Journal Entry 9 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Friday, October 10, 2003

Received today! Thank you! I will read, journal, and get it to the next person in the ring! 

Journal Entry 10 by JesseBC from Duluth, Minnesota USA on Friday, March 05, 2004

Thanks for your patience with this one. I found it really unusual and thought-provoking. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read it! 

Journal Entry 11 by JesseBC at on Friday, March 05, 2004

Released on Friday, March 05, 2004 at postal release in Geneve, Switzerland Controlled Releases. 

Journal Entry 12 by Secotyne from Carouge, Genève Switzerland on Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Received this morning ! Thanks !

12.04.04
Not my preferred among Atwood’s books but it was really appalling. Through the quest of the young woman, we’re also questioned about our way of interpreting live. When she almost arrives to the verge of craziness, we’re asking whether she may be right.  

Journal Entry 13 by ziggythecat from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Saturday, May 01, 2004

Thanks secotyne, this got here safely this morning. dh very jealous of me receiving post from Switzerland as he peered over his pile of bills ;o) 

Journal Entry 14 by ziggythecat from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Thursday, May 13, 2004

An interesting read. Especially the 2nd half, when the main female character 'comes apart' (fragments I think I saw it described as somewhere) and then when it seems she's lost completely, somehow comes back from the brink of madness and life goes on. I agree with psychojo though that the very ending seemed a bit lacking in something. But then given that another theme of the book was how the 2 females lives were directed/constrained by their men (boyfriends/lovers/husbands/fathers)I guess it was appropriate.

Off to Tehuti as soon as I get her address. 

Journal Entry 15 by tehuti from Treorci, Wales United Kingdom on Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Received today. A number of bookrings have suddenly converged in on me. I promise to be as fast as I can, but beg patience! 

Journal Entry 16 by tehuti from Treorci, Wales United Kingdom on Monday, October 04, 2004

Does this book describe a disintegration that is necessary for rebirth, or is it simply a story of descent into madness? It reads very much like the ordeal that the traditional shaman/shamanka must endure before taking his/her rightful place in the community, but is there such a place in our modern society? Curious and thought-provoking. Finally the book can continue its journey onwards to olliebear. 

Journal Entry 17 by Olliebear from Hull, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Book arrived this morning with some lovely beads...thanks Tehuti! I love Margaret Atwood and have heard mixed reviews of this but am keen to give it a go! I will get to it as soon as I have finished Confederacy of Dunces.

Thanks for sharing Chris! 

Journal Entry 18 by Olliebear from Hull, East Yorkshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Well, as a Margaret Atwood fan I was sadly disappointed with this one! Like Psychjo I got confused as to what she was talking about and when it had happened. I found myself reading it for the sake of it and so stopped before the end, read the last few pages and realised I hadn't actually missed anything exciting! I thought that Margaret Atwood had used too much poetry which sadly didn't work and was more interested in beautiful sounding sentences than if it benefitted the actual storyline.

Never mind, it won't put me off reading any of her other books, and I can't wait to get started on another soon!

Thanks for sharing, Gooner.
Off to Adrienne now. 

Journal Entry 19 by adrienne10 from Seattle, Washington USA on Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Rec'd in mail recently. Will get to right after reading another bookring I have to finish. 

Journal Entry 20 by adrienne10 from Seattle, Washington USA on Friday, February 04, 2005

I apologize, I've had this book a little too long.

Based on the previous journals, I had seriously considered skipping this book. By the time I got to it after reading other bookrings first, I had drifted into some depression. Based on what was said, I didn't think the thing to help my attitude was to read about a psychotic person. But, because I hate to turn away a book, I started in. I figured it was short, if nothing else.

I really dislike this book. I don't like any of the characters. Even depressed I cannot relate at all to the main character, and if I was not in a low, I still would be unable to relate to her at all. She starts out with some serious issues, she contradicts herself (ie, the point where she talks about how much she felt after her first sex with Joe, yet later says she hasn't felt anything for years and years), and is extremely confusing to read.

The writing style is confusing. We drift between present and past with no distinction. I wondered a bit about the characters past for a few chapters, but at half-way through the novel, I no longer cared. The MC's attitude that everyone is out to get her is inherently judgemental, yet she pretends she is not judgemental at all, just observing. Ugh! I won't go on. As for the other characters, I found them flat. What little character they expressed was dispicable.

I got the feeling Ms. Atwood had no concept of history and did very little research. It took forever for me to figure out how old the character was, I was drifting anywhere from 18 to middle-age when finally she says something about Anna being older than her and in her 30s. Based on what had already happened to the MC, I figured that put her in her late 20s. The beginning of the novel gives me a setting of the 70s, but maybe I'm all wrong on that one. The MC talks about her childhood and "the war," with lots of references to WWII type conflict. Yet, Joe seems more of a post Vietnam war vet than a WWII vet, and again there is a descrepancy in character age, apparent time frame for "present" and when the past could have occurred.

The anti-Americanism also gets old. I guess if you hate America/Americans, than it wouldn't bother you. Maybe its that I've read several fiction books lately full of anti-Americanism and I'm tired of being hated because I live in America.

All in all, if I hadn't heard Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is wonderful, I would never read another novel by her again. I dislike the novel and the writing so much that I would recommend against her. But maybe I'm just depressed and crabby and over-reacting. Definitely, I think I should have skipped this novel.

I did read the end, but I wouldn't say I finished it. Going off to Tuz when I manage to get my stack of "send BC" books in the mail. 

Journal Entry 21 by Tuz from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil on Thursday, March 03, 2005

Received it today, thanks! :)

March 7, 2005

I like it, but for me it's not as good as The Rober Bride :)

I'll pass it to chinasourcer soon.
Hmm, chinasourcer asked to be skipped. I'll try TinaJo 

Journal Entry 22 by Tuz from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais Brazil on Wednesday, September 21, 2005

This book is on its way to Tinajo, UK!