The Blind Assassin: A Novel

The Blind Assassin: A Novel
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Four Connected and Simultaneous Narratives

An excellent story but unnecessarily complicated

amazing how Atwood manages to tie together every last strang

my favorite love story

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

The Blind Assassin: A Novel
Margaret Atwood
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385720955
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

The Blind Assassin is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, initially seems a little cold-blooded about this death in the family. But as Margaret Atwood's most ambitious work unfolds--a tricky process, in fact, with several nested narratives and even an entire novel-within-a-novel--we're reminded of just how complicated the familial game of hide-and-seek can be:

What had she been thinking of as the car sailed off the bridge, then hung suspended in the afternoon sunlight, glinting like a dragonfly, for that one instant of held breath before the plummet? Of Alex, of Richard, of bad faith, of our father and his wreckage; of God, perhaps, and her fatal, triangular bargain.

Meanwhile, Atwood immediately launches into an excerpt from Laura Chase's novel, The Blind Assassin, posthumously published in 1947. In this double-decker concoction, a wealthy woman dabbles in blue-collar passion, even as her lover regales her with a series of science-fictional parables. Complicated? You bet. But the author puts all this variegation to good use, taking expert measure of our capacity for self-delusion and complicity, not to mention desolation. Almost everybody in her sprawling narrative manages to--or prefers to--overlook what's in plain sight. And memory isn't much of a salve either, as Iris points out: "Nothing is more difficult than to understand the dead, I've found; but nothing is more dangerous than to ignore them." Yet Atwood never succumbs to postmodern cynicism, or modish contempt for her characters. On the contrary, she's capable of great tenderness, and as we immerse ourselves in Iris's spliced-in memoir, it's clear that this buttoned-up socialite has been anything but blind to the chaos surrounding her. --Darya Silver

Book Description

The Blind Assassin opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader 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. Brilliantly weaving together such seemingly disparate elements, Atwood creates a world of astonishing vision and unforgettable impact.

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"Told in a style that magnificently captures the colloquialisms and cliches of the 1930s and 1940s, The Blind Assassin is a richly layered and uniquely rewarding experience Opening with a terse account of her sister Laura's death in 1945, it is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura's story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a- novel, a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. With many threads and a series of events that follow one another at a breathtaking pace, everything comes together and readers discover that the story Atwood is telling is not only what it seems to be--but, in fact, much more."

Customer Reviews:

Four Connected and Simultaneous Narratives.......2007-09-13

The main story is about two sisters living in rural Ontario, and the marriage of one sister to an older and wealthy business man in Toronto.

Anyone who has read Dickens will have a certain déjà vu feeling here as we see strong traces of Dickens's famous characters Edward Murdstone and Jane Murdstone among Atwood's four protagonists. The characters in that novel, "David Copperfield," were an older brother and sister duo (the Murdstones) who dominated two younger people. They were bound together by a marriage, i.e.: the two younger and poorer people were David Copperfield and his mother, and she married Edward. That is the essence of Atwood's story here. It is about two sisters, Iris and Laura, and Iris marries an older man, and the story revolves about the two young sisters and the older "Murdstone like" duo. The older brother and sister team try to impose their will on the sisters.

Margaret Atwood, born in 1939, is a modern novelist, a poet, and a literary critic. She is best known in her native Canada as an award winning writer and as a socialist feminist activist, but she has recently blossomed late in her career and gained wider fame solely for her writing skills which include interesting short stories and novels. Atwood made the leap from a regional Canadian feminist writer to international fame and acceptance with the winning of the Booker prize in 2000 for The Blind Assassin after four previous short list trips. So, the present work is a key work for Atwood.

This is a key novel for Atwood. Interestingly, both her fans and her critics are right. The novel is interesting and it is entertaining but it is far too complicated and it has a total of four plots or narratives. The first 50 pages are a bit of a literary swamp as Atwood tries only partially successfully to launch the four stories simultaneously using bits of story plus formal announcements. After 75 pages or so, she settles down and it is primarily one story about two sisters and their growing up between the wars, and the marriage of Iris. The novel becomes a lot easier to understand and enjoy as that story takes over the novel. The plots become transparent about page 300 and by page 500 Atwood is doing a summary clean up.

I enjoyed the book, and thought it would have been a lot better without the frequent jumping between stories. It gets to the point where it is sometimes a distraction, and one tends to skip over plots that are less interesting. I thought the whole "Blind Assassin" subplot was not that interesting.

Overall, this is an interesting 525 page novel that takes two evenings to read. I rececommend the novel, but Atwood could do better. Simpler would be better. The book as a whole is a bit of a mess, but the heart of the book, which is the story of the Chase sisters is excellent and worth 5 stars.

An excellent story but unnecessarily complicated.......2007-09-10

The story of the Chase/Griffin families was riveting. The author's descriptions and characterizations were first class. I particularly liked how the characters of Winifred and Richard were depicted. I also enjoyed her subtle humour throughout.
However the crafting of the story was far too complicated for my taste, moving back and forth in time at random. Neither did I care for those fictional stories that the couple indulged in.
But this book is tremendously rich and I would recommend it.

amazing how Atwood manages to tie together every last strang.......2007-09-03

I love Atwood's books, but this one in particular is pure genius. A book so intricate, so tightly woven! I admit that the beginning was quite slow going, but around page 182 the book took off and the payoff was so worth it. Everything around me disappeared while I was reading this book.

I feel like I might want to read it again to capture everything that I missed.

I highly recommend!

my favorite love story.......2007-08-28

This could be my favorite book, perhaps ever. It's a love story. It's an amazingly clever concoction of words. It's science fiction, and it's a feminist novel. I don't know of any other book that is all these things wrapped up in one. Most of all, though, it is a love story, and an incredibly touching one.

I think to truly enjoy this book, it must be read twice - once to figure out what's going on, what happened, and then at least once more to enjoy the words and the story without the suspense, and to wish it had ended differently.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.......2007-07-21

The Blind Assassin is the type of novel that my English professors would have assigned to me if I was a college student right now. This book encompasses everything my forward-minded professors adored in modern literature: complicated plots, creative storytelling, literary allusions, feminist implications, symbolism and foreshadowing - all wrapped up into a neat yet complex package.

For the non-collegiate reader, The Blind Assassin has a lot to offer too. It's got a little romance, a bit of a Gothic tendency and a sci-fi tale all woven into one. It's not surprising that The Blind Assassin is so widely read and the recipient of prestigious awards.

For this reader, I enjoyed the book's story-within-the story style. The majority of the story is written from Iris's perspective - a woman born of privilege whose loveless marriage and complicated relationship with her father and sister lead her into the arms of a lover. The second story is a fictional book "written" by Iris's sister, Laura. It features a nameless man and woman as they sneak around to hide their affair. Their time together was spent making love and creating a story about a far-away race of aliens. To be honest, I could have done without the sci-fi element. I wonder why it was even included except to show some symbolism. Writers of less ability than Atwood would not have been able to pull it off, but to her credit, she did.

Overall, I enjoyed The Blind Assassin. It definitely piqued my interest in Margaret Atwood's other works. Based on this book, I can see why she has earned such literary praise and is the favorite writer of many avid readers. I just wonder if Atwood, at the top of her game, produced The Blind Assassin robotically - its literary conventions are almost too perfect; the story, predictable; and the ending, done before. Perhaps that's the magic of the whole thing - and a grand show of force from a writer who can do it all.

Escaping from the Prison-House of Language and Digging for Meanings in Texts among Texts: Metafiction and Intertextuality in Margaret Atwoods Novels Lady Oracle and The Blind Assassin

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Escaping from the Prison-House of Language and Digging for Meanings in Texts among Texts: Metafiction and Intertextuality in Margaret Atwoods Novels Lady Oracle and The Blind Assassin
Andrea Strolz
Manufacturer: ibidem-Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Literacy | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 3898216438
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Book Description

Margaret Atwood's novels are photographs of her characters' lives: while words only ever describe her protagonists' blurred visions of their pasts, their 'true' stories are told in subtexts which run parallel or even contrary to the main story line and which depict the unseen, the buried, the 'untrue'. Replete with intertextual references, her fiction illuminates that and why "[w]hat isn't there has a presence, like the absence of light" (The Blind Assassin). She plays with our conventional modes of perception to make us aware of the way we frame reality in our minds. In her book, Andrea Strolz discusses the interrelation between metafictional and intertextual features in two of Atwood's novels that share many similarities, even though written in different decades. She examines how Atwood weaves intertextual references into her fiction, how she facilitates a reader's recognition of the intertexts, and she shows that Atwood's narrator-prota-gonists also reflect on our age as one of intertextuality.

Book Description

Refusing to marry a man she does not love, Fayth Graham is forced to flee her ancestral home. Her freedom is short-lived when she is captured by her most reviled enemy -- Alex Maxwell, who would never forgive her for teasing him mercilessly and then betraying him to her family. Now, as they search for the mystical Bloodstone, she fears he will use her captivity to avenge his savaged pride. But their heated encounters leave them both shaken and Fayth soon suspects that the force that burns between them might, after all, be love....

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best Medieval Romances I've Read.......2002-10-30

The story begins with an ancient stone, The Bloodstone or the Clachan Fala. The Bloodstone holds much power and stirs greed in mortals. The Bloodstone can only be found when a Maxwell and a Graham marry. But Musgrave witches protect the stone from men. At the beginning of the book the author tells the reader about the Bloodstone and how the feud between the Graham's and Maxwell's began. All over a powerful stone.

Fayth Graham has felt lost and lonely since her father and Jack, her fiance, died. Her brother, Ridley, is forcing her to marry an old lecher she doesn't love just so he can gain land and power. Her fiance, Jack Graham, was killed by Alex Maxwell, also known as Red Alex. The day Jack died Fayth swore she'd avenge his death by killing Red Alex. He was the reason why she wasn't marrying the man she'd chosen, a simple, ordinary farmer. No land or title to his name. But none of that mattered to Fayth, she wanted Jack because she knew that he would let her keep the freedom she'd always known.

Red Alex remembered the feisty vixen who had disguised herself as a whore, to distract him when the Grahams came to raid his home. He remembered not only her passionate kiss that stirred a longing deep inside him, he remembered her betrayal. He would get his revenge. When he catches Fayth running away from Carlisle, her fiance, he finds his chance to get revenge. He would kidnap her; take her to his stolen tower, Gealach; and use her to make a bargain with Carlisle. Fayth for Gealach. (Alex is an outlaw who turned Gealach back into a great tower, but Carlisle wouldn't let him have it. And Alex is desperate to make the tower his legal home.) But on his way to Gealach Alex begins to admire Fayth's courage and comes to care for her more then he'd like to admit. Once they reach Gealach he can't help but see how much she lights up the tower. How much she lights up his life. When the time comes will he be able to give up the woman he loves more then anything for a tower that he knows would be lonely without her???

And Fayth, against her will, starts to feel something more tender then the hate she once had for him. It kills Fayth to feel so tenderly for Alex, knowing that he murdered hundreds of Graham's for no reason. Will she accept her feelings for Alex or will she live her life alone in hiding??? If only she knew of the secrets and betrayal floating around her.....

I know that isn't very much plot summary, but it's hard to say anything without giving the story away.

There aren't enough words to express how very much I loved this book. I've never read anthing like it before. The mystery surrounding the Bloodstone was thrilling and the romance was very sweet and believeable. I was a little confused at first because I haven't read the first book in the Bloodstone seies, but I plan to. And I can't wait until the thrid book comes out. So if you haven't read, Tempted by Your Touch, I'd advise reading that one before you pick this one up.

The author weaves an intricate web full of emotions, thoughts, motives, betrayls, and so much more. This is the most convincing, hate-to-love books that I've ever read. I could actually believe that Fayth was falling in love with him. In most romances that have the passionate hate turns to passionate love plot, aren't very convincing. Those kind of books make you wonder why these two pepole fell in love, but this book won't make you feel that way. You'll see the transition from hate-to-love. I've never seen so much dialouge betweet two main characters! Usually the two main characters, in romances, are too busy kissing to worry about communicating. Such a refreshing change. One I hope to see a lot more of in the future.

The romance between these two will make her heart ache. At one point I was convinced these two would never have a chance to be together. You'll finish this book with a smile in your heart and on your face. It'll make you believe that love is the most powerful thing on this earth.

Tamed by Your Desire (Brides of the Bloodstone, #2)
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Tamed by Your Desire (Brides of the Bloodstone, #2)

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So
Average customer rating:

Great sequel to Flatland and intro to higher mathematical concepts

Crapperland, only more so

Oh, QuaternIan! Those Awful Puns!

A sequel just as good as the original

Tries too hard-

Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So
Ian Stewart
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 073820675X
Release Date: 2002-04-16

Amazon.com

In 1884, an amiably eccentric clergyman and literary scholar named Edwin Abbott Abbott published an odd philosophical novel called Flatland, in which he explored such things as four-dimensional mathematics and gently satirized some of the orthodoxies of his time. The book went on to be a bestseller in Victorian England, and it has remained in print ever since.

With Flatterland, Ian Stewart, an amiable professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, updates the science of Flatland, adding literally countless dimensions to Abbott's scheme of things ("Your world has not just four dimensions," one of his characters proclaims, "but five, fifty, a million, or even an infinity of them! And none of them need be time. Space of a hundred and one dimensions is just as real as a space of three dimensions"). Along his fictional path, Stewart touches on Feynman diagrams, superstring theory, time travel, quantum mechanics, and black holes, among many other topics. And, in Abbott's spirit, Stewart pokes fun at our own assumptions, including our quest for a Theory of Everything.

You can't help but be charmed by a book with characters named Superpaws, the Hawk King, the Projective Lion, and the Space Hopper and dotted with doggerel such as "You ain't nothin' but a hadron / nucleifyin' all the time" and "I can't get no / more momentum." And, best of all, you can learn a thing or two about modern mathematics while being roundly entertained. That's no small accomplishment, and one for which Stewart deserves applause. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

The brilliant "sequel" to one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics.

First there was Edwin A. Abbott's remarkable Flatland, published in 1884, and one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics. Now, from mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart, comes what Nature calls "a superb sequel." Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications. The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who tempts her away from her home and family in Flatland and becomes her guide and mentor through ten dimensions. In the tradition of Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Toll Booth, this magnificent investigation into the nature of reality is destined to become a modern classic.

Customer Reviews:

Great sequel to Flatland and intro to higher mathematical concepts.......2007-05-24

While the author of Flatterland does not have the same objectives in mind as Abbott had in the original, I think this is a great book and excellent introduction into higher mathematical concepts. Stewart maintains the same premise and style as the original while adding a modern twist; namely, the VUE finder that helps Victoria Line better understand mathematical spaces and concepts.

As a math major and future math teacher, I think this book is a great introduction to some of the more abstract and interesting concepts in mathematics. I could see how someone with a minimal math background would not understand every math concept introduced in Flatterland; however, it is still useful to get a taste of the challenging concepts. I plan on trying to incorporate this book into my geometry classroom once I begin teaching and would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in getting a taste of dimensions without trudging through a textbook.

Crapperland, only more so.......2007-02-06

The author describes his main character as "a thoroughly modern young woman in a society rather like Britain and the US in the early sixties."
His interpretation of how such a person thinks and talks is so distracting. It is like reading Nancy Drew mixed with Donna Reed dialogue. The main character writes in her diary with sentences like "Oh, Diary Dearest" and follows with other nauseating dialogue with her parents. It made me want to throw the book across the room. I seriously considered not reading it after the first few pages.

In her diary entries, she is merging terms together that are new to her. For instance "Planiturth" for "planet Earth." When one is describing complex mathematic concepts, there is no need to add mumbo jumbo like that. The concepts are alfready difficult to grasp, without having to sort what she is referring to. I don't see the value of doing this.

The mathematics writing is adequate for the most part. The concepts were easy for me to understand. And these are rather complex concepts. I studied no further than calulus in school, so not a good deal of foreknowledge is needed. Although a lot of patience is needed. He makes several contradictory statments. "The red ball got bigger and bigger until she could only see a small part of it." If it is getting bigger, why is she seeing less of it? All things considered he would have been better off just writing a math book, rather than trying to make it into a crappy, cutesy story. He had a lot of hubris to think he could stay on par with the original classic.

Oh, QuaternIan! Those Awful Puns!.......2006-07-31

A little more than a century ago, an English minister named Edwin Abbott Abbott penned a remarkable story called FLATLAND. In it, Abbott laid out his case for the seemingly incomprehensible notion (certainly to his fellow citizens of Victorian England) that the universe might contain spatial dimensions beyond the three we recognize. Abbott built his argument through a form of inductive reasoning, much like a mathematical proof by induction, in which he took his readers on a journey through four dimensions, from Pointland (zero dimensions) and Lineland (one) to Flatland (two), and finally Spaceland (three). Each of these "worlds" could be easily imagined by his readers, and movements from one to another required only moving in an obviously "perpendicular" direction into the next plane. This approach allowed Abbott to pose the rhetorical questions, "Why stop at three dimensions? Why not imagine moving `perpendicularly' into the fourth dimension?" Of course, Riemann, Poincare, Dirichlet, and other mathematicians and physicists had already long been at work on multidimensional and non-Euclidean spaces, and it would only be a few more years after FLATLAND's publication that Einstein would put their ideas to revolutionary use.

In the present day, mathematician and writer Ian Stewart set out to build on FLATLAND and introduce modern readers to the many new worlds of multidimensional mathematics that have evolved since Abbott's time. Dangerously for a writer of any talent, Stewart opted to mimic the structure and style of a literary classic and, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen's memorable Vice Presidential debate putdown of Dan Quayle, "Mr. Stewart, you are no Edwin Abbott Abbott."

Mr. Stewart builds his exposition around Victoria Line (no apologies offered to the London Underground authorities), a two-dimensional lineal (ouch) descendant of A. Square, the tragic hero of FLATLAND. Vikki is an inquisitive, modern sort of line (in Flatland, all women are straight lines) who discovers her great-great-grandfather's old manuscript describing his adventures visiting other dimensions a century earlier with his Sphere tour guide. This time around, Vikki is accompanied by Space Hopper, a creature capable of passing through any dimension or space in the known Mathiverse. Vikki and Space Hopper progress from four dimensional space to mathematically multidimensional space (linear programming and optimization), sphere packing and self-correcting codes, fractional dimensional space (fractal geometry), topological (curved) space, finite geometry (graph theory), and non-Euclidean (hyperbolic geometry) space, stopping at each for an exposition by Space Hopper on the mathematical origins and significance of each. These discussions are descriptive in nature, designed as introductions to each topic while avoiding any mathematics whatsoever. Once this array of mathematical spaces has been exhausted, Space Hopper takes Vicky on a tour of quantum and relativistic physics, followed by a jump to the cosmological level to consider Minkowski spacetime, light cones, time travel, Schwarzschild radii, black holes, p-branes, superstring theory, the Big Bang, and the shape of the universe. If all of this seems like too much to cram into a 294-page fairy tale, it is.

Mr. Stewart's goal is a worthy one, and he does indeed manage to convey at least some sense of the mathematics and physics he seeks to explain. However, where Edwin Abbott wrote for an audience he knew had little formal mathematical background, Mr. Stewart seems far less sure of his audience. His discussion of mathematical worlds in the first half of the book are likely to leave a novice confused about where these ideas come from (what exactly is a hyperbolic plane, and how exactly do you generate a fractal fern?) and a knowledgeable reader bored and bemused. In the latter half of the book, Mr. Stewart seems to have abandoned his novice readers, writing at confusing length about Penrose maps, quantum spin, quantum infinities, mathematically feasible time machines, and "some kind of p-braned topological hypersurface in a higher-dimensional space."

As if not writing to a clearly-defined audience wasn't problematic enough, Mr. Stewart compounds the deficiency by insisting on the use of endlessly cloying puns throughout. Readers are forced to tolerate such "gems" as "the catenary was out of the bag," "there will be convex hull to pay," "I'm certain as Squares fit [bears s--t] in the Woods," "they'd just get you segment [pregnant] and dump you," "a used cardiod dealer," "Queens i Way," a bag marked "Doughnut Disturb," a cow named Moobius, projective lions, edgehogs, and squarrels, the Space Girls (Curvy, Bendy, Pushy, and Squarey), "crisp moose [Christmas] cards," and too painfully many others. Late in the book, Mr. Stewart adds a chapter about time travel through wormholes that inexplicably and ungraciously represents Stephen Hawking as the "Hawk King," a greedy and imperious wretch whose Domain is "right next to the Public Domain." They are forced to bribe their way into an audience with "His Majesty," who sits at the far end of a vast audience room on a splendid throne (an unfortunate choice, given the general tone and Mr. Hawking's actual physical condition). The Hawk King closes their meeting with a disdainful, "You are dismissed." No other human in the book is referenced in such misplaced and disparaging terms, and the entire scene comes across as mean-spirited and petty sniping.

One of Edwin Abbott's remarkable accomplishments in FLATLAND was to combine his mathematical/philosophical ponderings of multidimensional space with a biting satire of Victorian society worthy of Jonathan Swift. As if in faint recognition of Abbott's social commentary, Stewart occasionally tosses in a less-than-heartfelt comment about Vicky's incipient feminism, even going so far as to suggest that Flatland's straight line females (considered the lowest level of Flatland society because they have only one side) are in fact pentagons in an unseen, other-dimensional "shadow world." These silly efforts at social relevance only serve to amplify the shortcomings of FLATTERLAND relative to its renowned progenitor.

Ian Stewart's FLATTERLAND does offer some introductory explication of multidimensional and non-Euclidean mathematics and physics in a format suited to entertain teenagers. However, I believe it will leave them at least as confused as informed, as well as groaning over the incessant bad punning. In the end, this book is neither a worthy successor to FLATLAND nor an effective introduction to its mathematics and physics content. Better to read Abbott's original FLATLAND followed by Michiko Kaku's HYPERSPACE and/or Brian Greene's THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE.

A sequel just as good as the original.......2006-06-23

If imitation is the sincerest form of flatterly, that expertly executed imitation must certainly be the most...flattering.

In this way, excellent flattery is what this book both promises and delivers in a big way.

After having read the Edwin Abbott Abbott book Flatland in 1962, ideas germinated in Ian Stewart's head for three decades before he took pen in hand and created, Flatterland...a sequel just as good as the original.

For those who don't know, Flatland is the 1884 story of square living in a flat society, Flatland, who comes to learn about higher dimensions, with his friend the sphere.

Set one hundred years later, Flatterland picks up the story with Victoria the line segment, Mr. Square's grand daughter, who re-visits high dimensions given modern understanding of what those higher dimensions are.

And even though some discussions contain pretty academic mathematical theory, on the whole, the book manages that unique accessibility and magic that comes when true understanding is combined with a great ability to communicate.

If all Stewart managed was to create a modern tour of physics and math touching on such diverse topics as how the universe came to be, whether we really do live in a "uni"verse,contemporary M brane theory, string theory and how other dimensions relate to all these issues, the book would merit five stars.

However, and to Stewart's credit, the book actually also touches on higher dimensions as a metaphor for overturning two dimensional ways of looking at things...just like the original. If Abbott was around to read this book one can't help but think that he and Mr. Square would be very pleased indeed.

Tries too hard-.......2006-02-25

A lame attempt at hyper-cuteness. One of the strengths of the original Flatland was its timelessness, and universality, even with its topical satire. This sequel is dumbed down to the point of being nearly unreadable. Maybe this will seem quaint in a hundred years- I can wait. If it's ever made into a film, Moon Zappa would be ideal- "like, fer shure."

Flatterland, Like Flatland, Only More So

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Flatterland, Like Flatland, Only More So
Ian Stewart
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored
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thoughtful, well written, illuminating

A fine work

"Getting it Straight from the Inside Out"

an excellent introduction to Catholicism

A revealing insight with joyous discoveries.

The Truth of Catholicism: Ten Controversies Explored
George Weigel
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Religious | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0066213304
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Amazon.com

In The Truth of Catholicism, John Paul II's biographer George Weigel tackles 10 of the most controversial and complex questions for which the Catholic Church provides answers. The subjects of these questions include the uniqueness of Christ, the meaning of freedom, the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, and the use and abuse of sex. Weigel writes as a committed Catholic, and he asks that readers of all faiths suspend their disbelief while reading his book. "By 'coming inside' and seeing how the Catholic vision of the human condition and the human prospect fit together," Weigel explains, "both the curious and the discontented will, it is hoped, be able to see the affirmation and celebration of the human project in Catholicism, not condemnation and mindless prohibition." Weigel's project is worthy, his chosen questions are important ones, and his answers are easily understood and often persuasive. Nevertheless, his choice not to acknowledge the political dynamic of "condemnation and mindless prohibition" that mitigates many of Catholicism's truths is unfortunate, as those worldly dynamics are as real as divine revelation, and will always be, as long as we live in a fallen world. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

What does being a Catholic mean? Is there a distinctively Catholic way of seeing things? What does the Catholic Church teach about the human condition -- about our lives, our loves, and our destiny? In The Truth of Catholicism, best-selling author George Weigel explores these perennial questions through the prism of ten contemporary controversies.

The Catholic Church may be the most controversial institution in the world. Some find its teachings inexplicable, puzzling, even cruel. George Weigel suggests that we look at Catholicism and its controversies from "inside" the convictions that make those controversies not only possible, but necessary The truths of Catholicism then come into clearer focus as affirmations and celebrations of human life and human love, even as they challenge us to imagine a daring future for humanity and for ourselves.

Is Jesus uniquely the savior of the world? Does belief in God limit our freedom? What are we doing when we pray? Is the moral life about rules or about happiness? Doesn't suffering contradict the biblical claim that God is good? How does the Catholic Church think about other Christians and about other great world religions? Are Catholics safe for democracy? What will become of us? In an engaging, accessible style, George Weigel leads us through these and other questions into the truth of Catholicism: the truth about a God passionately in love with his creation, the truth about a love that creates a vast, liberating terrain on which to live a fully human life.

Customer Reviews:

thoughtful, well written, illuminating.......2005-08-07

I enjoyed the book very much. Weigel writes with a clarity and style that helps to illuminate the subject matter. I learned a lot.

A fine work.......2004-08-16

In the present day, it seems that the only acceptable prejudice is anti-Catholicism. Therefore, it is refreshing to read Mr. Weigel's fine book on the Truth of the Church. One need only to look at where the Church is growing the fastest, in developing countries of Central and South American, and especially Africa, to know how out of step liberal American and European critics of the Church really are. Mr. Weigel makes a grand case for the Church as she is in truth, the Body of Christ on earth today.

"Getting it Straight from the Inside Out".......2004-01-30

Weigel's book is very timely. Catholics are constantly asked questions regarding their faith by those who are attacking the faith and by those who are simply interested. This book covers ten essential current event happens in the Church and gives the reader great information and insight as to the reasoning behind the actions of the Church.
The format is very readable and "user friendly". It is a book you would not hestitate to give to a friend, as it explains things clearly. It is firm in the Catholic stance, but it never talks down to the potential non-catholic reader. Weigel's compassion and understanding of the human condition are evident from the first sentence, leading the inquizative reader through what could be misunderstood as a jungle of Catholic double-talk, with the ease of a seasoned guide. Showing the reasonableness of why Catholics do what they do
Get as many of these as you can, and hand them out. In today's world of people believing that there are no good reasons to believe in anything, this book not only gives the reasons, but shines the light on where to get them.

an excellent introduction to Catholicism.......2003-10-01

This is a wonderful and compelling introduction to Catholicism. In that sense it does not exactly begin a new literary style. However, it has the interest of presenting the theme in a very contemporary and clear language. The book can be interesting to the agnostic looking for a clear, short enough and understandable book about the issue. It can also be useful to catholics looking for new ways to present the Faith.

A revealing insight with joyous discoveries........2003-09-27

As a cradle Catholic, I've often pondered the reasoning and roots of my church's many theological standards. As a contemporary Christian, I've sought ways to explain my church to non Catholics and non believers. Mr. Weigel offers me a remarkably readable work that enables me to experience the full depth of joy in Catholic teachings and to explain them to others as never before. I recommend this work to anyone who is curious or serious about what the Catholic church really teaches - not the people who've run the church for centuries, but the faith itself. This is a truly remarkable and rich resource for Catholics and non Catholics alike.

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