Product Description

Marian is determined to be ordinary. She lays her head gently on the shoulder of her serious fiancee and quietly awaits marriage. But she didn't count on an inner rebellion that would rock her stable routine, and her digestion. Marriage a la mode, Marian discovers, is something she literally can't stomach ...The Edible Woman is a funny, engaging novel about emotional cannibalism, men and women, and desire to be consumed. 'Margaret Atwood not only has a sense of humour, she has wit and style in abundance ...a joy to read' Good Housekeeping 'Written with a brilliant angry energy' Observer 'A witty, elegant, generous and patient writer' Punch

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44267 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 281 pages

Review
'Margaret Atwood is genuinely funny and makes her point engagingly'THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH MAGAZINE 'The novel offers some ironic reflections on marriage, guilt and the relationship between the sexes - classic Atwood territory' GUARDIAN 'A subtle and penetrating observer of relationships between men and women' SUNDAY TIMES 'Margaret Atwood not only has a sense of humour, she has wit and style in abundance...a real joy to read' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'Written with a brilliant angry energy' OBSERVER 'A witty, elegant, generous and patient writer' PUNCH

GUARDIAN
'The novel offers some ironic reflections on marriage, guilt and the relationship between the sexes classic Atwood territory'

SUNDAY TIMES
' A subtle and penetrating observer of relationships between men and women'

Customer Reviews

not as good as her others but still worth a read
I am an Atwood fanatic, so for my birthday I received this book. I really wanted to read it, being one of her earliest books. The book I must say is rather good, even if it does lack the intrigue of her other, later and some would argue (I being one of them) better books.

As usual, Atwood is engaging in her witty narrative. There is humour, irony, sarcasm and pathos which is hard to find in other writers. Marian, I found to be an extremely interesting character as did I find Ainsley, although I couldn't help compare her to Moira in the first few chapters.

Some reviewers have pined that there is little action in this novel, and whilst this is an understandable objection to the book, what would they think if they ever read Woolf? Like Woolf (and even Lawrence for that matter), the object is not so much plot but rather character development. We come to know the characters intimately, with Atwood employing both 1st person narrative then 2nd person narrative, and come to an understanding of the protaganist's, Marian, sentiments and actions. This book is not meant to be a thriller (for that read Da Vinci COde) but rather an exploration into the female mind in the context of marriage, relationships, guilt, fornification and feminism.

So, in short, not as good as say Alias Grace or the sublime Handmaid's Tale, but definitely worth a read.

More than a feminist study
TEW is a novel of its time (1960's) where ideas on marriage are not quite the same as they are today. It is still interesting though to see how times have changed and this novel has an important place in fem lit.
What makes this more than just a study of male/female relations is Atwood's clever and amusing story- this is especially true in the portrayal of the three students. This is a very good story and appealing to both men and women- highly recommended.

Fascinating Early Atwood
I was bought this book as a present. I hadn't heard of it before, and so came to it with a (fairly) open mind (but I have loved all other Margaret Atwoods I have read).
It is an exploration of the gender divide and expectations on both men and women. It's set (and was written) in the 60's, and it can on occasion feel dated. However, as a woman born in the 70's it is interesting to see how far things have moved forward for women is such a relativly short time. This doesn't mean, however, that there are no lessons to be learnt. I found Marian's (the central charater of the book) need to appease all the men in her life something that I can still see in myself and my friends, even in this day and age!
I think that some people will be disappointed with this, on a plot and structure level. There is no doubt that it is not another 'Alias Grace'. But the symbolism and imagery used make it a satisfying read, especially for those with an interest in the growth and history of feminism.