The Edible Woman

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Lorelei King

Marian is determined to be ordinary. She lays her head gently on the shoulder of her serious fiancé 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.

©1980 Margaret Atwood (P)2014 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Hilarious

Will have you guessing, reflecting, and laughing all throughout, never sure of what your narrator will do next.

A little weird- but I liked it

This book is just what I needed- something a little different and thought-provoking. It is not clean or comfortable to read, but a good read nonetheless.

Performance great, story confusing

Loved the narrator on this. The story was a little odd, not as shocking as some of the reviews make it seem. Mostly this seemed surreal and disconcerting, as no average person would behave like most of these characters do. The descriptions are vivid and entertaining, so overall all right.

Atwood, right? LoreleiKing, right? Should be great, right?

Read the story. Do not listen to it. If you have to listen, do not listen to this version. Atwood's first big piece comes off disjointed and hard to see the growth of overarching themes in Lorelei King's goofy read. There are moments when, as a woman, you know you have bern there and felt that but this read aloud/ act aloud makes Atwood seem trite and the story inconsequential -- and it isn't.

100% Atwood but early

Atwood remarks in the foreword that she hadn’t published this early work when it was written and decided to later. I adore Atwood but this one never really went anywhere. It was a slice of life but not really equal to her other work.

Well written

I found it interesting, but anti climatic. The characters were well rounded and the voice acting was very well done.

Representation of a Thousand Lives

I absolutely adore the way that Lorelei King narrated this delightful book. Bring the characters and story to life with her use of pacing, unique and placing character voices, and enrapturing tone. I would have already been absorbed by this book on paper, prying my ears away from it was even more difficult. This book left me feeling hopeful after a storm of feeling the dread of recognizing and identifying myself in the comparison of the main character's life contrasted to my own. I wanted her to run and scream the moment Peter began talking. It was as if I knew the person who was speaking to her; in a way, I believe we all do as women. Having been one of the many people raised to be utterly edible, I found myself rooting for Marian to break free from the expectations set upon her from everyone at every turn. The way her life began to crumble and slip as her sense of identity was taken away piece by piece each time she allowed herself to be buffeted into action by others was exhausting and real. The anxiety can be felt so clearly through Atwood's writing. It's impeccable and jarring. I could not recommend this book more for any person beginning to feel overwhelmed by expectations, from an individual or from the societal view, contradictory to yourself. We're all complete and unique people striving to prove our worth and individual purpose. I think Atwood's point is just as valid now as it was fifty years ago and will be in another fifty years. This is a book will certainly return to in the future.

Rough, but valuable

It is grim and somewhat grotesque. It does have a definite ending. The thing that bothered me, compared to Atwood's other novels I have read, is that the characters seemed to have almost no emotions. It reminded me very much of "You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine," which was likely inspired by it.

But this novel will sit with me. It's one of those things that is a horror to get through, but it presents worthwhile ideas. I could have done without all of the overt literary "technique." I would say you need to go into it with a sense of humor if you want to enjoy it. It's a worthwhile read, very Canadian, and it will teach you something about history.

It was good, just not my favorite

A little too deep for me. Felt like I needed to really analyze what was happening, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as her other books.

we've come a long way baby

the accuracy of how women were treated and viewed in that time period was sad. Margaret Atwood has a way with getting to the heart of women's roles according to some people and that we need to constantly assert ourselves to not be pulled back into it.