Alias Grace is a fiction based off of the true story of Grace Marks, Ontario's first murderess. As a young immigrant to the country, Grace was forced to make her own life in Toronto, and eventually found her way to Richmond Hill where she worked for several months. It is here, that she allegedly had a hand in the murder of her employer and his housekeeper.

The book starts out with an intriguing dream and it's in a similar manner that Atwood weaves this tale. She takes you through Grace's childhood (narrated by Grace to her psychologist) into her years as a young woman working in many houses and mansions, past the murder and the trial and into the rest of Grace's life. This is a book you become invested in.

So this will be the second Atwood novel I've read in about a year -- the first being The Edible Woman. While The Edible Woman is more of a commentary on consumer culture (it almost reminds me of a feminist version of DeLillo's White Noise), Alias Grace is at the other end of the spectrum entirely as it is historical fiction.

With Grace Marks, Atwood creates a memorable character -- not unlike other protagonists she has created in the past. Alias Grace is a bewildering gothic tale of gender ideology, murder, the historical, and the fictitious. It definitely is a novel that will stay with you long after you have finished it, and offers more questions than answers.

Great read; I'd recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Atwood, Canadian fiction or historical fiction in general. A good novel for discussion as well.

This fictionalized account is based on the true story of 16 year old Grace Marks who was accused and found guilty of accessory to the murders of her master and his mistress, the housekeeper, in 1840s Toronto, Canada. As the book starts Grace is in prison and is waiting to be seen by a doctor who has obtained permission to study her. He is not the usual type of doctor but rather a doctor of the mind.

The narrative of the book switches from the 1st person of Grace to the third person narrative of the doctor and between these narratives are letters between the characters, excerpts from contemporary papers and poetry. The switching views and narratives keeps the reading moving. I particularly enjoy this type of back and forth narrative. Atwood has done a splendid job of filling in the spaces and presenting a perfectly plausible story of what really may have happened.

I really enjoyed the book. The themes are among my favourite topics, Victorian era prisons, asylums, a madwoman, a sensational murder case, and these all make for interesting reading. The character of Grace is fully realized and we care what has happened to her and will become of her but we never really know whether she is guilty, innocent or insane. Atwood's books often give off literary airs but sometimes I think they are just great genre fiction and this one is a magnificent historical fiction. Great book!

I absolutely loved this book! It was my first Atwood book, and now I'm addicted. I want to read all of her books.

“Alias Grace” takes place during the 1800’s in Canada. On July 23, 1843 the murders of a farmer Thomas Kinnar and his mistress and housekeeper Nancy Montgomery occurred. Furthermore, Grace Marks and James McDermott, both servants to Thomas Kinnar, had left the country and were found in the Unites States of America. They were accused of murdering Nancy and Thomas and were tried for murder on November 1843. James McDermott was convicted and sentenced to hang. On the other hand, Grace was convicted also but was sentenced to life in jail at the Kingston Penitentiary. As the story unfolds the readers are left to determine whether or not Grace was innocent or guilty and to come to their own conclusion concerning what really happened on the day the murders had taken place. Although this book is fiction, Margaret Atwood based this story around a real crime. Atwood captivates the readers by forcing them to look at Grace Marks through different perspectives. I recommend this book.

I found this book to facinating especially when I discovered the character was a real person. I found myself wanting to research the event after reading the story. Margaret Atwood has a great way of describing detail in a way that make you want to visit the places that she writes about. I have recommended this book to all of my friends.

Margaret Atwood weaves insight and suspense into this historical tale. The language is beautifully poetic and makes this captivating subject even more so. Particularly notable about its telling is the overlapping of actual facts with fictional ones, and the voices and viewpoints of many different characters. Such handling of the story left me in awe at every page. I am now decidedly an Atwood fan.

An insightful and somewhat tongue-in-cheek comment on the misinterpretation and deliberate sensationalism that can occur in a media circus that occurs during and after a murder trial. Centered around 1800 characters, the romanticized and villianized portrayals of an unlikely alleged murderer could be easily transposed to reflect modern-day portrayals of media darlings-- regardless of their respective claims to fame.

Margaret Atwood does a superb job of captivating her audience with an incredible array of characters and a wonderfully written plot that is different than the rest of her books. Grace Marks comes alive, a young girl at the centre of tragedy and hardship.

It is clear that Atwood has spent a great deal of time researching the real story and using her wrtiting talents to finctionaize it in a believable way. I can picture Old Toronto and Kingston in her descriptions.

If you want to read an Atwood classic, read this if you don't read anything else. This is in my top ten list!

Alias Grace is an enchanting tale where fact and fiction are melded to create a perfect escape. Atwood brought the characters back to life. Describing the house, landscape, wardrobe - everything in such detail, that I felt as though I watched the story instead of reading it.

Alias Grace is truly one of Margaret Atwoods greatest novels. The fact that she uses an actual event in Canadian history makes it even better. The characters are believable and real. The story line never dulls or becomes boring. This is a great book. I couldn't put it down.

The more I read Margaret Atwood the more I love her style of writing. This was really well done and it is one of the best written novels I have ever read. It is based on a real character and after finishing the novel I was compelled to find out how much was actually known about the main character, Grace Marks

Alias Grace is a very powerful book written in a "mosiac" manner. Margaret Atwood takes a true story about a woman living in "Toronto" in the 1800's and tells us about a suppossed murder and it's consequences through the eyes of many characters. The characters are very believable, and due to Atwood's individualized character traits, one feels empathetic to many of the characters. Atwood also adds a sense of mystery to the book in that some characters believe Grace to be guilty and others believe her to be innocent...one has to keep reading to find out the truth! This is an excellent book, and one that is hard to put down.
Enjoy your read!

I raved about this book so much, that my husband read it, also. He loved it, too! Atwood's writing is very poetic, and this work definitely deserves the awards it received! Atwood leaves you wondering throughout the book as to Grace's guilt or innocence, but she doesn't give anything away. I'm elated that she took the time to both research and write about a piece of Canadian history!

This is my favourite book by Margaret Atwood. She makes the characters come alive and you feel like you know everyone firsthand. The descriptions and details of everyone and everything are remarkable. It was also neat that the story took place in Richmond Hill!

This book was a selection for my book club, and has turned out to be our most successful selection to date. Not only did everyone enjoy it, but there was plenty to discuss afterwards. Although the book starts out slowly, it soon engrosses you with plenty of action, humour, and fantastic characters. Atwood has managed to completely recreate the era and the mystery that was Grace Marks.

One note: my copy of this particular edition is rather poorly bound, with the text on some pages nearly cut off the edge of the page. If you can afford the trade paperback version, I'd recommend it. This is one book that is worth the extra money for the fancy edition -- plus it's definitely a novel you'll want to treasure, anyway.

I don't read a lot of books because I never have time to do so, but I tried my luck with Alias Grace and I made time for this book. This is truely amazing, most probably Atwood's best work to date. Two thumbs up! A must read!!

This is a wonderful book that I could not put down. It has strong character development and outstanding plot. This is a definite must read

Grace Marks is a caracter I won't soon forget. I don't often read books twice, but I made an exception for this one. Margaret Atwood is a wonderful writer. Oh yeah, and I love her canadianity!

Out of all of Margaret Atwood's books Alias Grace is by far my favourite. I was hooked on the character Grace and I found it very hard to put down. Everyone who's read it has loved it.