Cat's Eye

by Margaret Atwood

Paperback, 592 pages

English language

Published Aug. 22, 1999 by Seal Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-7704-2823-5
OCLC Number:: 59140531

(19 reviews)

Cat's Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman -- but above all she must seek release from her haunting memories. Disturbing, hilarious, and compassionate, Cat's Eye is a breathtaking novel of a woman grappling with the tangled knot of her life.

36 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed Cat's eye by Margaret Atwood

The genius of Atwood!

5 stars

I've had Cat's Eye on my bookshelf for ages and have been saving it as I absolutely love Margaret Atwood books. We bought several at the same time and this is the last of them. Need to go searching out some more now! Cat's Eye tells of the bullying relationship between two young girls in 1940s and 1950s Toronto. I was fascinated by the wealth of detail given about life for children in this period, especially by how much of their school day was remarkably similar to mine in 1970s and 1980s Britain! There are several child and adult characters portrayed and all are wonderfully real people. Our heroine, Elaine, jumps back and forth in time as she revisits her childhood trying to discover what events back then define the person she is now. I particularly enjoyed reading this discovery even though some is quite harrowing. The authenticity of her …

sifuCJC reviewed Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

Beautifully, brutally honest

4 stars

This stirred emotions in me that I did not like one bit but had to observe. The writing was gentle and detailed observation, the observed was tough to see.

perfischer reviewed Cat's eye by Margaret Atwood

Review of "Cat's eye" on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Powerful, emotional book. Superbly written - Atwood is a pro, who knows what she's doing. I somehow feel it sizzles out a bit in the last fifth, but it's a story that will linger with you for a long time, perhaps forever.