Treasure Island

Margaret Atwood takes the art of storytelling to new heights in a dazzling novel that unfolds layer by astonishing layer and concludes in a brilliant and wonderfully satisfying twist. Told in a style that magnificently captures the colloquialisms and clichés of the 1930s and 1940s, The Blind Assassin is a richly layered and uniquely rewarding experience. It opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura'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. Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! When Jim Hawkins discovers a map in the old sea chest he little guesses of the danger and excitement which lie a head. Joining the crew of the Hispaniola, Jim sets sail for Treasure Island in search of Captain Flint's treasure. but with a slippery crew, and the infamous Long John Silver as ship's cook mutiny is in the air and Jim must draw on all his resources to survive...published in 1883, Treasure Island is a swashbuckling tale, and a true children's classic. (less)