Maybe Read: The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

In a Nutshell:

This book revolves around three characters, all very different in personalities and are friends really only because of their common loathing for the "Robber Bride" character named Zenia. Zenia's story is told through flashbacks throughout the book from each female character; Tony, Charise and Roz. Over three decades, Zenia has ruined each of their lives by manipulating their emotions and stealing the men in each of their lives. Zenia is a horrible, evil woman who finds pleasure in hurting people. But Zenia is dead. In fact, The characters all attend her funeral with a sense of renewal and relief. But 5 years after the funeral, the ladies are having lunch and one of the women thinks she spots Zenia in a coffeeshop. They soon discover that Zenia is very much alive and ready to try her tricks again in their lives. They then all have to take their own emotional journeys so that they know how to deal with their "Robber Bride" now that she is back.

My Take:

Everyone loves a good villain, and Zenia is definitely one to take seriously. But at times, Zenia is almost a little too evil and premeditated. I guess there are women like her out there-maybe. Thank God I never met one! Atwood I think wrote this book to explore female relationships and how sometimes, we are our worst enemies-that women can be very destructive to one another-even more than men. Also, I felt that as much as I sympathized with the womens' emotional issues, it got a little old. Whatever Zenia did to them, I wanted them to move on. They were allowing the past to define them and let them feel sorry for themselves. It was only the funeral of Zenia that they could all really let go and move on. Really? Come on. Step up to the plate, ladies! She stole your men. You were broken hearted. OK. But these women went on to pretty much lead successful lives. It just wasn't believable to me. Women like these dust off and keep going-and kind of did. I wanted them to stop whining. It all made for good soap opera reading-I suppose. A beach read.