Alias Grace Readers Companion

Margaret Atwood's books have sold over three million copies in the United States alone. She has long been one of the world's most respected novelist as well as one of its most popular. Alias Grace, her latest novel and a finalist for England's prestigious Booker Prize, has only solidified her reputation in both respects. It has adorned bestseller lists across the country while at the same time being praised by reviewers from coast to coast. From the first paragraph of this stunning novel, it is clear that Atwood's newest achievement will take its place besides her bestselling classics.In Alias Grace Margaret Atwood takes us back in time and into the life of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the nineteenth century. Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, the wealthy Thomas Kinnear, and of Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentenceafter a stint in Toronto's lunatic asylum, Grace herself claims to have no memory of the murders. Dr. Simon Jordan, an up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness, is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Is Grace female fiend? A bloodthirsty femme fatale? Or is she