The Robber Bride Book

Tony is a military historian who speaks backwards. The waifish Charis works in a store that sells crystals. Roz is a successful financier. The three of them, it would seem, have nothing in common. But an iron thread binds them together: Zenia, a woman who stole all their men, a woman who changes personae as often as some people change shoes, a woman whose ashes they believe lie buried in a metal canister at Mount Pleasant cemetery. But Zenia is back.

Library Journal

Set in Canada in the early 1970s, The Robber Bride continues Atwood's satiric exploration into sex and empowerment. Three women and the femme fatale who unites them are set against a backdrop of draft dodgers and the resurgence of feminism. Atwood is an astute observer of contemporary misinformation, and references to tarot, auras, astrology, and more abound. Despite some wonderful passages, however, the narrative thrust consists of self-contained vignettes that do not easily lend themselves to audio. The histories of these women are intense and distinctive, but the superficial present in which they do little more than move from restaurant to restaurant blurs them to the point of being interchangeable. When she stays with one character long enough (e.g., her treatment of Charis's incest-filled childhood at the start of the third tape), the poignancy increases. It's slow going, but a lively reading by Blythe Danner and musical interludes that accentuate the New Age mood should help keep maintain listeners' attention.