Reviews

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

kennedy1210's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

r0b3rta's review against another edition

5.0

I read the [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185] years ago and was captivated by it. I picked up [b:Oryx and Crake|46756|Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy, #1)|Margaret Atwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327896599s/46756.jpg|3143431] on the recommendation of a friend. It was a quick read and fascinating. I didn't know what to think of Snowman at the beginning but as the story progressed I felt how humane his character is in comparison to Crake. Throughout the food passages all I kept thinking was Monsanto. Both [b:The Road|6288|The Road|Cormac McCarthy|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320606344s/6288.jpg|3355573] and Oryx and Crake paint a dystopic future that while extreme could happen. Both end in hope. I know Oryx and Crake is part of a trilogy ([b:The Year of the Flood|6080337|The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy, #2)|Margaret Atwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327906873s/6080337.jpg|6257025] & [b:MaddAddam|17262203|MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3)|Margaret Atwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366394020s/17262203.jpg|17613051]) and hope it still ends in hope by the 3rd book.

leggup's review against another edition

5.0

Ugh guess I have to read the next one too.

evaaander's review against another edition

4.0

It was a very interesting and shocking way to think about the future. A bit depressing, but overall I liked it.

meagwhalen's review against another edition

Could not get into this. Felt like a reductive culmination of tropes now associated with Atwood, not the brilliance of the author I have come to expect. 

kingkade95's review

Got busy with school

laylee_98's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I absolutely adored HMT & TT, so was so ready for more Atwood but honestly this was so up and down.

It kept flirting between give me more to please no more.
I loved the flash backs but Oryx’s backstory was hard to read, I had to put it down a few times.

Was it badly written? Not at all
Did it make some interesting parallels and thinking points? Absolutely 
But did I love it? Unfortunately just no

Shame because there were elements I loved and some of the think points I really enjoyed but it just missed the mark for me 

I know it’s a trilogy but I can’t see myself reaching for the next two any time soon 

sorinahiggins's review against another edition

I gave up on reading this. I'm starting to get too old to waste time on yucky stuff. It got super nasty! Does it get better???

kouran94's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

greenidmnstr's review against another edition

5.0

I found most of the book to be a tedious bore, but that was until I finished it. By the time I got to the cliff hanger end I could not get it out of my mind. Atwood style isn't the typical chronological presentation where everything is laid out for you; it's the exact opposite approach with mystery upon mystery slowly unraveled by traveling between the present and the past. You get an immediate submersion into the world she created and get to live through each moment as the characters do. This story is insightful, terrifying, riveting, and thought-provoking. The writing is beautiful and every aspect is masterfully created and presented. At the end of the story is a moment of epiphany that is well worth the grueling work of getting to it.