Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

24 reviews

baximus's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.25

I really wanted to like this book. 

If it was written by a man I would have found it voyeuristic and grim, but I found myself forgiving the content more when I reminded myself that from a female perspective, Atwood was commenting on the toxic male psyche that is a side effect of the oversaturation of violent and sexually explicit content on the web; and the potential for radicalisation borne from apathy about the modern world. I mean a male author could have done that too but I’d have found it ickier.

Don’t take the trigger warnings lightly, some parts deal with very difficult subjects in a very matter of fact way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

egganimates's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and War

jips's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Pedophilia, Slavery, and Pandemic/Epidemic

emilianeyer's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt

cameron_esbenshade's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death, Slavery, Suicide, and Trafficking

randanopterix's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

For maximum mental torture, do what I accidentally did and happen to be listening to the Oryx’s childhood chapter while driving through a rainstorm. Extra points if you have a pathological fear of driving in rain and have been doing sort of mentally bad in recent months LOL. 

Anyways, great book, Margaret holds so many terrible worlds in her mind. Such awful and believable portents of the future. Queen of the feel-bad novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking

nurr's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Police brutality, Medical content, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Mental illness

jenna_justi2004's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was the hardest book to read. It’s up there with 1984 and brave new world. Generally of worlds, I hope don’t become reality. I understand the message and it doesn’t make it any better. It’s actually so sad and essentially avoidable which is horrific. If you enjoy dystopian this is for you but this book genuinely made me sick at some points. Graphic accounts of CP and trafficking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

startjpw23's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This story is set in a not distant future and is told in 3rd person POV by Snowman (aka his given name Jimmy). There are only 2 other main characters (Crake and Oryx). When the story starts, Snowman is trying to survive after an event took place that appears to have ended civilization. The story alternates between the present and Snowman's life as Jimmy from before the event. It starts in his youth and moves forward to various points in his life before the event. Early on, it is apparent that the society Jimmy grew up in was scientifically advanced, but morally bankrupt. The relationship between Jimmy, Crake, and Oryx is gradually revealed as are the circumstances that led up to the event. This is a really good dystopian novel. I found it very believable as a possible (very scary) future. I didn't really like Jimmy or Crake very much. I liked Oryx more. Despite not liking Jimmy, I still found the story compelling. The story is very disturbing at points. Some children are treated very badly. There are brutal security forces. There are no ethics to the science being done. To many of the scientists, people and animals are viewed the same as lab rats. Corporations run things and profits are all no matter who is hurt. Society is very stratified. This is not a happy book. The book is very well plotted and written. Margaret Atwood only writes the minimum details of the most disturbing scenes so that the reader understands what is going on without being unnecessarily graphic. The only reason I rated the book a little below 5 stars is I didn't feel the ending was very good. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a really good dystopian novel. If the issues I mentioned are things that concern you, you may want to avoid the book. Or at least look at content warnings. Be aware that this is book 1 of 3. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Slavery, Trafficking, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mthornburg13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic