Reviews tagging 'Torture'

El año del diluvio by Margaret Atwood

6 reviews

maddie_can_read's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

So I thought that this was my second time reading this book, but I realized that I had not finished it the first time in ~2014 because towards the end there was content that I found especially disturbing around sexual assault

a female character gets kidnapped by two men and it's implied that she has undergone severe sexual assaults even though details are not described

and one of my friends had recently been sexually assaulted so I found this part of the book too difficult to read at the time. I wrote this first just to warn that there are strong themes of sexual violence / violence against women in this book that were not present in the first and you may have to skip this one or skip specific chapters if you can't read about stuff like that right now. 

That being said, I thought this book was absolutely amazing. Such a unique way to write a sequel and connect it with the first book while expanding on the world so much. I really enjoyed that the book jumped between characters POVs and jumped between time. Loved seeing how characters from this book were related to characters from the first book. 

I really liked the Canadian references. 

All three narrators were very good and this was the first time I'd experienced an audiobook where they made the songs actual songs which I thought was really cool.

the only thing for the songs was I think it would have been better if the songs after year 25 the waterless flood wouldve had no music, just been the guy singing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Sexual content, Classism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Death, Sexual assault, and Animal death

Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Abandonment, and Physical abuse

Minor: Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Torture

pinkthinkydink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

This genius novel is a perfect sequel to 'Oryx and Crake'. This Dystopian/Speculative Fiction novel reads like poetry and paints an intricate picture of the failings of humanity. This novel does a bang-up job of answering the questions we are left with after the first novel and once again warns us of the dangers of a hyper-capitalist society. 
this book, however, is not for the faint-hearted. Sensitive readers beware

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Body horror, Physical abuse, War, Confinement, Gun violence, Rape, Addiction, and Alcohol

skeptic_hecate's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Margaret Atwood seldom fails to make copativating and rich stories. The environment, the world building, even though it is contained in one part, it is abundant and three dimensional. I haven't read the first book in the series, but one can enjoy this book as a stand alone. I loved the characters, even the annoying Ren, she is the one I leastr liked, but I still found her enjoyable. I will definitely read the rest of the series, even without the cliffhanger. Also, what a cliffhanger. I listened to this book as an audiobook, and the Gardner's songs are masterfully sang. All the voives are magnificent. Honestly I wish more books had this high quality audiobooks. Highly recommended. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Rape

Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Animal death

readinbythesea's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense

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

4.0

This series blows my mind in the best of ways. I loved Oryx and Crake more than this one but this made me so scared to be a woman in an apocalyptic situation. Can't wait to read the last one! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Rape, Trafficking, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Sexual violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic

backyardjake's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Atwood has masterfully fleshed out and woven in two additional perspectives into the world of the waterless flood. Heartbreaking backstories and gut wrenching connections to the first book all end in a conclusion of dismayed happiness. Religous control, sexual domination, surrogate family and belonging, the guilt and madness of the survivor, and the unhealed scars of love. So many juicy parallels to the first book and a refeshing point of view. I may have liked the first book a tad bit more due to Jimmy's more relatable male gaze, but this is a hell of a follow up regardless of narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Violence, Torture, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Murder

Minor: Abandonment, Infertility, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Bullying

hanamany's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Murder, Suicide, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Torture, Terminal illness, and Pedophilia