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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
I hate rating books. Take this one. I love Margaret Atwood. I've been a huge fan for over 30 years and close to the same number of books (I haven't read all the poetry). So, I was very excited about this one. And then I was disappointed. It struck me as being Atwood Lite, as if a good writer who was very familiar with her work took a stab at impersonation (much like the Elvises and Marilyns in the book). The elements are all there, science-based dystopian scenarios, clever word play, plots that straddle the line of completely plausible and absurd, but the characters aren't fully developed, the story is predictable, and the expected complexities completely absent.
But then, would I have given this a higher rating had my expectations been lower? In other words, is it fair to penalize an author for a lifetime of brilliance? So, three stars. Make of them what you will.
But then, would I have given this a higher rating had my expectations been lower? In other words, is it fair to penalize an author for a lifetime of brilliance? So, three stars. Make of them what you will.
I thought it was interesting that this book was categorized under "Humor" in my library app, but after I've read it, that makes a lot of sense. A lot of her ideas that have come out in her other novels also show up, but almost in a way that's comical because it's so over the top. The world of Consilience is interesting enough, but my biggest issue is that the problems that were present with the "outside" society at the beginning presumably could not have been solved by the end of the novel, but the circumstances of the ending suggest otherwise. The conclusion to this book has a cliffhanger of sorts, but is not nearly as open-ended as some of her other books, which was one of the things I loved most about her writing.
Ik zou zeggen 3,5 omdat het op zich echt wel good stuff heeft maar ze kon me niet in haar grip houden dus heeft het mij een maand geduurd om dit boek te lezen:’) Charmaine verdient 100% beter btw
Every time I picked this book up, I just wanted to keep reading. Atwood wrote another gripping story, with a fast pace that kept me wanting to see what happened next. Unfortunately, life just got in the way of me being able to read it as often as I would have liked!
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I always want to like Atwood, but don't usually succeed. In this case, I just never cared what happened to Charmaine and Stan. They did not became real enough to warrant my interest.
After Stan and Charmaine lost their jobs, they are not living out of their car trying to stay safe. When they learn of the Positron Project in the town of Consilience, it seems like the solution they were looking for. They get a job and house to live in, but after 1 month they then spend 1 month in prison before returning back to their house after 1 month.
Things start off great, but then Charmaine crosses paths with the man who lives in their house during the alternate months and begins an affair. Slowly, things start to unravel in Positron for Stan and Charmaine, forcing them both to make difficult choices.
Things start off great, but then Charmaine crosses paths with the man who lives in their house during the alternate months and begins an affair. Slowly, things start to unravel in Positron for Stan and Charmaine, forcing them both to make difficult choices.
But my emotional investment was the first thing to go.
I started this book off with high hopes. I’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, which I loved (as well as the well-made tv show based on the book!) and recently finished Alias Grace, so decided to try this book next.
The context sounded great - set in a world of outside horrors, the main characters discover a community in which no one is unemployed or unsafe, due to a new system in which six months of the year is spent in prison and six months are spent working in the community.
Of course I was expecting things not to be as pleasant as they initially seemed and the first half of the book was very enjoyable. The second half, however, was just boring to read. The ending was... lukewarm. A strong start with a weak ending. I wanted more from the book and it did not live up to my expectations.
The context sounded great - set in a world of outside horrors, the main characters discover a community in which no one is unemployed or unsafe, due to a new system in which six months of the year is spent in prison and six months are spent working in the community.
Of course I was expecting things not to be as pleasant as they initially seemed and the first half of the book was very enjoyable. The second half, however, was just boring to read. The ending was... lukewarm. A strong start with a weak ending. I wanted more from the book and it did not live up to my expectations.
If you haven’t read Margaret Atwood before, The Heart Goes Last is not the place to start. As in her more famous works, Handmaid’s Tale and The MaddAdam Trilogy, Atwood takes on themes of violence against women, consumerism, and the dysnfunctionality of modern life, and explores them in a dystopian setting.
Unfortunately, the way they’re presented here feels hackneyed and uninteresting. The prose shows little glimmer of beauty to make up for the bleak, violent world. The second half of Heart Goes Last is a parade of sexual dysfunctions and bedroom melodrama. Sometimes it’s funny, in a laugh-at-reality-television-and-feel-guilty sort of way. But there are better books to spend time with.
Verdict: go read Atwood’s MaddAdam series instead.
If you like The Heart Goes Last, try:
Oryx and Crake - The MaddAdam trilogy explores similar themes, but with a lot more stylistic grace and compelling story.
The Crying of Lot 49 - Pynchon’s tale isn’t a dystopia at all, but the modernist style and touch of the absurd strike a similar note, and the sexual dysfunctions are truly entertaining.
Bats of the Republic: An Illuminated Novel - The future sections feature marital strain in a similarly isolated, closely monitored dystopian community, and the world outside the walls may or may not be as bleak as they’ve been told.
Reviewed at Come Hither Books
Unfortunately, the way they’re presented here feels hackneyed and uninteresting. The prose shows little glimmer of beauty to make up for the bleak, violent world. The second half of Heart Goes Last is a parade of sexual dysfunctions and bedroom melodrama. Sometimes it’s funny, in a laugh-at-reality-television-and-feel-guilty sort of way. But there are better books to spend time with.
Verdict: go read Atwood’s MaddAdam series instead.
If you like The Heart Goes Last, try:
Oryx and Crake - The MaddAdam trilogy explores similar themes, but with a lot more stylistic grace and compelling story.
The Crying of Lot 49 - Pynchon’s tale isn’t a dystopia at all, but the modernist style and touch of the absurd strike a similar note, and the sexual dysfunctions are truly entertaining.
Bats of the Republic: An Illuminated Novel - The future sections feature marital strain in a similarly isolated, closely monitored dystopian community, and the world outside the walls may or may not be as bleak as they’ve been told.
Reviewed at Come Hither Books