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dark
tense
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
Had me disgusted more often than hopeful, this book waited until the very last moment to give you some satisfaction that there was a good person in this world. Some moments had humor, but overall very dark. Wouldn’t recommend for a pleasurable read, but for a reflection on dark underbellies of society akin to Squid Games.
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
I quite enjoyed this story. I expected a more meaningful and philosophical reading about freedom, free will, etc. Instead, I found a nice story in a not-so-hard-to-believe dystopian world with great story telling, interesting callbacks and virtually no untied knots at the end. It's been a while since I read a novel that is only, well... a novel, something that tells a story for the sake of telling a story, and it worked for me. It could easily be turned into a movie. Things get tacky-crazy near the end, but don't take things seriously, enjoy the ride.
I think I'm going to have to go down as "not an Atwood fan." There's nothing really that I can pinpoint, I'm constantly drawn in by her world building and dystopias, and thrown abruptly back out by her mediocre and insipid characters (purposefully insipid). A bit too much allegory for my taste.
Quick paced, interesting premise, intriguing society building.
This is the first Margaret Atwood book I've ever read and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from the beginning. The plot is amazing and the characters are incredibly well written and detailed. From what I can tell, people usually say her books are fiction but they are so scary because it's a "believable" fiction.. Like something that actually could happen in the future and that's definitely the case. This is gripping, it's incredibly entertaining and if you're looking for a book to completely suck you in.. This one is definitely for you! :)
For more book reviews and other bookish things you can check out my blog: www.letmecrossover.blogspot.com
For more book reviews and other bookish things you can check out my blog: www.letmecrossover.blogspot.com
This is a portrait of modern society, painted as a dystopia. What happens when people aren’t happy, and why? Margaret plops a poor couple smack into what is supposedly the happiest decade of American history. Be happy! Fake it til you make it! Charmaine(the Charm) and Stan(the Bland) are perfectly malleable. So they are scooped up by Jocelyn(The Jostler) and Con(the Con!) and are puppeted to do precisely whatever it was that was needed. They are the “bread and circus.” I am actually more fascinated with their story. We can only hope there’s a spin-off.
Charmaine doesn’t seem to have a thought in her head so this is especially easy for her. Atwood even throws in a parallel to our current culture: Grandma Win(as in YOU WIN! Self congratulations! FTW! The names are quite hilarious. Obvious and perfect.) Grandma Win is supposedly Charmaine’s grandmother that is now deceased, but she has all these cheesy catchphrases that Charmaine thinks are helpful, but are really just …
Please read the rest of my review on my website: https://opalnova.com/posts/the-heart-goes-last
Charmaine doesn’t seem to have a thought in her head so this is especially easy for her. Atwood even throws in a parallel to our current culture: Grandma Win(as in YOU WIN! Self congratulations! FTW! The names are quite hilarious. Obvious and perfect.) Grandma Win is supposedly Charmaine’s grandmother that is now deceased, but she has all these cheesy catchphrases that Charmaine thinks are helpful, but are really just …
Please read the rest of my review on my website: https://opalnova.com/posts/the-heart-goes-last
Atwood never misses.
A great commentary on free will, and on desires of the human mind.
While I was totally gripped and wanted to see what happened with Stan and Charmaine, I did find this to be one of the weaker books I've read by Atwood.
A great commentary on free will, and on desires of the human mind.
While I was totally gripped and wanted to see what happened with Stan and Charmaine, I did find this to be one of the weaker books I've read by Atwood.
Clearly an Atwood book - not of the caliber of The Handmaid's Tale, but an interesting warning, nonetheless. We're a pretty weird species, human beings.