Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

14 reviews

pils8p's review against another edition

funny reflective sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, and Police brutality

Minor: Medical content

toniboni's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Medical content

Minor: Animal cruelty, Classism, Medical content, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Trafficking, Animal death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Incest, Kidnapping, War, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

smeagol357's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book so much. It dragged me over broken glass, put me on soft mattresses, and then whacked me in the head unexpectedly. Has to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. Strongly recommend to everyone. Do not ignore the trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Rape, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and War

siobhanward's review against another edition

tense slow-paced

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

2.5

 I keep picking up books by Margaret Atwood thinking they'll be great. Some of her works are fantastic and hold up well and others just aren't that. I think part of the problem is there's a certain style to her works and some aspects I love while others I'm just done with. This book just didn't work for me - while I will say some aspects were pretty eerie after an actual global pandemic, one clever portion of the book did not make up for the rest, which was just meh.

I found my biggest issue was how slowly things moved. There was so much background that it seemed to take ages to figure out what was actually happening in the book. There were also some really graphic descriptions of child abuse, so be warned about those. Atwood has a gift for writing female characters caught in miserable situations, and her strongest works are ones where they can find the power to change those situations, while her weakest books are the ones where they just fall down and can't be saved. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Medical content, and Animal death

greenglass67's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is easily one of my favorites. It’s such a unique story. Snowman’s journey and his reflections upon his life as Jimmy are deeply human. He exhibits so much passion for some things and so much apathy for others. The range of his experiences and emotions is wild, but it all works together cohesively. The world Margaret Atwood creates is a very chilling commentary on technology and science, and she pushes us to question how far advanced we can get without it being too far. The ending is remarkable. There are little hints and clues laced throughout the entire book that you don’t realize until the ending ties them all together, all the pieces fit into place, and it all suddenly makes sense. It answers all the questions you have, and leaves you asking several questions more. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Genocide, Trafficking, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Medical content, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, and Murder

eimear_jane's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Rape, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Blood, Cannibalism, Drug use, Genocide, Infidelity, Trafficking, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Animal death, Drug abuse, and Pandemic/Epidemic

cait's review against another edition

challenging mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Ableism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Classism, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Genocide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Body shaming, Confinement, Sexual content, Slavery, Gore, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pedophilia, Violence, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, and Vomit

lauragarabedian's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Excrement, Rape, Slavery, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, and Addiction

cepbreed's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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

3.5

“After everything that's happened, how can the world still be so beautiful? Because it is.”

All in all this story is confusing, the plot interweaving past and present in undefined ways and beginning entirely with loose ends. By the end of the book things start to come together, the apocalyptic event, the history of Jimmy and Oryx, the longer history of Jimmy and Crake and how he became involved with the Crakers. It's satisfying to finally rid yourself of the fog, but still, much is unclear. The plot builds at a slow hum, so there aren't many moments shocking and quick enough to make me gasp besides

the way Jimmy ends Crake's life. Crake became something entirely different to what I imagined, Jimmy too, I never believed that could've been possible.

The last page, the last few lines even were so amazing, so artfully done. 

I had to go back to find those quotes to fully understand it, yet I'm still confused. I understand using a quote from his mother, but the quote from a work acquaintance? I get it's a display of Crake's manipulation (he always has a plan), but it would've been cooler to see a quote of his from when he was younger to show how much that connection means to him.

The commentary made here is worthwhile and definitely inline with Atwood's reputation, I wish I had introduced myself to her earlier. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Genocide, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Trafficking

Minor: Infertility, Toxic friendship, and Infidelity

sophieennis's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, and Violence