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lizzyanwen's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
froschsinn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-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
2.0
This is nothing but a grimdark fantasy of the most despicable violence, painting humanity without hope, without heart, and without imagination.
The characters were so flat I could hardly tell them apart for half the story, all the women repeatedly experienced sexual violence and all the men were either a) rapists or b) dumb but at least not rapists - only constantly horny nevermind the circumstances.
No character had any sort of goal (until the last 100 pages or so) and so there was also nothing that resembled a plot. It was just survival horror with a lot of backstory in the mix.
And what, please tell, makes Jimmy so fucking special that all the world knew him and everything surrounding him sounded like it was supposed to be a "big reveal"?! He was a boring jerk.
The only redeeming quality of this book is the world building, which was super interesting and fun. I thought everything about the gardeners was interesting and I'd have loved to actually learn more about the going-ons with Zeb and the MaddAddams which felt like... an actual plot. But oh well.
The characters were so flat I could hardly tell them apart for half the story, all the women repeatedly experienced sexual violence and all the men were either a) rapists or b) dumb but at least not rapists - only constantly horny nevermind the circumstances.
No character had any sort of goal (until the last 100 pages or so) and so there was also nothing that resembled a plot. It was just survival horror with a lot of backstory in the mix.
And what, please tell, makes Jimmy so fucking special that all the world knew him and everything surrounding him sounded like it was supposed to be a "big reveal"?! He was a boring jerk.
The only redeeming quality of this book is the world building, which was super interesting and fun. I thought everything about the gardeners was interesting and I'd have loved to actually learn more about the going-ons with Zeb and the MaddAddams which felt like... an actual plot. But oh well.
brisingr's review against another edition
DNF-ing this @ around 200 pages, since I have no interest in continuing with it right now. Maybe one day!
grahamclements's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant book which is perfect for the times we live in. It's message is that humanity through action or inaction will destroy itself. The book mainly concentrates on genetic engineering but has society slowly decaying from lack of resources in the background.
I read this novel because it is a prequel to the equally brilliant Oryx and Crake - which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The Year of the Flood shows how civilisation collapsed and humanity died out before the story of one of the few survivors begins in Oryx and Crake.
The world is dominated by giant corporations. These corporations are heavily into genetic engineering. There are many genetically engineered animals created in place of the many extinct animals like pandas and platypus. Humans are genetically engineered mainly for aesthetic reasons.
The novel begins after the waterless flood occurs and then takes us back a decade or so earlier to show how the flood happened. The story concentrates on a girl and woman whose end up at an environmental cult called the Gardeners. The Gardeners are vegans who recycle everything. They survive on food grown on a huge rooftop garden and anything they can scavenge.
Ren's mother deserted her father and took her to live with a Gardener. Her story is told from her early teens. Toby's story begins just as she reaches adulthood. She works in a burger joint that sells secret burgers. They are called secret burgers because you never know what their ingredients might include. Toby is rescued from a rapist manager by the Gardeners.
Adam one leads the Gardeners. His sermons connecting the bible and the environment litter the novel. He knows the end is coming. He is trying to teach his fellow gardeners how to survive it.
I found the innocent but quickly learning voice of Ren very believable. Atwood writes he portion of the story in first person. She changes to third person for Toby's tired but stoic voice.
I was continually stopping to marvel at the insights to the world and people in the novel. How humanity has little hope of surviving because of the hoplessness that pervades us doing anything about the huge environmental and social problems that we face. We lack hope of changing so we do nothing to change.
I also found myself laughing a lot. Srcastic and ironic humour flows through the book.
Everyone should read this novel. It shows were our lack of hope could lead.
I read this novel because it is a prequel to the equally brilliant Oryx and Crake - which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. The Year of the Flood shows how civilisation collapsed and humanity died out before the story of one of the few survivors begins in Oryx and Crake.
The world is dominated by giant corporations. These corporations are heavily into genetic engineering. There are many genetically engineered animals created in place of the many extinct animals like pandas and platypus. Humans are genetically engineered mainly for aesthetic reasons.
The novel begins after the waterless flood occurs and then takes us back a decade or so earlier to show how the flood happened. The story concentrates on a girl and woman whose end up at an environmental cult called the Gardeners. The Gardeners are vegans who recycle everything. They survive on food grown on a huge rooftop garden and anything they can scavenge.
Ren's mother deserted her father and took her to live with a Gardener. Her story is told from her early teens. Toby's story begins just as she reaches adulthood. She works in a burger joint that sells secret burgers. They are called secret burgers because you never know what their ingredients might include. Toby is rescued from a rapist manager by the Gardeners.
Adam one leads the Gardeners. His sermons connecting the bible and the environment litter the novel. He knows the end is coming. He is trying to teach his fellow gardeners how to survive it.
I found the innocent but quickly learning voice of Ren very believable. Atwood writes he portion of the story in first person. She changes to third person for Toby's tired but stoic voice.
I was continually stopping to marvel at the insights to the world and people in the novel. How humanity has little hope of surviving because of the hoplessness that pervades us doing anything about the huge environmental and social problems that we face. We lack hope of changing so we do nothing to change.
I also found myself laughing a lot. Srcastic and ironic humour flows through the book.
Everyone should read this novel. It shows were our lack of hope could lead.
misterpowell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
marzipan951's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
wraithlike's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
2.5
Has its ups and downs. The sermons at the start of every chapter are a drag. I hate the brand names. But the gardeners are interesting and the apocalyptic bits are great.
outcolder's review against another edition
3.0
More of the despair/hope swirl . I like the religion. Do not confuse Sojourner Truth with Harriet Tubman, things like that remind me of those patronizing bits in the first book. I kinda wish I’d read this one first because I don’t remember Ren or Amanda from the first book and what the hell ... why is this book-world so small?
kivt's review against another edition
1.0
picked this up because i’d heard it was the better, less stupid version of oryx and crake. it was in some ways, for example, not having oryx or crake or jimmy as protagonists. there’s also less use of sexual violence and child pornography as desperately edgy set dressing. but some of the really cringey shit was still out in full force-especially the horrible marketing names for everything. i liked the protagonists better. i would have been ALL ABOUT more meticulous descriptions of gods gardeners doing urban homesteading. wish there was more of that and less cheap rape peril.