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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 stars.
The Year of the Flood, the second book in Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, introduces us to a new set of characters that have survived the fall of modern civilization. Toby, the spa manager of the AnooYoo compound, has remained inside her work facility, living off the edible treatments she used to administer. Ren, an erotic dancer, has been quarantined inside a locked wing of Scales and Tales, a sex/fetish club. Both witness the destruction of society in isolated safety while reminiscing on their lives before the fall. As in Oryx and Crake, Atwood alternates between past and present to develop her characters and move the plot forward.
The MaddAddam trilogy is both an entertaining post-apocalyptic fantasy and a critique of mankind. In Oryx and Crake, the trilogy's first book, Atwood pokes fun at the rise of corporations and increased interest in superficial self-improvement. In The Year of the Flood, Atwood jabs at more fundamental problems in humanity--namely, our destructive interaction with the Earth. By doing so, Atwood suggests that the fall of man is not just a terrifying prospect, but perhaps a just one. On page 424, she writes, "Other religions have taught this World is to be rolled up like a scroll and burnt to nothingness, and that a new Heaven and a new Earth will then appear. But why would God give us another Earth when we have mistreated this one so badly?"
Like Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood is a fun read. Still, it's not nearly as strong a book. Plotwise, there are too many convenient coincidences. For example, although only a few humans survive the fall of man, they all coincidentally know one another (e.g., Ren and Toby know one another; Ren knows Jimmy; Amanda knows Jimmy; etc.). And, the characters are less interesting. Ren is naive and whiney; Adam One--despite being the leader of the important God's Gardeners--is never developed at all. Finally, the structure is annoying--each chapter begins with a God's Gardeners hymn that, while not bad, doesn't really contribute a lot to the story.
I wish there was more of Oryx and Crake's creative weirdness and darkness in The Year of the plot. Still, Atwood's a good enough writer that I'm still eager to read the third and final book of the trilogy.
The Year of the Flood, the second book in Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, introduces us to a new set of characters that have survived the fall of modern civilization. Toby, the spa manager of the AnooYoo compound, has remained inside her work facility, living off the edible treatments she used to administer. Ren, an erotic dancer, has been quarantined inside a locked wing of Scales and Tales, a sex/fetish club. Both witness the destruction of society in isolated safety while reminiscing on their lives before the fall. As in Oryx and Crake, Atwood alternates between past and present to develop her characters and move the plot forward.
The MaddAddam trilogy is both an entertaining post-apocalyptic fantasy and a critique of mankind. In Oryx and Crake, the trilogy's first book, Atwood pokes fun at the rise of corporations and increased interest in superficial self-improvement. In The Year of the Flood, Atwood jabs at more fundamental problems in humanity--namely, our destructive interaction with the Earth. By doing so, Atwood suggests that the fall of man is not just a terrifying prospect, but perhaps a just one. On page 424, she writes, "Other religions have taught this World is to be rolled up like a scroll and burnt to nothingness, and that a new Heaven and a new Earth will then appear. But why would God give us another Earth when we have mistreated this one so badly?"
Like Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood is a fun read. Still, it's not nearly as strong a book. Plotwise, there are too many convenient coincidences. For example, although only a few humans survive the fall of man, they all coincidentally know one another (e.g., Ren and Toby know one another; Ren knows Jimmy; Amanda knows Jimmy; etc.). And, the characters are less interesting. Ren is naive and whiney; Adam One--despite being the leader of the important God's Gardeners--is never developed at all. Finally, the structure is annoying--each chapter begins with a God's Gardeners hymn that, while not bad, doesn't really contribute a lot to the story.
I wish there was more of Oryx and Crake's creative weirdness and darkness in The Year of the plot. Still, Atwood's a good enough writer that I'm still eager to read the third and final book of the trilogy.
audio
better than the last one at least
interesting enough
better than the last one at least
interesting enough
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I remember loving this book in high school, but when I reread it I found it more stale. Oryx and Crake works so well as a stand alone book, and there were parts in Year of the Flood that felt like a stretch to connect the two stories. I enjoyed the first half of the book, which focuses more on the God's Gardeners, but once Jimmy and Crakes storyline intertwined, I felt like were plot-holes.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes