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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Oryx and Crake I really enjoyed. This second book was fine/ok. Probably 2.5 stars out of three, but not much more. The story just did not grip me for some reason. It is the story of Toby and Ren, who we find at the beginning of book, both trapped, after the waterless flood (in year 25) needing to escape their imprisonment because their food and water stores will run out. The story, like Oryx and Crake jumps back forth in time, and we see how Toby and Ren got to be where they are, see the the world from a new perspective, but unlike the first book this one is just not as intriguing. It is still worth a read, but Oryx and Crake was a special novel that I found very compelling. This one was a pleasant read, but did not do anything special (despite liking both central characters).
I might have liked this more if it was a stand alone book and I hadn't read the first. As it is, the world is no longer a discovery and it has none of the crackling tension of Oryx and Crake, so even though the character relationships are better and it's expounding on similar ideas, it ends up falling kind of flat.
I didn't get into this book immediately because I felt the sermons and songs of the Gardeners broke up the flow of the book. About 3/4 of the way through, several of the stories finally came together and I was very interested in learning how it intertwined with the first book. The end did not leave on as much of a cliffhanger but I am interested in seeing how it concludes in the last book.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Less a sequel to Oryx & Crake, more a mirror retelling from the POV of some badass ladies, the pseudoreligious Green Gardeners, with small appearances of Jimmy/Snowman and Glenn/Crake. All the lead up to the "waterless flood" as seen from the streets. More compelling than I might have expected, once I realized we were covering the same territory.
The second entry in Atwood’s dystopian world is better than the first, it’s a deeper dive into the world and entirely engrossing. I loved the cult’s blend of religion and the environment and I feel like Christians should be as extreme about the environment considering how many references the Bible has about nature.
Initially the novel doesn’t appear to have any connection to Oryx and Crake and I feel like this novel can’t be adequately defined as a “sequel.” This story is more complimentary to the first novel; we learn about the world outside the Compounds, get a further dive into some of the characters from Oryx and Crake, and gain a further understand of the events that led to the mass extinction.
This book takes place from the perspective of two women and jumps back and forth in time, so it’s important to pay attention. We, the audience, begin to see that Jimmy is no longer the last human on earth and slowly Atwood builds her cast. There is a lot of small detail that builds the world and we are able to get a clearer view of how people lived before Blue Bliss.
I am extremely excited to read the next novel, the only thing that stopped me was I wanted to write this review before starting MaddAddam. It’s been a very long time since I had to hold myself back from reading an entire series back to back to back.
Initially the novel doesn’t appear to have any connection to Oryx and Crake and I feel like this novel can’t be adequately defined as a “sequel.” This story is more complimentary to the first novel; we learn about the world outside the Compounds, get a further dive into some of the characters from Oryx and Crake, and gain a further understand of the events that led to the mass extinction.
This book takes place from the perspective of two women and jumps back and forth in time, so it’s important to pay attention. We, the audience, begin to see that Jimmy is no longer the last human on earth and slowly Atwood builds her cast. There is a lot of small detail that builds the world and we are able to get a clearer view of how people lived before Blue Bliss.
I am extremely excited to read the next novel, the only thing that stopped me was I wanted to write this review before starting MaddAddam. It’s been a very long time since I had to hold myself back from reading an entire series back to back to back.
I was really into this book, but it ended so abruptly! I hate it when the last 10 pages of a book kind of ruin the experience. Overall, I'd have to say I enjoyed it though.
Could tell Atwood took time between books/didn’t write the first novel intending to create a series. But good
dark
tense
slow-paced