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krankliuk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Child death
reneetrinket's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death
saraaaa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. What a phenomenal reading experience this book was!
I tend to have the unpopular opinion that those books you have to read for school, or for your latest university course, those books you would've never picked up on your own, are often some of the best you'll ever read. And this work proved no different. It was in the reading list of my English Literature course this year, centered on - you guessed it - Shakespeare's The Tempest and its retellings and adaptations through history.
Margaret Atwood made an astonishing job of taking Shakespeare's The Tempest and making it hers, making it ours - of the contemporary readers. The way she seamlessly superimposed the original play, its filmed performance, and the "real life" events of the book really got me hooked until the very last page. You were supposed to know what was going on, what would happen next - if you knew the play already, that is - yet, every line was just as new and as fresh as they ever could be. The plot was intriguing, and captivating to a fault, a string pushing you to run after it behind every corner, yet never leaving you out of breath.
Felix - the protagonist - is an exquisitely complex character, with so many layers, all so utterly human, just like his theatrical counterpart, Prospero. All the characters are coherent and three-dimensional - of all the puppet strings Atwood was holding, she didn't forget to tie even a single one; even those characters who only chimed in to deliver a few lines, you could've easily guessed what job or how many children were keeping them so busy that they couldn't stay longer. The few characters I couldn't immediately grasp and make mine, were suddenly given meaning by comparing them to their theatrical equivalents.
Although it's a realistic story - or so I believe - the atmosphere is often surreal, for the sheer contrast between the extremely mundane interactions and environments, and the absurdity and singularity of the specific situation, and can be almost eerie at time, without overdoing it - which I really enjoyed.
To conclude this review, I think this book is truly wonderful, and worth all of the time you'll choose to dedicate to it. It is complex, and multilayered, yet it reads fast and smooth - as if you were attending a play.
I tend to have the unpopular opinion that those books you have to read for school, or for your latest university course, those books you would've never picked up on your own, are often some of the best you'll ever read. And this work proved no different. It was in the reading list of my English Literature course this year, centered on - you guessed it - Shakespeare's The Tempest and its retellings and adaptations through history.
Margaret Atwood made an astonishing job of taking Shakespeare's The Tempest and making it hers, making it ours - of the contemporary readers. The way she seamlessly superimposed the original play, its filmed performance, and the "real life" events of the book really got me hooked until the very last page. You were supposed to know what was going on, what would happen next - if you knew the play already, that is - yet, every line was just as new and as fresh as they ever could be. The plot was intriguing, and captivating to a fault, a string pushing you to run after it behind every corner, yet never leaving you out of breath.
Felix - the protagonist - is an exquisitely complex character, with so many layers, all so utterly human, just like his theatrical counterpart, Prospero. All the characters are coherent and three-dimensional - of all the puppet strings Atwood was holding, she didn't forget to tie even a single one; even those characters who only chimed in to deliver a few lines, you could've easily guessed what job or how many children were keeping them so busy that they couldn't stay longer. The few characters I couldn't immediately grasp and make mine, were suddenly given meaning by comparing them to their theatrical equivalents.
Although it's a realistic story - or so I believe - the atmosphere is often surreal, for the sheer contrast between the extremely mundane interactions and environments, and the absurdity and singularity of the specific situation, and can be almost eerie at time, without overdoing it - which I really enjoyed.
To conclude this review, I think this book is truly wonderful, and worth all of the time you'll choose to dedicate to it. It is complex, and multilayered, yet it reads fast and smooth - as if you were attending a play.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
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