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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
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
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Ah, it was a slow start but the story got going more in this one; perhaps the lack of a partially insane narrator from the previous book helped expand the storytelling. Following on the themes from the previous book, God's Gardeners are at once a superbly realistic construct and a ridiculously funny mixture of Christian myths with ecologically minded science. It's dark as always, but the satire makes the load bearable.
Highly recommend the 2009 audiobook version, which includes recordings of the songs - it's not the best music, but that's besides the point, and though I'm usually wary of such gimmicks in this case it added a new dimension to the story.
Highly recommend the 2009 audiobook version, which includes recordings of the songs - it's not the best music, but that's besides the point, and though I'm usually wary of such gimmicks in this case it added a new dimension to the story.
This is the Second book of the MadAdam trilogy. Like its predecessor, Oryx and Crake, it is thematically a dystopia read. It is not necessary to read the book in order. The stories mesh well on their own and in any sequence read.
I am reviewing the audioversion which has disadvantages for my overall enjoyment. The narration was terrific. The characters are believable. The situations/surroundings/experiences of the characters elicit empathy. The difficulty arises with the music added to the story. Principle characters are two females who trapped in the midst of apocalypse/armaggedon world. At intervals we also here from ADAM ONE, the quasi-spiritual leader, whose guidance is often given in the form of sermons/homilies. At the conclusion of these sermons we are instructed to "let us sing". And this is where the problem rests. The songs, that in the written version are written, are placed to music and sung. I found this both annoying and distracting. I haven't decided if it was the musical score, the singing or songs but the overall effect was an negative affect.Thus, my rating is 3 star. might have been higher without the sound track.
Bottom line, read the book, skip the audioversion.
I am reviewing the audioversion which has disadvantages for my overall enjoyment. The narration was terrific. The characters are believable. The situations/surroundings/experiences of the characters elicit empathy. The difficulty arises with the music added to the story. Principle characters are two females who trapped in the midst of apocalypse/armaggedon world. At intervals we also here from ADAM ONE, the quasi-spiritual leader, whose guidance is often given in the form of sermons/homilies. At the conclusion of these sermons we are instructed to "let us sing". And this is where the problem rests. The songs, that in the written version are written, are placed to music and sung. I found this both annoying and distracting. I haven't decided if it was the musical score, the singing or songs but the overall effect was an negative affect.Thus, my rating is 3 star. might have been higher without the sound track.
Bottom line, read the book, skip the audioversion.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated