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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It took me ages, many attempts and determination to get through this one. In part because I had it downloaded on my kobo. Initially started in 2019, put down for a couple years and restarted last year, I finally finished it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Maybe because it's from a woman's perspective, but this second novel was way easier to immerse myself in. I listened all the way through chapter 17 before needing to pause - and that was only because I needed to go to work, not because I wanted to stop. The songs were also a nice touch! The sexual and religious expression, when from the viewpoint of Toby and Wren, was more than bearable and actually thought provoking, as opposed to the narration of Snowman.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Excellent creepy mood, non-existent plot, flat characters. The Year of the Flood is more well-written than your standard disaster novel, but still doesn't have that much to say.
The best part of the novel is the opening to each section narrated by the fantatical cult leader, Adam One. His reframing of Biblical philosophy to his cult's dedication towards being the Noahs in the modern Waterless Flood is really interesting. Atwood's indictment of modern society through the lens of a vegan cult is quite the perspective, and she does a really good job of making Adam One's language comforting while showing the ever-so-subtle cracks in his demeanor from Ren and Toby's POV chapters.
Ren and Toby are unfortunately as bland as disaster protagonists come. Toby is uniformly good even though she comes from a "bad" background, and Ren is a "bad" but ultimately pretty clueless girl who just kinda goes with the flow. Amanda, Pilar, Jimmy, Shackie and Croze, Lucerne, and Zeb are all pretty one note as well. There's just not much compelling character content here so it's hard to stay invested. I dropped Flood and finished the entirety of The Testaments before finishing this one up.
I don't seem to have missed anything from not reading the parent novel Oryx and Crake aside from a few vague references in the final chapters. I didn't think it was bad but it was hard to keep me invested. Read it if you want a creepy story and a taste of Atwood's uneasily nonchalant attitude towards violence and torture and are willing to put up with a plodding pace.
The best part of the novel is the opening to each section narrated by the fantatical cult leader, Adam One. His reframing of Biblical philosophy to his cult's dedication towards being the Noahs in the modern Waterless Flood is really interesting. Atwood's indictment of modern society through the lens of a vegan cult is quite the perspective, and she does a really good job of making Adam One's language comforting while showing the ever-so-subtle cracks in his demeanor from Ren and Toby's POV chapters.
Ren and Toby are unfortunately as bland as disaster protagonists come. Toby is uniformly good even though she comes from a "bad" background, and Ren is a "bad" but ultimately pretty clueless girl who just kinda goes with the flow. Amanda, Pilar, Jimmy, Shackie and Croze, Lucerne, and Zeb are all pretty one note as well. There's just not much compelling character content here so it's hard to stay invested. I dropped Flood and finished the entirety of The Testaments before finishing this one up.
I don't seem to have missed anything from not reading the parent novel Oryx and Crake aside from a few vague references in the final chapters. I didn't think it was bad but it was hard to keep me invested. Read it if you want a creepy story and a taste of Atwood's uneasily nonchalant attitude towards violence and torture and are willing to put up with a plodding pace.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I enjoyed this novel immensely. I think I have felt similarly about the progression of the world to the Gardeners. I was hesitant to read more Atwood bc i was disappointed by how little I connected to the handmaid's tale after enjoying the show so deelply. This honestly feels like it was written by an entirely different person. So much more detail, and a broader perspective in the cast of characters.
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Yes