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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
This was 'A Book And A Beer' read and as per usual I didn't finish it in time. I haven't read any Margaret Atwood before and I was intrigued to read The Year of the Flood. I generally apocalyptic fiction and this seemed right up my street. Starting with the negatives: it took me an age to read this, not sure why but it didn't flow as easily as it could; I found the sermons and the hymns boring although I understand for some they added more depth to Atwood's world; I struggled to remember who was who, but this may be linked to how long it took me to read it. On a more positive note, I found the world of the Gardeners believable and fascinating. Margaret Atwood is certainly creative in the ideas and products she creates in this fictionalised future. I liked the way the book was written jumping between the two time periods but I could have read more of the events during Year 25, after the Waterless Flood. Overall a strong read, but I won't be hurrying to buy Margaret Atwood again.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
run-on sentence summary : In a world where most of the human beings were wiped out by a drug, an event that was set in motion in the first installment, comes 2 strong-willed female protagonists, whose survival stories are interwoven in the past, present, and future.
condensed rant :
In The Year of the Flood, Atwood paints two strong women that seemingly contrast each other in personality, attitude, and style. Though both characters have become isolated in one way or another, both characters deal with their predicament in different ways. We are thrown into Toby’s shoes, forced to feel the numb, lost, and conflicting emotions that she constantly experiences. Despite “going through the motions” all these years, she perseveres, not knowing what else she can do, and it is this attitude and personality that persists after the “apocalypse.” Ren, on the other hand, is fragile in her own way. As she has had someone to rely and depend on her whole life (her mother, the Gardeners, Amanda), she comes off as weak and needy at times, but the character’s strength lies in her faith and belief - a fitting opposition to Toby’s profile.
favorite thing : sermons, hymns, and customs of the Gardeners
Atwood shows that her creation of the Gardeners is intricate and well-thought out, as she provides histories, a governance system, profiles into leaders and instructors, and differing perspectives of the society itself. Accompanying her detailed descriptions is the charismatic leader of the Gardeners, Adam. With his sermons, their being isolated from greater society, and their strict way of life, it is almost as if they are a cult.
favorite quote(s) :
condensed rant :
In The Year of the Flood, Atwood paints two strong women that seemingly contrast each other in personality, attitude, and style. Though both characters have become isolated in one way or another, both characters deal with their predicament in different ways. We are thrown into Toby’s shoes, forced to feel the numb, lost, and conflicting emotions that she constantly experiences. Despite “going through the motions” all these years, she perseveres, not knowing what else she can do, and it is this attitude and personality that persists after the “apocalypse.” Ren, on the other hand, is fragile in her own way. As she has had someone to rely and depend on her whole life (her mother, the Gardeners, Amanda), she comes off as weak and needy at times, but the character’s strength lies in her faith and belief - a fitting opposition to Toby’s profile.
favorite thing : sermons, hymns, and customs of the Gardeners
Atwood shows that her creation of the Gardeners is intricate and well-thought out, as she provides histories, a governance system, profiles into leaders and instructors, and differing perspectives of the society itself. Accompanying her detailed descriptions is the charismatic leader of the Gardeners, Adam. With his sermons, their being isolated from greater society, and their strict way of life, it is almost as if they are a cult.
favorite quote(s) :
She says being discouraged is a waste of time. (chapter 17)
It wasn't as tight as Oryx and Crake. I actually wish I had read this book first.
reflective
slow-paced
The year of the flood, by Margaret Atwood. Read for the Biopunk square of the r/fantasy Bingo challenge. Hard mode: there is no electricity-based technology. Nope! Loads of electricity, even - thanks to well-maintained solar panels - after the apocalypse. This is going on my easy-mode card.
This is a loose sequel/companion to Atwood's 2003 book, Oryx and Crake, which I read some time in the late noughties but don't remember very well. Which is lucky, because otherwise I might have had some things spoiled for me. In the aftermath of a global pandemic, two women have survived: Toby, hiding in the spa where she used to work, and Ren, locked in quarantine in the sex club where she used to work. Both have old ties to God's Gardeners, an cult fusing environmentalism with Christianity, and much of the novel is told in flashbacks explaining how they got from the cult to their respective shelters/prisons. Their stories wind around the plot of Oryx and Crake, stopping in, playing side characters and expanding the worldbuilding.
As in Atwood's most famous novel, the worldbuilding feels like the point. There's also more than a few other reasons to compare the flashback sections to The Handmaid's Tale; daily life in a dystopia plagued by environmental catastrophe, rife with religious fervour, tawdry sex clubs and rigid social stratification, where women struggle against male violence and the constant looming threat of sexual assault? Yes, that sounds familiar.
The difficulty I had with this book was with the pacing. The plot unwinds only very slowly, through a painstaking biography of the two central characters. They face difficult moments in their pre-apocalypse lives, but the fact that we know they make it to the apocalypse reduces the tension. I also found one of the two central characters much more interesting than the other. This is partly on the basis of character; Ren comes off as more naive than her age and backstory and current profession should allow for, almost vacuous, while Toby faces far worse threats and demonstrates far greater resilience and cunning - two qualities a postapocalyptic main character generally needs. Partly, though, it's down to their situations; Toby has the opportunity to face greater threats in the present day, even if it is simply contending with intelligent pigs for her radish crop, while Ren is locked in a room with a functioning fridge and entirely dependent on outside rescue. So, it's a no-brainer whose plot is more interesting, and whose just feels skippable - and when half of the plot feels skippable, that's a real problem.
I am also skeptical about just how many old friends and enemies manage to turn up again after a plague wipes out most of humanity. I guess the best defense against a virus is a name.
What I thought was a sequel to "Oryx and Crake," one of my favorite books of all time, is actually a parallel novel--much like "Ender's Shadow" was a parallel to "Ender's Game." Unfortunately, it suffers from much the same problem. While it was nice to return to that world, there just isn't enough here to stand on its own. And oh, my...the contrivances!
So, two of Jimmy's ex-girlfriends from different parts of his life were actually best friends who grew up together in the God's Gardener's cult, which was the same group that became MaddAddam, and not one, but both of the girls were present at the moment of the ambiguous ending? /sigh
It might be a better book if you've never read "Oryx and Crake," and can appreciate it on its own. But you would be far better served just reading the original, and leaving this on the shelf.
So, two of Jimmy's ex-girlfriends from different parts of his life were actually best friends who grew up together in the God's Gardener's cult, which was the same group that became MaddAddam, and not one, but both of the girls were present at the moment of the ambiguous ending? /sigh
It might be a better book if you've never read "Oryx and Crake," and can appreciate it on its own. But you would be far better served just reading the original, and leaving this on the shelf.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated