backyardjake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Torture, Gore, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment, Infertility, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Bullying
victoria_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I have read other Margaret Atwood books and enjoyed them (in a manner of speaking, because they've all been rather depressing on some level or other); the last one I read was 'The Blind Assassin', several years ago now but I remember that book just 'clicking' with me; there was just the right amount of detail and plot. With 'The Year of the Flood', however, there's almost too much plot going on, while I would have liked more detail in places. Overall, something about this book didn't quite ring true for me. I felt an odd distance from the characters, though I liked the two main characters well enough. I also struggled to get a sense of physical scale - for instance, there's a spa within some grounds that I pictured being like a small park, but at some point characters travel across these grounds and they are vast. Conversely, people seem to able to walk around a city quite quickly. I don't know how much of that was a failure on the author's part versus a failure in my reading comprehension.
The writing seemed very heavy-handed in parts; the naming of some things was silly (CorpSeCorps in particular - a Big Bad but can anyone take that name seriously?); I felt there was a level of smugness or preachiness, of 'don't be too consumerist, kids; now here is another eeeevil corporation'. And I am someone who agrees that many corporations have unethical practices and that we need to take better care of the planet - but there was little subtlety here. It didn't feel like a particularly believable depiction of the future.
The sexual violence - and there's a lot of it - made for very uncomfortable reading, but that was probably the point - and depressingly, when I think about it, it probably is one of the more believable aspects of the dystopia portrayed here. If women aren't safe in a 'stable' society, what hope do we have in one that is falling apart?
One positive is that the book held my interest most of the time, and I read it quite quickly, eager to see how things would turn out - though
Spoiler
the ending was strange and inconclusive and I hope things are tied up in 'MaddAddam' (which I plan to get hold of)Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Infidelity, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
cmkauth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Genocide, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
nasabl3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual violence
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse
melissahawco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
meglikesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
cbergin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual violence, Rape, Abandonment, Sexual assault, and Violence
swaggie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Genocide, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Rape, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
hanamany's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Murder, Suicide, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Torture, Terminal illness, and Pedophilia