Reviews tagging 'Pandemic/Epidemic'

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

31 reviews

tarajsharma's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

A highly prescient novel. Hard to read in parts, but I was never not hooked. I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, but I imagine the overall spirit is the same -  speculative fiction, only about

genetic engineering rather than feminism-eroding religious fervour

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

ellieoopsie's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Weird book to say you enjoyed given the subject matter. Atwood manages to talk about some of the worst human impluses with a dry humor which stops the on-the-nose commentry from feeling too preachy. The mixture of past and present in the chapters keeps you engaged, wanting to pull the treads and find out what happens. The creation of world is so strong and intriguing, familiar and futuristic. This book made me think of Cat's Cradle and Our Missing Hearts with a tone more aligned with the former. Give the content warnings a squiz before you read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Trafficking

Moderate: Child abuse and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal cruelty

joshgroven's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

some uncomfortable stuff happening in here but pretty interesting overall

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mthornburg13's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

kyrabou's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Pandemic/Epidemic

hannacolm's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, and Pandemic/Epidemic

opossumble's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

violator's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mybestfriendsarefictional's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

mad_kling's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn’t dislike this book. I was intrigued from the start with Atwood’s world building as well as the flashes between past and present, and I think she executed that aspect very well. The middle was a little bit of a slog, but otherwise she builds tension excellently and by the last quarter of the book my heart was pounding again as everything began to reveal itself and subsequently collapse. 
What I wasn’t crazy about is how Oryx (as well as every other woman besides Jimmy’s mother) was portrayed. I understand that we are receiving information through the POV of a guy with some severe mommy issues and a deeply damaged perception of women as talking fleshlights. I also have enough media literacy to get that we aren’t supposed to find any of these characters admirable, and Atwood is certainly not endorsing all thoughts or actions of these characters. But it’s insane to me how little we get to know about one of the book’s titular characters. Oryx is a sex doll and a puppet to the very end.
It’s very clear that Jimmy never actually loved her, or even saw her as a person—he just wanted someone to save, or save him. So it makes sense why we never got to see anything but the traumatic backstory that Jimmy wrung out of her. But I would have loved to see more of her inner world, what she actually felt about what was going on, her joy, her sadness, her rage. And for her to stop saying Jimmy’s name so fucking much. 
It’s possible that I was just hoping in the end that this would be a different, kinder book than the one I got. Of course that’s a pipe dream. Atwood is an excellent writer, but from what I’ve read of her books, I don’t think she’s a benevolent one. 
I’ll be trying to wrap my head around what I just read for the next couple days. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Trafficking, and Pandemic/Epidemic