October 22, 2016sarahylockwood

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

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Rate: 4/5

Medium: AudioBook

Overview (No Spoilers):

I was in an Oryx and Crake hangover after finishing it two weeks or so ago, finding myself unable to stop thinking about the Snowman and the Crakers. Upfront, I had very low expectations for this follow up novel based on many of the wonderful comments following my Oryx and Crake review. Per usual, I found myself pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this second installment. The Year of the Flood was incredibly different in style and formatting compared to Oryx and Crake, additionally the text took a much more preachy/philosophical approach compared to its predecessor. Listening to the audiobook, the several songs (accompanied by full choirs and musical instruments) delivered by Adam One were promptly and easily skipped over. Also, ponder this, if they were living in a time with no electricity, how could Adam One be accompanied by an electric guitar or keyboard? Food for thought. Additionally, there were several long passages and monologues brooding over various aspects of morality that reminded me of similar, monotonous soliloquies found in the Ender’s Game sequels. The Year of the Flood follows two new characters that overlap several times within their past with familiar characters from Oryx and Crake. As with the preceding novel, the reader is familiar with their present situation, while being given glimpses of their past until the stories resolve themselves, much to the reader’s delight. Overall, if you bypass the songs, The Year of the Flood is well worth the read as we get more information regarding our favorite characters from Oryx and Crake, as well as a handful of new characters with their own unique experiences.

Additional Insight (May Contain Spoilers):

  • Does Snowman live?
  • Will Jimmy remember who Ren is? Will Amanda remember who Jimmy is? Will Amanda recover after her traumatic experience?
  • Will Toby and Zeb be reunited, perhaps romantically?
  • How did Adam One come in contact with the disease at the end of the book? Will the other group of MaddAdams also get sick? Will they find Adam One since they are searching for him?
  • What will happen to the Crakers?
  • Who is approaching the group at the end of the book?

 

17 comments

  2. Have it on my bookshelf, but haven’t gotten to it yet. I’ve read (and re-read) and loved “The Handmaid’s Tale”, but I got her most recent – “Hag-Seed” – as a galley, and I just could not get into it. It wasn’t anything like Handmaid’s at all. Have you read any of her Shakespeare retellings, and if so, would you say Oryx and Crake is more like “Handmaid’s”?

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  4. Good review, but what I really would like to know is your take on audiobooks. I haven’t listened to an audiobook since my grown kids were little. I have noticed that you listen to a fair number of audiobooks. How would you compare the experience of an audiobook to a print/digital version?

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    • Thanks Linda! I have really grown to enjoy audiobooks. I’m a visual person so I do feel as though I miss out on names, and sometimes my mind will wander causing me to rewind, however the books fill the time while driving, running, or doing housework tasks more substantially than the music I was previously listening to. It also doubles my reading quantity as I was previously achieving. Plus with the nonfiction I’ve been favoring for the audiobooks I feel as though I’ve significantly added to my knowledge base.

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  7. Nice review, and it reflects my thoughts. I started MaddAdam but couldn’t get into it because the sermons are, I’m afraid, off-putting. However, these books are suddenly seeming very timely, so I may have to retry the third! I look forward to your thoughts when you get round to it!

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  8. I would’ve hoped adding music would make those songs a little more engaging; they became tedious in the print version of the book! Ah well, it’s still a great story. I found the final novel, “Maddaddam”, somewhat disappointing by comparison. Curious to hear what you think when you review it. (If you want to check out my own review of the trilogy, it’s here: https://jkullrich.com/2014/09/19/recent-reads-oryx-and-crake/. Don’t fear for spoilers.)

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    • Thanks J! I’m actually almost finished with MaddAddam and am finding it a satisfying conclusion to the series. The first book was by far the best! The music wasn’t terrible, however I found it entertaining when the instruments weren’t realistic for the post apocalyptic time period. 😀

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