Oryx & Crake

It's next on my list, so I'll let you know in about a week. If I get time that is, work is about to become crazy busy.

Oh good, Adrian, I'll look forward to that!
But surely I can't be the only one @ A2K to have read it so far????

Oryx and Crake
I like Atwood, but couldn't get into this one. I still think "The Handmaid's Tales" is her best.

I have an iffy relationship with Atwood -- some books of hers I love, others make me highly agitato. I've been watching this one (reading reviews et al) and can't tell yet which it will be, so will read this thread with interest.

tomkitten

It took me a while to get around to Oryx & Crake, too. But I guess I read it out of loyalty as I really admire Atwood a lot. Actually it turned out to be a pretty easy read, which is not what I'd expected. Admittedly I wasn't as engrossed in this one as say, Cat's Eye, or Alias Grace, but I found it interesting never the less.
I was interested in what Snowmanan, the main character, would make of the complete destruction of the world as he'd known it, how he would survive in this new world & protect the innocent, green eyed children of Crake from the dangers surrounding them. Very much a morality/warning tale, minus the moralising. Intriguing.

That's interesting, sozobe. Whicd did you love & which made you agitated? I'm curious.

Hoo boy. Let's see if I can remember.

"Surfacing" is one of my favorites for the writing and emotional complexity.

"Cat's Eye" made a big impression on me in terms of subject matter (female friendships).

I liked "Handmaid's Tale", but it was a bit too heavy-handed for me. I think that could be partly that it hasn't aged well.

What was the one she wrote before "Alias Grace"? (I haven't read AG yet.) It bothered me, showy and "Feminist" in a way that was too... what... overwrought? Something.

Oryx and Crake
I found Alias Grace slow going. Perhaps Atwood's style has evolved into something a bit heavier than her earlier books which are the ones I prefer.

sozobe

Was it The Robber Bride?

Re: Oryx and Crake


tomkitten

I think her books have become more complex with time. The earlier ones were much more accessible.

Here's a review of Oryx & Crake for anyone whose interested:

http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/0385503857.asp

Well, I finally got around to reading it. Not impressed. This is the first Atwood book I've read, my other half is a fan and convinced me to give this one a go, and I don't think I'll try another any time soon. 400 pages to tell a simple tale about the end of the world. It could have made a pretty good novella but as is, it's just long, boring and predictable. The ending was the worst though, made me quite angry when I realised that NOTHING was going to happen.

Double thumbs down from me.

Adrian

I was QUITE so negative about it, though it definitely was not her best, in my opinion. Her other novels are FAR superior to this one.
Thanks for your response. We may be the only 2 people on the planet to have read it!

I'm going to try and forget about it. In a few months I will give The Handmaidens Tale a try. I've heard that it's much better.

Yes, it's good. I think you might like it. A lot more going on & more to think about.

I misread the title of this thread. I thought it said Onyx and Crack

I thought, "Oh great, now what did that girl get herself into?"

Ok.... back to your conversation. Sorry for barging in.

A perfectly understandable mistake, gus ..... No need to apologise.
By the way, are you a keen reader?

?

What do you need to know, grasshopper?

Geez I was just being polite!