Oryx and Crake

by Margaret Atwood | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
ISBN: 0385503857 Global Overview for this book
Registered by allbookedup of Wien Bezirk 21 - Floridsdorf, Wien Austria on 3/16/2004
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11 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by allbookedup from Wien Bezirk 21 - Floridsdorf, Wien Austria on Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Book Description
A stunning and provocative new novel by the internationally celebrated author of The Blind Assassin, winner of the Booker Prize

Margaret Atwood’s new novel is so utterly compelling, so prescient, so relevant, so terrifyingly-all-too-likely-to-be-true, that readers may find their view of the world forever changed after reading it.

With breathtaking command of her shocking material and with her customary sharp wit and dark humour, Atwood projects us into a conceivable future of our own world, an outlandish yet wholly believable place left devastated in the wake of ecological and scientific disaster and populated by characters who will continue to inhabit your dreams long after the book is closed.

This is Margaret Atwood at the absolute peak of her powers. For readers of Oryx and Crake, nothing will ever look the same again.

Journal Entry 2 by allbookedup from Wien Bezirk 21 - Floridsdorf, Wien Austria on Sunday, March 28, 2004
I was really fascinated by this book and the characters in it. I couldn't put it down! And usually I don't even like "science fiction"...

Now I am planning a bookring with this book. I am really looking forward to reading your opinions about the book!

So far, the participants are:

1. yvonnep- The Netherlands
2. tembo- Germany
3. brujula - France
4. stephen-1702 - Belgium
5. clawdette - USA
6. sherria - USA
7. mysteryfan03- USA
8. boreal- New Zealand
9. Cathietay - New zealand
10. Fusselfliege - Germany
11. Lpree - USA
12. icekween01 - USA
13. andthings - UK
14. fenna - The Netherlands
15. concertina8 - Austria
16. Rianonne - Austria
17. back to me, allbookedup - Austria


Journal Entry 3 by allbookedup from Wien Bezirk 21 - Floridsdorf, Wien Austria on Monday, April 5, 2004
I just came back from the post office, I sent the book to yvonnep by surface mail!

Journal Entry 4 by yvonnep from Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Friday, April 16, 2004
Oryx and Crake arrived today! Right on time: free days, sun is shining... I'm going to make myself comfortable in the garden and read...:-) it's such a perfect day! thank you allbookedup.

Journal Entry 5 by yvonnep from Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, April 18, 2004
Margaret Atwood knows how to model your weekend. ‘Oryx and Crake’ is a fascinating read and afterwards food for thought. The story is compelling.
In the beginning of the book we meet Snowman, the Abominable Snowman, but let’s forget the adjective. Snowman lives in a tree in the woods. Snowman is responsible for the Children of Crake and Oryx, but why? Something terrible has happened, but it takes reading the book to get a precise idea what. Because Snowman once was Jimmy and Snowman/Jimmy tells us his story.
Atwood has invented a world in which scientific ideas all came true – cloning, genetic technology, bio technology – and in which most environmental catastrophes must have taken place. The sun is no longer shining but infinitely burning. Human morality has sunk: porn, suicide or death sentence websites are common. It is too bad that Atwood didn’t merely invented all. She based lots of her ideas on things she read in the papers . And if you look at her collection, we sure live in a frightening world.
I have never believed in genetically modified food, but from now on I’m really against it. Same for cloning. Let’s accept we’re only human and make the best out of that!

For Dutch readers: in Medisch Contact I found a sharp review by Frans Meulenberg, scientist at the department of Medical Ethics, Erasmus MC Rotterdam.

Thank you Allbookedup for giving me the opportunity to read it. It was sure worthwile and I am afraid I will have to buy the book myself. Now the book travels on to Tembo in Germany.


Journal Entry 6 by tembo from Emmerich, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Friday, April 23, 2004
The book arrived today. Tank you yvonnep.....especially for the nice bookmark!!! Bookrings seem to be living in packs...three are staying with me at the moment. Hence it might take me a little longer to finish Oryx and Crake.

Journal Entry 7 by tembo from Emmerich, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Monday, June 14, 2004
A very fascinating book!!! A gripping and stunning story which is unfortunately not merely invented and hence sets you thinking.

Thank you allbookedup for setting up this bookring!!

I have sent the book to brujula by surface mail today.

Journal Entry 8 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Sunday, June 27, 2004
Found it on my dining room table whith plenty other mail tonight, when I came back from vacation!
I'm going to be really busy reading!

Journal Entry 9 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Sunday, July 11, 2004
I had a little trouble getting into the book at first... the switches between past and present confused me a little, and all that biotechnology stuff annoyed me too.
And then I got caught in the story and couldn't let go of the book and kept thinking of Snowman and Jimmy and Oryx and Crake, even when I wasn't reading.

Margaret Atwook puts in her novel several problems of modern society. Not only genetic manipulations (which she takes to the extreme of creating a sort of human chimerae), but also sexual tourism, social exclusion based on intelligence and performance, biological terrorism,...
It is an interesting but disturbing novel, and her writing makes you identify (almost!) whith the main character, who is also the narrator. The end is very open, so you keep wondering what will happen next. (only by the end of the novel one tends to be rather pessimistic!)

I have mixed feelings after reading this book, but I think it is a good, interesting novel!

I'll mail it to stephen-1702 this week.

Thank you, allbookedup for letting me discover this author!

Journal Entry 10 by Brujula from Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais France on Monday, July 12, 2004
Mailed to stephen-1702 this morning!

Enjoy it!

Journal Entry 11 by stephen-1702 from Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant / Brabant Flamant Belgium on Wednesday, July 28, 2004
arrived yesterday. will start reading asap, will probably take this book with me on my holiday...

Journal Entry 12 by stephen-1702 from Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant / Brabant Flamant Belgium on Monday, October 25, 2004
will add comment on book asap

Journal Entry 13 by clawdette from Houma, Louisiana USA on Wednesday, November 3, 2004
recieved yesterday as part of bookring...will journal when read

Journal Entry 14 by clawdette from Houma, Louisiana USA on Monday, October 10, 2005
releasing to allbookeup today, 10/10/05..she asked that it be returned to her since I could not find a reader on the list that was still interested..sorry for keeping it so long

Journal Entry 15 by allbookedup from Wien Bezirk 21 - Floridsdorf, Wien Austria on Monday, October 24, 2005
The book arrived today, thanks for returning it clawdette!
I will check who wants to read it next....


Journal Entry 16 by concertina8 on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
handed over by allbookedup. we were both kind of puzzled that supposedly no one on the list was still interested? i am & allbookedup is sure that rianonne is, as well. very strange indeed.

anyway, i started reading this a few days ago and will try to get it to rianonne asap.

Journal Entry 17 by concertina8 on Wednesday, November 16, 2005
hm...don't know about this one.


*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*


the idea was very interesting, not entirely new though. i somehow kept having "12 monkeys" flashbacks and i'm not quite sure why. it must have been the deliberate extinction of most of the human race (or homo sapiens sapiens).

the first half of the book i really enjoyed, but then - inexplicably - the story just seemed to be dragging on and on (not that i noticed any change in storytelling, pace, and the like). especially, when the suspicion that jimmy/snowman has done away crake became certainty. after that i kind of skipped to the part, where oryx & crake died.

somehow, i don't know about margaret atwood. i remember trying "the handmaid's tale" a long time ago and i don't think i finished it. but i still have that and i intend to read it at some point. also, i have two more BC-books by her lingering. i don't want to give up on ms. atwood, yet.

anyway, three cheers to abu for organising the ring.

now, let's see if i can work out a handover with rianonne.

RELEASE NOTES:

hinterlegt für Rianonne

Journal Entry 19 by Rianonne from Wien Bezirk 22 - Donaustadt, Wien Austria on Wednesday, January 4, 2006
I finally managed to fetch it from the OBCZ today *blushing* Luckily I am the last one in this ring ...

Journal Entry 20 by Rianonne from Wien Bezirk 22 - Donaustadt, Wien Austria on Friday, February 17, 2006
I'm sorry but I can't get into it :-(

Journal Entry 21 by allbookedup from Wien Bezirk 21 - Floridsdorf, Wien Austria on Saturday, February 25, 2006
The book was returned to me (thanks Rianonne) and was released again at the Ladies night (I think magnaram took it)

Journal Entry 22 by magnaram on Sunday, March 19, 2006
shame on me! yes, i took this book at the last ladies' night, and it took me >1 month to register it, sorry... i hope reading will be faster :)

Journal Entry 23 by magnaram on Saturday, June 24, 2006
when i finally started this book i couldn't stop reading any more. i enjoy reading margaret atwood more and more, the novels are so diverse.

@concertina: right, the story isn't new - my flashback were more "cat's cradle" and "a friend of the earth", though, but still well told!

oh, and what bugged me a little: oryx is part of the title but then really doesn't have as large a part in the story as i somehow expected.

reserved for the next english meet-up!

Released 17 yrs ago (8/1/2006 UTC) at Doyle's Irish Pub, Marc Aurel Strasse in Wien Bezirk 01 - Innere Stadt, Wien Austria

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Journal Entry 25 by SinfulWays from Toronto, Ontario Canada on Thursday, August 31, 2006
I am not sure whether I will like this one, but I will certainly give it a try and come back and tell...

Journal Entry 26 by Karschtl from Wien - irgendwo / Vienna - somewhere, Wien Austria on Sunday, September 17, 2006
Took it at the last English MeetUp. Didn't register it before cause I wasn't sure if I already have this book or not. Well, I don't and so it goes on my Mount TBR instead of in the bag with books for the Haydn.

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Update Jan 15:
Has been collecting dust for way too long on my shelf and got sorted out in this years 'spring cleaning'. I don't think I will pick it up in the near future, and the blurb didn't convince me enough to still keep it.
Hopefully it finds some other readers.

Journal Entry 27 by Karschtl at Bobby's Foodstore in Wien Bezirk 04 - Wieden, Wien Austria on Saturday, February 14, 2015

Released 9 yrs ago (2/11/2015 UTC) at Bobby's Foodstore in Wien Bezirk 04 - Wieden, Wien Austria

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Im Bücherkorb am Eingang.

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