Solarpunk discussion

The times and species have been changing at a rapid rate, and the social compact is wearing as thin as environmental stability. By turns dark, tender, violent, thoughtful, and uneasily hilarious, "The Year of the Flood" is Atwood at her most brilliant and inventive. Book Two of the MaddAddam series, some description removed to avoid potential spoilers for book one.

Looking forward to this series!

Just started. I have the kindle and audiobook from the library. It starts with a nice poem.

By covering such barren rooftops with greenery we are doing our small part in the redemption of God’s Creation from the decay and sterility that lies all around us, and feeding ourselves with unpolluted food into the bargain. Some would term our efforts futile, but if all were to follow our example, what a change would be wrought on our beloved Planet!

Good to see a Solarpunk restart!

So nice you can have the audiobook from your library!

I'm on my kindle too, but right now I'm finding out if Atwood is a vegan (because one of the poems).

Got it, she is a vegetarian.

Good to know.

I've finally started - the poem at the start reminded me a lot of the old Church of England hymns. There's still a lot of seasonal worship in some parts of the UK (harvest festivals etc) and simple hymns accompany all of them. Super nostalgic!

Something about the "I am glad we have all remembered our sunhats." line I found absolutely hilarious. It's quite a flowery speech up until that point, maybe that was it? Either way, Atwood seems to be having a little more fun with this one than she usually does (at least so far). I left off for now at the "when Adam first" poem - interesting that Atwood is a vegetarian, Neus, it definitely makes sense in this context.

It's very original the way Ren and Toby have survived. Although I don't really understand how Toby has done it, since the spa and the Gardener's roof don't seem to be sealed off like the Sticky Zone where Ren is, or the interior bubble dome of Oryx and Crake where Jimmy and the Crakers survived.

We are in a lockdown here in Spain, leaving the house just if strictly necessary. Of course, this context is much better than that of the book and luckily, not comparable, but this closure makes me relate more easily to the characters.

Fiona wrote: "I've finally started - the poem at the start reminded me a lot of the old Church of England hymns. There's still a lot of seasonal worship in some parts of the UK (harvest festivals etc) and simple..."

That's interesting! We don't have this seasonal worship with hymns that accompany all of them. We have celebrations and proverbs.

Each petal and leaf was fully alive, shining with awareness of her. Even the air of the Garden was different.

The imagery is lovely. I’m just 12% in but enjoying it!

“Our Young Bioneer work was supposed to teach us some useful lessons. For instance: Nothing should be carelessly thrown away, not even wine from sinful places. There was no such thing as garbage, trash, or dirt, only matter that hadn’t been put to a proper use. And, most importantly, everyone, including children, had to contribute to the life of the community.”

I love how they send the kids out together to gather, work, and learn about how society can be better and then putting that to action.

Yes, the God’s Gardeners sermons and hymns are very wise, kind, and elaborated. There are pages where I find myself thinking about joining them XD

I know right! Sign me up, lol.

Lena wrote: "“Our Young Bioneer work was supposed to teach us some useful lessons. For instance: Nothing should be carelessly thrown away, not even wine from sinful places. There was no such thing as garbage, t..."

I actually highlighted this part too! It's all very holistic, in the real sense of the word - I get the sense of a real beginning-to-end system, but with heart.

And as far as joining God's Gardeners, well, we seem to be having our own invisible flood; so why not, I'll join you two!

Day 7 of lockdown. Wild boars are starting to roam the empty streets of Barcelona.

Yesterday I started SAINT DIAN, MARTYR. I knew about Dian Fossey, a zoologist colleague of Jane Goodall who was murdered defending the gorillas. It's brilliant and good-hearted how she makes tributes to real people through the book. The best stories have a real background because this way can touch us deeper, and this book has it.

Yes, I saw the movie Sigourney Weaver did on her life.

Done!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Five stars, awesome. I’ll dive back in soon.

How misguided were our ancestors in their preserving of corpses — their embalmings, their adornings, their encasings in mausoleums. What a horror — to turn the Soul’s husk into an unholy fetish! And, in the end, how selfish! Shall we not repay the gift of Life by regifting ourselves to Life when the time comes?

Beautiful sentiment. I’ve felt differently about what I want for myself after reading Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory - great book.

Lena wrote: " How misguided were our ancestors in their preserving of corpses — their embalmings, their adornings, their encasings in mausoleums. What a horror — to turn the Soul’s husk into an unholy fetish! A..."

Ooh I haven't read that one, but I really liked From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death - time to add another to my TBR :)
I've fallen behind on this but plan to catch up tonight or tomorrow - I'm lucky to be able to work from home, but things have been absolutely mad.

I read that too! Fascinating insights into Spanish and other cultures around the world. But the cow scene was hard to take. We’re not behind, Neus was awesomely ahead. We have until the 9th to finish.

I had been getting excited at the glimpses of Glenn/Crake and Jimmy/Adam, now at more than half way they are front and center.

So was I! And when I reached about 80% of the book, I couldn't stop anymore.

It's definitely picking up pace, I'm at 30% now - just a couple of quick summaries from me!

-Flood soup with Noah's Ark dumplings sounds like something that I need to make. Could make a good quarantine project!

-May I remind you all about the importance of hand-washing, seven times a day at least, and after every encounter with a stranger. It is never too early to practise this essential precaution. You certainly may.

- This was already uncomfortably close to a possible future of further economic inequality, immigration discrimination, and totalitarianism. The addition of a pandemic in the real world has really tipped things over into all being just a little too real-feeling.

- For an otherwise-seeming good group, the Gardeners are surprisingly willing to overlook Mugi jumping on women.

- Googling the Saints as they come up is proving really interesting!

I'm really loving this series, uncomfortably real or not - Margaret Atwood has really won me over.

Fiona wrote: "It's definitely picking up pace, I'm at 30% now - just a couple of quick summaries from me!

-Flood soup with Noah's Ark dumplings sounds like something that I need to make. Could make a good quara..."

Love it!

With respect to Mugi's behavior or the fact that the Gardeners, though unconcerned with aesthetics, dictate that women should keep their hair long, I wonder if it's the speck of imperfection that Atwood has added so as not to make them perfect, and thus, credible.

Neus wrote: "Fiona wrote: "It's definitely picking up pace, I'm at 30% now - just a couple of quick summaries from me!

-Flood soup with Noah's Ark dumplings sounds like something that I need to make. Could mak..."

Good thought, and it sounds just like something she would do!

Starting up again with the aim of finishing up between work calls this afternoon.

- Toby continues to be the best

- The "unofficial composting" was deftly handled! Turns out the Gardeners are pretty good at subterfuge.

- Ahh bureaucracy. Inescapable even in a new-age setting.

- Yaay, Jimmy and Killer!

- And Glenn - interesting getting some more on his backstory, turns out Jimmy really wasn't too aware of what was going on at this point.

- Interrupted here by a meeting. Boo!

- Lucerne just keeps getting worse

- The chapters are getting shorter as we get closer to the end, and we're flipping between Ren and Toby much more frequently. I hadn't planned on finishing today but there's no way I could stop now.

- No spoilers so this'll be the last bulletpoint, but DANG Neus, you weren't kidding about 80% not letting you stop.

Thanks guys, this series has been an absolutely fantastic read. Parallels to real life notwithstanding, I've loved throwing ideas back and forth.

I’ve found myself saying Put light around it. Some books get inside you. I’m at 80% now, I’m scared about what has happened to Amanda.

Lena wrote: "I’ve found myself saying Put light around it. Some books get inside you. I’m at 80% now, I’m scared about what has happened to Amanda."

Yep, this series has really got in my head too - maybe it's because it's feeling increasingly like Margaret Atwood is getting to write reality :s

Lena wrote: "I’ve found myself saying Put light around it. Some books get inside you. I’m at 80% now, I’m scared about what has happened to Amanda."


That's very nice! I wish everyone would "Put light around it" :)
Margaret Atwood has won me over too.

Finished, I was also deep in the five star club.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The rhythm of Gods Gardeners got under my skin and found a home, I just love them.

Two five star books put a lot of pressure on Book 3.

Lena wrote: "Finished, I was also deep in the five star club.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The rhythm of Gods Gardeners got under my skin and found a home, I just love them.

Two five star..."

Yay, one of us! :)

Pressure is definitely on for book 3. But at this point it would take a pretty major fumble to go wrong.

Casting ideas!



Obviously, that was the original Toby.

I can totally see each character in Lena’s casting ideas!

Here are some thoughts I had kept:

- Toby’s great. She handled every situation perfectly even though she wasn’t so sure of herself. She knew how to talk to the Crakers (yes! We got to see them again, even if only briefly, in this second book), she didn’t take revenge on Blanco but put him into a sweet sleep because he wouldn’t make it anyway, she stood by Ren, she beat the Painballers in the last scene. . .

- Ren and Amanda are really best friends.

- Damn it! This wound looks so bad . . .  just give me some maggots XD

- Jimmy seems so nuts from an outside perspective. I didn’t see him that crazy from his own point of view in book 1.

Definitely high expectations for book 3!

Toby is an aspiration, she’s brave, calm, and real. Glad you liked my characters!

Lena wrote: "Casting ideas!



Obviously, that was the original Toby."

Oh I like this!