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The Heart Goes Last

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Mark Deakins
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Summary

Margaret Atwood puts the human heart to the ultimate test in an utterly brilliant new novel that is as visionary as The Handmaid's Tale and as richly imagined as The Blind Assassin.

Stan and Charmaine are a married couple trying to stay afloat in the midst of an economic and social collapse. Job loss has forced them to live in their car, leaving them vulnerable to roving gangs. They desperately need to turn their situation around - and fast.

The Positron Project in the town of Consilience seems to be the answer to their prayers. No one is unemployed, and everyone gets a comfortable, clean house to live in...for six months out of the year.

On alternating months, residents of Consilience must leave their homes and function as inmates in the Positron prison system. Once their month of service in the prison is completed, they can return to their 'civilian' homes.

At first, this doesn't seem like too much of a sacrifice to make in order to have a roof over one's head and food to eat. But when Charmaine becomes romantically involved with the man who lives in their house during the months when she and Stan are in the prison, a series of troubling events unfolds, putting Stan's life in danger.

With each passing day, Positron looks less like a prayer answered and more like a chilling prophecy fulfilled.

©2015 O.W. Toad Ltd (P)2015 Penguin Random House LLC
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Critic reviews

"The outstanding novelist of our age." ( The Sunday Times)
"Atwood makes it look so easy, doing what she does best: tenderly dissecting the human heart . A marvellous writer." ( The Daily Mail)

What listeners say about The Heart Goes Last

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    5 out of 5 stars

love all Atwood books

wonderful humour in this novel... Atwood at her best. The story develops so well, you can't wait for next stage..

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9 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Average.

The drama and suspense never really built up, and the twists in the plot were very predictable. However, with that said, the story was unique and interesting to keep me entertained, and the way Atwood explores and explains the dystopian setting of the book was exactly what is missing out of a lot of books in this genre.

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7 people found this helpful

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Great listen!

Really enjoyed this audio book. Having two narrators added some variety and they were both perfect for the roles. Although this book covers some huge meaty topics, it is more fun and light hearted compared to some of Margaret Atwood’s other novels. I love the kind of character led sci-fi that she writes, and this book was no exception. Give it a read!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Well preformed book but not my favourite MA book

Very good performances but I feel the plot lost its way. The concept of the universe feels weak and less thought out than other Margaret Atwood books.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another chilling tale from Margaret Atwood

Another chilling tale from Margaret Atwood, she does them so well. The narrators were very convincing, and their voices fitted the characters perfectly

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3 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great first half and then went downhill

I thought it was going to be such an interesting story and it seemed so past paced. Then it just got a bit silly. Most of the character's stories ended in a rushed and unsatisfying way

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another fine book

The narrators have done excellent work with the character development, both of them provided brilliant voices. The story is complex and intriguing and I couldn't put it down.

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1 person found this helpful

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Horribly believable

Loved the inventive story and enjoyable plot. Let’s hope life never does get like this! Great characterisation and excellently tead

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The difference between this book and Margaret Atwood’s other novels.

I was really disappointed with this novel. The concept was good and thought it would be more similar to The Handmaid’s Tale or The Blind Assassin. I also really enjoyed Alias Grace. I didn’t enjoy the fact that it was a satire and found it quite ridiculous and painful to listen to. I can see the intention behind it but along with the patronising tone of the reading it was exaggerated far more than was necessary, culminating in a a strong dislike of the characters and not really caring about the outcome. Such a shame but still have faith that another title will be more like the Atwood I truly admire.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but Atwood has done better

I enjoyed this dystopian novel from Atwood. It was not as engaging as The Handmaid's Tale (in my opinion), but I enjoyed it and I cared about what happened to the characters.
I'd possibly go for 3.75 stars over four stars but I don't have that option!
Charmaine's piece is read as somewhat "airhead" or "dumb blonde". I think that was at least partly deliberate but it was only slightly annoying at times.

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6 people found this helpful