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The Heart Goes Last

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The Heart Goes Last

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Mark Deakins
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About this listen

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
Fiction Literary Fiction

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

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

Another absolutely amazing book by Margaret Atwood.

I loved the storyline... it was full of twists and turns.

I read on one of these reviews that the person didn't like the character's personalities, but they really made the story... and the narrators were well matched.

You won't be let down! I hope they make a series of it one day!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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3 stars

I read this for my book club and I found it hard to get into at first. I think the book hits its stride about a third of the way in so you need to give it some time. Not mind blowing but definitely thought provoking. Slightly futuristic but with that believable dystopian edge of Atwood.

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

Loved it!

An excellent book with great narrators. You won't regret listening to it. Lots of laughs with wicked humour.

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

Enjoy this roller coaster ride

Where does The Heart Goes Last rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have only listened to 3 so far. This is the best so far.

Any additional comments?

This is an easy story to become engrossed in. Not too serious, it has laugh out loud moments and lots of unexpected twists as we follow the two main characters in an unusual experiment. Grabs your interest and doesn't let go! Would thoroughly recommend it.

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

great story, but one of the two narraters' voices

one of the narraters' voices was so annoying it made it hard to listen at some points. real detraction.

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

Not my favourite but worth a read

I'm a big Atwood fan and was a little disappointed that this book didn't quite live up to the standards I'm used to with her work. It's a bit slow and I found the main characters underdeveloped, as Atwood characters go, and the plot a little needlessly complex at time. Left me with a bit of a 'so much yet so little happened' feeling.

Worth a read if you're a big fan, might just be me. Interesting themes and a shockingly clever premise as usual.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Creepy dystopia

Stan is a dick head and Charmaine vacuously nice, the world they’re living in brutal and revolting, but the story compeling and provocative. Loved it.

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

Interesting concept and characters,<br />

Found the story easy listening, well narrated, and
the main characters well defined, freedom of choice finale bitter sweet

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

thoroughly enjoyable

Had a few glitches with the app but good story and superbly read.Worth a listen.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen but...

This book is worth a listen but it took me a while to get drawn it to the story. It has some good ideas but is a bit slow. The Weak ending, could have been so much better.

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