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The Heart Goes Last

By: Margaret Atwood
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Mark Deakins
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Publisher's 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

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
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Poor characters

The main characters were extremely hard to get behind. Both immoral and ditsy.
I didn't particularly like the voices but that was just my preference.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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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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1 person found this helpful

  • 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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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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

Not her best book

No complaints, this book was enjoyable, ironic and food for thought...just not mind blowing like some of her others. Worth a read for sure!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Sue
  • 30-11-2022

No more Margaret Atwood for me

The readers did a great job but the story was ho hum and the frequent use of the 'f' word plus a lot sexual content has made me think ,no more Margaret Atwood. She's written a lot of books but this is the first I've read/listened to. I don't understand why she's so popular.

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

Had potential but fell short.

I usually love Margaret Atwood but this book fell short of her usual brilliance. It was a fun concept but lacked any real punch. The characters were dull, the use of language quite simple and the build up wasn't ever really there before the story fizzled out.
It was quirky in it's setting and the glorification of a 50s lifestyle mixed into a dictatorship that was up to very dark deeds but I found it all just a bit flat. The villain lacked any power, the main character's brother was the most interesting of the lot but was absent for 90% of it.
The audio book was well read, and although always takes me time to adjust to an American accent, the voice talent was well done particularly the voice of Stan.

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