Now a Hulu Original SeriesThe Handmaid’s Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive … beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.
The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.
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It is a cautionary tale set in our dystopian near future. It could happen in a far right theocracy that is quite imaginable. It is scheduled for a re-read in the next couple of weeks.
The first time I read this book I was still of childbearing age & it scared me to death. It was so close to the descriptions of what the Mormon elders did to young women in books I have read. The concept of a plague (or perhaps a mass poisoning) to prevent future generations is not so far-fetched. In this world of bio WMDs it’s a remote but …
Great world building that the current situation in politics is pointing to even though it was written in 1985.
If you are looking for a book you can breeze through, this isn’t it. It is thought-
provoking and doesn’t have a definitive ending. Looking forward to the sequel.
A scary take on the future of families, marriage, childbirth, chauvinismm and control by the male sex.
This story was rich, haunting, and eye-opening for me. The mind of the main character is complex and unique; hers is the kind of compelling internal landscape that is sorely lacking in most dystopian stories out there. The stifling setting in this story only amplifies the fiercely articulate thoughts of the main character’s resilient inner life. …
This book is one of a kind. Although a little bit out there, it was an excellent read. I loved the details and the rigidness of the setting, but it was a bit hard to follow at times.
Very creative and intriguing
I’ve reread this book several times. Each time I read it, different things stand out. Two of my three teenage daughters have also read this for lit class in high school. Both of them liked the book, but, again, had different ideas about themes and what intrigued them. I haven’t watched the Hulu production because I don’t want it to ruin the book …
I haven’t seen the hulu ahow but it’s got to be more entertaining than the book. I found the first person narrative extremely boring. It’s certainly no 1984.
This book has had a ton of press,plus a Hulu television version. I read it because at.times I wondered what this type of world would be like. Its really pretty screwed up, but I guess it could happen in some way shape or form of this book. I enjoyed the book a lot ,but it really did help t ok see the t.v. version on Hulu to understand it even …
Amazing. Brilliant. Depressing. Prescient.
A must read for anyone who calls themselves a feminist and anyone with female parts. We can’t be lazy about our rights or our freedom (I don’t consider them one in the same.)
It can be painful/sad to read in parts, but it’s so worth it. The message is too important not to finish. Plus it’s a short book. …
This book was very dull & boring, without much character or plot development. The story was a snapshot of a society without information on how it developed or why. I wish I had not wasted my money on this book!
Every woman should read this novel!
I had heard a lot of talk about this book and expected more. The book begins slow and drags out for the first half. It is as if by slowly revealing what is happening, it will impress on you how bad things can work their way into the establishment. The second half of the book moved much quicker. I did like the last half. It does make you …
One of those rare books that really made me think and realize what can happen if we are not politically vigilant. I wish I could find another book as meaningful and pertinent to our times.
One of the best dystopic worlds with a strong female protagonist.
What can I say about Handmaid’s Tale other than the fact that this book moved me. Moved me like I haven’t been moved by a book in a long time. Moved me the way that The Color Purple moved me and the way that To Kill a Mockingbird moved me. This book is straight up literature at its finest and I just gobbled it right up.
As a strong, …
I enjoyed this book and see why it’s become a modern classic. Frighteningly possible and disturbing. Unfortunately, with only one perspective, I didn’t feel immersed in the world of Gilead, and the ending was frustrating, albeit understandable.
Disturbing but it should be. Many lessons to be learned here.
I did not like this at all, a book group choice that was not read past a few chapters by most of us. What a dark odd tale. I love the dystopian genre but not this, I would have given it a -5 I disliked it so much. I even got Hulu to check it out there, nope didn’t like it any better. I had it on a list to be read for quite a while so was glad it …