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.
more
I want to reread this book because it has always stuck with me. I like the unusual books, not the ordinary and this was definitely unusual! I felt this was a little scary but certainly verging on realistic. I like the “what if” of dystopian stories. And this one left me wondering if the world could ever come to this. Want to read again before …
I would consider this required reading for all. Atwood’s vision of a dystopian future is frightening and yet plausible.
I hated this book. So much so, I read it twice–and then a third time. Atwood vividly creates a new US in which nothing is as it was and everything is turned on its head. The near future creates a very different future, particularly for women, and was at once a haunting and a thrilling read. We do not want this kind of future–at least, I …
After all the hype, I thought I would really get into this book, but sadly I was wrong. I suppose I don’t like Atwood’s writing style much in general, but at the end she changes style completely and I thought it went from bad to horrible. If she had started it this way, I wouldn’t have spent more than a month struggling to try to get through it.
If you’re one of the five people in the world who haven’t seen the TV series,
much of America has become ‘Gilead’, ruled by Christian fundamentalists and cut off from the rest of the world; this is the story of one of the ‘handmaids’, rare fertile girls forced to bear children for high profile couples after sterility has become commonplace.
The …
No, I haven’t watched the series. But I’d heard so much about it that I decided I had better read the book. Yes, this dystopian story is disturbing. Women are victims of a society that has decided they are worth nothing as people. They are only useful as vessels to produce children. Written as a journal, our heroine, if you can call her that, is …
I read this when it first was published, and ran around making all of my friends read it. Here it is decades later, and I don’t see us moved much further away from a possibility of this patriarchy happening. There is still the mindset that women are less than worthy chattel, don’t need equal treatment/pay, etc.
There are pieces of the book that …
I faintly remembered watching this movie when I was younger. I figured I’d give the book a try since there was an upcoming series.
This is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. Especially when you think about some of the laws that are trying to be passed. And the horror ramps up to a different level when you consider Atwood didn’t put …
This book has been reviewed to death and the reviews have been reviewed. When it was first published, it seemed like science fiction. How ridiculous that a small group of computer experts could electronically remove all property and assets from the names and controls of the women of the United States. That the Justice System could condemn women …
this should be required reading for everyone! I love this book.
I will admit that I don’t read a lot of dystopian fiction, and decided to read this as I thoroughly enjoyed the TV series, and wanted to know about the source. It is not easy reading, but well worth doing so, especially in today’s political climate. Set in an extreme Puritan world in which women who can conceive children are now rare, it explores …
There are so many reviews out there that I won’t even bother.
Just a few notes: I did really enjoy this novel. The writing style was very different to what I am used to but that added to the story.
This one will be staying with me for a very long time. What a disturbing novel to say the least. I am really surprised I put this one off as long as I have – I had heard the rumors about how tough this book was and so I steered clear of it. Then a friend basically “forced” it upon me and I decided to put my big-girl panties and read it. To be …
Just WOW! Like tendrils along the edge of a carpet, Atwood draws us out of ourselves and into the utopian world she created.
This is one I have reread several times, and now that I’m a mother, it haunts me. It’s a dark, powerful, and terrifying dystopian world with a badass female lead that never gives up. Love love love.
First I loved the TV series, then I loved the book. Grand job is all I need to say.
I’m so glad I read this book again. First of all, Margaret Atwood is my author hero. I’ve loved her and her work forever, and she’s an inspiration to me in my own career. Second, I had forgotten how amazing and disturbing this story is, how prescient it is. This could be happening RIGHT NOW. We could be heading for this future right this moment. …
“The Handmaid’s Tale” is one of those books that are destined to be classic. I read it all in one day, gulped it down in one sitting because once I dived into Offred’s world, all I could do was turn pages. Even though technically a dystopia, this novel is frighteningly real. What’s happening in the US right now, this slow chipping away at women’s …
Chilling futuristic novel. What the future will be like if we don’t protect and encourage women’s equality.
I’ve read this book more times than I can count, and about 75% of the time I read it because of a Sixth Form or University credit. Every time I read this book, I notice a new detail or something strikes me anew, and it’s just like I’m reading it for the first time again.
I read this book for the first time at Sixth Form and studied it as part of …