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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This book changed my life the first time I read it in the 90s. Sadly, I have watched the world swing back and forth over the limits of what it means to be female and have a voice. This book stands as a benchmark for how low women can be laid. It also paints a vivid portrait of the fire of the oppressed. Nothing in this book was made up by Ms. …
This is a very thought provoking book and should be read by everyone.
I actually couldn’t finish this book when I read it a long time ago, shortly after it first was published. I could see such a thing happening now. It was way to frightening to contemplate. But it’s a hit series now, so that’s good. And it spawned renewed interest in how women are treated so there’s that.
I found this book both terrifying and thought provoking. Told from the point of view of Offred, the central character, the story moves through her everyday life in a very different world from ours.
Set in the future, the story reveals an oppressive society where choice is not always available to everyone, where information is strictly managed, …
Slow read. Repetitive action. A sad picture of a mythical society.
Great writing but left too much unknown at the end of the book. The Hulu series gives way more information about what happened to some of the characters.
A great, sad, horrifying read!
Very dark, and scary to think there are societies close to this and not far off fiction
This story of government taking over the lives of people and women being used as baby machines for the elite
However, the women finds a way to overcome..
I actually own a paperback copy but didn’t read for years and then read on e-book format, I have read a lot of coming of age/futuristic society books. This was not my favorite. I felt it dragged. Additionally, it was used by the media somewhat incorrectly, I believe this may have occurred because these people only saw the movie.
Everybody should read this at least once. Great dystopian story in its own little world which still points towards flaws in our own society.
Should be a 3.5 not quite a 4- parts of the book were a bit confusing, and I thought the ending was rushed- but a really unique take on the future.
Very engaging book. Haunting story that pulls you in.
This book is okay.
This was the first of Margaret Atwood’s books I’ve read. I really enjoyed her writing. The story is quite unusual, and she is skilled at creating both a unique world and suspense. Worth the read!
The Handmaid’s Tale is one of those books that will resonate with you long after you have read it. It’s a story that hangs onto your heart and makes you wonder what life is like now and what it could become. I’ve read this story once in high school and every chance I got in college. Each time I’ve read it, it was a whole different world. If you …
As an independent, somewhat educated female, I was naturally horrified by the premise of this book, to me it’s the equivalent of a Stephen King novel. That being said, I loved how this book was written, it was as ‘scattered’ as thinking tends to be coupled with the lecture at the end, as if we had been reading some transcript from history. I was …
Margaret Atwood is my favourite author. I love her imagination and the way she builds a story.
One of the most original and haunting reads ever written!
1984 reimagined. This was chilling.