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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Couldn’t stay with it!
A world I’d rather not be in. Amazing story and now TV series.
so close to what could happen
This was a very deep depressing and dark book. But it was interesting and I had to read it to the end.
Mixed feelings about this book. My curiosity to see what the talk is about. I haven’t seen any streaming versions as I hold strong to the belief that books are more influential than video versions. Although, in this case I have heard that some people enjoy the series more so than the book itself. With that said, here is my version of the events. …
I heard a lot about this book, how good it was, how people couldn’t put it down, but for me it was just mph. It was great to me and neither was it so terrible. I finally finished it, thank goodness. I kept reading it bc of what people had said about it. All I can really say is, is that it’s off my TBR list
I have read this book several times since I was in high school (in the nineties). It’s a lot scarier than it used to be, and it was terrifying back then! But it is still an absolute work of art.
A reminder that of the possibilities, if we don’t guard our rights.
Never knew what was coming next
Sadly I feel like this could be the future
Another cautionary tale. Building a world ultimately based on the static social strata of a white patriarchal value system, will ultimately end in horror.
This book is fantastic! Each chapter ends leaving you wanting more. It’s strange and compelling. This dystopian novel contains characters that you hate and love. It makes you angry and can make you laugh all in one chapter. It is a turn pager for sure! I highly recommend this book!
A tough but amazing read with brilliant writing and timeless quotes.
Always worth a re-visit.
Cruel, clever, heartbreaking, and haunting.
I found this harder to read than 1984 or Brave New World or Animal Farm, simply because it was told from a woman’s point of view, and recounted the story of how she had gone from being a person — a wife, a mother — into being a “vessel” for some old man’s futile attempts at procreation. It’s a women’s horror story, and reading it just now, with …
Imagine an America, a land, not of the free.
Imagine an America where gender equality is nothing more but a fairy tale
Imagine an America where women are slaves to the Patriarchy
Margaret Atwood made a permanent mark in classic literature, with the book called: The Handmaids tale. This is the book that I would highly recommend.
In the future, …
I read this book after seeing women dressed as on the cover during the women’s march on D.C. after Trump’s election. I wanted to know the connection. Being only a couple of months from my 70th birthday and having been a participant in the woman’s movement, this dystopian future seems all to possible to me. I remember the days when women were …
Atwood’s poetic chops are in high form in this tale of religiously fuel, state-regulated misogyny. It echoes hauntingly of our current America.
Excellent. How women are vulnerable.
This book deserves its status as a modern day classic. It tells the story of Offred, a rare female capable of bearing children. She is living in a fundamentalist dictatorship that has assassinated the president and most members of congress and instituted a puritan theocracy. The few fertile women are the property of their male owners and public …