NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE • A modern masterpiece that “reminds us of the power of truth in the face of evil” (People)—and can be read on its own or as a sequel to Margaret Atwood’s classic, The Handmaid’s Tale. “Atwood’s powers are on full display” (Los Angeles Times) in this deeply compelling Booker Prize-winning novel, now updated with additional content that … Booker Prize-winning novel, now updated with additional content that explores the historical sources, ideas, and material that inspired Atwood.
More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third: Aunt Lydia. Her complex past and uncertain future unfold in surprising and pivotal ways.
With The Testaments, Margaret Atwood opens up the innermost workings of Gilead, as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
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This second volume The Handmaid’s Tale is a well-written novel.
For any author to tackle an extremely now-famous story of their own in such a way is fascinating to say the least.
If you enjoyed book 1, then you’ll likely enjoy this one, too.
A must read if you want to connect the dots to the handmaid’s tale
another horrifying look at Gilead. . .
I finally got around to reading this sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale when it showed up as a Bookbub deal. I loved The Handmaid’s Tale when I first read it back in the 1980s, and I loved the recent Hulu series as well. The Testament is an excellent sequel to the original book. Forget seasons 2 and 3 of the mini-series. Those were not based on anything Margaret Atwood wrote. Season 1 ended, more or less, as the original book ended. The Testaments picks up 15 years later. It’s told from 3 viewpoints: a young girl who’s grown up in Gilead, a teenager from Canada, and the infamous Aunt Lydia. All three narratives converge, were always connected, and help bring about a rather spectacular ending for Gilead. (I don’t think that’s giving too much away. Most readers will guess that that must be the denouement. It’s the getting there that’s fun.) I enjoyed this sequel very much and recommended it to anyone who loved The Handmaid’s Tale.
I didn’t like as much as the Handmaid Tale. It was ok.
The Testament, by Margaret Atwood.
The Testament takes up where The Handmaid’s Tale left off. A Coup has overthrown the government of the United States and replaced it with a group of religious fanatics. The new nation is called Gilead. A Handmaid, that is, a woman used for breeding when the wife of an important man is unable to bear him a child, gave birth to a daughter. That baby daughter, Nicole, and her mother were smuggled to freedom in Canada in “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“The Testament” is told through the point of view of the teenage Nicole, the politically adept Aunt Lydia (an Aunt in Gilead is a woman in control of the education and marriage of women), and a teenage girl raised in Gilead who is trying to avoid marriage to a man old enough to be her grandfather.
My wife found “The Handmaid’s Tale” depressing, as it depicted a nation in which women were treated as they were treated by the Taliban in Afghanistan before the US invasion. This story portrays the fight against the repressive Gilead regime, a fight in which Nicole and Aunt Lydia, the ruthless and devious head of the Aunts, have important parts to play.
I took the story to be a warning of the excesses to which any religious government is likely go, whether that government be Christian or Islamic. It’s also a story that reminds us that those oppressively religious governments (Cromwell, etc) last only until the people become heartily sick of them.
As good as if not better than The Handmaid’s Tale.
Anyone who liked watching A Handmaid’s Tale should read this to ease the hiatus until the next season. Well- constructed story and gripping!
I liked it, but I wouldn’t read it again. I wasn’t as good as the first one.
Supposedly this is the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, however it doesn’t really read like a sequel. The way it’s written it does take place years after The Handmaid’s Tale there just isn’t really a connection between the two novels. The connection is based on the reader’s assumptions. It’s a very enjoyable story. The characters are well written and the storyline is very fast paced. Some parts are very predictable, but not the entire story.
Unbelievably good. Suspenseful, detailed, tone perfect.
I have first to declare that I have not read or watched The Handmaid’s Tale, and for that, I owe Attwood an apology; it is something that I intend to remedy.
The Testaments is a worthy winner (joint) of The 2019 Booker Prize, it tells the story of Agnes, Jade & Aunt Lydia in the patriarchal dystopia of Gilead.
The Testaments is a page-turner, I could not put it down as I needed to know, with some urgency, the outcome for the three women.
Gilead, a society where women are not allowed to work or learn to read. Where husbands are chosen, and women’s only role in society is to procreate and serve men, a disturbing society where sexual and mental abuse is quietly tolerated.
The book is a powerful symbol of resistance to misogyny and religious extremism, and a stark warning for modern society.
Great look at some of the life pre Handmaids Tale
Undoubtedly the best book I’ve read this year, probably the best book I’ve read this century!
I was gripped from the start, immediately falling back into the horror of dystopian Gilead through the eyes of the three women narrators. All three voices are distinct and all three stories are compelling, but that of Aunt Lydia, the high-ranking and terrifying Aunt from The Handmaid’s Tale, is outstanding in its brutality, honesty and wry humour.
I read the Handmaid’s Tale not long after it was published and the horror of the oppression and treatment of the entire female gender portrayed in Gilead has never left me in 30 years. I watched the first TV series, which was well-done, but I lost interest in the further adaptations. The strength and subtly of Atwood’s prose is missing from the screen.
Such an excellent writer, her powerful and persuasive words are astonishingly good. I cannot recommend this book enough.
not as good as THMT but a nice follow up. I got on audio book and it was a bit hard to distinquish characters due to the voices being similar so would recommend reading it.
I re-read The Handmaid’s Tale just before reading this, which made it easier to pick up on the story. A little predictable in places, which is why I only gave it 4 stars
Finally! The long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale is all that *and* a box of crackers. So worth the wait.
I read the book, then listened to the audiobook. Gotta say, the audiobook is outstanding and bonus…Aunt Lydia from the TV series actually reads Aunt’s Lydia’s portion of the book. So nice and perfect for immersion.
The Testaments is written from three perspectives: Aunt Lydia and two young women only identified by their file number (for a while anyway). This book is so full of surprises. There’s very little that can be said without giving away spoilers, which would be unforgivable in this case. The revelations are perfect and perfectly timed.
Without spoiling things, just know that the tale takes place about fifteen years after the events of the first book, which is good because we get to see how things unfolded over time. (And also it gives us soooo much fodder for more seasons of the Hulu series.) As with all of Margaret Atwood’s books, the writing is exquisite and the story deep and rich. I read a *lot* of books (too many since I should be writing more), but this one has got the #1 spot for the year.
A very interesting followup to Handmaid’s Tale. Enjoyed learning more about the characters and what happened to them. It didn’t disappoint. I loved seeing a possible futures for the characters in A Handmaid’s Tale.
An excellent sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale
So good. SO GOOD!!! I know reviews are mixed about this book, but I personally loved it. I read the ‘The Handmaids Tale’ close to 20 years ago, and it’s always stayed with me. When the TV Show came out, I watch and loved that. I have been waiting for this book F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!
I won’t go into any details here since so many other reviewers have done it already, but if you read the first book, and you watch/have watched the Hulu series, then you’ll definitely want to read this. You may love it, you may hate it, but regardless, you should read it. It answers so many questions.