The Handmaid's Tale
Ratings1,646
Average rating4.1
I absolutely loved this book. The book itself is a brilliant representation of how not only women, but many currently and preciously marginalised groups have been prosecuted. The fact that to this day, paralels can be drawn between the fictional world of Gilead to modern day America is scary however proves the societal importance of this book.
I was surprised at the age of this book, as it's lasted this long and still remains wildly relevant to what's going on in the world today. The issue of women's rights is still a very big debate, and it was more than a little chilling to read this book, knowing that if things really do go south, this isn't an entirely unbelievable situation.
I thought that perhaps the epilogue was too much – I liked the way it ended without it – but it doesn't diminish the book by any means. Definitely worth a re-read!
Favourite quotes:
I would like to believe this is a story I'm telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it's a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending, to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off.
“My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter, your name is like your telephone number , useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter. I keep the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I'll come back to dig up, one day. I think of this name as buried.”
There's a window with white curtains, and the glass is shatterproof. But it isn't running away they're afraid of. A Handmaid wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes. The ones you can open in yourself given a cutting edge. Or a twisted sheet and a chandelier.
1/5 stars
There are better books that execute the idea this book is trying to convey. I would recommend that people read Olivia Butler's books instead, because I believe they do a better job at conveying the message this book was trying to convey.
The number of times I thought the patriarchy, and sighed the word men under my breath was insane.
In the best way, I hated the world Margaret created. I hated the precision of it, the accuracy of the elements in the book, and how she showed how the marginalising of any group begins.
It was a great read, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending. It left room in my mind for so much!
I really expected to like this more than I did. I understand the purpose of the writing style, and it communicates a dreaminess that Offred experiences, fading in and out of reality and time as a trauma response, but it almost feels too vague at points. The lack of quotation marks is hard to follow in some places. The “historical notes” at the end feel superfluous, although read as a commentary on academic detachment from atrocities, especially those perpetrated by white men it's interesting. Not sure that's how it's intended though. I'd still recommend reading it, if only because of its place in SpecFic and feminist canon.
As a childfree woman with a fear of pregnancy and childbirth, I couldn't handle this book. The world Margaret Atwood created is quite literally my worst nightmare.
she is an incredible story teller but holy moly will this forever give me nightmares. Its a terrifying alter reality that i hope to never experience in real life.
3/5 - I took a few days to decide what I wanted to say in this review. Another reviewer stated it best when they said the concept of the dystopian story was excellent, but the execution of the writing was alright. This is more of a me problem rather than the author. The descriptions in the story were very “poetic” driven, which I am not a fan of. After some research, I found out the author is a poetry writer, so that made sense. I was mostly confused at the beginning of the book but once I understood more of the writing style the author was going for, I was eventually able to fully grasp.
I do recommend this book to all women as this actually should be studied in school. The concept is wild and not too far fetched as to what society it leaning towards today. I also appreciated the lack of technology and current social media lingo as it was written in the mid-80's.
The Handmaid's Tale is an increasingly relevant novel that discusses the experience of women in a post-USA Christian fascist country called Gilead. Much of the way society is run in Gilead could be implemented in a short time if people are not careful-- relegating women & people of color to the absolute bottom of society, rejecting technology & literature, frivolous use of capital punishment-- the list goes on. In some ways you wonder how Gilead could have become that way, but in reality America inches closer all the time.
I praise Margaret Atwood's world building with Gilead and I think she does a lot with a very reasonable length book. I believe some of the characters are a bit underdeveloped, and I think it's an improvement made in the Hulu series based on the novel and in the sequel, the Testaments. So much time is taken to discuss the different classes in society, the government, and the history of the world that there wasn't enough room to explore how the characters relate to each other. For example, Moira's actions before and after becoming a Handmaid are touched upon in the novel, but her character's personality and motivations are really fleshed out in the series. It more than evident that Moira and Offred are best friends, where the book isn't able to explore their relationship as much.
I would definitely recommend this book and it's sequel. I hope it can open some people's eyes to how women deserve to be respected and to feel safe in our world.
Văn viết rất là hay, mạch truyện dễ theo nhưng lâu lâu vẫn phải đọc đi đọc lại tại rất chi tiết. Hơi nhiều tình tiết nhưng mà thông điệp rất hayyy. Cried my eyes out reading this.
It was an interesting story. I didn't really like the style, but I can appreciate why this is a classic.
A história incrível de uma mulher que nos conta a sua vida nesta realidade distópica, através da única liberdade que ainda tem: os seus pensamentos.
Apesar de já amar este universo por causa da série (por mais perturbador que seja), ainda passei a gostar mais depois de ter lido o livro.
Contains spoilers
I was very excited to finally read this book but it left me somehow unsatisfied. The dystopian world of Gilead does sound complex, atrocious and also interesting. However the story of how the world became the way it is felt incomplete and we didn't really get much details of how it works or why it was okay for everyone to live in the system of Gilead.I found the narrative a little bit erratic, the main protagonist kept jumping from one memory in the past back to the present and it was very confusing at times. We know much more details about the main protagonists past before Gilead than the Gilead world itself which I think is a bit of shame and the potential of this story could be great but it is missed out. Also, what was wrong with the dialogue commas? I really couldn't tell if the characters are talking to each other or if the sentences are in the head of our protagonist.But I appreciate that the author choose kind of “open” ending for the readers and let us ask the questions if she really did get out of the Gilead or was she killed or worse... was she caught?
Definitely the best dystopian novel I've ever read. But you are definitely left wanting more from the characters and the world building. There is about a chapter describing the cultural shift but wish there was more to it. But still a great book.
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I love the TV series, and I love what this book has to say. But lord do I hate how she said it. The writing style got in the way of the story for me; I found it overly simplistic, stilted, and allowed little room for further speculation. I lost interest in reading beyond the first book in the series.
By telling you anything at all, I'm at least believing in you, I believe you're there, I believe you into being. Because I'm telling this story, I will your existence. I tell, therefore you are.
Usually, when I rate a book 1 star, it is because it is a shame to call the incompetent who wrote it an author to begin with but this isn't the case here. Margaret can write, there is no doubt about that. She has earned the title of a writer. That is not my qualm with this book.
Sometimes, we put too much weight on books being award winning that we, unconsciously, accept from them what we wouldn't accept from any other book or any form of entertainment for that matter. It is inexcusable that the premise of the book was first introduced at 55% of the book. Driving confusion for more than half of the book is inexcusable and none of us would let it pass for any other book, or movie, or video. That is without talking about all the back and forth even at the end of the book, even in the middle of active scenes involving other people.
SPOILERS AHEAD AS WELL AS A HUGE TRIGGER WARNING
I am not entitled to want a perfect victim or a perfect character. Most of us who have been reading for years are well aware and well comfortable with morally gray characters.
This character was not morally gray. Even before sh*t went down, she was passive. She was critical of her best friend and her mother for caring about women's rights. She had a relation with a married man. She was passive and later complicit. What is worse, is her being inconsistent. Picking and choosing what to be involved in.
But it doesn't stop there, she puts insane expectations on other people to free her while doing nothing to help those around her. Just read this excerpt of her conversation with her best friend after the new order was established.
I don't want her to be like me. Give in, go along, save her skin. That is what it comes down to. I want gallantry from her, swashbuckling, heroism, single-handed combat.
The god damned ENTITLEMENT.
Listen, it is fine to protect oneself. But expect someone else to sacrifice themselves for you to have a better life is just rude. What is worse, is her rationalizing rape so she can convince herself she isn't raped.
The rape scene, even though it came out of nowhere, was not the problem, I've read the premise of the book anyway. It is her thoughts about it that are super triggering.
“What he is fucking is the lower part of my body. I do not say making love, because this is not what he's doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate, because it would imply two people and only one is involved. Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven't signed up for. There wasn't a lot of choice but there was some, and this is what I chose. Therefore, I lie still and picture the unseen canopy over my head [...] I wish he would hurry up. Maybe I'm crazy and this is some new kind of therapy.”
Later:
- What does he want? kinky sex?
It would be hard to explain to her what he does want, because I still have no name for it (They were playing scrabble, that is it). How can I describe what really goes on between us? she would laugh, for one thing. It's easier for me to say “in a way”. That at least has the dignity of coercion .
That is inexcusable. I am convinced this was done for shock effect, without actual thought into what it actually means.
What really irks me is that two pages after the rape scene, the handmaid she walks with tells her about a resistance group and she gets excited. Just barely afterwards. And she wants to talk about it and know more but doesn't actually eventually do anything, just hears these words. At the end, when they are executing that guy convicted of rape (which she KNEW was not a true accusation since it is a government built on rape), she is suddenly active, suddenly full of rage after 300 pages of apathy and wants to attack the guy. Morally gray is an understatement.
She even stops caring about the resistance she claimed to be excited about when she starts having sex with a guy. She doesn't want to hear about it and she says she doesn't care. She also says she is relieved her walking buddy stops talking about it 2 weeks after starting to have sex with that guy. It wasn't even a relationship. TWO WEEKS.
And at the end, that is what happens, someone else saves her ass while she does nothing.
Apathy does not encompass her. Apathy is consistent. This is a disaster of a character with no planning.
The only criticism I have of the style of writing is that some metaphors did not make sense.
“verbal semaphore” just say CODE, that makes NO SENSE.
“his voice is metal-colored, horn-shaped”
“the three bodies hang there, even with the white sacks over their heads looking curiously stretched, like chickens strung up by the necks in a meatshop window; like birds with their wings clipped, like flightless birds, wrecked angels.” That is just redundant and unnecessary. Not everything should be compared.
that is a salad of words, loves.
Anyway, what do you all think?