Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

82 reviews

lexithelion's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Margaret Atwood's writing skill is impeccable, there is absolutely no doubt about that. However, I can acknowledge when a book is simply not for me. Nothing much plot-wise happens in this book as it is more meant, I feel, to embody the bleakness of Offred's situation and the world she is living in. This book is dreary and bland, as the lives of the handmaids are, thus it is an incredible book in that it completes its purpose and makes you feel as though you are living in Gilead. This book is pretty boring, but that seems to be the point. It took me longer than usual to finish this book but if you enjoyed reading it, you would probably also enjoy the TV show.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Sexism, Pregnancy, Death, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Suicide

Moderate: Medical content, Blood, and War

calaisnobu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Abortion, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Misogyny, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicide

rchulin1's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow I loved this book immensely. It is very dark but so worth it every sentence word paragraph was so well thought out and placed I found myself imagining all the reasons for each placement though this book is on the shorter side the story feels so long in a good way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Classism, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Medical content, Miscarriage, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Deportation, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

mckay1a's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, Infertility, Sexual assault, Rape, Misogyny, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Suicide

sorkka's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I listened to the audio book and found this novel to be the most beautiful prose I have ever heard. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Grief, Classism, Infidelity, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, War, Child death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death

Minor: Animal death, Islamophobia, and Antisemitism

warriors123's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

It is driven by the commander and the main character is powerless 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Rape

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Mental illness, Alcohol, and Murder

aubsends's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Infertility, Rape, War, Murder, Torture, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

booksnobb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

this was obviously a brilliant book and is defo a new fave of mine.

it was not what i was expecting. i did not expect such incredible writing, nor such a disturbing story - but i loved it anyway. the writing style made this book and if im honest, its easily the best writing i have ever read: it was complex, not to the point of it being a difficult read, but it was so soul-bearing and rich with tension, emotion and vivid mental pictures. i could rave about it for ages but in summary, it dropped my jaw and it WILL open your legs. However, i found that near the ending the writing became slightly repetitive - like too much of a good thing. i wish Atwood used less minicliffhangers at the end of paragraphs (please tell me that makes sense) because although they were all great, there were so many that they kinda lost their punch and had a much lesser impact.

Atwood’s take on dystopia was so captivating and actually quite frightening. even though it is very very far off from our current reality, as i read this, the worldbuilding was so solid that i felt like this was a genuine possibility. and im not gonna do a whole analysis here but the social issues dealt with here had such intriguing commentary. you could write a book on this book and im sure someone has. i would read it.

oh and this is the first book where i didn’t roll my eyes at the first-person narrative bc she executes it SO WELL. there was no looking into her golden orbs in the mirror 🥳🥳 ngl i didnt even notice that it was in first person until like the middle of the book. Whether thats a compliment to Atwood or an insult to me im not sure. probably both. and this book actually wouldnt have worked in the third person, even if it were omniscient. it’s just too intimate for that. 

i loved all the characters, especially the protagonist because damn they were so INTERESTING. im not really one for morals influencing whether i like a character, but i need them to feel genuine. so although there wasnt much development per se, there was a lot of character work, and i felt like i understood them. i think its because the protagonist had so much empathy, so through her eyes we saw each character laid bare. Atwood also didnt give two shits whether we liked them, and in doing so made them much more real and imo likeable. 

i loved the structure - the story escalated gradually and the plot thickened as it kinda examined and critiqued the society and it made me feel pretty smart while reading it. i love books that boost my ego. Atwood just has this way of providing information unhurriedly, so it feels like a natural expansion and never like infodumping.

so, in summary, go read The Handmaid’s Tale 💗💕

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pregnancy, Cursing, Infidelity, War, Infertility, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, and Animal death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abortion, Stalking, Gun violence, Murder, Vomit, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

tieflingmom's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Police brutality, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Sexual content, Death, Infertility, Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, War, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Suicide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Medical content

puseyhawk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

OMGOODNESS!!! This was STUNNING! The writing… delectable. The story…  challenging. The world building… encapsulating. The questions raised… confronting. The future portrayed… terrifying. 

This was such a dark, difficult, disturbing, yet gripping read. I was so taken aback by the writing style, the voice, the main character, the themes, the world building, the complex issues and ideas being addressed, the narrative structure, and even the narrative framing device used at the end. This is a complex and layered yet very primal emotional read. Just a harrowing tale to read. Honestly… I just loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Murder, Slavery, Racism, Suicide, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infertility, Classism, Islamophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, War, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcohol, Antisemitism, and Abortion