Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

220 reviews

lynleybidlake's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy

whaddahell's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide

kidcorvus's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Diverse cast of characters: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexism, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Homophobia

therobinjoyce's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

---

The Handmaid's tale is such a wonderfully dark and gritty, almost dystopian novel. Considering its publication over 3 decades ago, it is surprisingly easy to read and flows with such emotion.

The system of Gilead within the book is so brutal and cruel yet it highlighted the true capabilities of man. What man can do to one another, and just how dangerous and misogyny can be.

There are so many other reviewers who could word their feelings about this book with much more eloquence than I'm capable of, but if I had to leave this review with one closing thought I would tell you that this book will change your life. It will make you think and question and ponder so many different things and appreciate the lives and freedom we are able to live in this bustling modern era. How lucky we are and how we need to remember this fact.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Suicide attempt

nicolemaeb's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional informative sad tense 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: No

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Margaret knows how to write a book. That's all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape

valyn_grebe's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief

Minor: Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Blood

biblizo's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Religious bigotry

dsaiz's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse

haseki_sultana's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Introspective and totally character-driven, Atwood does a tremendous job of putting the reader into the thoughts and feelings of a woman who has become enslaved and is forced to carry her rapist's child. Most people refer to this novel as dystopic, and the undercurrent of it definitely is, but the main genre/focal point of this novel is speculative fiction. The focus is on the internal monologue, thoughts, emotions, experiences, and remembrances of the main character. As such, we never get any insight into the machinations of the dystopian government or society - we only see what Offred (the main character) sees, we only know what she knows.

This is why this novel is more speculative fiction than dystopian: it is an exercise of our imaginations to examine and possibly understand the human condition when it is undergoing a rather 'rare' (for western audiences) plight.

Whether or not you consider the situation presented in the novel plausible or realistic doesn't matter. What matters, and what Atwood asks you to look at, is the condition of an everywoman character who has gone and must continue to go through atrocities in life without any reprieve. It is a novel which holds a magnifying glass over sexual trauma, and the psyche of those who are unfortunate enough to endure it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, Antisemitism

Content warning that is unavailable in the list: reproductive coercion.

peachmoni's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I enjoyed this even more upon a reread. (There was also a very informative and thought-provoking readalong that I joined here!)

It's tough reading this in a time when many of Gilead's tactics are being used in real life. Of course, Atwood drew from events that already happened to shape this world. Why shouldn't those events happen again? Sometimes it feels like authoritarianism is inevitable, but I choose to take heart in the fact that acts of resistance persist. In the book, there are many groups and individuals who fight back in whatever way they can. To me, no act is too small: carving a secret message, reading when you're not supposed to, escaping or helping others escape. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Classism