Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

137 reviews

marissasa's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

I read this classic not knowing anything about it other than that it had a dystopian setting that was very oppressive to women, and I feel like that short description sums up the extent of its social commentary. I wasn't really impressed or moved by the narrative, and while there were a few interesting moments and characters, for the majority of the book I was just bored. I felt like there were a lot of questions and not a lot of answers in this story, and even the answers that were given didn't feel compelling or deep. I am writing this review about a month late after I finished the book and the fact I can barely remember details about it just emphasizes how little this book impacted me or left any kind of memorable impression.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Bullying, Grief, Sexual content, Torture, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault

elanele's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Infertility, Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Pregnancy, Bullying, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Confinement, Grief, and Miscarriage

Minor: Sexual content, War, Rape, Abortion, Slavery, and Suicide

mgcalder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

3.25

Whilst Margret Attwood is clearly an excellent writer, and the concept of the book is fascinating, I found the story itself to be somewhat lacking. The open ending also seemed at odds with the rest of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Slavery, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Body shaming, Death, Self harm, Abortion, Confinement, Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Mental illness, and Murder

lauren625's review against another edition

dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Medical content and War

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

peasandpancakes's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

My rating might be biased because I “loved” the series and I listened to the audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Moss. It scares me how some of the things in these books are happening right now somewhere in the world, which makes it impactful I think. 

I think it helps to have watched the series, because there was a lot less about the daily way of things in the book than I expected. Having seen the series, did help to make it feel more immersive.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Slavery

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Alcohol, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and War

greenan26's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Infertility, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Slavery, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Mental illness, Police brutality, Suicide, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Genocide, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Self harm

thulanileigh's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Slavery, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Rape, and Physical abuse

eleanorashcroftsmith's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Grief, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Miscarriage, Death, Violence, Abortion, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Medical trauma, and Gore

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