Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

148 reviews

spag's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Infertility

bwoodard's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Infertility, and Misogyny

Moderate: Confinement

soswiin's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

an important book to read. i would’ve hated to read it for school due to it’s squirmish plot points and its challenging narratives. but reading it on my own time has launched it to becoming one of my favorite books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Miscarriage, Classism, Infertility, Infidelity, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Antisemitism, Biphobia, and Lesbophobia

lorraine19's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I read this book after I started the show. (See spoiler for connection between show and book.) It is very tense and covers extremely sensitive subjects in a brutal way. 

For this reason, I'd advise against reading if you are sensitive or have trauma that is easily triggered. 

However, it does highlight some very relevant issues and is something I think many people should read. It will make you uncomfortable. You might have to put it down for a couple days to process it or take a breather. But it is worthwhile and will make you recognize small signs of sexism and discrimination. It shows how small things can escalate. It is also very heavy on religion and politics, but I view the main character as someone wanting to reclaim her religion from extremists - for this reason I do not believe it is anti-religious but anti-extremism. 

I do wish they went more into some of the other characters impacted (which I believe she does in the sequel) but it also did a good job of explaining the world strictly from the main character's POV. 

<SPOILER> The book only covers what is basically the first season of the show but the plot is also a bit different. This leaves it open ended as well. <SPOILER>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Infertility, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Biphobia, Child abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, Classism, Antisemitism, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Violence, War, Abortion, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Ritualistic rape, religious extremism, political abuse

k_galloway's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Racism, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Torture, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

kmayatte's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Confinement, Rape, Kidnapping, and Misogyny

Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Racism, Abortion, Infidelity, and Murder

Minor: Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Trafficking

sophk8's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Misogyny, Murder, and Confinement

Moderate: Blood, Classism, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Abortion

Minor: Miscarriage

its_van_vulpen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Sexual harassment, Torture, Trafficking, Slavery, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

keeper_of_dark_materials's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-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

4.75

This book is hard to come to terms with, both by how it pulls from history and how it predicts the future. Atwood's writing style is brutish and in your face, but she uses it to make sure that you get the point she's trying to make. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Body horror, Police brutality, Slavery, Abortion, Ableism, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt

colie923's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Confinement, and Misogyny

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence