Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

147 reviews

sunnysky's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence and Slavery

Minor: Murder

zams'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It seemed to be a very slow read and super slow-paced in the beginning, but picked up the pace A LOT towards the end. A gruelling outlook on how life could be in society, and a brutal reality already for countless people on the planet.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, and Alcohol

isleofwoman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War

jlohnes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Alcohol

ritte_e's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

mikala's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

rustyray's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. I found it very engaging yet times I had to step away for my own health. Atwood really nailed the setting and unfortunately still relatable in 2022. Months later, I still find myself talking about the book. I also realized after watching her doc that all elements of Gilead have happened in cultures around the world. 
Will read testaments asap

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

maisieflorence's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

5.0

This was so incredibly powerful! I really liked it. Very reflective of your our society still to this day, unfortunately. I liked the ambiguous ending. The whole story was significantly different than I expected, primary because I’ve been a few episodes of the action packed show. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicide, Police brutality, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, and Alcohol

seawarrior's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

It's difficult to review this book because I feel that everything that could possibly be analyzed about it has already been said, especially with the popularity of the television show. I really enjoyed reading it, although the scenario described was repulsive. Atwood cleverly set up a dystopia that seems closer to actuality with each passing day, although the book was originally published decades earlier. Demonization of sex work and women in the workforce spirals into a world ruled under Biblical fundamentals, where wealthy men still behave in ways that spit on their own supposedly held values. Offred's devastating descriptions of her time as a Handmaid and worsening mental state reveal how even someone who once had agency in the world are bludgeoned by systems of bigotry that seem inescapable. Atwood illustrates this world with a nuance that deftly critiques Biblical values, gender-based exploitation and violence, and the shortcomings of modern feminism. I definitely recommend this book to other readers, and wish I could have read it in a literature course to gain even more insight into its messages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, and Trafficking