Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

237 reviews

ppp's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Trafficking, War, Infertility, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual assault

_elli_'s review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Murder, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Gaslighting

sav_22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

Oddly, I did not feel as strongly for this as I did the show adaptation. I feel like it wasn’t as easy to connect to the story as much. Pacing was quick and it left you feeling hollow and sad; this was likely the point, but it didn’t really have any development other than world-building. this has a nihilistic perspective, which can be more impactful for the message depending on how you go into it.

the show covers this entirely in just season 1, except a few passages here and there. The show explores this concept far more deeply and gives Offred more depth and personhood. Her real name is never mentioned in the book, as the show takes many creative liberties to explore the concept more.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Blood, Body shaming, Sexual violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Abortion, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Infertility, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Self harm, Abandonment, and Ableism

readerorwateva's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Violence, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Miscarriage

seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Infertility, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Bullying, Classism, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Miscarriage, Rape, Vomit, and War

purplerose30's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, and Grief

Moderate: Abortion, Miscarriage, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Rape

librarybribery's review against another edition

2.5

I would have liked to see more how the world went from the plot of the handmaid's tale to what we see in the epilogue. I prefer the Madaddam trilogy, similarly dystopic but more satisfyingly complex.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Religious bigotry

salem0's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective 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

4.25

as i do with most books, i'm writing this review after several months of reflection.

so... i really wanted to love this, especially after watching the incredible (at least till s4/5) show. i do think this story has some powerful messages, an interesting concept, it's good at making you feel tense, and it really makes you reflect on how women's rights are like in this age- gilead brings to mind many current events that have occurred (particularly in 2022). i thought the ending was very thought-provoking too. but overall it just didn't do it for me. it's a nice enough book, but to me it wasn't very outstanding, and a bit dull in some parts. i appreciate this nevertheless, for its impact on modern lit and discussion of feminism.

edit: did a reread, 23/05/24
this is definitely better than i remember. the prose is actually so wonderfully written, if very confusing at times. the story of offred is so compelling, her story is one of the most human stories i've read in a while. i've boosted the rating in reflection of that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Rape, and Violence

Minor: War, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Antisemitism

mmkiel's review against another edition

dark 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? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, War, and Violence

avery_hutchinson's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Very interesting commentary

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Slavery and Violence