Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Handmaid's Tale

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

609 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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sinead_444's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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kjwalkerrr19's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

This book is a masterpiece of writing and detail. When she says in her introduction of the 2017 rerelease that I read, “God is in the details; but so is the devil”, she meant that shit! I’ve never read a book so capable of uniquely, attentively, and consistently details everything about every setting. Smell, texture, props, history, just truly everything. At times I was getting lost in the detail and zoning out, and I’d have to zone back in.

My hot take for this book is I didn’t find it as shocking as I was expecting to because of the horrors I’ve lived through myself as a woman in the United States the past 3 years, so it made the book more realistic, which is so sad to say. I was disappointed by my lack of surprise from the capabilities of the new government of this book because my own has already let me down so much.

I think Margaret Atwood is a genius for this book, and no wonder it’s a classic and is studied. It is a stunning piece of literature with historical accuracy and religious notes.

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