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ivorynovature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity, Torture, Kidnapping, Abortion, and War
cupidsarroww's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Pregnancy
malaikawrites's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Abortion
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
it's definitely white feminism, with racism in this religious-extremist totalitarian regime only mentioned once, in passing, at the very end. compared to another modern classic published just two years later, Beloved, it's kind of embarrassing.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. instant one-star deduction for having author's name larger than the title (sorry Margaret Atwood), and this is especially egregious; the title is relatively tiny. we all know minimalism has become excessive but i really like this one. the centering of the title is very satisfying, with approximately equal overhang of "HANDMAID'S" on either side of the dress. and the best part, get ready for your mind to be blown: see that dot in front of the Handmaid's head? it's the eye of a face in profile looking to the left hidden in the negative space. genius
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and War
laurajordensharris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism
allym's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, and Pregnancy
darbo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lily1304's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
4.0
It's interesting that the narrator seems to downplay the racist aspects of Gilead - we learn more about that from the epilogue than the narrator. I only saw a few episodes of the Amazon TV series, but half the reason I watched it was for Samira Wiley as Moira. I guess there's a trade-off - if Amazon wanted a racially diverse cast, they had to ignore the way that racism and sexism are intertwined, & would have to be intertwined in an American regime like Gilead. But Amazon didn't seem to care that much about fidelity to the novel anyway.
I also noticed more the way the narrator's mother is sort of complicit with the coup leading to Gilead. Her mother is a feminist but shares some of the same broad goals as Gilead - pornography is evil, women shouldn't be sexualized, every child should be a wanted child, women should be free from sexual harassment. The scene where
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Rape, Torture, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Abortion, Alcohol, and War
rory_john14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, and War
rettasbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment