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eatwritereadrepeat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Abortion
sixxed's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
sophk8's review
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Blood, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage
james1star's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.75
My favourite theme within the Handmaid’s Tale is how Offred is shown to bring up this separation of the mind and the body. She does this in a society where women are defined and characterised by their bodily attributes and abilities and so she takes ownership of her own mentality and in doing so showcases her rebellion. This spirit and drive does wither and her internal monologue is characterised by disjointedness expressing the impact that her circumstances has had on her. Her flashbacks to the past and telling of her story is mixed but you are very hooked on it and Offred is portrayed as a very real person.
Unlike some I actually really liked the ending because it is super ambiguous where she enters ‘into the darkness within; or else the light’ so we will never know what happened to her. There is a sense of hope but also tragedy. However the main point Atwood puts forward is unknowing and this is reinforced by the historical notes where they’re questioning the accuracy and credibility of her account by historians of the future at a convention on Giledean studies. Despite teetering on her Tale being true, I mainly got a sense of distrust and ‘brushing off’ of the events which Offred so courageously shared. Towards the end of her account she is shown to be in psychology pain thinking about what she’s endured, it’s hard for her to tell these things and she wants to get them right but undoubtedly it’s hard because of the traumatic nature of the circumstances. And for historians (academic professionals who specialise in the subject and we trust to interpret it) to in a way belittle her efforts is such an injustice. But true, we’ve done that to past accounts of people in horrific situations, further emphasising a need to not repeat the past.
I do want to mention I did watch the show long before reading the book (only got into reading the past 5 months) and I do enjoy it so I did have my own opinions and idea of the storyline. However, I definitely enjoyed the book way more and I imagined and realised Offred more vividly in my head then seeing her physically real. Also I love how in the book we know Offred knows her name, but she has power in withholding it from us and her being the property ‘of’ the commander ‘Fred’ we’re constantly reminded she is property, her value is merely in her bodily functions for Fred and his household (yes she does pose mental stimulation in the book but under the Gileadan regime, as a Handmaid that is her function) and the show outright giving her a name in a way diminishes the significance of Atwood not revealing her name in the book. A thought.
To conclude I did really enjoy this novel, I initially was listening to as an audiobook but this was removed from YouTube so got the book and actually much more enjoyed reading it myself, it took me a long time to get through it and I think that’s because of the method in which I took it in. It is hard to read in parts but is okay exceptionally well written and really hooks you in. Bring on The Testaments.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, War, and Classism
ratandorange's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
anotheranomaly_'s review against another edition
- 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? No
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Police brutality, and Classism
jennylarue's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Classism
reddeddy'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
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
vee_the_tree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail