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

As it has been almost two years since I've read this book and only am reviewing it now, while doing the same with other books I have read but not yet revieuwed, I can't say I remember much, but this is what I do remember.

I read this book for school and at school, which means we went pretty deep into it. This caused quite some interesting findings. For example, the names of the maids. They all start with 'of' and are followed by the name of their owner (ex.: Ofwarren, Offred), which makes it very clear that they are property and might be a way of dehumanizing them.

Now on to the actual review.

While I don't necessarily dislike literary books, I do find it very hard to get through them, so as a genre, this was not my favorite. However, this book and the genre in general are still fun to read!
What I like about this book a lot is the mystery and the dystopian setting. I love books with some angst and mystery and I am a big sucker for dystopia.

I marked the pacing as medium, because there is quite some action written pretty closely after each other time-wise, but during and between that action there is enough description of the situation and the place the books take place in, which adds to the experience and gives the reader insight in the world-building of the book.

My advice: read the book! If you're a literature lover, this is just a great piece of it, and if you're someone who doesn't enjoy reading literature too much, but wants to dip their toe into it and/or is required to read a number of literary books for school, this is definitely a recommendation, as it is not too slow paced and quite recent.

Content Warnings

ally_bur's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

5.0

Although the content of this novel is frightening, Margaret Atwood’s writing captivates me. I couldn’t put the book down. I think it was easier for me to get through the book the second time around given the fact that this was a reread and that I knew what happens. I found myself paying for attention to smaller details especially related to how this religious group took over and enforced its ideology. I picked up on many similarities between the novel and new laws and policies being passed in the US (for example, the restrictive Texas abortion law that punishes doctors and health care providers, passed in 2021); it’s easy to see how something like this could actually happen. However, it’s important to note that Atwood only included laws, practices, and events that had already taken place in the US at some point in time. As a white woman, it’s easier for me to forget that black women were enslaved and forced to procreate, just like the Handmaids. (Would that make white women the wives and/or Aunts? Most likely.)

Content Warnings

darbo's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

I’ll be fully honest, I needed my girlfriend to explain some things to me as we buddy-read this. It was, at times, hard for me to understand and follow what was going on - especially so in some night chapters - but in the end I managed to get the full picture of it and I ended up really enjoying this. It’s a very well written dystopian novel that follows our main character, Offred, through her daily life and thoughts as she goes along, through what can only be described as tyranny. I thoroughly enjoyed this, with the exception of one particular chapter - although relevant to story. I highly recommend this to any dystopia fans out there, and I personally am looking forward to reading its sequel.

Content Warnings

carlas97's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

0l1v1a's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

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