Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

72 reviews

lolsous's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This is written from multiple perspectives, and as the story unravels we understand how these narratives are connected. I enjoyed the different perspectives, and the writing style, even though it is different from The Handmaid's tale. I would say that the narrators seem much more reliable in this book, and the writing style is more direct. The beauty for me, and the reason I give it a 5, is in the obvious but unsaid, and the small moments that made me want to cry for days.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Pedophilia

valyn_grebe's review

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Minor: Bullying, Murder, Child death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Violence

rosies_book_shelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Cancer, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Torture

bookworm_nic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Rape, Sexism, and Suicide attempt

walskishere's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I think the actual plot was pretty good, solid. How the book was written, though, the writing style, did not seem like a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. It didn't have the same stiff writing. I'm unsure if that's [stiff] how Atwood writes, or if that was to help set the scene for The Handmaid's Tale. The tone was different, but that may have been intentional, as Agnes grew up in Gilead + June/Offred did not.

I guessed pretty much all of the plot/plot "twists". This made it a little annoying to get thru, because I already pretty much knew what was going to happen. I have a theory that it was written so obviously, because it was so obvious that Trump was going to fuck shit up. This was reinforced by allusions to the small and subtle, but horrible changes leading up to Gilead taking over the USA.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Excrement, Genocide, and Torture

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Homophobia

andreiaoh's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent

hannahvictoria90's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

beccic's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicide, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Infertility, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

liviilivs's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Child abuse, Death, and Sexual assault

rjteverow's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Whew. I'd been waiting for this book a while, and I wound up listening to the audiobook because I couldn't get my hands on a physical copy fast enough.  Atwood's storytelling obviously holds up and delivers. There are three distinct storytellers in here, and the tales are masterfully woven together. You can see where some things will go, but get totally blindsided by other things. It kept me on my toes (especially because I made myself only listen to it while on walks or runs, which meant I actually got outside for a little bit), except for when it put me on my knees with heartbreak and fear. If you like Atwood, if you liked The Handmaid's Tale, this is a must-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicide, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death and Gore