Reviews

Having just finished reading this book, I'm still wrapped up in the fictional world of Gilead. The Testaments feels very different from The Handmaid's Tale, but I think it's also a satisfying sequel. The three narrative perspectives work increasingly well together as the novel progresses. It's a convincing progression of the reality created by The Handmaid's Tale, and although this novel's overarching tone may lack some of the mature grace of its prequel (then again, that was written 35 years ago), I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it even if you haven't read its prequel or watched the HBO show.

metsmo21's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

aubrey_page_101's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

lovelyday2day's review against another edition

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5.0

Terrific.

aixahv3858's review against another edition

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3.0

Redacto esta reseña sin leer opiniones ajenas porque quiero que sea lo más sincera posible. Tras terminar el libro, tengo sentimientos encontrados y, aunque me ha gustado mucho, siento que algo falta.

En primer lugar, destacar que me ha parecido mucho más ligero que el primer libro. Se lee mucho más rápido, los cambios de narradoras le dan agilidad y la historia es realmente interesante. Sin embargo, "El cuento de la criada" era mucho más arduo de leer y si bien es cierto que a veces se hacía pesado, ayudaba a transmitir el duro régimen de Gilead. Es como si te transportara allí.

En segundo lugar, tengo que decir que me ha gustado saber lo que ocurre tras la historia original, pero a veces me ha parecido demasiado inverosímil. Todas las piezas encajan de una forma, quizás, demasiado perfecta.

Además, en algunos momentos me ha constado mucho seguir la línea temporal y comprender cuánto tiempo sucede entre cada suceso. Tampoco me ha quedado tan claro qué sucede con el régimen. ¿Gilead cae a raíz del final o tienen que transcurrir más años? Si es así, ¿cuánto tiempo dura Gilead? ¿Solo en torno a unos 100 años?

En definitiva, me ha encantado porque nos ofrece nuevos datos de Gilead, de sus gentes y su historia, pero me he vuelto a quedar con multitud de preguntas al igual que me pasó con "El cuento de la Criada".

mrsrccockrell's review against another edition

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5.0

Holy moly! Margaret Atwood does it again!

I love The Handmaid’s Tale and I’ve been itching to get my hands on this sequel for a while. It did not disappoint.

I know I always say the book is better than the movie, but The Handmaid’s Tale is an exception. The Hulu series is able to go so much more in depth with the story and the characters, so I love that Atwood made the TV show part of the cannon, and built off of it to create The Testaments.

This story follows both of Offred’s daughters as well as Aunt Lydia. There is so much rich character development for each of these three and I love how their stories intertwine. Atwood shows us that we can never truly know or understand someone else’s motives. She continues to surprise us with the depravity of Gilead and the terrible things it’s citizens must do to protect themselves.

If you loved The Handmaid’s Tale, you owe it to yourself to read The Testaments.

claratee's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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