Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

128 reviews

vivivi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Hooolyyyyyyyy snaps! 

As I've said a few other times before, this was rather disturbing. Sickening how twisted society became (twisted — not created from nothing, but from our current society: twisted, bent, pressed, and reformed into the Gileadean era). But I had to finish the book! I kept cheering for her and wanting to know if she escapes. 

I think my rage at the professor in the end shows just how invested I was in her story and how much of it I believed. I'm also creeped out by the professor's tone. Maybe it's just me, but it sounds like he tries to be all reasonable and aimeable while every other sentence sows distrust in her record.

I didn't expect it to end the way it did, but it definitely reads like a diary that was secretly recorded by a survivor, so I'm not too surprised. There's a lot to unpack in this book, and it's one of those that stays in your head even after you've finished it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Miscarriage

emfass's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

I have no idea why the heck I felt inspired to re-read The Handmaid's Tale at a time with lots of other hard things going on in my life, but there you go. 

Loved Claire Danes' narration, as well as the expanded materials at the end that Atwood wrote. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Classism, Rape, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Violence, and Infertility

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Torture, Deportation, Police brutality, Trafficking, Body horror, Sexual content, and Homophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Vomit, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Medical content, and War

allidone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexism, Trafficking, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Torture, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Infertility, and Hate crime

Moderate: Racism and Ableism

zams's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

It seemed to be a very slow read and super slow-paced in the beginning, but picked up the pace A LOT towards the end. A gruelling outlook on how life could be in society, and a brutal reality already for countless people on the planet.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Infertility, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Slavery, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Classism, Death, Child death, Ableism, War, Violence, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Sexism, Rape, Murder, and Miscarriage

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Infidelity, and Blood

musicmagician823's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Death, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Miscarriage

marionesq's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

Unreliable narrator.
Margaret Atwood succeeds in writing that leaves more to our imagination, but doesn't leave you short-changed. You can trust your brain to connect the pieces. She does it by writing not simply visually, but cinematically. And the way everything unfolds is just brilliant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Genocide, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Classism, Confinement, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Lesbophobia, Trafficking, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Murder, Death, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Violence, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Gun violence, Police brutality, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Miscarriage

Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, Death of parent, Medical content, and Abortion

meganpbennett's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

For as disturbing and terrifying a story as The Handmaid's Tale was, I found it boring and very slow. It was very disturbing because of just how simple it would be for us to end up in this society, and just how many people seem to want us to end up in this society. 

As for the story itself, I found the narrator to be very unreliable, and the non-linear narrative was very hard to follow at times, making it hard to tell when various events were taking place. Very similar to 1984, but in a different direction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Violence, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Police brutality, Sexual violence, Slavery, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Self harm

memily_73's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

spag's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Suicide, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Infertility