Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

73 reviews

thirdtimesacharm's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Blood

Minor: War

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

definitely a slow burn but i liked the way it built tension somewhat exponentially with the narrator at the center of three mini rebellions—

seeing the Commander, defecting with Ofglen and Mayday, and conspiring with Serena Joy and Nick

—but in the end it didn't really amount to all that much. i love the inclusion of the "Historical Notes," they're terrible and perfect.
it's definitely white feminism, with racism in this religious-extremist totalitarian regime only mentioned once, in passing, at the very end. compared to another modern classic published just two years later, Beloved, it's kind of embarrassing.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. instant one-star deduction for having author's name larger than the title (sorry Margaret Atwood), and this is especially egregious; the title is relatively tiny. we all know minimalism has become excessive but i really like this one. the centering of the title is very satisfying, with approximately equal overhang of "HANDMAID'S" on either side of the dress. and the best part, get ready for your mind to be blown: see that dot in front of the Handmaid's head? it's the eye of a face in profile looking to the left hidden in the negative space. genius

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and War

ageckocalledachilles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Blood

Moderate: Infertility and Suicide

calthapalustris's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Interesting read overall I have to admit, though this book is just missing something and I've been trying to figure out what that is for over a year now.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, and Murder

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Blood, and Medical content

accio_gays's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.0

This was a struggle for me to read, I had to put it down several times to regain a clear state of mind. I would if you think this story might affect you look up content warnings beforehand, because its intense. Overall, I had high expectations for this book after all the hype due to the tv show, but was quite disappointed by it. I'm really not a fan of slow moving books and this was slow. I'm not a fan of dnfing books and I had to read this for sixth form, but after reading it I would never choose to read it in my personal time, and enjoy the book, because I didn't like it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, and Grief

darbo's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

tonjebjorkenes's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

cdt96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

A dark yet scarily relevant book. Atwood said herself she never included anything that hasn't happened to women before. Now more than ever women should read this book as if it is a warning. This book shows a time before Gilead which unfortunately resonates with today's political and cultural landscapes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

labohemeperdue's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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: Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Abortion, and Alcohol

Moderate: Gore

ellahaugdahl's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.0

i had to read the handmaid's tale for school, and it was brutal. i have never read a book about something so cruel. even though this book is pure fiction, i am sure something similar happens today in modern society. the handmaid's tale wakes many feelings, and you understand how uncomfortable and different you become with no control over yourself and your body. 
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an important book everybody should read, even though it is written in a hard way and include many details and world building.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Rape, Self harm, Murder, and War

Minor: Body shaming, Miscarriage, Blood, and Death of parent