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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
undermined the first book and felt like ya, but not bad either
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and although I loved The Handmaid’s Tale I think I enjoyed this one even more!
I appreciated the different perspectives, different characters experiences of one thing.
I think the development and connection with the present was very interesting.
Incredibly good and I strongly recommend!!
I appreciated the different perspectives, different characters experiences of one thing.
I think the development and connection with the present was very interesting.
Incredibly good and I strongly recommend!!
An uncharacteristically middling work for an author of Atwood's stature.
The insights into the guilt a hesitant believer can mire themselves in under the watchful eye of religious dogma are fascinating, but few and far between. Most of the novel involves a rather generic YA escape plot, that isn't even as compelling as the already increasingly unbelievable theatrics being done in the show's third season. Much of the grit and gore of Gilead is conveniently ignored in favor of laying out the details of this dramatically uninteresting and painfully predictable escape plot.
The alternating narrators provide an engaging pace. Agnes's point of view is perhaps the most rewarding in exploring the self doubt and trapped feelings of growing up in a place like Gilead. Lydia's drastic personality shift is a lot to stomach, and trying to feel sorry for her after seeing the atrocities she commits in the first book and the truly heinous torture she revels in in the show is quite the task. As a Redditor once said with regards to this task, "Cry me a fucking waterfall and drown in it." So Atwood's sharp 180 turn for this character makes a modicum of sense if you literally ignore everything Aunt Lydia stands for in other installments of this series. Daisy's POV is where much of the unexpected genericness of The Testaments comes spilling out. But while her aloof, "IDGAF" teenager attitude is easily the least engaging of the 3 POVs, the side characters in all 3 POVs suffer greatly from overgenerality. Neil and Melanie are the stereotypical mysterious, but caring parents. Ada is the stereotypical super capable secret agent. Garth is the stereotypical hot badass. Vidala is the stereotypical nosy witch. Elizabeth and Helena are the stereotypical bumbling henchmen. Paula is the stereotypical wicked stepmother. Kyle is the stereotypical absent father (he literally has no lines). Commander Judd is the stereotypical over-the-top, pure evil villain. There's just absolutely no attempt at shades of nuance in this fascinatingly nuanced world Atwood so carefully built in the first novel. It is disappointing for an author as capable as this to resort to such generic cliches.
I definitely expected better. The third season of The Handmaid's Tale, messily contrived and unbelievable as it was, was much more dramatic and compelling than this misguided sequel. It was a worthy read in keeping my attention, but doesn't stack up to the powerful narratives of the original and its usually excellent adaptation.
The insights into the guilt a hesitant believer can mire themselves in under the watchful eye of religious dogma are fascinating, but few and far between. Most of the novel involves a rather generic YA escape plot, that isn't even as compelling as the already increasingly unbelievable theatrics being done in the show's third season. Much of the grit and gore of Gilead is conveniently ignored in favor of laying out the details of this dramatically uninteresting and painfully predictable escape plot.
The alternating narrators provide an engaging pace. Agnes's point of view is perhaps the most rewarding in exploring the self doubt and trapped feelings of growing up in a place like Gilead. Lydia's drastic personality shift is a lot to stomach, and trying to feel sorry for her after seeing the atrocities she commits in the first book and the truly heinous torture she revels in in the show is quite the task. As a Redditor once said with regards to this task, "Cry me a fucking waterfall and drown in it." So Atwood's sharp 180 turn for this character makes a modicum of sense if you literally ignore everything Aunt Lydia stands for in other installments of this series. Daisy's POV is where much of the unexpected genericness of The Testaments comes spilling out. But while her aloof, "IDGAF" teenager attitude is easily the least engaging of the 3 POVs, the side characters in all 3 POVs suffer greatly from overgenerality. Neil and Melanie are the stereotypical mysterious, but caring parents. Ada is the stereotypical super capable secret agent. Garth is the stereotypical hot badass. Vidala is the stereotypical nosy witch. Elizabeth and Helena are the stereotypical bumbling henchmen. Paula is the stereotypical wicked stepmother. Kyle is the stereotypical absent father (he literally has no lines). Commander Judd is the stereotypical over-the-top, pure evil villain. There's just absolutely no attempt at shades of nuance in this fascinatingly nuanced world Atwood so carefully built in the first novel. It is disappointing for an author as capable as this to resort to such generic cliches.
I definitely expected better. The third season of The Handmaid's Tale, messily contrived and unbelievable as it was, was much more dramatic and compelling than this misguided sequel. It was a worthy read in keeping my attention, but doesn't stack up to the powerful narratives of the original and its usually excellent adaptation.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely love Margaret Atwood, and The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favourite books. Unfortunately I didn’t like this — the multiple points of view didn’t hit right for me, and it felt too much like she was trying to deliver a message of hope after so many people resonated with the first book in such a negative way rather than just write a good book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated