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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual assault
Well done
This was the sequel I’ve needed for nearly 30 years. I read HMT as a reading assignment, my senior year in high school, and was immediately captivated and horrified. Going to an all girls school, our copies of this book was passed around to almost the entire school, and many discussions were had over how great, yet wildly improbable it was. Little could the young girls who sat around lunch tables, in the student lounge, and in classrooms discussing it, have known how very different the world would become as we turned into adults.
The sequel offers up the same grippingly horrifying vision of the future as HMT, but also gives a glimpse of what happened at the very beginning of Gilead, and how some of the main players from HMT got where they were. I found Aunt Lydia’s story especially interesting, since I had such loathing for her in HMT. I kind of hated feeling some sympathy for her, but really liked finding out who she was, and what happened to her pre-Gilead.
This was the sequel I’ve needed for nearly 30 years. I read HMT as a reading assignment, my senior year in high school, and was immediately captivated and horrified. Going to an all girls school, our copies of this book was passed around to almost the entire school, and many discussions were had over how great, yet wildly improbable it was. Little could the young girls who sat around lunch tables, in the student lounge, and in classrooms discussing it, have known how very different the world would become as we turned into adults.
The sequel offers up the same grippingly horrifying vision of the future as HMT, but also gives a glimpse of what happened at the very beginning of Gilead, and how some of the main players from HMT got where they were. I found Aunt Lydia’s story especially interesting, since I had such loathing for her in HMT. I kind of hated feeling some sympathy for her, but really liked finding out who she was, and what happened to her pre-Gilead.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Faster paced than the original, and less depressing / melancholy. More plot in this story than the first.
Review to come once the spoiler period has passed!
I can’t decide between 3 and 3.5 for this book, partly because I feel as though I’m judging it harshly because it won the Booker. This to me was a fun read, but in no way a prize-winning read. I was not shocked by a single one of the reveals and saw the big one so early on that I’m maybe not even sure it was supposed to be a reveal, just knowledge we were waiting for the characters to figure out. The writing wasn’t particularly special and Atwood has now overused the structure of historical text with an epilogue at a symposium of historians. Some may find the parallels soothing or fitting, I found them tired. What made THT unique is no longer interesting a second time around. The one bonus is that my biggest complain with THT is the lack of world building which is much less a problem in this novel because it has the previous book to lean on.
To be clear, I did not dislike this book. At times it was exciting. I’m just completely stunned that this is supposed to be an award winner with the likes of “Midnight’s Children” or “Never Let Me Go.” It isn’t particularly inventive (besides the world, which already exists in a previous novel AND a show) nor particularly well-written. I’m waiting to cast final judgement after reading Girl, Woman, Other, but I can’t help feeling Atwood was awarded this as career achievement and apology for the Booker not naming THT the winner back in the day (which is against the rules! But whatever).
To be clear, I did not dislike this book. At times it was exciting. I’m just completely stunned that this is supposed to be an award winner with the likes of “Midnight’s Children” or “Never Let Me Go.” It isn’t particularly inventive (besides the world, which already exists in a previous novel AND a show) nor particularly well-written. I’m waiting to cast final judgement after reading Girl, Woman, Other, but I can’t help feeling Atwood was awarded this as career achievement and apology for the Booker not naming THT the winner back in the day (which is against the rules! But whatever).