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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
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).
dark
tense
medium-paced
Why was this book written? That is my main question, because even after finishing I still find it wholly unnecessary. There isn't a whole lot that Atwood adds to the world of Gilead here, much to my disappointment. Though there are "twists," they are extremely, almost embarrassingly obvious. Not to mention, the book ends in the first spot that I actually wanted to hear what came next. How tragically ironic.
Though I'm not impressed overall with this book's contribution to the legacy of "The Handmaid's Tale," there were some parts I actually quite enjoyed, mainly regarding Aunt Lydia. Venturing into her past via the Ardua Hall Holograph was one of the most entertaining and intriguing parts of the book. I attribute most of this to her biting wit and wonderfully ruthless attitude. Agnes' section was tolerable and at times interesting, but Daisy was the one who really struck me as intolerable. Once their paths start to converge about halfway through the book, however, the plot starts to pick up as well.
To be honest, I read this book more out of a feeling of obligation rather than actual desire. Perhaps that biased me right from the beginning, but I just couldn't get excited about it. Though ultimately I feel it's worth a read for any fan of "The Handmaid's Tale," don't expect it to live up to the original.
Though I'm not impressed overall with this book's contribution to the legacy of "The Handmaid's Tale," there were some parts I actually quite enjoyed, mainly regarding Aunt Lydia. Venturing into her past via the Ardua Hall Holograph was one of the most entertaining and intriguing parts of the book. I attribute most of this to her biting wit and wonderfully ruthless attitude. Agnes' section was tolerable and at times interesting, but Daisy was the one who really struck me as intolerable. Once their paths start to converge about halfway through the book, however, the plot starts to pick up as well.
To be honest, I read this book more out of a feeling of obligation rather than actual desire. Perhaps that biased me right from the beginning, but I just couldn't get excited about it. Though ultimately I feel it's worth a read for any fan of "The Handmaid's Tale," don't expect it to live up to the original.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I think with a book like this, you can never satisfy everyone but for me, I loved every second of it. Atwood's writing is beautiful, descriptive and just makes a wonderful experience. I loved the three new perspectives - giving us a wider view of Gilead. I absolutely loved Aunt Lydia - the voice and the tone of her chapters were my favourite part about the book. It's more pacy and thriller-esque than the first one but it adds to the whole experience - completely unputdownable. Gripping, moving and what an adventure!
An enormously disappointing follow up to a classic that only goes up in my esteem the more i think about it - i enjoyed the triple narrative, which allowed for a much needed breadth to explore the world outside of Gilead as well as within, but then the book changes from an exploration into an espionage thriller, with some astoundingly trite plot reveals alongside it. As with an unfortunate amount of Handmaid media, the concept tends to outdo the execution, and that is most apparent here.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this book, even rereading The Handmaid’s Tale so it would be fresh in my mind while I read it. Recipient of the Booker Prize, sort of. Authored by a legend. But this went nowhere, did nothing.
The Testaments felt like a money grab, piggybacking of the hype of the Netflix series. No one needed to know that Gilead fell. We all knew it would eventually. All regimes do. Nothing new was revealed about high control politics or religion. For 2 paragraphs, I thought we were going to get a really interesting arc about confronting failing personal religious beliefs. But it was introduced then immediately forgotten, in keeping with Agnes’s completely forgettable personality (seriously? we are meant to believe she was a rebel?).
And how naive of Margaret Atwood to write that exposing corruption brought the end of a nation or a religion. Are we meant to believe that people actually took to the streets and overthrew a country because they realized the higher ups were scheming and profiting? Sure. That’s how real life works.
Also how is Canada thriving, having children, etc… when the United States is a hellscape of radioactivity causing untold diseases and birth defects? Does the nuclear waste/pollutant/virus recognize international borders and stop when it gets to the Great Lakes? I can’t even.
If I ever hoped for a sequel in which we get to see Katniss and Peeta’s kids rebuilding Panem, this book cured me of it. 2.5 stars out of leftover respect for Atwood.
The Testaments felt like a money grab, piggybacking of the hype of the Netflix series. No one needed to know that Gilead fell. We all knew it would eventually. All regimes do. Nothing new was revealed about high control politics or religion. For 2 paragraphs, I thought we were going to get a really interesting arc about confronting failing personal religious beliefs. But it was introduced then immediately forgotten, in keeping with Agnes’s completely forgettable personality (seriously? we are meant to believe she was a rebel?).
And how naive of Margaret Atwood to write that exposing corruption brought the end of a nation or a religion. Are we meant to believe that people actually took to the streets and overthrew a country because they realized the higher ups were scheming and profiting? Sure. That’s how real life works.
Also how is Canada thriving, having children, etc… when the United States is a hellscape of radioactivity causing untold diseases and birth defects? Does the nuclear waste/pollutant/virus recognize international borders and stop when it gets to the Great Lakes? I can’t even.
If I ever hoped for a sequel in which we get to see Katniss and Peeta’s kids rebuilding Panem, this book cured me of it. 2.5 stars out of leftover respect for Atwood.