Reviews

Die Zeuginnen by Margaret Atwood

jambo__07's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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? No

4.0

jopolyd's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

rea1997's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I just finished reading this book, and I have to say, it's pretty wild. It's a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, but you really need to have read that to understand it. The world-building is on point, and it's cool to see more of Gilead and how it works.

The story itself is a bit predictable, but it's still interesting to see how everything plays out. I especially liked the parts with Aunt Lydia and Agnes Jemima. They were my favorite characters. Daisy was kind of annoying, though. I couldn't stand her.

One thing I didn't like was the ending for Aunt Lydia. I thought it was kind of harsh. But overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a good read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Infertility, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Torture, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mental illness, Gun violence, Classism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Gore, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Child death, and Alcohol

noavalentijn's review against another edition

4.0

3,5
If you read this book as just another story from Gilead and not a direct sequel, it is really a nice book. The different storylines come perfectly together but after that it feels a bit rushed. If you liked the first book, this is definitely recommended.

jennbliven's review against another edition

4.0

I always want more from her stories, but for fans of The Handmaid's Tale I think it provided satisfying closure.

sanumg's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.75

bob_d's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

chloeb24's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

fedak's review against another edition

3.0

Fan service novel after people pestered Atwood for 30 years about what happened after the Handmaid's Tale. Quite good for about the first 3/4 with a couple big reveals (one of which I saw coming a mile away, one I didn't)

In the last part, Atwood clearly wanted to bring two of the protagonists together and clearly couldn't think of a way to do it. So we ended up with a nonsensical plot sequence for the latter third.

It was also disappointing that Atwood basically added nothing to Gilead that wasn't in the first novel- and I was hoping to see more about how the US devolved to the point where the Gilead revolution was possible.

gwen_witch's review against another edition

It wasn't as great as the first one, and I didn't see the point of it.