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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
fast-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
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was really sad and overwhelming read the change in the actitude of Defred among the book. Her spirit and hope vanish. This world was her new reality. And after fighting with herself, her thoughts and her emotions. She finally accepted her situation. I thought it was going to be a book of revolution, but it was more than that.
Me gusta que sea tan distinto a la serie, que sea una persona normal y no una heroína. Que tenga miedos y debilidades. Que cuente su vida "monótona" de esclava. Que a pesar de parecer una narración tan costumbrista, sea tan interesante y genere tanta rabia en tu interior.
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Fand ich honestly nur okay. An sich spannendes Konzept und interessante Welt, aber das Bich hat sich nur wie eine lange Einleitung angefühlt und es hat mich genervt dass es so ewig dauert bis man grob versteht was der Hintergrund von allem ist
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
I may have to revisit this review upon reflection because I found this book SO difficult to rate. I have so much to say, which is something in itself:
On the one hand, this definitely FEELS like a literary classic. It should be studied in schools in the years to come. I would compare it with the likes of some of the books currently covered by the UK English Literature curriculum such as Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies etc. Margaret Atwood was clearly years ahead of her times as I cant help but draw parallels between the events surrounding the Covid pandemic, for example, and the hints of totalitarian control that we experienced as a result, proving just how easily and quickly our freedoms can be taken from us.
In terms of the way the story was put together, you are thrown in the middle of a dystopian near future (actually now present day as the book was written in 1984) and are immediately confronted with confusing terminology and an obviously unusual world, with no background information/world building, that only comes together over time via the narrator’s confused and disordered tale that can often feeling like the inner ramblings of a mad woman (and don’t get me started on the inconsistencies of the use of speech marks!!) I can’t work out whether I love this or hate this. It definitely made for a slow start but equally had me turning pages QUICKLY so I could unravel what the hell was going on.
That said, by the 75% mark or so, I started losing interest rapidly. Nothing seemed to really be happening. I expected there to be some big event that turned the story on its head but instead the story appear to go on and on along the same lines, only to hit a sudden and, what I initially thought, was a flat ending just when the story seemed to be heading somewhere. It felt like a cliffhanger with no hint at a conclusion, and to say I was frustrated is an understatement.
HOWEVER, the epilogue in the form of a key note speech at a symposium held in 2195 (which I thought was GENUS by the way!) made so much sense as to the manner in which the story is told and also explains the abrupt ending. In my opinion this epilogue is the book’s saving grace but without it, and given that you have to slog through 450 odd pages to get there, I still can’t work out whether this book is a masterpiece or overhyped. Maybe I came into this book with too higher expectations 😢
On the one hand, this definitely FEELS like a literary classic. It should be studied in schools in the years to come. I would compare it with the likes of some of the books currently covered by the UK English Literature curriculum such as Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies etc. Margaret Atwood was clearly years ahead of her times as I cant help but draw parallels between the events surrounding the Covid pandemic, for example, and the hints of totalitarian control that we experienced as a result, proving just how easily and quickly our freedoms can be taken from us.
In terms of the way the story was put together, you are thrown in the middle of a dystopian near future (actually now present day as the book was written in 1984) and are immediately confronted with confusing terminology and an obviously unusual world, with no background information/world building, that only comes together over time via the narrator’s confused and disordered tale that can often feeling like the inner ramblings of a mad woman (and don’t get me started on the inconsistencies of the use of speech marks!!) I can’t work out whether I love this or hate this. It definitely made for a slow start but equally had me turning pages QUICKLY so I could unravel what the hell was going on.
That said, by the 75% mark or so, I started losing interest rapidly. Nothing seemed to really be happening. I expected there to be some big event that turned the story on its head but instead the story appear to go on and on along the same lines, only to hit a sudden and, what I initially thought, was a flat ending just when the story seemed to be heading somewhere. It felt like a cliffhanger with no hint at a conclusion, and to say I was frustrated is an understatement.
HOWEVER, the epilogue in the form of a key note speech at a symposium held in 2195 (which I thought was GENUS by the way!) made so much sense as to the manner in which the story is told and also explains the abrupt ending. In my opinion this epilogue is the book’s saving grace but without it, and given that you have to slog through 450 odd pages to get there, I still can’t work out whether this book is a masterpiece or overhyped. Maybe I came into this book with too higher expectations 😢
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
uh yeah, there’s a reason it’s a banned book. beautifully written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
Feels like something that could actually happen in this administration.