Reviews

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

georgia_rkh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

Ummm... Wow. I spent a lot of that book aware of how totally dystopian it was and that confusion from the readers perspective was fully intended right up until the last minute. But what I surprisingly loved was the fact that even though there is more of an explanation at the end, there are still so many unknowns. Typically, I am not the sort of person that agrees with the over-analysis of books and other literature but I can understand how you could read this book a thousand times and still discover something new each time

spaceemacee's review against another edition

5.0

I. Am. Speechless.
By far going down as one of my favorite books. Very reminiscent of some of the things we are experiencing now in the U.S. and potentially (but not hopefully) in the future. Atwood does amazing at making everything flow in a lyrical way in such a dark novel. Almost reads like poetry at times. Very excited to see this played out on the screen by the amazing Elisabeth Moss! READ IT! And then make your husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, sibling, grandmother, cousin, uncle, EVERYONE read it! It will not disappoint!

erasmios's review against another edition

5.0

I've never read anything like The Handmaid's Tale before. I'm not talking about the story as the novel's world isn't the first dystopian world ruled by a fascist religious government, although to be honest Atwood puts her own nefarious twists into it. I'm talking about the narrator, the handmaid. I hadn't realised stories could be told like this. It's difficult to explain what it feels like to read Offred's thoughts. To whom is she talking to? It doesn't read like a diary, it feels like I'm in her head, that I'm there with her. I think The Handmaid's Tale is an exceptional novel. It doesn't have a lot of hope, it's as distressing as a book can be, and its characters are lonely, sad and cruel. But everything it has to offer is true, important and extremely topical. Read it.

tayvande's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.75

mia_013's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

k_cahoo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

elizabethbooks226's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

inetasved's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

mariapds's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

5.0

kallmekirby's review against another edition

5.0

Really loved this book. Enjoyed it way more after yesterday when Biden won & I could stop worrying this would by my reality bc of Trump and his packed Supreme Court.