Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

130 reviews

lynleybidlake's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy

sporemiette's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

kidcorvus's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexism, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Homophobia

therobinjoyce's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

The Handmaid's tale is such a wonderfully dark and gritty, almost dystopian novel. Considering its publication over 3 decades ago, it is surprisingly easy to read and flows with such emotion.

The system of Gilead within the book is so brutal and cruel yet it highlighted the true capabilities of man. What man can do to one another, and just how dangerous and misogyny can be.

There are so many other reviewers who could word their feelings about this book with much more eloquence than I'm capable of, but if I had to leave this review with one closing thought I would tell you that this book will change your life. It will make you think and question and ponder so many different things and appreciate the lives and freedom we are able to live in this bustling modern era. How lucky we are and how we need to remember this fact.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Misogyny

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, and Suicide attempt

nicolemaeb's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Margaret knows how to write a book. That's all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Rape

valyn_grebe's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Grief

Minor: Child death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Blood

biblizo's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, and Religious bigotry

dsaiz's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Physical abuse

haseki_sultana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Introspective and totally character-driven, Atwood does a tremendous job of putting the reader into the thoughts and feelings of a woman who has become enslaved and is forced to carry her rapist's child. Most people refer to this novel as dystopic, and the undercurrent of it definitely is, but the main genre/focal point of this novel is speculative fiction. The focus is on the internal monologue, thoughts, emotions, experiences, and remembrances of the main character. As such, we never get any insight into the machinations of the dystopian government or society - we only see what Offred (the main character) sees, we only know what she knows.

This is why this novel is more speculative fiction than dystopian: it is an exercise of our imaginations to examine and possibly understand the human condition when it is undergoing a rather 'rare' (for western audiences) plight.

Whether or not you consider the situation presented in the novel plausible or realistic doesn't matter. What matters, and what Atwood asks you to look at, is the condition of an everywoman character who has gone and must continue to go through atrocities in life without any reprieve. It is a novel which holds a magnifying glass over sexual trauma, and the psyche of those who are unfortunate enough to endure it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Antisemitism

Content warning that is unavailable in the list: reproductive coercion.

peachani's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infertility, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicide, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol