Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

341 reviews

lexithelion's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

3.75

Margaret Atwood's writing skill is impeccable, there is absolutely no doubt about that. However, I can acknowledge when a book is simply not for me. Nothing much plot-wise happens in this book as it is more meant, I feel, to embody the bleakness of Offred's situation and the world she is living in. This book is dreary and bland, as the lives of the handmaids are, thus it is an incredible book in that it completes its purpose and makes you feel as though you are living in Gilead. This book is pretty boring, but that seems to be the point. It took me longer than usual to finish this book but if you enjoyed reading it, you would probably also enjoy the TV show.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Blood, Medical content, and War

rogier_vdw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood and Deportation

Minor: Child death, Abortion, and War

mgcalder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.25

Whilst Margret Attwood is clearly an excellent writer, and the concept of the book is fascinating, I found the story itself to be somewhat lacking. The open ending also seemed at odds with the rest of the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Classism

another_dahlia's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Trafficking, Abortion, and War

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Classism

calaisnobu's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

fellowsjm's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is deep and thoughtful and full of amazing quotes, I really enjoyed this even though it's not my usual genre

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Pregnancy

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Suicide

kberri11's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Death

rchulin1's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

Wow I loved this book immensely. It is very dark but so worth it every sentence word paragraph was so well thought out and placed I found myself imagining all the reasons for each placement though this book is on the shorter side the story feels so long in a good way.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

rthpr's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

I put off reading this for a long time as I already had an idea of the plot, and I was worried about how graphic and depressing it would be.

It is very heavy, there are parts that are downright horrible, but Attwood’s writing is so beautiful that I really enjoyed it.

I also partly listened to the audiobook read by Elisabeth Moss and really enjoyed that too. I’d probably recommend the audiobook over physical copies, it was very well done!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death

charliebuday's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, and War