Reviews

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

katmuworld's review against another edition

4.0

I absolutely loved this book. The ending is what got me. I wish Atwood would’ve gave an ending rather than us guessing what happened.

blairfrank's review against another edition

3.0

I don't get the hype; I have haven't seen the show and don't plan on it.

stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition

4.0

I wish this story were different. I wish it were more civilized. I wish it showed me in a better light, if not happier, then at least more active, less hesitant, less distracted by trivia. I wish it had more shape. I wish it were about love, or about sudden realizations important to one's life, or even about sunsets, birds, rainstorms, or snow.

I wish that this story would have lost its relevancy years ago. I wish the people of Gilead feared different things than we do today. I wish that no country could draw parallells to a regime that treats women like products, disposable bodies. As inconveniences.

I wish that I could have the same distance to June's story as I have had with other futuristic novels, written by authors who could not draw me in to their reality. I wish this book had shocked me and left me unconvinced. The Handmaid's Tale came out nearly 50 years ago, and it is still not outdated. If that is the book's biggest strength, then our world's biggest flaw is that we can draw parallells between a futuristic novel and the oppression that women face today.

I wish that this future were distant and abstract, not one that we could see slivers of in this day and age.

livia_berlyn's review against another edition

dark 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

This book has a very beautiful writing style and while it’s not a happy story. It feels hopeful in some way that i can’t explain. Certainly a nice read. 

kcb22's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

shez_shelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

sephy1105's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

michellechien930's review against another edition

3.0

I'm definitely glad that I spent the time to read "The Handmaid's Tale", which is definitely a ground-breaking and exceptionally written novel. I just don't know if I resonated with it as much as I should have. It took quite a long time for Atwood to slowly build her world from ground up, keeping the more conflicting and interesting parts hidden in the shadows for a big part of the novel. I guess perhaps for me, I wanted to be able to resonate with the horrifying dystopia that Atwood creates, but often felt that the plot led to other, less personal areas.

meganb507's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

ninagiac's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5