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frozenheartv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
๐๐๐๐๐
๐ง My thoughts
This is so far one of the best dystopian novel I've ever read. It's disturbing, horrific, cruel, slap as many terrifying adjectives as you want here. It just scared the hell out of me. The book was not too descriptive but had enough details to build up the whole disturbing Gilead world. I've watched the series before reading it (I'm quite surprised that the first part of the series is a very close adaptation to the book though). Although I've known most of the details, it's still intriguing to read this book. The historical notes chapter at the end of the book was outstanding. If our world ever becomes Gilead, that for me is nothing different than the end of the world.
๐ What I like
- Very realistic dystopian world
- The world-building is superb
- Intriguing story
- The historical notes chapter at the end of the book is very creative and nice to read
๐ What I don't like
- If you listen to the audiobook instead of reading, the author's language could be confusing sometimes
Graphic: Misogyny, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Rape
riverofhorton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Body shaming, Gore, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, War, Classism, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Suicide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Self harm
dorhi's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Gilead is a anarchist-Christian state that manages to take over much of the east coast of the USA and enforce their extremist religious beliefs due to the infertility crisis that seems to be infecting the US in particular. It's somewhat scary to think this book was written almost 40 years ago and how relevant and modern some of the concepts of this still are. This idea of women only worth anything for their wombs is still scarily common and often in the mainstream discussions surrounding feminism and what it means to be a woman. This book (and subsequent show) should serve as a warning to those who want to dilute the meaning of womanhood and wrapping it up so securely with fertility that this can not be the defining feature of a human, and yet is still happens so often.
I did enjoy this book, but I have seen the 5 seasons of the show that have been released so far so it was quite difficult for me to line up some of the events and characters described in the book with what they are like in the show. Janine especially seems a completely different character. June herself is much changed in the show as she is a particularly driven and vengeful woman hellbent on reuniting with her daughter, Hannah, and getting out of Gilead. June in the book seems a little more realistic in her downtrodden and 'used to this' kind of feel. It's a depressing read at times, but a fascinating one.
Graphic: Abortion, Pregnancy, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Lesbophobia
booksnobb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pregnancy, Cursing, Infidelity, War, Infertility, Rape, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, and Animal death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abortion, Stalking, Gun violence, Murder, Vomit, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
florenceassetto's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Infertility, Misogyny, Trafficking, Death, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Confinement, Violence, Miscarriage, Torture, Sexual content, Rape, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Antisemitism
eldritch_ace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexism, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Self harm, Antisemitism, and Confinement
Minor: Classism, Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide attempt, Grief, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Abortion, Miscarriage, War, Alcohol, Violence, and Medical content
ryleee's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Self harm and Suicide
Moderate: Rape, Abortion, Infertility, and Miscarriage
Minor: Slavery, Forced institutionalization, and Religious bigotry
tieflingmom's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Police brutality, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Torture, Sexual content, Death, Infertility, Child death, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, War, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Racism, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Suicide, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Medical content
maddiet425's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Misogyny, Confinement, and Suicide
Moderate: Murder, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Miscarriage
ktrout's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Rape, Infertility, and Miscarriage