Scan barcode
A review by omnombailey
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've had plenty of friends over the years tell me I should read this book. My hesitance to do so was part due to some of the reviews that didn't give it high praise, thus it worried me. But it was mostly due to me trying to read Oryx and Crake a while back and I couldn't stand that book. Got halfway through and gave up. I didn't want to read something like that again.
Well, I finally got around to reading The Handmaid's Tale and I'm glad I did.
I'm a huge fan of dystopian stories, more so when they're done correctly and not just the YA trend of dystopias. This definitely delivered with painting the backdrop of this former USA now Gilead country. I kept wanting to know more about what was going on and how this all happened and how people are completely ok with this. Or as it's mentioned, change is good for some people and worse for others. It can't always be better for everyone.
And when I learned more of what was going on and the layers peeled back, I couldn't stop reading. Offred's paranoia about everything flowed through me, as well. You're second-guessing everyone and everything after awhile. I really didn't connect with her, but I was more interested in her story than her as a person, if that makes sense. I found myself enjoying side characters (shocker) like Nick and Moira and Offred's mother.
Some people have called this book lacking actual plot, but I found everything to be going on riveting, especially the last 30% of the book. And when it ended (or at least when I got the pop up in my kindle saying it was done and asked for my review), I said out loud, "Wait, THAT'S IT?!" The cliff hanger of an ending left me both furious and content. I think I could have done without the "epilogue", but it was nice to have the additional information.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it's not perfect. My biggest qualm with it, as is most people who seem to read it and don't like it, is the writing style. Or lack of one. I guess quotation marks aren't a thing, but hey, let's add in a bunch more commas! It was extremely hard to figure out who was speaking during the flashbacks and what was a flashback and so forth. It could have benefited from some much-needed formatting. And the way everything is written is... off. I get it's more stream of consciousness, seeing it's first-person from Offred's eyes, but she just rambles on about shit. All. The. Time. Not to mention she repeats herself a lot. And not even key information. It's shit like "the bed sheets are semi-sheer. I can see right through them." Yes. Yes they are. Because that is, in fact, what the word means. This happens all the damn time. That and rewording a single sentence two or three or more times to make... a point? I don't even know. Things like "I was afraid. She was afraid. We were afraid." (That's not an actual quote, but the other one more or less happened)
I don't know if it was done on purpose, but I didn't give a shit about Luke. I felt like over time, he was painted to be more and more of an asshole. I stopped caring for him after the scene with the cat. It frustrated me that Offred continues to cling onto him when he's most likely dead. Just really frustrating. I was also frustrated at the brief glimpse of homophobia on Offred's behalf via a flashback. I get it's "appropriate for the times" but it still had me rolling my eyes and left a general bad taste in my mouth.
This story was equally thought-provoking as it was horrifying. This isn't a leisurely mind candy sort of book; you actively take part in it. It's difficult for me to say I like this book or that it's a good book, not because none of that is true, but because my mind goes back to the topics and themes presented in it and how damn close to home they hit. That, however, still makes for good art, let alone story. Atwood has claimed multiple times that she doesn't write science fiction and brands stories like this as speculative fiction, but that doesn't do it justice. Nothing about this is speculative; there are plenty of people who have been exposed to violence like this and plenty of people who believe that said violence is completely appropriate and justified. The thing that horrifies me more than The Handmaid's Tale is knowing that a book published in 1986 still rings true, perhaps more so than ever, in the so-called modern age of 2017.
Well, I finally got around to reading The Handmaid's Tale and I'm glad I did.
I'm a huge fan of dystopian stories, more so when they're done correctly and not just the YA trend of dystopias. This definitely delivered with painting the backdrop of this former USA now Gilead country. I kept wanting to know more about what was going on and how this all happened and how people are completely ok with this. Or as it's mentioned, change is good for some people and worse for others. It can't always be better for everyone.
And when I learned more of what was going on and the layers peeled back, I couldn't stop reading. Offred's paranoia about everything flowed through me, as well. You're second-guessing everyone and everything after awhile. I really didn't connect with her, but I was more interested in her story than her as a person, if that makes sense. I found myself enjoying side characters (shocker) like Nick and Moira and Offred's mother.
Some people have called this book lacking actual plot, but I found everything to be going on riveting, especially the last 30% of the book. And when it ended (or at least when I got the pop up in my kindle saying it was done and asked for my review), I said out loud, "Wait, THAT'S IT?!" The cliff hanger of an ending left me both furious and content. I think I could have done without the "epilogue", but it was nice to have the additional information.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it's not perfect. My biggest qualm with it, as is most people who seem to read it and don't like it, is the writing style. Or lack of one. I guess quotation marks aren't a thing, but hey, let's add in a bunch more commas! It was extremely hard to figure out who was speaking during the flashbacks and what was a flashback and so forth. It could have benefited from some much-needed formatting. And the way everything is written is... off. I get it's more stream of consciousness, seeing it's first-person from Offred's eyes, but she just rambles on about shit. All. The. Time. Not to mention she repeats herself a lot. And not even key information. It's shit like "the bed sheets are semi-sheer. I can see right through them." Yes. Yes they are. Because that is, in fact, what the word means. This happens all the damn time. That and rewording a single sentence two or three or more times to make... a point? I don't even know. Things like "I was afraid. She was afraid. We were afraid." (That's not an actual quote, but the other one more or less happened)
I don't know if it was done on purpose, but I didn't give a shit about Luke. I felt like over time, he was painted to be more and more of an asshole. I stopped caring for him after the scene with the cat. It frustrated me that Offred continues to cling onto him when he's most likely dead. Just really frustrating. I was also frustrated at the brief glimpse of homophobia on Offred's behalf via a flashback. I get it's "appropriate for the times" but it still had me rolling my eyes and left a general bad taste in my mouth.
This story was equally thought-provoking as it was horrifying. This isn't a leisurely mind candy sort of book; you actively take part in it. It's difficult for me to say I like this book or that it's a good book, not because none of that is true, but because my mind goes back to the topics and themes presented in it and how damn close to home they hit. That, however, still makes for good art, let alone story. Atwood has claimed multiple times that she doesn't write science fiction and brands stories like this as speculative fiction, but that doesn't do it justice. Nothing about this is speculative; there are plenty of people who have been exposed to violence like this and plenty of people who believe that said violence is completely appropriate and justified. The thing that horrifies me more than The Handmaid's Tale is knowing that a book published in 1986 still rings true, perhaps more so than ever, in the so-called modern age of 2017.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Animal death