A review by kjwalkerrr19
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? No

5.0

This book is a masterpiece of writing and detail. When she says in her introduction of the 2017 rerelease that I read, “God is in the details; but so is the devil”, she meant that shit! I’ve never read a book so capable of uniquely, attentively, and consistently details everything about every setting. Smell, texture, props, history, just truly everything. At times I was getting lost in the detail and zoning out, and I’d have to zone back in. 

My hot take for this book is I didn’t find it as shocking as I was expecting to because of the horrors I’ve lived through myself as a woman in the United States the past 3 years, so it made the book more realistic, which is so sad to say. I was disappointed by my lack of surprise from the capabilities of the new government of this book because my own has already let me down so much. 

I think Margaret Atwood is a genius for this book, and no wonder it’s a classic and is studied. It is a stunning piece of literature with historical accuracy and religious notes. 
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