lesbianhobbit 's review for:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

4.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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while i appreciate this book as an obvious staple of modern literature, it’s hard for me to give it 5 stars because it is, despite its effort to be otherwise, stuck in the era in which it was written. the nose-up descriptions of gay and brown people are distasteful, especially given the narrator’s otherwise liberal views—white feminism at its best. still, the book is an important warning sign. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Blood, Abortion, Death of parent, Classism

Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Deportation