snels 's review for:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

4.5

dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Having known nothing about The Handmaids Tale, other than it being very relevant in the year 2025, my jaw was on the floor every chapter. What a raw, real piece of commentary on misogyny and its relationship with religion. The brainwashing, oh my god the brainwashing. The revelation that it had only been a few years and this dystopian society had been adopted so fully.

We never knew her name. Perhaps that is because it is a warning that it could be us, if we take the wrong path.

And the end????

To give us hope yet leave us in the unknown? Cruel-yet effective.

I’m so glad I read this book, it has seriously changed my perspective on life and what really matters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abortion, Deportation

Minor: Rape, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking