A review by cdt96
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A dark yet scarily relevant book. Atwood said herself she never included anything that hasn't happened to women before. Now more than ever women should read this book as if it is a warning. This book shows a time before Gilead which unfortunately resonates with today's political and cultural landscapes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Infertility, Grief, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, and Adult/minor relationship