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A review by _aceebd
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
3.0
This is actually my first time reading a book after watching its adaptation, and maybe that affected my experience a bit.
The first half felt slow. Not bad, just... slow. I struggled to stay invested, especially because I already knew the world and characters from the show. I kept waiting for the intensity I remembered from the series, and it took a while to get there.
But then came Chapter 28. That chapter flipped a switch for me. The writing felt sharper, the stakes higher, the tension realer. Chapter 30? Chef’s kiss. From there until the end, I was fully hooked.
I love dystopian fiction because it often ages well, and this one does too — terrifyingly so. Despite being written in the 80s, the themes are still frighteningly relevant. The hypocrisy, the ritualized violence, the control over women’s bodies, all of it is eerily timeless.
If you’re starting this book and feeling it drag: hang in there. It rewards your patience.
The first half felt slow. Not bad, just... slow. I struggled to stay invested, especially because I already knew the world and characters from the show. I kept waiting for the intensity I remembered from the series, and it took a while to get there.
But then came Chapter 28. That chapter flipped a switch for me. The writing felt sharper, the stakes higher, the tension realer. Chapter 30? Chef’s kiss. From there until the end, I was fully hooked.
I love dystopian fiction because it often ages well, and this one does too — terrifyingly so. Despite being written in the 80s, the themes are still frighteningly relevant. The hypocrisy, the ritualized violence, the control over women’s bodies, all of it is eerily timeless.
If you’re starting this book and feeling it drag: hang in there. It rewards your patience.