Scan barcode
A review by fitzzula
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
4.0
I held off reading this for what felt like forever, from a mixture of fear that it could never live up to 'The Handmaid's Tale' and a perverse desire to keep anticipating reading it if it was as good as I hoped. I couldn't see how a sequel, especially one written so long after the original could hold up and was a bit dubious.
Thankfully, I was proven wrong - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, particularly from Aunt Lydia's POV and I liked the 'testimonial' formats. My only quibbles were with Daisy's chapters - I know she is meant to be a contrasting, modern teen perspective but at points she was irritating and didn't seem to behave in a believable way given her situation. However despite this, I thought Agnes and Aunt Lydia's chapters more than made up for it, particularly when looking at the structures of Gilead and growing up indoctrinated and forbidden to read.
I think how this book affects you depends on your expectations. Any sequel to 'The Handmaid's Tale' was always going to pale in comparison and cast light on the ambiguities of its predecessor. I haven't seen any of the TV show yet so can't comment on how it compares. I think Atwood has done a good job of creating an alternative glimpse into the world of Gilead from completely different perspectives and I really liked the different attitudes that accompanied it. It lacks some of the subtlety that made the original so good but is nonetheless worth reading.
Thankfully, I was proven wrong - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, particularly from Aunt Lydia's POV and I liked the 'testimonial' formats. My only quibbles were with Daisy's chapters - I know she is meant to be a contrasting, modern teen perspective but at points she was irritating and didn't seem to behave in a believable way given her situation. However despite this, I thought Agnes and Aunt Lydia's chapters more than made up for it, particularly when looking at the structures of Gilead and growing up indoctrinated and forbidden to read.
I think how this book affects you depends on your expectations. Any sequel to 'The Handmaid's Tale' was always going to pale in comparison and cast light on the ambiguities of its predecessor. I haven't seen any of the TV show yet so can't comment on how it compares. I think Atwood has done a good job of creating an alternative glimpse into the world of Gilead from completely different perspectives and I really liked the different attitudes that accompanied it. It lacks some of the subtlety that made the original so good but is nonetheless worth reading.