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c_yealyn 's review for:
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
I loved this book. I went into The Handmaid’s Tale expecting a story similar to The Crucible and ended up being completely blown away. This book is so unsettling in the best way, both in how it was told and how it echoes our current world.
The Handmaid’s Tale is unique from any other dystopian book I have read. This book isn’t about overthrowing a government or grand acts of escape or rebellion. There isn’t even a definitive ending. This is a story about survival.
The Handmaid’s Tale follows Offred as she recalls her life before and during the rise of a totalitarian regime. In the world of Gilead, a rigid, twisted form of Christianity shapes every aspect of life. Women are powerless and the fertile ones are forced to become Handmaids, such as Offred. These women are viewed as less than human, serving as mere child-bearing vessels.
This tale was perfectly told. Atwood’s writing style adds so much to the unsettling tone of this book, skillfully delivering honest stories and profound truths. Surprisingly, I didn’t mind the lack of quotation marks in the dialogue as it blended our narrator’s thoughts with her words in such a fitting way.
I enjoyed slowly learning about the world Offred lives in and how it developed. Atwood masterfully interweaves these recollections throughout the book, allowing the reader to piece things together instead of just dumping the backstory in the beginning.
While I can see why many would call this book feminist literature, I would agree with Atwood’s belief that this is simply a book about women, and more specifically, Offred. I really enjoyed Offred as a main character. She was relatably imperfect and honest. The more I learned of Offred’s past, the more I became attached to her. I like how Atwood made her an unreliable narrator because it contributed to the idea that, as Offred said, everything she told was a reconstruction.
The ambiguities in this book would’ve typically frustrated me, but they were well done and contributed to the broader tone and themes in this story.We never learn Offred’s real name nor whether she escapes, but all of this adds to the unsettling and realistic feel of the book.
I think one of the most unsettling things about The Handmaid’s Tale is how feasible the entire dystopia is. The way the totalitarian government gains power seems realistic and there were definitely some parallels to current and historical events. Atwood herself talked about how she was inspired by her experience living in Berlin during the Cold War. The perspective shift that the historical note added to the end of the book also made this story feel so real.
The fact that this book’s commentary on topics like religion and misogyny is still relevant today is both a testament to the author and troubling for our world. For that reason alone, I can see why this book is widely banned and I am very glad I had the opportunity to read it.
The Handmaid’s Tale is unique from any other dystopian book I have read. This book isn’t about overthrowing a government or grand acts of escape or rebellion. There isn’t even a definitive ending. This is a story about survival.
The Handmaid’s Tale follows Offred as she recalls her life before and during the rise of a totalitarian regime. In the world of Gilead, a rigid, twisted form of Christianity shapes every aspect of life. Women are powerless and the fertile ones are forced to become Handmaids, such as Offred. These women are viewed as less than human, serving as mere child-bearing vessels.
This tale was perfectly told. Atwood’s writing style adds so much to the unsettling tone of this book, skillfully delivering honest stories and profound truths. Surprisingly, I didn’t mind the lack of quotation marks in the dialogue as it blended our narrator’s thoughts with her words in such a fitting way.
I enjoyed slowly learning about the world Offred lives in and how it developed. Atwood masterfully interweaves these recollections throughout the book, allowing the reader to piece things together instead of just dumping the backstory in the beginning.
While I can see why many would call this book feminist literature, I would agree with Atwood’s belief that this is simply a book about women, and more specifically, Offred. I really enjoyed Offred as a main character. She was relatably imperfect and honest. The more I learned of Offred’s past, the more I became attached to her. I like how Atwood made her an unreliable narrator because it contributed to the idea that, as Offred said, everything she told was a reconstruction.
The ambiguities in this book would’ve typically frustrated me, but they were well done and contributed to the broader tone and themes in this story.
I think one of the most unsettling things about The Handmaid’s Tale is how feasible the entire dystopia is. The way the totalitarian government gains power seems realistic and there were definitely some parallels to current and historical events. Atwood herself talked about how she was inspired by her experience living in Berlin during the Cold War. The perspective shift that the historical note added to the end of the book also made this story feel so real.
The fact that this book’s commentary on topics like religion and misogyny is still relevant today is both a testament to the author and troubling for our world. For that reason alone, I can see why this book is widely banned and I am very glad I had the opportunity to read it.