Scan barcode
another_dahlia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Death, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Child death, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Infertility, Trafficking, Suicide, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Colonisation, Ableism, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Biphobia, Torture, Classism, Death of parent, Transphobia, Violence, and War
rchulin1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Infertility, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Classism, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Medical content, Miscarriage, Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Deportation, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
sorkka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, Grief, Classism, Infidelity, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, War, Child death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death
Minor: Animal death, Islamophobia, and Antisemitism
riverofhorton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Body shaming, Gore, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, Acephobia/Arophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, War, Classism, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Suicide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Deportation, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Self harm
booksnobb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexism, Pregnancy, Cursing, Infidelity, War, Infertility, Rape, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Animal cruelty, Blood, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, and Animal death
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abortion, Stalking, Gun violence, Murder, Vomit, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
eryncaroline's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Infertility, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage
samshort's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Child death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Abortion, Infertility, Medical trauma, Body horror, Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Confinement, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Slavery, Rape, Alcohol, Sexism, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, War, and Trafficking
pokecol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It is hard to say much about this book as a story because I feel fundamentally there isn't one. A good deal of the design of the plot layout is to inform us and to educate us in this frame of reference so that we might interpret the smaller actions within the bounds of this set-up. This is very good at doing its intended job, making us uncomfortable, question and abhorred by such a possible interpretation of the future.
However, as a narrative, the amount of content could make perhaps 3 or 4 chapters maximum. All that is told occurs as: part of the collective, Moira vanishes, meet a man, eventually find a zone of comfort in the horror, find Moira again and "escape". But also not really, because some of the events aren't true at all, a lot of the story ends up having been a fantasy of the Main Character derived to display a measure of comfort compared to what she is known in the identity of telling the story herself.
I do think there is of course a lot of power in this whole way of telling The Handmaid's Tale, but it makes for an admittedly very dull experience besides the deeper reflective context of the book.
Fundamentally the divined idea of the society proposed is disgusting and the hyper subjugation tickles a sore-point for me in a way I do not enjoy. I feel there is required reading in the intent of the novel but it only explores so much through the idea of our Main Character and provides little in the expansive meaning or identity of these change beyond hierarchy. As a story the snippets we flashback to and compare the lives before and after, is excellent and made for compelling hope in drawing our Main Character out from this world eventually.
But the fact of the matter is we do not really have any progress to the story, at all, for the first entire two thirds of the book, and then the last third ends up not even necessarily being true. I do not fault the MC for her choices and attitude, considering the circumstances she is very much doing better than one might expect - yet as having just finished it, I do not at all recall her name.
The fact that some points of reference are used to describe the horrific nature of the set-up but we skip over the "really bad" parts near the end seems to be a really weird choice. I have no interest in abuse topics at the best of times but I have to say that it seems a backwards idea to avoid that harshest dichotomy to near the conclusion in the failure to escape - even if it is to help frame the whole scenario as a more positive outcome.
Unlike other deeply dystopian outlooks on modernity, I do not feel I got so much a good a grasp on things that allowed me to live the experiences, or understand character perspective. I feel a little trite in critiquing The Handmaid's Tale for solely it's story content, because there is more message to it than that, however, such a message can be conveyed by many means and Margaret Atwood chose for it to be a fiction novel - and in many respects the fiction novel part is where it fails the most in my reading experience.
I do think though, the world is revoltingly plausible, and in many ways these smaller accumulating elements are no stranger to a 21st century world already. In predictive, and cautionary, writings such as this I think The Handmaid's Tale does do its job providing the subject matter to a reader.
Graphic: Misogyny and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Trafficking, Colonisation, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Rape, Body shaming, Violence, Drug use, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
harmeeperhan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Classism, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Slavery
morganthecarrot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexism, Death, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Racism, Infertility, War, and Torture