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skepticcurmudgeon's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe the most viscerally frightening book I've read.
ecruz2021's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
emilylovejoy's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yara_adorablebooks's review against another edition
5.0
My goodness, wat een verhaal zeg... Liet een diepe indruk op me achter. Klik hier voor de volledige recensie: https://adorablebooks.nl/het-verhaal-van-de-dienstmaagd-margaret-atwood/
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
First published in 1986, Atwood’s novel describes an America much different but easily imaginable from today’s democracy. Offred tells her story of life as a Handmaid, in the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy, run by the Sons of Jacob. The birthrate has plummeted and the leaders of Gilead lay the blame on the “sinful” ways of women. Now Offred and other Handmaids are valued only as long as their ovaries are working. They live, one to a household, with their assigned Commander and his wife. Once a day she is allowed to leave the house, meet up with her assigned partner, Ofglen, and walk to the market to shop for food. There all signs have been replaced with pictures, because women are not allowed to read. Once a month, Offred lies on her back for the Ceremony – hoping the Commander will get her pregnant so she can prove her worth.
What I find particularly fascinating – and frightening – about this novel is how very plausible it seems. A little change here, a slightly bigger change there, and before you know it all the freedoms we take for granted are gone. Of course the powers that be insist it is for the good of mankind, that these measures are necessary to build a strong nation. But the realities are different. The powerful are hypocrites, having their Jezebels in their private clubs, and squashing any possibility of protest or revolt.
I was also intrigued by the possessive names of the Handmaids – Offred, Ofglen, Ofwarren, “Of” the man who is supposed to get her pregnant – nothing more than another item of household furniture, a vessel for his future offspring. But when I first read her name, I didn’t see it as Of-Fred, but as Off-red, and this, too, is symbolic. The handmaids wear red gowns (wives wear blue, Aunts wear brown, Marthas wear green). The red gowns symbolize their place in society – fertile, givers of life. But our narrator’s color is decidedly Off-red, because she remembers “before,” – when she wore sandals and shorts on a hot summer day, when she attended university and was free to think and discuss ideas, when she had a husband and a job and her own money – and these memories fuel her hopes for a chance to leave this existence.
The book’s final chapter is titled Historical Notes and is written as a transcript of a talk given at a conference in 2195. It provides more detail on the society Offred is both part of and removed from – details she could not have known because of the secrecy and censorship of news. It provides a little humor to lessen the impact of Offred’s story, and hope for a better future. I nearly skipped this section, not immediately recognizing it as part of the novel. I’m glad I read it.
I’ll be thinking about this book for a very long time.
What I find particularly fascinating – and frightening – about this novel is how very plausible it seems. A little change here, a slightly bigger change there, and before you know it all the freedoms we take for granted are gone. Of course the powers that be insist it is for the good of mankind, that these measures are necessary to build a strong nation. But the realities are different. The powerful are hypocrites, having their Jezebels in their private clubs, and squashing any possibility of protest or revolt.
I was also intrigued by the possessive names of the Handmaids – Offred, Ofglen, Ofwarren, “Of” the man who is supposed to get her pregnant – nothing more than another item of household furniture, a vessel for his future offspring. But when I first read her name, I didn’t see it as Of-Fred, but as Off-red, and this, too, is symbolic. The handmaids wear red gowns (wives wear blue, Aunts wear brown, Marthas wear green). The red gowns symbolize their place in society – fertile, givers of life. But our narrator’s color is decidedly Off-red, because she remembers “before,” – when she wore sandals and shorts on a hot summer day, when she attended university and was free to think and discuss ideas, when she had a husband and a job and her own money – and these memories fuel her hopes for a chance to leave this existence.
The book’s final chapter is titled Historical Notes and is written as a transcript of a talk given at a conference in 2195. It provides more detail on the society Offred is both part of and removed from – details she could not have known because of the secrecy and censorship of news. It provides a little humor to lessen the impact of Offred’s story, and hope for a better future. I nearly skipped this section, not immediately recognizing it as part of the novel. I’m glad I read it.
I’ll be thinking about this book for a very long time.
msmoxiemae's review against another edition
5.0
I decided to re-read this book on a recent flight. It is as engrossing so far as I remember it to be in high school (maybe jr. high?). Descriptive and spooky... futuristic and completely imaginable at the same time. I think this book had a lot to do with me becoming a feminist. Can't wait to finish it again and maybe pick up some of Atwood's other work too.
ghostmentality's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
goslin's review against another edition
4.0
I really like the construction of this story—particularly the “suffix.” I think that doubled the value at the very least.
A good narrative, great prophecy/warning of what we could devolve to collectively, and a realistic warning drawn from ills of the (real) past.
A good narrative, great prophecy/warning of what we could devolve to collectively, and a realistic warning drawn from ills of the (real) past.
buttonsandbooks's review
3.0
I've wanted to read this forever, but like any classic work I fear the language isn't going to keep me in the story. When I saw Audible had a version of the classic read by Claire Danes, I snatched it up so fast. I have loved her since My So Called Life in the 1990s.
I won't bore you with much of a synopsis, but Gilead is a state/country run ad a theocratic dictatorship. Women are only of value if they can reproduce. Love isn't a thing. There's only the wives and the handmaids bound to the men and there for one purpose. Offred (whose name means "belonging to Fred", a nod to how women are treated as property) narrates her experience and suddenly goes dark. We are treated to a lecture at the end, explaining much of what we heard from her.
It seems like it's always a little terrifying to be a woman. Now. Then. In made up times. That was my takeaway from this. It was hard to follow at times. The writing style felt a little jerky to me, but the narration was great. This book epitomized what I find so scary about organized religion. That's only my take so do with it what you will. I'm curious to see the show.
⭐⭐⭐
I won't bore you with much of a synopsis, but Gilead is a state/country run ad a theocratic dictatorship. Women are only of value if they can reproduce. Love isn't a thing. There's only the wives and the handmaids bound to the men and there for one purpose. Offred (whose name means "belonging to Fred", a nod to how women are treated as property) narrates her experience and suddenly goes dark. We are treated to a lecture at the end, explaining much of what we heard from her.
It seems like it's always a little terrifying to be a woman. Now. Then. In made up times. That was my takeaway from this. It was hard to follow at times. The writing style felt a little jerky to me, but the narration was great. This book epitomized what I find so scary about organized religion. That's only my take so do with it what you will. I'm curious to see the show.
⭐⭐⭐
margotgabriella's review against another edition
3.0
(MANDATORY GROUP READING FOR ENGLISH)
OVERALL
This book was as confusing as one can be. We liked the concept of the story, but it was so slow-paced and sentences took forever to end that we found it really hard to read this book. There isn't much happening in the book either. And to be honest, the ending is what annoyed us the most. We know nothing.
STORYLINE & WORLD CREATING
The storyline and the world Atwood has created seemed such a good book idea, before we read it. It was a great start and this felt like it would be a 5 star book. Then, Atwood's storyline just seemed to fade away and when half done with the story, it didn't feel like there was any storyline at all. The world however, was such a great and good invented one. The state of Gilliad could've been a real life place. The similarities to our world are quite accurate. The sexism towards females, the patriarchy, the system where children are less worth than grown ups: it all resembles to our societies. So, overall, we didn't feel like there was a good plotted or even a visible storyline, but she could've done so much with the world she created.
CHARACHTERS
Offred, our main protagonist, was BORING. She wasn't really in the resistance, she did nothing against the system she so desperately hated and she definitely didn't do anything exciting for the reader to enjoy. Her thought-process (it is written in 1st person) was also not the most interesting or exciting 1st person We've ever read. The only really "exciting" thing we could find were her secret Srabble meetings with Fred, the commander, and that wasn't even so exciting.
Offglen, a.k.a. our favourite character in this book, was a rebel. She was mysterious to Offred at first and then when she dropped the 'word' she became this amazing and exciting character that we wanted to know so much more about. We felt like the end she was given by the writer, was not fitting nor wanted in this book.
Fred & his wive were both mediocre characters. Fred definitely had a mysterious side to him and his wife had some secrets too. BUT WHY DO WE NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS IN THIS BOOK? Don't look at me; ask the writer.
Overall, second characters were mostly boring and flat. There wasn't much to them and so no, they weren't as enjoyable as we expected them to be.
WRITING
When booktubers talk about this book and its writing, it is mostly positive. We have the opposite opinion. Right from the get-go, the sentences were half a page long and were full of words that we had no idea on how to pronounce nor understand them. The writing is also very slow and it takes forever to get on with the story. She consantly talks about the loss of her family and how she feels sorry for herself. We get it, you're sad and grieving but you don't have to constantly repeat that. There were also a lot of information drops that had no added value to the story. Like none. All of these defaults made it hard to follow the book and so one of us had to read it on audiobook because she couldn't keep her attention to the book while physically reading it.
We don't get it, is this supposed to be a character driven story or a plot driven story? 'Cause neither are good.
BUT, there were a few nice quotations in this book that we enjoyed. The light touch of feminism in this book is also appreciated and loved.
TO READ OR NOT TO READ
Yes, it's a classic. No, that doesn't mean you need to enjoy it. We didn't and there is nothing wrong with that. Having read and annotated the book, we understand why this is a mandatory read for many schools and universities, especially when studying linguistics or English Literature. But reading it for fun, is NOT something we recommend. The book asks a lot of attention en concentration from you and therefore isn't an enjoyable read. The characters are dull and the storyline is non-existent. The writing is slow and takes a while to get into. But if that is what you enjoy, go for it!
OVERALL
This book was as confusing as one can be. We liked the concept of the story, but it was so slow-paced and sentences took forever to end that we found it really hard to read this book. There isn't much happening in the book either. And to be honest, the ending is what annoyed us the most. We know nothing.
STORYLINE & WORLD CREATING
The storyline and the world Atwood has created seemed such a good book idea, before we read it. It was a great start and this felt like it would be a 5 star book. Then, Atwood's storyline just seemed to fade away and when half done with the story, it didn't feel like there was any storyline at all. The world however, was such a great and good invented one. The state of Gilliad could've been a real life place. The similarities to our world are quite accurate. The sexism towards females, the patriarchy, the system where children are less worth than grown ups: it all resembles to our societies. So, overall, we didn't feel like there was a good plotted or even a visible storyline, but she could've done so much with the world she created.
CHARACHTERS
Offred, our main protagonist, was BORING. She wasn't really in the resistance, she did nothing against the system she so desperately hated and she definitely didn't do anything exciting for the reader to enjoy. Her thought-process (it is written in 1st person) was also not the most interesting or exciting 1st person We've ever read. The only really "exciting" thing we could find were her secret Srabble meetings with Fred, the commander, and that wasn't even so exciting.
Offglen, a.k.a. our favourite character in this book, was a rebel. She was mysterious to Offred at first and then when she dropped the 'word' she became this amazing and exciting character that we wanted to know so much more about. We felt like the end she was given by the writer, was not fitting nor wanted in this book.
Fred & his wive were both mediocre characters. Fred definitely had a mysterious side to him and his wife had some secrets too. BUT WHY DO WE NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS IN THIS BOOK? Don't look at me; ask the writer.
Overall, second characters were mostly boring and flat. There wasn't much to them and so no, they weren't as enjoyable as we expected them to be.
WRITING
When booktubers talk about this book and its writing, it is mostly positive. We have the opposite opinion. Right from the get-go, the sentences were half a page long and were full of words that we had no idea on how to pronounce nor understand them. The writing is also very slow and it takes forever to get on with the story. She consantly talks about the loss of her family and how she feels sorry for herself. We get it, you're sad and grieving but you don't have to constantly repeat that. There were also a lot of information drops that had no added value to the story. Like none. All of these defaults made it hard to follow the book and so one of us had to read it on audiobook because she couldn't keep her attention to the book while physically reading it.
We don't get it, is this supposed to be a character driven story or a plot driven story? 'Cause neither are good.
BUT, there were a few nice quotations in this book that we enjoyed. The light touch of feminism in this book is also appreciated and loved.
TO READ OR NOT TO READ
Yes, it's a classic. No, that doesn't mean you need to enjoy it. We didn't and there is nothing wrong with that. Having read and annotated the book, we understand why this is a mandatory read for many schools and universities, especially when studying linguistics or English Literature. But reading it for fun, is NOT something we recommend. The book asks a lot of attention en concentration from you and therefore isn't an enjoyable read. The characters are dull and the storyline is non-existent. The writing is slow and takes a while to get into. But if that is what you enjoy, go for it!
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.