Reviews

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

lernstreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

lagoona's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

fathi_reading_list's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

reverieain's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

4.0

Chilling and so dystopian. Really enjoyed offred's narrative even though it could be quite slow.

spieroz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• 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

ethorwitz's review against another edition

3.0

Given the possibility of a President Pence, and its subsequent smug cracker dystopia, I thought this deserved a reread. I particularly liked a passage at the end stating that all of the methods used by Gilead have happened in other circumstances; in effect Gilead is an amalgamation of existing brutalities against women.
I noticed this time around that the characters almost directly mirror those of [b:The Blind Assassin|78433|The Blind Assassin|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451445426s/78433.jpg|3246409]: the infuriatingly passive narrator, a doomed feminist supporting character, the oppressive patriarch who turns out to be a clueless dullard, an older woman who is complicit in the patriarchy and is much more dangerous, a forbidden lover, etc. I suppose it's a powerful statement that turn of the century Canada is just as valid a setting for this story as a fictional theocratic dystonia. I certainly hope it's deliberate anyway, I'd hate to read the same story in [b:Oryx and Crake|78435|Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1)|Margaret Atwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1393260438s/78435.jpg|3143431].

kaurtanpreet's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

timidizzy's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

lilyloveslit's review against another edition

5.0

I loved and hated this book. It was hard to read and affected me deeply. I will be processing its contents long after I've closed it.

the_bookish_hungarian's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0