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goodyeargoodbooks's review against another edition
5.0
4.75 stars.
I feel like it might be somewhat sacrilegious to admit that I actually prefer this novel to its predecessor, but I do. I think that the multiple narrators allow us a much more fascinating dive into Gilead (and indeed the world outside of it) in a manner that juxtaposes -and yet complements- the original insular narrative. Aunt Lydia in particular is a brilliant character to follow, and the transition between each of the women's narrations is smooth. I have read many reviews of this book arguing that, whilst not necessarily bad, it was an unnecessary addition. I'm not entirely sure I agree with that. Of course, in the strictest terms, it is true that you can read the original without ever touching The Testaments and feel completely satisfied with its story. However, I truly think that the exposure that this novel provides into the underground aspects of Gilead -to which Offred was mostly unaware- enhances the chilling and brutal tone of the former novel, as well as providing its own interesting story of later Gilead that successfully fleshes out the regime as well as answering some questions about what happens next. I am glad, however, that it does not explicitly answer every question; a lot of it is, as the Symposium concludes, the 'historian within us' tying threads together into a palatable narrative, and there is still the sense of a lot more going on under the surface that still remains unanswered, in a good way.
I feel like it might be somewhat sacrilegious to admit that I actually prefer this novel to its predecessor, but I do. I think that the multiple narrators allow us a much more fascinating dive into Gilead (and indeed the world outside of it) in a manner that juxtaposes -and yet complements- the original insular narrative. Aunt Lydia in particular is a brilliant character to follow, and the transition between each of the women's narrations is smooth. I have read many reviews of this book arguing that, whilst not necessarily bad, it was an unnecessary addition. I'm not entirely sure I agree with that. Of course, in the strictest terms, it is true that you can read the original without ever touching The Testaments and feel completely satisfied with its story. However, I truly think that the exposure that this novel provides into the underground aspects of Gilead -to which Offred was mostly unaware- enhances the chilling and brutal tone of the former novel, as well as providing its own interesting story of later Gilead that successfully fleshes out the regime as well as answering some questions about what happens next. I am glad, however, that it does not explicitly answer every question; a lot of it is, as the Symposium concludes, the 'historian within us' tying threads together into a palatable narrative, and there is still the sense of a lot more going on under the surface that still remains unanswered, in a good way.
hagstromelvira's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
amyblae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
karinzoueini's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
klaireparavel's review against another edition
There's a lot to unpack and I could have done without the epilogue.
museum_owl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alixgmklein's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
Reading this felt a little like reading fan service, as if Atwood wanted to give fans the ending they asked for but upon completion of the book realized they didn't really want after all. This was a breeze to read and it didn't have nearly the emotional or intellectual heft of The Handmaid's Tale. The Aunt Lydia portions of the book were the most interesting, and I was particularly drawn to her experiences at the very beginnings of Gilead.
fedak's review against another edition
3.0
Fan service novel after people pestered Atwood for 30 years about what happened after the Handmaid's Tale. Quite good for about the first 3/4 with a couple big reveals (one of which I saw coming a mile away, one I didn't)
In the last part, Atwood clearly wanted to bring two of the protagonists together and clearly couldn't think of a way to do it. So we ended up with a nonsensical plot sequence for the latter third.
It was also disappointing that Atwood basically added nothing to Gilead that wasn't in the first novel- and I was hoping to see more about how the US devolved to the point where the Gilead revolution was possible.
In the last part, Atwood clearly wanted to bring two of the protagonists together and clearly couldn't think of a way to do it. So we ended up with a nonsensical plot sequence for the latter third.
It was also disappointing that Atwood basically added nothing to Gilead that wasn't in the first novel- and I was hoping to see more about how the US devolved to the point where the Gilead revolution was possible.