Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - The Testaments

A little bit disappointing. Not bad. I did enjoy it and I was glad to hear more about Gilead, but I would expect way more from Atwood. This felt almost like a sell-out. I get it, money grabs are sometimes necessary, but they don’t always make for great literature.

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angelparey's review

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challenging reflective tense medium-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? No

4.25

This book is a page-turner. I finished it quickly as it is suspenseful in a good way and makes you feel for the narrators.

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avocadotoastbee's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

3.5

The Testaments is not really what I was hoping for.
In the acknowledgements, Atwood says that The Testaments answers questions left by The Handmaid's Tale and shows what happened after the novel. In my opinion, however, it doesn't do that at all.
Don't get me wrong, there was definitely more information about Gilead and what led to its downfall, although it is never really said how Gilead collapsed.
Another thing that really bothered me was that it basically stuck to the extended storyline and characters from the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale. I would have liked the book much more if it had been narrated by other characters and abandoned the plot of The Handmaid's Tale's nameless narrator (June) completely, or at least partially.
All in all, I think Margaret Atwood did a great job of building this dystopian world (some of which, unfortunately, isn't that far from the reality we're living in right now), but The Testaments didn't meet my expectations and was predictable, and kind of unnecessary.

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elenayasmin's review

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dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Atwood wrote this book to answer questions asked by readers of The Handmaid's Tale. However, many questions still remain unanswered, for example,

how exactly did the microdot in Nicole's arm lead to the downfall of Gilead

. It was certainly a very gripping read, however I am feeling somewhat dissatisfied after having finished reading it. Atwood builds a lot of suspense throughout the book, but the resolution seems somewhat unrefined. I think she could have afforded to reveal more in The Thirteenth Symposium chapter.

This book differs greatly from the first book due to the fact that The Handmaid's Tale follows only one character, and we get a very immersive experience of her life. The Testaments however follows the perspectives of three characters, which detatches us more from the characters and gives this book a closer feeling of a historical document. Atwood did very well in delivering the different personalities through their testaments, with each character having a unique voice.

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annadrinksmilk's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

your favorite plot line in this book tells me so much about you. personally i favored daisy/jade/nicole

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leonormsousa's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious slow-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? No

3.5

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