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A review by katykelly
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
5.0
World-enhancing, question-answering, depth-creating account of 'what happened next'.
I loved this from the start. As someone who was growing up around the time The Handmaid's Tale was written, who discovered the book as a teenager and has seen as an adult dystopian fiction take off, using Atwood as a basis, then see shades of it in real life... I wanted to know what the author would say if returning to Gilead in 2019.
The TV series is its own world, much as I've enjoyed it. Though I was beyond thrilled to hear Ann Dowd's voice at the beginning returning as Aunt Lydia, it was clear who she was. And she undoubtedly IS the voice we need for this woman.
With three women continuing the story of Gilead 15 years after Offred/June's tale ended, I was hooked on hearing their accounts. The glimpses they give us of their worlds as well as their own stories were seamlessly intertwined, with each giving us a different perspective.
I don't want to go into plot at all. I've heard others say this is slow and adds nothing to the story. I didn't find this to be true at all. Each account is full of characters, interactions, plotting, scheming, Gilead in all its monstrous, binding and evil forms.
You can't read these and NOT think about certain countries, individuals and political systems in the world today. You can't believe we can let these extremes exist out there...
The three accounts begin with some mystery, though I found I knew exactly what was going on from the beginning. I loved flitting between each of the characters, watching the younger two grow up and find their own voices and minds, and seeing how the stories came together.
Full of insight, rage and fight. Thank you Ms Atwood for bringing us a conclusion and closure. We needed this.
Fantastic voice cast, well-respected and known voices as well as some new talent, a focused and intense reading of the book. Very easy to follow as an Audible read. If you've read the first, this will satisfy and answer questions.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
I loved this from the start. As someone who was growing up around the time The Handmaid's Tale was written, who discovered the book as a teenager and has seen as an adult dystopian fiction take off, using Atwood as a basis, then see shades of it in real life... I wanted to know what the author would say if returning to Gilead in 2019.
The TV series is its own world, much as I've enjoyed it. Though I was beyond thrilled to hear Ann Dowd's voice at the beginning returning as Aunt Lydia, it was clear who she was. And she undoubtedly IS the voice we need for this woman.
With three women continuing the story of Gilead 15 years after Offred/June's tale ended, I was hooked on hearing their accounts. The glimpses they give us of their worlds as well as their own stories were seamlessly intertwined, with each giving us a different perspective.
I don't want to go into plot at all. I've heard others say this is slow and adds nothing to the story. I didn't find this to be true at all. Each account is full of characters, interactions, plotting, scheming, Gilead in all its monstrous, binding and evil forms.
You can't read these and NOT think about certain countries, individuals and political systems in the world today. You can't believe we can let these extremes exist out there...
The three accounts begin with some mystery, though I found I knew exactly what was going on from the beginning. I loved flitting between each of the characters, watching the younger two grow up and find their own voices and minds, and seeing how the stories came together.
Full of insight, rage and fight. Thank you Ms Atwood for bringing us a conclusion and closure. We needed this.
Fantastic voice cast, well-respected and known voices as well as some new talent, a focused and intense reading of the book. Very easy to follow as an Audible read. If you've read the first, this will satisfy and answer questions.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.