The Handmaid's Tale

by

Mass Market Paperback, 395 pages

English language

Published Dec. 13, 1991 by Fawcett Crest.

ISBN:
978-0-449-21260-8
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OCLC Number:
751034567

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4 stars (5 reviews)

IN THE WORLD OF THE NEAR FUTURE, WHO WILL CONTROL WOMEN'S BODIES?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now... everything has changed. --back cover

46 editions

reviewed The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Captivating dystopia

4 stars

I have not watched the TV series based on the book before reading it. I prefer it in that order. I was caught up in the story from the first few pages. It describes a dystopian future regime in the former United States with very strict rules and control and abundant capital punishment for those who step a bit out of line. The story has chilling similarities to some of what I read about present-day conservative America.

reviewed La servante écarlate by Margaret Atwood

Not so speculative fiction

5 stars

I was warned this book is not a fun one. Indeed it is not.

You get to see the omnipresent fear and violence of a patriarchal surveillance state. You get to see how it got there, little by little, and how it got accepted. The disturbing part is that it is very much believable...

I hadn't seen since Orwell's "1984" the effect of a totalitarian system on an individual so well described, especially at an individual level. You get to see how a single mind resists or breaks when faced with such overwhelming brutal and oppressive environment.

It is definitely worth reading, especially when you keep in mind the fact that Atwood has been censored in several US states.

reviewed Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Excellent

5 stars

It took me a bit to get into the story, mostly because of how it’s written. It seemed to me too mysterious and in some cases, vague, but once I got fully immersed in the story I couldn’t leave. It’s such a rough story that makes you think about how the current world relates to it. I’m glad I read this book.

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rated it

3 stars