The Handmaid's Tale
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- Create Date：2022-06-26 00:21:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Margaret Atwood
- ISBN：038549081X
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Summary
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 moth and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant， because in an age of declining births， Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued 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。。。
Funny， unexpected， horrifying， and altogether convincing， The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire， dire warning， and tour de force。
Funny， unexpected， horrifying， and altogether convincing， The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire， dire warning， and tour de force。
Reviews
Hayden Epp
，
This was a really thought-provoking and interesting story。 I think the writing style here was pretty unique among books I’ve read， and I both like it and dislike it。 I think it kept me from being as captivated by the story as I otherwise would have been， but I think it also allows the reader to fill in some blanks that cause the book to have more impact in some ways。 Really glad I read this one！
Nikki Rich
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I enjoyed this book although it was weird and I love sci fi and fantasy。 It was weird in a way that makes it hard to imagine being true in this day and age but it’s still an interesting book to read。
Chiquikieta
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Ik weet niet wat ik van dit boek had verwacht， maar dit was het denk ik niet。 Toch echt een prachtig boek en de schijf style🥰🥰 alleen waarom laten ze soms de aanhalingstekens achterwegen😭😭
Heather
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I guess it a good book， but to me its long winded。
emily ☂︎
，
I kind of read this at the perfect time， which is a really sad thing to say。 I wish a book about the utter deconstruction of women's rights that was published over 30 years ago wasn’t so relevant right now。 I wish our lives didn't （still） have to be dictated by men。 What a pathetic fucking world we live in， where the dystopian novel turns into an instruction manual…"Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book。 Well， almost everything！ The I kind of read this at the perfect time， which is a really sad thing to say。 I wish a book about the utter deconstruction of women's rights that was published over 30 years ago wasn’t so relevant right now。 I wish our lives didn't （still） have to be dictated by men。 What a pathetic fucking world we live in， where the dystopian novel turns into an instruction manual… "Everything you've ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book。 Well， almost everything！ The other inspiration is the world we've been living in。" -Margaret Atwood on 'The Testaments'， the sequel to 'The Handmaid's Tale' 。。。more
James Manville
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The best work of “fiction” I have ever， and will ever， read。
Carlota Monedero
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I absolutely hated this book。 It got me into a reading slump。 It's confusing and obscure， the writing is repetitive and excessively complicated for absolutely no reason。 There is absolutely zero character depth and development。 Idk， maybe I wasn't in the mood for it， but I was just praying for it to be over。 I absolutely hated this book。 It got me into a reading slump。 It's confusing and obscure， the writing is repetitive and excessively complicated for absolutely no reason。 There is absolutely zero character depth and development。 Idk， maybe I wasn't in the mood for it， but I was just praying for it to be over。 。。。more
Rachel Kraxner
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I finished this book technically yesterday but am writing my review today in light of the June 24th announcement striking down Roe vs。 Wade。 Today more than ever The Handmaid’s Tale is less dystopian futuristic fiction and more of a cautionary warning with the direction we are currently headed in as a country。 “nolite te bastardes carborundum”
gina （taylor's version）
，
masterpiece
Tony Frampton
，
Holy shit。 It’s become almost trite to hear folks say this is “instructive” or “a warning” of what may become of our United States， but that doesn’t make it untrue。 Later this morning， our Supreme Court is preparing to overturn the precedent of Roe vs Wade， unleashing trigger laws all across the land， forcing non-elite women to carry unwanted pregnancies despite threats to their life， liberty and pursuit of happiness。 An overly political court， packed from the previous administration， is a worri Holy shit。 It’s become almost trite to hear folks say this is “instructive” or “a warning” of what may become of our United States， but that doesn’t make it untrue。 Later this morning， our Supreme Court is preparing to overturn the precedent of Roe vs Wade， unleashing trigger laws all across the land， forcing non-elite women to carry unwanted pregnancies despite threats to their life， liberty and pursuit of happiness。 An overly political court， packed from the previous administration， is a worrisome advance of a similar type of Christian Nationalism that Atwood describes。 I wish I had read this years ago before watching the Hulu series， but nonetheless this book retains its power， and it’s premonition。 。。。more
Leonie Vrieze
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3，5⭐️not my kind of writing style i guess but endlessly fascinating concept
Mel Van
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Brilliant
Em
，
A disturbing resonance that never quite leaves you once read。
leana
，
everyone needs to read this book。 holy shit。
Anya Narang
，
Definitely a different writing style than what I’m used to but so so good （as expected！！） the ending got my heart beating so fast fr
Ngoc Them
，
Cuốn này cũng phản địa đàng mà mình không thấy thích bằng những cuốn trước mình đọc。
Kalkidan Gebregziabiher
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it’s pretty good but I think it needs a bit more dialogue and detail especially in the last part I was honestly so confused on what happened
Brian Koser
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My new canonical example of the folly of close reading。 Without knowing American Christianity， 1980s American politics， and dystopian literature， you're not getting the novel Atwood intended you to get。 For example， I see everyone discussing abortion in their reviews， and I expected that to be a major theme。 But the book barely mentions abortion directly， although pregnancy and children are often。The premise is farfetched。 I'm not saying it's impossible that America would go to a government-cont My new canonical example of the folly of close reading。 Without knowing American Christianity， 1980s American politics， and dystopian literature， you're not getting the novel Atwood intended you to get。 For example， I see everyone discussing abortion in their reviews， and I expected that to be a major theme。 But the book barely mentions abortion directly， although pregnancy and children are often。The premise is farfetched。 I'm not saying it's impossible that America would go to a government-controlled digital currency during an environmental apocalypse that sunk the birth rate and an ahistorical Puritan-esque cult would stage a government coup and set up a caste system， but it is farfetched。 And that's fine， I'm a fan of speculative fiction。 But it's laughable to say we're closer to Gilead than we were in 1985， or to say we're moving closer if Roe v。 Wade is overturned。A caution against totalitarian religion， while Nineteen Eighty-Four is totalitarian government and Brave New World is totalitarian factory system。 （It's a government in all three， but that's the distinction in my mind。）Major theme is sight: Offred wears the bonnet which restricts her sight。 She often communicates non-verbally by sight。 When she is alone in her room， she stares at the ceiling or out the window。 She tries to avoid being seen when she visits Nick。 She takes off the bonnet for the trip to Jezebel's and sees Moira and the hypocrisy of the commander。Well-written prose。 Not polemic or didactic， which I expected， so bad on me for assuming。 。。。more
Brody Felgate
，
Blessed be the fruit 🙏🏼😫
Megan
，
i really enjoyed this book， atwood’s writing lent itself well to what was revealed to be a spoken narrative。 the society was so foreign， but i could feel the echoes of real societies in the world。 this was an ambitious but well-executed book， and i can see why it’s considered a modern classic。
Maka Spruth
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4。5Una historia tremenda y muy fuerte， tuvo un final muy abierto que siento que parecía un final de temporada y me dejó media vacía， no fue un final que te dejaba pensando fue un final que te daba a entender que iba a continúa， tmb llegue a pensar que en un momento iban a revelarse o AYUDAR a la rebelión pero todo lo que se sabía era puro rumor anyways al final y al cabo es UN CUENTO y se siente mucho así pero la info que da termina dando a entender que va haber mas
Vanessa Velazquez lozano
，
3。5
Emilie
，
The feministic 1984。
Contra Inercia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Esta autora canadiense es realmente prolífica， y me parece muy triste que no haya tenido apenas repercusión más allá de esta obra。 No voy a ser hipócrita， yo tampoco conocía a esta escritora antes del boom que ha supuesto esta obra a raíz de su serie， pero he de decir que en el futuro pienso paliar esta situación， ya que esta novela me ha parecido muy interesante。 Sin más dilación， ¡vamos al temita！Esta obra es la sexta novela que escribió， y data de 1985。 La crítica la ha alabado por ser una di Esta autora canadiense es realmente prolífica， y me parece muy triste que no haya tenido apenas repercusión más allá de esta obra。 No voy a ser hipócrita， yo tampoco conocía a esta escritora antes del boom que ha supuesto esta obra a raíz de su serie， pero he de decir que en el futuro pienso paliar esta situación， ya que esta novela me ha parecido muy interesante。 Sin más dilación， ¡vamos al temita！Esta obra es la sexta novela que escribió， y data de 1985。 La crítica la ha alabado por ser una distopía ubicada en una especie de futuro cercano en EEUU。 Sin embargo， en la edición que he leído de Salamandra， la propia Atwood sugiere que， más que un futuro cercano， es el presente de muchas sociedades que aún a día de hoy realizan algunas de las prácticas que se relatan en la novela。 Sin desvelar mucho de la trama， aunque ya la conoceréis， es una novela con una fuerte carga feminista， que habla de la sororidad y de la fuerza del conjunto。 Pero， y aquí es algo en lo que quiero incidir， no es tanto una distopía que se centre en un futuro oscuro y apocalíptico como en la fragilidad de nuestra sociedad y en lo fácil que sería perder todo lo que damos por asegurado。Un ejemplo claro es el fatídico incendio que tuvimos que presenciar ayer en la catedral de Notre Dame。 Es una de esas obras de arte que nunca habríamos imaginado que acabaría siendo pasto de las llamas， y sin embargo， tuvimos que asistir impotentes al incendio de su tejado， y a la caída de su aguja。 La analogía me sirve para ilustrar lo que digo: no sólo no debemos dar por hecho nuestro bienestar， sino que debemos luchar por mantenerlo。La autora， además， hace referencia a que se inspiró en los países comunistas tras el Telón de acero para crear su sociedad autoritaria y jerarquizada， y me parece un acierto， ya que en el contexto en el que nace la novela， en plena Guerra Fría， la base en la que basarse estaba clara。 También hay elementos de sociedades protestantes como los puritanos o los baptistas， lo que crea una combinación realmente interesante que， como se ha comprobado， es potente。 Pero como dice la autora， la lucha no ha de centrarse en occidente， sino en aquellos países cuyos gobiernos o cuya religión les tiene subyugados。Ahora bien， ¿qué me ha parecido a mí？ Pues es una obra que va directa al top de este año， ni más ni menos。 No sé en qué posición acabará， pero lo que está claro es que es una obra que invita a reflexionar sobre la volatilidad de nuestro mundo， sobre el valorar todo lo que se ha perdido， y echa leña al fuego en pleno debate sobre los vientres de alquiler。 Evidentemente lo narrado es llevarlo al extremo， pero da que pensar que en esta sociedad se divida a las mujeres entre las que son capaces de procrear y las que no， y que a las que son capaces se les trate casi como a ganado。Es una obra con una fuerte carga crítica， tanto a las sociedades con elementos que recuerdan a lo narrado como a aquellas que van tomando esa deriva。 Es una llamada de atención para que no nos durmamos， pero discrepo con el diagnóstico que se ha dado， quizá por la interpretación de la serie （no la he visto aún）: evidentemente este sistema teocrático se basa en sociedades como la puritana， pero no creo que actualmente la situación se revierta hasta que un grupo minoritario tome el control del país。 Hay otros lugares del mundo cuya situación requiere mayor urgencia que Occidente， y no me voy a mojar más porque este espacio está libre de carga política。El estilo es directo， con frases breves， pensamientos que cortan otros y que， una vez formulados， vuelven a los anteriores… En resumen， la obra está escrita a la manera de pensar de una persona， y creo que ese es uno de sus mayores atractivos。 Además， sus descripciones son crudas y oscuras。 No da lugar a la esperanza porque la narradora de verdad cree que no puede albergarla。 El sentimiento de soledad es realmente fuerte， así como su sentimiento de pérdida， su necesidad de apegarse a alguien o el asco que siente hacia las personas que la rodean。 。。。more
Lena
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I really tried to like it but I didn't and it sent me into a reading slump I really tried to like it but I didn't and it sent me into a reading slump 。。。more
Tania Pavao
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WowLoved everything about it。 Captivating from beginning to end。 Would recommend to everyone that I know。 Only disappointment was when the book ended。 I didn't want it to end WowLoved everything about it。 Captivating from beginning to end。 Would recommend to everyone that I know。 Only disappointment was when the book ended。 I didn't want it to end 。。。more
Marielle Fatima
，
This is terrifying to read as a woman， but is also shockingly not as far-fetched in our society given how people like to make a woman's reproductive business their own。 There could also be something said about the overreading of religious texts， how wrong interpretations benefit mostly those in power and the 'word of God' is used to excuse injustice。 I found the novel intriguing and a marvelous example of what world-building should be because it was solidly written。 It makes me wonder how Gilead This is terrifying to read as a woman， but is also shockingly not as far-fetched in our society given how people like to make a woman's reproductive business their own。 There could also be something said about the overreading of religious texts， how wrong interpretations benefit mostly those in power and the 'word of God' is used to excuse injustice。 I found the novel intriguing and a marvelous example of what world-building should be because it was solidly written。 It makes me wonder how Gilead came to be and why it was singled out when other countries in that world seemed to be different （the "tourists" in the first few chapters being in awe of the handmaids）。 It's baffling that in fiction， religion and law could overlap into totalitarianism。 A little miffed about the ending though， partially because I feel like it's a classic case of cutting the story just when it's about to get interesting。 Open endings MIGHT be better than tragedy， though。 。。。more
Zoe
，
I think my main problem with the handmaids tale is that it’s about a pain being inflicted on white characters that racialized groups already face。 Margret Atwood has spoken about how this dystopia is based on a “potential” but there has been an epidemic of forced and coerced sterilization of Black， Indigenous， and Latina women due to being targets of the eugenics movement starting in the 1900s。 When Atwood uses lack of body autonomy as a pain for white women without intersectionality， it comes o I think my main problem with the handmaids tale is that it’s about a pain being inflicted on white characters that racialized groups already face。 Margret Atwood has spoken about how this dystopia is based on a “potential” but there has been an epidemic of forced and coerced sterilization of Black， Indigenous， and Latina women due to being targets of the eugenics movement starting in the 1900s。 When Atwood uses lack of body autonomy as a pain for white women without intersectionality， it comes off as ignorant。 It’s because she’s not recognizing these same things are happening to women of colour it demonstrates an internalized bias because these imaginings for her are a reality for other women。 However。 The writing is just SO GOOD like damn Margaret。 。。。more
QUGRAD
，
this autor is writing style amazing and this book is unadoubledly awersome
evelyn
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 it's summer and i'm back on my reading grind。 consider this the first review of （hopefully） many。 i started this book a while ago during school for ssr so i don't fully remember how it made me feel the entire time i was reading it but overall i enjoyed it quite a bit。 i read a review of someone saying that they didn't like how the plot wasn't really revealed until about halfway through the book but tbh that didn't bother me overall because i enjoyed reading along to figure out the mystery and i it's summer and i'm back on my reading grind。 consider this the first review of （hopefully） many。 i started this book a while ago during school for ssr so i don't fully remember how it made me feel the entire time i was reading it but overall i enjoyed it quite a bit。 i read a review of someone saying that they didn't like how the plot wasn't really revealed until about halfway through the book but tbh that didn't bother me overall because i enjoyed reading along to figure out the mystery and i think that because this is a standalone novel it works because it suits the narrator。 i wouldn't say that this book really impacted me or changed me or anything but it did make me think about all the things i take for granted in my day to day life。 atwood did a really good job of making the reader feel what the narrator feels and capturing the mundane in life。 i love when science fiction books just get it right and i think this is one of those times。 the dystopian world was horrifying but not entirely unrealistic which i appreciated。 because i read this in such a fragmented way i don't have much more to say except that i do wish there was more of a resolution。 i think the way the book ends makes the story more impactful and is realistic because knowing the world why WOULD there be any sort of ultimate resolution。 the fact that it's narrated and the narrator talks in the present as well actually does show that she escapes。 so that's a resolution。 but nothing really actually happens。 i think it's more about showing the dystopian world through the eyes of an incredibly normal， probably shallow woman and seeing the changes。 that's actually really cool。 i take it back。 this book is fire。 lit。 epic。 that's about all。 i don't know where i would recommend reading this book - this is kind of a cop out answer but like maybe in a park？ i don't know。 some books are easier to locate than others。 this one is kind of a downer and you want to pay attention to it。 maybe a coffee shop。 both are good options。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Handmaid's Tale
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Handmaid's Tale&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Handmaid's Tale&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0