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The Handmaid's Tale
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The Handmaid's Tale
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The Handmaid's Tale
Ebook368 pages6 hours

The Handmaid's Tale

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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About this ebook

Before The Testaments, there was The Handmaid’s Tale: an instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times).

The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and a tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best.

Editor's Note

Dystopian classic…

Atwood’s dystopian classic isn’t just an argument for women’s rights, but more generally a brilliant commentary on the effects of dehumanization, of putting law above love, and of the dangers of picking sides and uncritically sticking with them in the first place.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherMariner Books
Release dateFeb 17, 1986
ISBN9780547345666
Unavailable
The Handmaid's Tale
Author

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood, whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries, is the author of over fifty books, including fiction, poetry, critical essays, and graphic novels. In addition to The Handmaid’s Tale, now an award-winning television series, her works include Cat’s Eye, short-listed for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; The MaddAddam Trilogy; The Heart Goes Last; Hag-Seed; The Testaments, which won the Booker Prize and was long-listed for the Giller Prize; and the poetry collection Dearly. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award. In 2019 she was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in Great Britain for her services to literature. She lives in Toronto.

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Reviews for The Handmaid's Tale

Rating: 4.135019828583409 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the second Atwood novel that I attempted, and my first success. The story was gripping and horrifying and left me a lot to think about.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    atwood doesn't begin her "reveal" until half-way thru the book. if there is something going on, you know it only thru the events and memories of the narrator. a bit later, at 80% (it's a ebook) Offred's friend "Moira", who has seen more of the world, shares what she has seen, and while it's but a personal view, a better sense of what's what appears. your patience will eventually be rewarded. but, to me, it seemed like an unnecessary tying up unloose ends. in my view, this is less a current (albeit 30-yrd old) comment on the political landscape, rather more how people are subjugated, not so much by the state, but those closest to them. i suppose it's recent comparison to nazi germany is apt, in that it takes a lot of functionaries having bought into 'other's dehumanization. the message here should be told to male-dominated industries - financial, media, .. where the woman remain as objects. the details of how it got this way are less important to atwood's speaking thru her narrator than the ability to see models of the necessary behaviors in today's world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Handmaid's Tale presents a dystopian future that seems all to likely in today's political climate. It is beautifully written and develops the character and the setting slowly and with precision. The events become more and more disturbing as the novel progresses, creating a true sense of anxiety for the main character. This is not a pleasant novel, but it is an important one, especially in today's political climate.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Offred remembers the time, not so long ago, when she had a husband and a daughter, when women were allowed to read and work and own property. All of that has changed in the repressive Republic of Gilead. Now, Offred is a Handmaid. Her purpose in life is to bear children for a barren married woman. Every aspect of Offred's life is controlled and scrutinized -- almost. Is there any way to escape?This book is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, as it is made into a TV series, and as people draw connections between it and the elements of the current political climate that some find frighteningly similar to the book. I had never read it before, so I decided that now was an excellent time to do so. It is a chilling depiction of a dystopian future, though it does show its age in spots. Still, definitely worth a read for the high quality writing, and so that you can be au courant with the current literary-political conversation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Sad, bleak, and powerful. This story hits you on so many different levels. The empathy you feel for the MC is reveled bit by bit making this a real page turner.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A frightening look at things that have happened, and could happen, in a different setting. It's interesting how the flashbacks were sprinkled in, and it slowly shows how these things came to be, a little at a time.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have actually read this book before, several years ago. This futuristic look at, apparently, a theocracy is very thought provoking. Women are truly under the control of men, and everything is tightly regulated. Things have gone wrong on many fronts, including many women not being able to have children. Thus the handmaids, whose sole purpose is to reproduce. I found myself thinking more deeply while reading this book than I generally do. I will reread this again, I am sure.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After reading all the rave reviews for this book, I was a bit disappointed.
    Atwood certainly is a fine writer but this story felt like an episode of Downton Abbey except without all the action. - Yes, that was a joke.
    The jumping around back and forth in time was a bit confusing as well. I was listening to the audiobook version, so maybe that was why I was getting confused.
    All this being said, I still think it is an important book to read during these strange times that we live in. What once seemed far-fetched, now seems......more threatening.
    I, of course, will still continue to read more from Margaret Atwood.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In a dystopian future, women fulfill certain, predefined roles within society, namely to bear children. Healthy, live, full term births are very rare and those women who are fertile are just as rare themselves. Women are forbidden to read and write, and live strictly to serve (in some capacity) at the mercy of their men. Men in high ranking positions whose wives are infertile are gifted with a Handmaid, a woman whose sole job is to bear a child for this distinguished couple, then to be moved on to another family to hopefully do it once more. Offred has been transferred to be the new handmaiden of a Captain, replacing one who was unable to bear him a child. She reflects on her life before, when she was happily married, employed at a job she loved, and raising a young daughter, while simultaneously contemplating this new world and her role within it. This novel was so chilling. Just to imagine our society slowly crumbling and morphing into something so unrecognizable from our current lives was enough to give me serious pause. The careful and systematic stripping of rights until it was to late for anyone to do anything was something I found eerie and honestly (terrifyingly) very believable. Written in a somewhat disjointed style, paragraphs often skip from various stages in Offreds life (childhood, college, marriage) back to present day under this new rule, I was easily engrossed. The story was very finely crafted and written, and really painted a bleak picture of society as a whole. I will definitely be tuning in to the Hulu original to see this enthralling novel brought to life on the small screen. (Release date April 26, 2017)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Honestly, after reading it the first time (when it first came out; yes, I am that old), I was convinced I would never re-read it. I was glad I had read it! but it was too harrowing to revisit.Nonetheless, in our current political clime, I'd been thinking about a re-read, so when it was April's book here, I decided to go for it.And, yes, harrowing is the right word, particularly when we are seeing every year bring us women less and less right to the basic bodily autonomy that- literally- a CORPSE has legally defined. (The state cannot mandate organ donorship from a corpse, but can and too often DO mandate medical procedures for women that are not to their benefit, but for the benefit of another- this is illegal for any other class of citizens).It frightens me, as I am seeing more and more laws passed that are further down the road to the Republic of Gilead than I ever thought I would see in my lifetime.Still, I am glad to have re-read it, I guess. :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a very interesting book. I like to read dystopia books because I like to see the ideas that people come up with for possible futures. I don't know if Atwood wrote this as presenting a real possibility with a hard clear lesson in it or if it was more just a story about human nature. Regardless, I enjoyed it. The context of the story is a little horrifying and it certainly makes you think about hows things are versus how they could be. It makes you appreciate things you never really appreciated before. I do recommend this book, perhaps more for the the female side of the species, as they will relate to it more than males. But it's a great thought provoker for everyone.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the third Margaret Atwood book I've read, and although I didn't like it quite as much as Alias Grace, I definitely enjoyed it more than Cat's Eye. I'm still experimenting with Margaret Atwood books, but by now I think it's safe to say that I enjoy her writing style and stories enough to keep pursuing her work. This is one of her more well known novels, and I could definitely see why people love it so much. The Handmaid's Tale is a beautifully eerie dystopian, and it's certainly one of the best classic dystopian novels I've read.When it comes to dystopia, I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of the genre. I loved The Hunger Games when I was in high school, but since then I haven't enjoyed many YA dystopians. The funny thing is, I can't even say why. Even though they can be action packed, I often find myself bored while reading them, and a lot of YA dystopians just seem too similar to me. When it comes to this genre I think I am a bigger fan of the classics, although they can be touch and go for me as well. I find that in classic dystopians, there is a wider range of societies and protagonists than in YA. Admittedly there are many classic dystopians that I haven't gotten around to yet (like 1984, yikes!) But I'm looking forward to picking them up!The Handmaid's Tale is the story of Offred, one of the few fertile women left in the world. She only has one purpose, and that is to breed. Needles to say, Women are severely oppressed in this new world. They are not allowed to work, or have hobbies or friends. If you are a woman, you are either one of two things - a wife or a handmaid.The world that we find in The Handmaid's Tale is terrifying. An early scene that stood out to me was one that depicted bodies hanging on the wall surrounding their town. Not only is the image of hanging bodies creepy enough, but the types of people that were being hanged really unsettled me. These people were persecuted for being enlightened thinkers. They were doctors, scientists, abortionists etc. This really resonated with me because we see this happening in our society all the time; whether it's people blowing up abortion clinics, debates on whether evolution should be taught in schools, or medical or scientific advances being frowned upon because they are viewed as us "playing God." I think Neil Gaiman said it best when he discussed the idea of dystopian fiction shedding light on contemporary issues:"What speculative fiction is really good at is not the future, but the present - taking an aspect of it that troubles or is dangerous, and extending and extrapolating that aspect into something that allows people of that time to see what they are doing from a different angle and from a different place. It's cautionary."~ Neil Gaiman, Introduction to Simon & Schuster's 50th Anniversary Edition of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyThe issues I mentioned above and the sexual, religious, and political themes present in the novel are all issues that are present in our society. Women deserve the rights to their own bodies, and seeing this taken away in such an extreme form was disturbing. It was also unnerving to see how religion influenced politics and the oppressing effect it had on women and society.To be honest, I wish the world was fleshed out a little more because I was curious as to how our world became this horrible. On the other hand, I realize the ambiguity aligns with Atwood's message that this could happen to us at any time. We don't need a big apocalyptic event because we are already on our way there. In this world, people went from living their normal lives to living in this hell very suddenly.I also thought this novel had a very interesting take on feminism. This novel is known to be a great piece of feminist literature, however some aspects of it didn't quite materialize in the way that I thought it was going to. Yes, this book is makes a statement on violence against women, but it was really interesting to see that radical feminism was one of the elements that led to this horrific world. It seemed to me that the people who were responsible for the world going to crap were the radical Christians and the radical feminists. This was definitely an angle that I wasn't expecting. It just goes to show that anything taken to the extreme can only cause mayhem and destruction.Overall, this was a great book by a wonderful woman who makes me proud to be Canadian! I really enjoyed this book, and the more I think about it, the more my appreciation for it grows. I can definitely see The Handmaid's Tale being a book I may teach in my high school English class one day!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After a terrorist attack kills most of the elected government, parts of the United States becomes the Republic of Gilead, where women's lives are strictly structured and they are assigned tasks in accordance with their age, comeliness, and malleability. Women do not otherwise work or earn money/ They are not allowed to read. Strictly sexual roles for the women are based on religious politics. One woman manages to get her story out.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I felt like this was better written than The Road, Pulitzer or no Pulitzer. However, the one trap I felt like the author feel into that Cormac McCarthy did not was to try to explain how we got to the point we are in this book. That requires an ability to jump the reader past a lot more suspension of disbelief than if the reader simply filled in those plot details him or herself.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of the first books I read as I began to move on from the realms of young adult fiction. As such, it was the first time I encountered such distinct stylization, and I had no problem absorbing it, although I know other people have reported discomfort with Atwood's style.Offred's narration starkly conveys her numbness and clearly displays her coping strategy, which is to get through one day at a time as she attempts to fend off a deluge of overhwhelming memories of normal times. The tone of the book is startingly immediate, which gives the flashback segments a dreamlike quality. This is an interesting reversal, where the bizarre totalitarian society in which Offred lives feels more realistic than the descriptions of her previous life, which was as normal as any contemporary American woman's.I would recommend this with no reservations, except to say that for some, Atwood's work may be an acquired taste. Take it on its own terms, not as some call to arms or some manifesto on women's liberation. It merely takes one facet of life and spins it to an extreme alternate future in the spirit if "imagine if..."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Beautiful, brilliant, harrowing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was heavily recommended and I was definitely interested since I'd never read any of Atwood's books before, I love dystopian settings and the TV show looks promising. I didn't get as much out of it as a lot of other readers, but still enjoyed. I liked the glimpses of how people would actually act in the regime - clandestine bathroom conversations, the Aunts, the brothel visit were all indicative of how faulty a system like this would actually be, to say nothing of the horrific conditions women had to endure in Gilead. I found the narrative a bit too loose and flowy to concentrate. Half the time I felt like I wasn't getting it, or was confused about what point in time the story was taking place. That being said, the point of view is supposed to be entirely in Offred's head so the style was very effective, just didn't enjoy it. Too much sizzle and not enough steak...or maybe it's the other way round? I'm a fickle book reader. I think it could've done without the epilogue part, although I'm always a sucker for them. Oddly, the last book I read had something almost entirely similar (City of Mirrors) that I thoroughly enjoyed. I think my main problem is that I didn't empathize enough with the main charcater...but that could be a function of her mentally trying to normalize everything and survive...which is very effective. This is why I don't normally review books. Glad I read it, will watch the show, wasn't one of my favorites but didn't dislike it either.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fantastic literature!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Not as current as one is lead to believe by media. Many of the technologies for fertility and counterception now make the story dated. However the government rule and White male issues are very current. Atwood is usually ahead of her time. If you haven't read, put on your list.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Set in an unlikely but not impossible alternate America, this is a powerful and chilling tale of a land dominated by religion. Executions for are common. Suspicion is universal. There is no joy, no love, no freedom, and no choice...especially for women. They are essentially property. They cannot own anything themselves. They are not even allowed to read. All they may have, all they may know comes from the men who dominate their lives.

    The story takes the form of an account by a woman who was a handmaid, part surrogate womb, part passionless concubine, whose only role in society is to provide a baby to a family that the wife and husband cannot conceive on their own. Her only power, her only choice is to comply or kill herself, which would be difficult in that she is not allowed access to sharp objects or anything else that might assist her in this.

    It's a frightening and cautionary story, although not one to my personal taste. I tend to prefer fiction that follows interesting characters overcoming difficulties. This is more of a tale of a fairly drab character attempting to cope by resigning herself to a difficult situation. It has more angst, more 'woe is me' reflections, than I normally care for. I am angered by the world portrayed and sad for the characters living in it, but that's not what I normally turn to fiction to provide. There is enough in nonfiction to alarm me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Love/hate this book. If I had had a description of the plot (hated the concept) I would never have read. Once I began reading, however, the well written book, characters and storyline caught me up and it was a very, very good read. Sometimes the number of friends and bookclubs insisting you have to read this book are right!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Written in the mid-1980s, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is described as a dystopian novel, much like George Orwell's 1984.Set in the near future in the former United States of America, the Republic of Gilead has been created in an age where pornography, rape, and sexual violence run rampant, and where reproduction rates have alarmingly plumetted. In a short period of time, it has become a theocratic dictatorship, where images have been replaced by words because women have been stripped of many rights, including that to read.Women are now classified in one of three ways: Wives, Handmaids, or Marthas. Wives are generally infertile, married women, while Handmaids live with them and their husbands, called Commanders. They are valued only for their reproductive abilities; once every month, they are obligated to have sexual intercourse with their Commanders, in the Wives' presence. However, they are allowed outdoors once a day, to go shopping, although it gives them absolutely no sense of freedom. While Wives have actual names, Handmaids are called Of(insert Commander's first name here), denoting the head of household's possession of said Handmaid, thus stripping them of any individuality.It is in this context that Offred's story is told. The narrative is told in her words in which she depicts her daily life as a Handmaid. Furthermore, she slips into frequent flashbacks that recount the events which lead to her current situation. Pre-Gilead, she was married to a man named Luke, and even had a daughter with her. As the Republic began to form, they attempted to escape to Canada, only to be caught. While Luke and the girl's whereabouts are unknown, Offred is brought to Rachel and Leah's Re-Education Center, where she is trained as a Handmaid.Through this monotonous and restrictive routine, where she must endure the monthly "Ceremony", events start to unfold when she befriends another Handmaid called Ofglen, and she can finally escape from her hellhole.The novel is ridden with biblical references, which is normal when a theocratic government rules the people. The Commanders' official title is "Commanders of the Faith", soldiers are "Angels", even the secret police, who watches every single public move of every single person, is called the "Eye of God." Stores, even automobiles have biblical names. Separation of Church and State and non-existent; and as such, the Bible rules all.While Atwood openly criticizes the religious right in this novel, criticism of radical feminism is also present, and the author presents similarities of both groups, such as their enthusiasm to protect women from sexual violence, but also their willingness to restrict free speech to do so.While this particular story presents a rather extremist reaction to a certain situation, and the fate women are subjected to is particularly repulsive, the character's wit and the situations she finds herself in add a certain lightness to the novel, in contrast to the weight of the society she lives in.3.5/5
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Besides the fact that "The Handmaid's Tale" was of literary merit, I found it to be totally riveting! I was sad to finish it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is probably one of the most well known dystopias in English literature. Offred, the main character, is a handmaiden for a well placed commander and his wife in the Republic of Gilead (located in the former United States). She has this role because she is still fertile and as such is quite valuable. However, when she has a child it will belong to her mistress and be treated as though Offred had no relation to it. Offred remembers the time before the theocratic Republic of Gilead was formed, when women had rights. The commander remembers this time as well and begins to do forbidden things with Offred, such as playing Scrabble and taking her to secret parties. I remember the first time I finished reading this closing the book and simply sitting and thinking for quite a while. Margaret Atwood has written several other dystopian novels but this is by far my favorite.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I think this book is just about perfect - terrifying, thought provoking and beautifully written. A must read!!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Kind of a scary look at the way things could go. Our freedom is more fragile than we think.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed the story. The author showed this "new" society to us while allowing the main character to compare it to her previous life in multiple flashbacks. It involves religion, gender roles, freedoms, education and so much more.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Of course I had heard of this book, but I was in no way prepared for it. One of the most beautifully awful books that I have ever read. The entire time I was reading I was filled with this desperate hopelessness, much like most of the women in the book, I am sure. As modern women, we like to think that we would DO something, we would not allow this to happen....it is pretty to think that, but ultimately a false belief.I don't really want to give anything of the plot away, I think this novel unfolds beautifully, so just go pick it up!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An imaginative dystopian novel that has true connections to modern life, Atwood's ability to describe and convey is shown consistently through the book.