The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood

I can see why this novel is so often required reading in high school and college English classes....more

I can see why this novel is so often required reading in high school and college English classes. Margaret Atwood offers a richly contextual novel with no easy answers. While some of the major themes include feminism, misogyny, totalitarianism, religious extremism, and theocracy, the novel deals in ambivalence. In other words, there are no easy answers. While the futuristic dystopia that Offred, the narrator, describes is terrifying, the past that Offred reminisces about has plenty of its own flaws. In addition to forcing the reader to consider some difficult questions about feminism and religious extremism, I should also point out that I found this novel an incredibly compelling read. Offred, the narrator, is a "handmaid"- used basically as a breeder for the elite in the new totalitarian society. The novel jumps around in time from before the overthrow, to Offred's time being conditioned into a handmaid, to her present posting with Fred, her Commander. (Her name is Of-Fred because she belongs to Fred at her current posting...). I like to think that things have turned out somewhat better for women than Atwood imagines in this novel. I hope that's true. I like to believe that I'll be able to have a career that I'm good at and enjoy and also be able to have a meaningful relationship and a family. I guess it's important not to take the efforts for change from the past for granted. I can't imagine not being allowed to read like most of the women in The Handmaid's Tale!   hide

I first came across this book on a high school reading list. At the time I ended up choosing a...more

I first came across this book on a high school reading list. At the time I ended up choosing a different read as this book was a rare find (out of print if I remember correctly). But recently I came across it again, and out of curiosity, decided to read it. It's the usual dystopia book, pondering on the "what ifs", and critiquing the road modern society is walking in. The story was a bit more perverse than my usual liking, but overall it was an interesting read. Although I have to admit, this book wouldn't work for everyone. Plot: 3.5 (It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly attention grabbing or original either. There are other dystopia books with better story lines). Style: 3.5 (Preference for style is subjective, but personally I found it bearable, but not particularly fond of it). Characterization/Development: 4 (Again, depends on preference, but personally I didn't find Offred very engaging at first, but I did like how Atwood started developing her over time). Enjoyment: 4 (The overall effect was interesting).   hide

A well-written, occasionally didactic play on primary sources in historical study masquerading as...more

A well-written, occasionally didactic play on primary sources in historical study masquerading as an old-school dystopian nightmare masquerading as a meditation on why, even if the movement itself has turned into a spray of ideas, feminism itself is an necessary counterbalance in a society that - in the 80s as well as now - remains patriarchal and one-sided in its view of women and their choices. (Phew.) I liked it best when the plot stopped trying to resolve itself and we were left with the glued together flashbacks of Offred's life (as well as her friends' and mother's), but it's hard not to love Atwood's ambitious streak here... I feel like it's been a long time since I've read a novel that tried so hard to have its cake and eat it, too, with Offred's detached acceptance working against the author's endless (and true) skewering of Boomers and the loss of ideals that marked the Me Decade. I wasn't floored, but it was a pretty grand experiment.   hide

This is a futuristic dystopia which uses past instances of oppression (within our world) as a...more

This is a futuristic dystopia which uses past instances of oppression (within our world) as a guide. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the book was the reminder that history repeats itself. That being said, the story did not meet my expectations. I didn't feel the lonliness of those trapped in that environment ... the pain they went through upon losing their families ... the horror they experienced during the public displays of the dead. I *knew* that it would be a horrible way to live, but I can't say that I ever felt a connection with any of the characters. Furthermore, I found the ending to be sloppy and frustrating (although I must admit that the general idea was creative). This is certainly not the best book that I've read, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up. If nothing else, it will make you rethink the stability of our current society.   hide

I first read this Dystopian (think opposite of Utopian) society novel for a Women in Fiction Course...more

I first read this Dystopian (think opposite of Utopian) society novel for a Women in Fiction Course with my favorite professor, and found it was right up my alley since it's about religion gone way wrong. Women are practically powerless in this illustration of what could have happened if the 1980's had gone the way of Jerry Fallwell. Not thinking I could love the book more, I chose to write about it for my entrance essay into graduate school, and ended up appreciating it even more knowing the background of the right-wing, religious trend in the 1980's AND especially when comparing it to some Islamic Societies. The scary thing is, as you read this novel, you want to tell yourself that such extreme religious regimes aren't plausible--until you compare Atwood's imagined society to the chillingly similar regime in Iran... (for my graduate entrance essay, I compared the book to Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Izar Nafisi).   hide