The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.27 You Save: $7.73 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.42 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Handmaid's Tale
Book Review: An Amazing Story
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this book on my reading list for over two years now, and finally decided it was time that I actually sat down with it. I am so glad that I did. In my opinion, this is the best Margaret Atwood book I have ever read; and possibly the best thing she herself has written.
Set in the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States this story talks of a time where religion and the book of Genesis are thier government. The population is sharply declining because of overuse of toxic chemicals from the past and they must use "handmaids", a sort of personal assistant to sterile couples. If these handmaids break an offense, they can be hanged or carted away. In short, Freedom of life is completely gone.
What both amazed and scared me is that she wrote of the Republic of Gilead as formerly the United States instead of just some obscure country. Especially in the time we live in today, a very divided nation of values and issues it is plausible that something like this could take place.
I was amazed by this story and at Atwood's smooth, rich storytelling. There were moments that were gut-wrenchingly sad and horrifying, and yet other moments such as the character of Moira that made me laugh out loud. Overall, her writing is superb and flows along perfectly.
It is also an incredible social commentary on censorship, freedom of speech and religions, and most importantly women's rights. As all rights have been taken away from women and they are property of men in this story, there is a shocking and haunting note that all women have worked for could be gone if we do not continue to fight.
I would reccomend this story to anyone who wants a challenging, meaningful read. It is also a good "study" novel to discuss with a group, or analyze on your own. At times, the storyline is very intense and depressing to read but you will feel rewarded that you stuck it out in the end.
As a companion read with this, I suggest either Oryx and Crake another superb Atwood novel; or 1984 by George Orwell.
Book Review: Crisp, thought-provoking, incisive
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up this novel at a bookstore without knowing anything about Atwood or this book. I read a couple of pages and because it was on sale, thought "Why not? I don't think I've read a fiction like this in a while"
I was soon hooked. The prose is so crisp - that's the best word I can think to describe it. And I really became engaged in the emotions of the main character. I soon realised that this wasn't a mere story about a dark future, but was dissecting the world we already live in.
One of the things I appreciated about Atwood's feminism is that women aren't all portrayed as the one archetype - the Victim or the Heroine. There are also female perpetrators of the oppression. And as privileged as men might seem, they are still trapped in this prison, not free to relate to women how they wish nor express themselves fully. It resonated very much with how I see the world: that you can't just draw the lines along gender and lay blame that way. And as another reviewer put it, it shows that for this sort of thing to happen, there must be some degree of compliance with the regime.
I also appreciated its commentary on religion's role in this. In fact, it's what helps this book to still be very relevant today to both modern Christianity and Islam.
One experience from the book that stands out is when Offred is confronted by tourists asking her questions. It gives an interesting return perspective from the insider looking out compared to the outsider looking in perspective we normally have of other cultures with different social constraints and levels of oppression.
I definitely recommend buying this book. I know it will rub some people the wrong way, as you can't avoid a critical piece like this, but whether you come out agreeing or disagreeing with Atwood's insights & perspective, it's excellent for provoking your thoughts on the matters handled within. You will at least appreciate Atwood's skill with the English language.
Book Review: Interesting reality
Summary: 5 Stars
I was honestly deceived by the cover and the initial chapters of the book--I seriously believed that this would be a book of the past, something centered on characters of the seventeenth or eighteenth century, or maybe even the nineteenth century. I started the book with expectations that I was going to read some book about handmaids--some tragic story about a handmaid and her master, or else something just as cliché as that.
I couldn't have been more surprised to expect a story placed in the future, a story about a life in our near future where all women have become the slaves of the men, valued only if they have a viable ovary, a story about a woman who struggles to take off the rags of society's male dominated society, a warning to all of us about the kind of future we will soon face.
Offred is a handmaid, one of the few lucky ones that still posseses a viable ovary. She lives a harsh life as she is both favored by her fellow maids and despised by those who envy. Unhappy with her life in this new world, she frequently reminiscences about life when everything was normal, before the Gilead's took over and changed everything. Unable to forget the past and accept her new role, Offred cannot help but dream of escaping. As the story progresses, we witness Offred's gradual leave from society's chains as she secretly engages in illegal meetings with both the commander and his servant--her first steps of defying society's orders.
Although I started off on a plate of confusion not knowing what or why something was happening, as I began to understand more and more of what was going on, understand that her previous life--the happy life with her husband Luke and their new born child--was so similar to our today, I just cannot put the book down. She could have been one of us. We could have been one of her. We could have been living the horrid life in her new world, the life of a slave, the life of an UNwoman, the life of a nothing.
Book Review: A dystopia where women are second-rate
Summary: 5 Stars
Started this late last year during banned books week, but gave it away before I finished reading it for BBW. A fellow bookcrosser sent me another copy. This is the story of a future dystopia where women are treated as second-rate citizens with no rights and a choosen few, the handmaids, are only valued because of their ability to conceive children. The women are separated into classes, but still the women in this story have been robbed of their voices and their rights.
Women no longer have sovereignty over their bodies. They are no longer allowed to read, own property, money, anything. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, a handmaid, who can still remember the time before.
The handmaid's job is to bear children for the Commanders and their Wives. They're seen as "valued assests" of their country, but it's obvious that most of the other women in the society, especially the wives see them as nothing more than whores.
These women are brainwashed, led to believe that many things we see as an assault on women, such as rape, is really the women's fault. They wanted it. They deserved what they got. It's horrifying reading about these women being treated like animals.
While the story is largely about the handmaids, Offred's observations of the other women in the society show you that they're really all trapped, regardless of status. They're all treated second-rate, yet instead of banding together, they buy into the propaganda that women should be seen and not heard.
Offred doesn't just tell the story of the handmaids. She tells the story of her life before becoming a handmaid, how she became a handmaid, people she remembered in her life before, the way life was before. It's all intricately woven together in one tale.
I haven't read a story in a long time that's haunted and chilled me like this story. I'm an avid horror reader, but the story of this society really disturbed me. It left me with a lot to think about, and the ending itself was haunting.
Book Review: Morbid Curiosity
Summary: 5 Stars
Living in a society where we are free to do exactly what we want, it is hard to imagine living in a culture where women are restricted to go on with their everyday lives and must be enslaved to the caste system of a male-dominant society. In The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Atwood illustrates how the choices one makes can influence his or her life in many different ways. Though a controversial book that often depict women as only "sex slaves" to the men of the Republic of Gilead, The Handmaid's Tale provoked me to ask questions about the current situation of our society. Some may find that this book is blunt in its words, often depicting the acts of sexual pleasure given to the men by the women as something that is not pleasurable but rather tedious. Although this book was slow in the beginning, demonstrated by Atwood's description of each setting and character, it quickly picked up its pace as Offred revealed her place in society. Atwood has a special way of introducing new information to the readers through Offred and in my opinion, is the best way she chooses to utilize her style in the book.
This book is meant for someone who not only wants to be challenged but also entertained. Though at times the information is confusing, as Offred jumps back and forth between the past and the present, Atwood uses a superb way of illustrating the text to actually allow readers to understand the situation of Gilead and how women are suppressed in the society. When I was reading this book, there were times where I could not stop reading but there were also times when I felt the urge to put the book down and not finish it. But as I continued reading and received more insight of the story through Offred, I was captivated at how strongly Atwood was able to demonstrate the pain Offred felt in the Gilead society. This book is worth buying and keeping in your book shelf for many years to come.