The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood
Published: Published February 17, 1986
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Classic, Feminism
Blurb:
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.
--hmhbooks.com
My Review:
The Handmaid's Tale takes place in the future in what was once known as the United States but is now called the Republic of Gilead. Women have lost all their rights. The women were gathered up and trained for their new roles in society by the “Aunts”. The women are given a fertility test if they passed then their new roles are to be a Handmaid. A Handmaid is to bear children for their commanders. Other women have the roles of “Marthas” who cook and clean.
Women are not allowed to have a conversation with anyone. They are to do their job and nothing else. Even their names are stripped from them. They are given new names. The Handmaid’s take on the name of their commander and add Of before it. Like say if their commander’s name is Fred then they would be Offred, like our heroine. The Handmaid’s Tale is told from Offred’s point of view. The Handmaids are no longer allowed to use their real names. The wives have a little more freedom than the Handmaids and the Marthas but not much.
The Handmaid’s Tale is set in a dystopian society where all lives are controlled. There are rules to be followed and must never be broken. If said rules are broken then they are punished. The Handmaids know what their roles, jobs are as they don’t change from day to day, often. Each of their jobs is to be carried out the exact same way day after day.
We get a little bit of back story from Offred as she is always thinking about her life before with her family. We get to meet her husband and daughter through her memories. Offred gives us a little bit of what happened to change their way of life and how they came to be where they are now.
I have watched The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu and loved it very much and I always wanted to read the book as the book is always better but I am sorry to say not this time. Not that I didn’t enjoy reading the book, I did, tremendously. After watching The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu made it easier to picture everything in my head as I was reading it. I also had a voice to add to Offred’s and a face to add to all the characters.
I love a book because you can get inside the character’s head. You know how they see and feel about what is going on around them. You see the story from the author’s and the character’s point of view. You know more about what is going on at the time. When you are watching it you only get what you see at the moment, you don’t get to travel back in time with the character as they are showing you how they ended up where they are. You don’t get to see what they are thinking about what is going on around them and their perspective of the situation. Or that is the kind of books I enjoy the most.
If you think about it The Handmaid’s Tale is the type of story that could very easily become our world or a similar world and that in its self is very spooky. Our lives as we know them could easily be snatched from us in the blink of an eye. Our identities stolen from us, our freedom gone in a heartbeat, our loved ones snatched from us never to be seen again. Now that is what I would call scary. That is a lot to swallow. The Handmaid’s Tale is an eye-opener.
If you have watched The Handmaid’s Tale then I think you would definitely enjoy reading the book. Even if you haven’t watched it, I still think you would enjoy it especially if you like books that are set in a dystopian or apocalyptic type of setting, I highly recommend The Handmaid’s Tale!
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