The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel Paperback – 28 Aug. 2024

Oh wow! What a book; I'll be thinking about this extraordinary story long after I've finished reading it. Grim, disturbing, shocking, menacing I had a horrible sense of foreboding every time I picked it up wondering what harrowing circumstances those poor people would have to further endure and the ending just created more unanswered questions and left you wondering about possible scenarios on so many different levels. I couldn't put it down though; this will be hard to beat and it kept me gripped from start to finish; it will be hard to find a book equally as enthralling for a future read.The book describes a dystopian world where many women have been left barren by nuclear toxicity in an area of North America named Gilead; consequently the new regime forces fertile women to live with the families of high ranking officials in order to provide babies for the elite. It is a terrifying world where women's rights have been taken away from them, for example it is a crime for them to read and write; the handmaids are under the jurisdiction of the ferocious aunts who seem to take pleasure in subjugating their charges by torturing and punishing them for every minor misdemeanour with their inhumane cattle prod.I loved the symbolism of the book with the handmaids clothed as demure Quakers in long dresses complete with white winged hats which restricted their viewing; yet the dresses were scarlet as opposed to the Marthas attired in brown and the high ranking wives decked in blue; are the handmaids dressed in red because in man's Utopian world he has a vision/ fantasy of women with the subservience and obedience of a Quaker but the sexuality of a scarlet woman? The wives and aunts had control over the handmaids who all lived in fear of being shipped to the colonies where victims there were forced to clear up toxic waste without the benefit of any protective clothing whatsoever which led to their cruel and painful deaths within a few short years. All communities lived in terror and dread of the secret eyes who covertly spied upon the population ready to pick up offenders in their menacing black vans to steal them away to some unspeakable end.The disturbing ending raised more questions than it answered although some clues are provided in the historical notes which provides further food for thought on the terrifying issues evoked. One thought Offred gave voice to remains chillingly in my head; she stated how humans accept and adapt so quickly and easily to changes in circumstances no matter how bad or wrong those circumstances are. I will finish now for fear of giving too much of the plot away but what a brilliant book, I will be thinking about this for a very long time.

The Handmaid's Tale has a slow but intriguing plot. Not a lot goes on, it's a fairly short book but the interest of the world kept me hooked. The world is terrifying in this novel, women have been stripped of the rights and reduced to be baby-making machines for other people. I can see some 1984 vibes throughout the novel, however, I enjoyed this book so much more! I found the world interesting and eerie.I can't say it was an 'enjoyable' story, as it is a sad story, but it is a very good book. It's definitely one to get you thinking.I did like Offred, her real name is unknown, the handmaids are stripped of their identity and name in order to further dehumanise them. I really felt for Offred, I could definitely sympathise with her. I don't know what I'd do in her position. I did root for her, she deserved to be happy.One of the side characters I really enjoyed was Moira, she was pretty cool. She's feisty, brave and doesn't take crap. I wish I could've known what happened to her.I think this is a really great book but I wish it was a series. I just hate not knowing. The book is a standalone novel, yet ends on a cliffhanger. It's so frustrating! I so wish this was a series, the ending really made it feel that way.The ended is the reason I gave it a 4-star rating if it had a sequel or had Offred's full story I would've given 5/5

An astounding piece of work.Because this book is a modern classic, it has been much reviewed, discussed and dissected, which probably renders my review somewhat redundant. That won’t prevent me writing in praise of the novel, however.The author describes the work as speculative fiction rather than science fiction, and I understand her distinction. There’s little science, other than of the social sort, in the book. It is, however, a book describing a dystopian future and therefore can be included in the same category as 1984, Brave New World, and Animal Farm.I came late to this work and, in one sense, I’m pleased that’s the case. The author covers themes and topics close to my own heart, and my earlier writing might otherwise have been influenced in ways that could have altered my output; we are all, whether we wish it or no, subject to the suggestion inherent in a work of great art.Here, the writer has taken as her starting point the right wing conservative religious extremism of the USA at a time when it felt threatened by burgeoning freedoms, especially for women. She has developed the social mores and thoughtless dogma of that society’s pious vengeance to a logical extreme. The USA was initially invaded and overrun by groups of disciples of various sects who wished not to escape persecution but to impose their brands of religion on others. A land sparsely populated was seen as an ideal opportunity by those founding fathers.This book carries that spirit of evangelism to its logical and horrific conclusion; a state where politics and dogma permit continued luxury and comparative freedom for the elite at the expense and exploitation of all others.It describes the hypocrisy of religion so well, underlining the obsessive fear of sex and resultant restrictive rules, whilst exposing the indifference to real goodness and true morality. Presented in informal diary style through the eyes and memories of a young woman caught in a vile artificial trap of the hierarchy’s making, this tale explores and uncovers the real moral dilemma of the gentle rebel caught in a totalitarian society.The author’s insight into the workings of minds as varied as the innocent unbeliever and as corrupt as the dogmatic despot is deep and enlightening. That she manages, at the same time, to express the similarities of such diverse minds is an indication of her extraordinary understanding of the human condition. She conveys the emptiness, pointlessness and inevitable downfall of a totalitarian regime in subtle and empathetic language that burns into the consciousness and produces a bleak and barren picture.Love is here, and its partner, hope. But these are so buried in the iniquities of the ambition and self-preservation of those in authority as to appear no more than dim sparks. Yet their very presence is enough to ensure the pages are turned.The language, metaphor and poetry of this writing are exceptional and, in a story with so little actual action, it’s the emotional layering that carries the reader through to the utterly inevitable ending. Brilliant!