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The Handmaid Tale Margaret Atwood 9780385490818 Books

Download As PDF : The Handmaid Tale Margaret Atwood 9780385490818 Books

The Handmaid Tale Margaret Atwood 9780385490818 Books

I realize that I am late coming to the ‘Handmaid’ party. It has been my intention to read it for some long time, but for some reason that I don’t fully understand, I was intimidated by the gravity of the book. I really wanted to be impressed, but Atwood’s view of a dark dystopian society left me depressed, confused and ultimately bored.
I confess, I couldn’t finish the book. I couldn’t force myself to endure more than 115 pages peppered with complete and unnecessary gibberish. ‘If I have an egg, what more can I want?’ There are tons of this fluff.
Atwood’s view of the future, and I assume that’s what I think we must consider that she intends, is poppycock. A nightmare with no beginning, middle or end. If this is what is in store for us, count me out.
I was interested in a storyline or two along the way, but the author refused to develop them, instead droning on and on about meaningless details in the heroine’s life, or existence.
I couldn’t go any further. My mind kept drifting to all the really entertaining stories out there, waiting to be read and enjoyed. Why was I wasting precious time reading tripe?


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The Handmaid Tale Margaret Atwood 9780385490818 Books Reviews

I have to admit while parts of this novel where intriguing, most of it, I found difficult get through. The beginning until half way through was quite boring and if it hadn't been a required text for class I would've dropped it. On the other hand it was different and lacked the cliche main character that fights for freedom and justice, but then again that's the kind of character I like. I do recommend trying it for yourself as it wasn't a terrible read. I loved the ending though. It was open ended leaving you able to create an ending that you would like to have happened.
There was so much great hype about the television series that I was eager to read the book. Very interesting story. But I was greatly disappointed that the ending was full of holes. The main character had to guard her every thought, yet the ending reveals the story is being told based on her diary. Even if she'd had writing materials, which she didn't, she'd never have dared write down her thoughts and risk the results of exposure. Big let down.
Perfect last line to this book as I was left with so many questions at the end...the first of which was simply, "Huh?".

This book confused me. Given all of the hype around it, I was expecting much more from this book. It was decent and I can completely understand how it would translate well into a mini-series or movie...but I just couldn't get my head around how/why things changed so quickly in society...over night, all women's rights were taken away but there seemed to be little information as to who or why. I was further confused by tourists coming into Gilead...why were there fully functioning societies outside of Gilead that seem to have been unaffected by whatever caused this tremendous shift in US society. How could this have gone on for so long afterwards without a civil war of sorts breaking out. Without having more information of the total collapse of society and a little more longevity of what lead to the collapse, it was hard to buy into this tale.

If I could buy into the collapse of society and the development of Gilead to save the human race, there just wasn't enough information on how the Handmaids, the Aunts, etc were chosen, why they took healthy children away from their birth families and assigned the mothers of those children to other households for procreation...none of it made much sense. Also, what happened to the women in the colonies, the "unbabies", etc.

There was a great core to this story, just not enough detail to support any of it so I was very disappointed in the end.
I first read The Handmaid's Tale around the time it was published in 1986. I was just 22, a sheltered young thing. I recall wondering what everyone was raving about, since only the top story layer of the book connected for me. Now, with decades of life experience behind me, I see that this is a deeply moving, complex book. I'm so glad I decide to read again just at this moment in time.

You would think that something written thirty years ago would seem dated. But that wasn't the case for me. If anything, I think there are so many things imagined in the book which have become more possible today instead of less. In a sense, this is a cautionary tale that a large art of the population ignored or misunderstood.

More than ever, we should be reading this and sharing it with the young women in our lives. And discussing it with them, so they see more of the depth than my 22-year-old self did.

Margaret Atwood imagined a world where a totalitarian power went into action against foreign zealots and their own people's "wanton" behavior. This power was meant to make the world better, but it also created a world of highly distinct "haves" and "have nots."

She says, “Better never means better for everyone... It always means worse, for some.” It might be just me (although I suspect not) but this sure sounds like what we often hear today on the news and in conversations.

Reading this at the end of 2016 after a brutal election cycle, the following quote from Atwood seems both wise and horrible. Have we not been hearing about people who feel invisible?

“We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories"

Atwood's Republic of Gilead gives people one-dimensional functions. Correction - she gives women one-dimensional functions. They are Wives, Marthas, Handmaids, Aunts, or Unwomen (and a few more which would be spoilers). Unwomen are rebels, likely to be banished to the toxic waste dumps of the colonies. Everyone else plays a part in the singular female focus - procreation. As I read, I wondered what category I'd fall into should I have the bad luck to land in Gilead. The women there have no layers of life or experience. They are expected only to fulfill their narrow role.

Why is procreation such a focus? Because of falling birth rates among white people. This book doesn't discuss race except one small spot near the end. It's as if there is only one race in Gilead. And the only people in that race with any power are men.

The main character, Offred (literally of Fred named after the Commander she serves) is the perfect blend of weak and strong. She tells us of her past and says, “When we think of the past it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.” But her life is not beautiful. And Atwood straddles the line of past and present, sending back and forth in a way that keeps you wanting more. Just as Offred wants more. Just as we all want more for ourselves and the generations of women coming after us.

If you read this book long ago, pick it up again. If you haven't yet read it, move it up to the top of your TBR. Buy it for friends. Buy for your sons and daughters. Use it to teach and to learn what kind of world we could be if we stop valuing the diversity of all people.
I realize that I am late coming to the ‘Handmaid’ party. It has been my intention to read it for some long time, but for some reason that I don’t fully understand, I was intimidated by the gravity of the book. I really wanted to be impressed, but Atwood’s view of a dark dystopian society left me depressed, confused and ultimately bored.
I confess, I couldn’t finish the book. I couldn’t force myself to endure more than 115 pages peppered with complete and unnecessary gibberish. ‘If I have an egg, what more can I want?’ There are tons of this fluff.
Atwood’s view of the future, and I assume that’s what I think we must consider that she intends, is poppycock. A nightmare with no beginning, middle or end. If this is what is in store for us, count me out.
I was interested in a storyline or two along the way, but the author refused to develop them, instead droning on and on about meaningless details in the heroine’s life, or existence.
I couldn’t go any further. My mind kept drifting to all the really entertaining stories out there, waiting to be read and enjoyed. Why was I wasting precious time reading tripe?