The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) in The Challenge Factory

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The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)

Margaret Atwood

Start date: November 1, 2024

Finish date: November 15, 2024

Discussion: Archived-A Year of Banned Books

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What Members Thought

Jan 31, 2014 Megan rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, borrow-or-need-to-buy, uno-2017, rlftci-17-000-in-2017, new-to-me-authors-2017, read-in-2017, 2017-challenge-books, ammp-team-scottie-dog, minesweeper-2017, april-2017

I don't know why this book has such high ratings. It sounded like an interesting book, until I started to read it. I personally never got into it and if not that I had to finish it for a challenge I was doing I'm sure it would've made the short list of books on my dnf shelf. I don't believe that society would change so quickly and easily, it sounded as though everything happened within at most 10 years...and that's being generous. This just wasn't a book for me. ...more

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Mar 16, 2017 Darlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2017, audio-1000, audiobook, bought, books-i-own, canadian-book-challenge, classic, dystopia

It鈥檚 shameful that this Canadian girl has never read Margaret Atwood! I鈥檝e had this classic on my TBR forever, and I鈥檝e put it off for so long. I was thrilled to see a read-a-long for this book hosted by Michelle at Gather Together and Read, which gave me the push that I needed to finally take the plunge.

The setting of the story takes place in the future, following the collapse of the American government as we know it. The President was assassinated, and a group took over and re-branded the coun It鈥檚 shameful that this Canadian girl has never read Margaret Atwood! I鈥檝e had this classic on my TBR forever, and I鈥檝e put it off for so long. I was thrilled to see a read-a-long for this book hosted by Michelle at Gather Together and Read, which gave me the push that I needed to finally take the plunge.

The setting of the story takes place in the future, following the collapse of the American government as we know it. The President was assassinated, and a group took over and re-branded the country as the Republic of Gilead which utilizes a dictatorship that strips women of their rights. They were unable to access their bank accounts or to hold a job. Any woman of reproductive age was forced to become a Handmaid, and her body is merely a vessel for bearing children. Handmaids are 鈥渙wned鈥� by leaders called Commanders and their infertile (older) wives, and their job is to act as a surrogate to the couple. To further emphasize that a woman no longer has any rights, the Handmaid鈥檚 are renamed 鈥渙f鈥� plus the first name of the Commander she serves.

The book鈥檚 narrator is Offred, and she describes the monthly ritualistic Ceremony that takes when she is ovulating. The sex between her and the Commander is not intimate or pleasurable. They both are fully clothed, with only her dress hitched up and his pants unzipped. There is no touching or kissing, and Offred lies between the legs of the Commander鈥檚 wife (also fully clothed) who holds the hands of the Handmaid while she watches the two engage in the act to ensure that no one is enjoying it! During a regular check-up with a physician, he suggests to her that the Commander is likely sterile and offers to impregnate her. Offred is tempted, because failure to become pregnant will brand her as an 鈥渦n-woman鈥� and she would be sent to the colonies (which are never really explained, other than to say that you wouldn鈥檛 want to end up there). However, it would be too risky for them both so she turns him down. Meanwhile, the Commander propositions Offred to secretly meet with him in his study.

Through flashbacks, we learn about Offred鈥檚 life before this new world. She was married to a man named Luke, and they had a daughter. They were attempting to flee the United States to Canada when they were caught. Offred has not seen either of them since. She assumes that Luke was killed, and her daughter was likely adopted by an affluent couple.

This book was better than I expected! With today鈥檚 political unrest, this book is just as relevant today as when it was written over 30 years ago! I really enjoyed Atwood鈥檚 writing, who describes in detail the brainwashing that the Handmaids are put through. She painted a very disturbing dystopian future for women, ruled by a tyrannical government. I cannot imagine living a life like Offred, and she handles it much better than I could! She wants to survive and will do it at whatever cost. I found the whole Ceremony with the Commander and his wife abhorrent and tantamount to rape. Even though she did consent, what choice she really have?!? Having the Commander鈥檚 wife hold her hands during the Ceremony made it seem even more like the act was being forced upon Offred.

This is my first narration by Claire Danes, and I thought she did a great job at conveying Offred鈥檚 different emotions. For example, we heard Offred鈥檚 spunky side during her secret meetings with the Commander and the pain in her voice when she wonders whether her daughter was told that she was killed. Ms. Danes had me totally engaged! However, she has an odd pronunciation of the word 鈥渕auve,鈥� which I have never heard before. I actually had to rewind and listen again to figure out what she was saying!

I can't wait to watch the television series, which is set to air in April 2017. I also plan to watch the 1990 movie starring Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, and Aidan Quinn.

This review was posted on my book blog:
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Jan 20, 2017 Talyah rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, own, adult, classics, dystopia-post-apoc, read-in-2017

I have been looking forward to reading this ever since I finished The Blind Assassin years ago. Unfortunately, I don't care for what I've read/listened to so far. I own the paperback but the audio version was free on amazon unlimited so I figured I'd go ahead and start listening while driving to and from work. So I'm not sure if it's Clair Danes that ruins this for me or if it is the actual book.

Let me point out that I loved The Blind Assassin, and it made me fall in love with Atwood's writing. ...more

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