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*Tagged classics almost 300 times, even though the book was published only a few years ago, already considered a modern classic it seems)

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - 4,5 stars

I bought this as soon as it released, but never got to prioritize it before now. I was a bit apprehensive, as I absolutely loved The Handmaid’s Tale (well, not loved, but you know..of course it was super distressful, and even worse knowing this regime still exists in some countries). I had heard so many people being disappointed in this one. For me, I am glad to say I was not disappointed � it was great finally getting some answers, and I felt like this gave me the closure I needed.

I ended up listening to it through Libby instead of reading my print copy, and I am very glad I did. The narrators were fantastic, I felt like they spoke directly to me. I very much enjoyed my listening time.

Hilde wrote: "*Tagged classics almost 300 times, even though the book was published only a few years ago, already considered a modern classic it seems)

The Testaments by [author:Margaret Atwood|..."

I'm glad you liked it too! I liked that it gave me a stronger sense of why/how it happened, and what was going on in the rest of the world. I agree about the audio. It was stellar. I particularly remember Ann Dowd's voicing of Aunt Lydia. She made it easier to understand how someone could get deeply committed to a cause, thinking it was right. Then later she had to try to justify her awful behavior to herself.

Some of the grumbling might have been because it won the Booker prize that year, practically before it was even released. This book seemed to be more straightforward and clearly written - which to some minds made it less literary I suppose. Plus it's a sequel so it's not as "original" as they might expect from an award winner. I suspect that in their hearts, some on the committee really wanted to make up for not giving her a prize for Handmaid's Tale. That's fine with me.

I started watching The Handmaid Tale TV series after this. It won a lot of Emmy Awards. I watched 1 or 2 seasons and it was quite good.

"Classics" tags are funny. I'm still amazed by some of the books that have them. In this case, I think the sequel immediately inherited some from the original book.

I really liked this one, too. I agree that the "classics" tag was inherited from the earlier book, which truly is a classic.

Agreed to everything you said, Nancy :) Great getting the actor to narrate aunt Lydia, she was terrific. I have watched all seasons so far, and even though it’s bleak, it’s still one of my favourite series where I always look forward to a new season.

It makes sense that this book inherited the classic tag from The Handmaid’s Tale.