The handmaid's tale

Critics

• The Handmaid's Tale, By Margaret Atwood

  Margaret Atwood's feminist dystopia has now reached the status of a classic, and may well prove to be the book she is remembered for. It's hard to believe it is 25 years since it was first published, but its freshness, its anger and its disciplined, ... (read full critics)

  independent published on Sun, 17 Oct 2010

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

  In the near-future USA that they call Gilead, society has changed. For the worse, of course. The population is dying out, and people who are capable of breeding the next generation are given a cherished status of Handmaid - gifted to any male of enou ... (read full critics)

  thebookbag published on Sun, 3 Oct 2010

14 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  A must read.

  Is this helpful?

  Chiara said on Aug 28, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Must. Read.
  Why all (religious) fanaticism is so bad for the world!

  Is this helpful?

  Sengaia said on Apr 27, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  in lettura: lo trovo noioso, senza alcun nervo, lento e banale. la scrittura è monotona, non mi piace come viene gestito il passaggio presente/sogno/passato/ricordo. non mi pare che l'animo della protagonista sia particolamente significativo. umana, sì, certo: nè eroe, nè martire, non ha a mio parer ... (continue)

  in lettura: lo trovo noioso, senza alcun nervo, lento e banale. la scrittura è monotona, non mi piace come viene gestito il passaggio presente/sogno/passato/ricordo. non mi pare che l'animo della protagonista sia particolamente significativo. umana, sì, certo: nè eroe, nè martire, non ha a mio parere alcun motivo per essere interessante.
  spero che la trama si smuova un po' e arrivi a qualche finale un po' più decente.

  per ora non è neanche lontanamente avvicinabile a huxley o orwell. e dire che erano anni che desideravo leggerlo.

  aggiornamento: finito. ribadisco che l'ho trovato lento e senza nervo. qualche idea interessante, ma nel complesso non mi ha lasciato quasi nulla. non ha soddisfatto le mie aspettative (anche se, bisogna ammetterlo, erano molto alte!)

  Is this helpful?

  hyacinthgirl said on Jan 17, 2012 | Add your feedback

• 

  mixed feelings

  Mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the way it is written and the way in which Atwood is able to induce suspense even when nothing is happening. it is, in fact, a book about waiting, about stillness. but still, the author is able to create movement simply through feelings. Maybe I have mixed feelings b ... (continue)

  Mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the way it is written and the way in which Atwood is able to induce suspense even when nothing is happening. it is, in fact, a book about waiting, about stillness. but still, the author is able to create movement simply through feelings. Maybe I have mixed feelings because the topic is extremely involving for a woman, not easy to digest, and the genre is not my favorite. However, the ending is really clever, and I loved how it reveals some details that invert what you have been thinking of the plot so far. for example, I thought that women and men were both in a bad and subdued condition till the very end. The final chapter changed everything, still
  without giving us all the details about the theocracy depicted, leaving us free to think about the world we are living in an drawing our own consequences and making the right comparisons.

  Is this helpful?

  Chhavi said on Jul 12, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  Wonderful, minimalistic, visionary

  My favourite quote from the book that shows how claustrophobic one's thoughts grow out of solitude and captivity:"Minimalist life: pleasure is an egg". See: http://www.shmoop.com/handmaids-tale/symbolism-imagery.html

  Is this helpful?

  Fabioruxo said on Feb 23, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  A powerful, gripping story reveals the author's vast knowledge of the dynamics of totalitarian regimes. Also, the historical notes at the end make the novel even more terrifyingly realistic.

  Is this helpful?

  Caterina :) said on Jan 4, 2011 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

See all 14 comments

Book Details

• Rating:
  (252)
  • 5 stars
  • 4 stars
  • 3 stars
  • 2 stars
  • 1 star
• English Books
• Others 324 Pages
• ISBN-10: 0771008139
• ISBN-13: 9780771008139
• Publisher: McClelland and Stewart
• Pub date: Jan 01, 1985
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Library Binding, School & Library Binding and Unbound
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, 简体书, Deutsche Bücher, Libri Italiani

Groups with this in collection

• book recommendations (916)
• The Collective (144)
• NY Times Notable Book Club (474)
• Flight 815 Book Club (16)
• 50 Book Challenge! (844)

Prices Change currency & sellers