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idkmangodffs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this FAR more than the Handmaid's Tale, I much preferred the angle of the story and the multiple POVs
nic_na's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jasannalise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
agnes and becka should’ve been endgame :’(
that aside - this book was a huge pick me up from ‘the handmaid’s tale’ and im so glad that my friends convinced me to pick this up. it had all the strengths that come with an atwood novel but an added layer of motivation/catharsis that was absent in the first novel of the universe. it felt like the justice that was painfully absent within offred/june’s story was withheld so this story could land so firmly on its feet.
that aside - this book was a huge pick me up from ‘the handmaid’s tale’ and im so glad that my friends convinced me to pick this up. it had all the strengths that come with an atwood novel but an added layer of motivation/catharsis that was absent in the first novel of the universe. it felt like the justice that was painfully absent within offred/june’s story was withheld so this story could land so firmly on its feet.
bbrassfield's review against another edition
5.0
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a classic dystopian novel that sadly in the 30 plus years since its release has become more prescient. The present United States is not Gilead but it feels like there are more people than ever alive now that would welcome a form of Gilead in place of the United States, including the current Vice President. The Testaments is a most welcome sequel of sorts to the Handmaid's Tale but is told in an entirely different way, through witness testimony from survivors of Gilead's regime and from the writings of Aunt Lydia, a 'founding' Aunt of Gilead.
Possible spoilers:
At the novel's end the reader discovers that much of what we are reading is discovered decades after the fall of Gilead and that Aunt Lydia played an important role in not only snuggling out the daughters of the original Handmaid Offred, but also in giving them documents that directly contribute to the fall of Gilead. Brilliant!
The Testaments is every bit as captivating as the Handmaid's Tale and offers the hope that if ever a regime like Gilead were to rise, it will surely fall through the actions of those under its yoke.
Possible spoilers:
At the novel's end the reader discovers that much of what we are reading is discovered decades after the fall of Gilead and that Aunt Lydia played an important role in not only snuggling out the daughters of the original Handmaid Offred, but also in giving them documents that directly contribute to the fall of Gilead. Brilliant!
The Testaments is every bit as captivating as the Handmaid's Tale and offers the hope that if ever a regime like Gilead were to rise, it will surely fall through the actions of those under its yoke.
samantha709's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i’m a little less scared than i was when i read the handmaids tale
bruinuclafan's review against another edition
3.0
It’s good but not great. Lacks the suspense of the first book, and some of the characters just lack authenticity (or, stated differently, I just couldn’t believe them and their actions). Still interesting and worth reading.
beccaboyes's review against another edition
2.0
I have to admit, I am a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale. The setting for that book is compelling and Offred an interesting piece in the puzzle.
This is where the Testaments stumbles. Each and every POV is high stakes, but not in any meaningful way. It doesn’t feel tense. It doesn’t feel oppressive. There is no real emotion, real trauma. Jade’s trauma extends so far as four pages past her major event. I would have preferred the entire book was written from the perspective of Aunt Lydia - for those were the POVs I was excited to turn over the next page and see and to keep reading. It took me a while to get through this book, and I only kept going in the hopes it would go somewhere meaningful. It doesn’t. It’s message extends so far as Gilead = bad in the girl’s POV. Again, this is where it should have been Lydia only.
A book that I feel was not required, added little, and capitalised on the success of the TV show (like baby Nichole?? I always considered Offred to have been killed after the events of the book).
This is where the Testaments stumbles. Each and every POV is high stakes, but not in any meaningful way. It doesn’t feel tense. It doesn’t feel oppressive. There is no real emotion, real trauma. Jade’s trauma extends so far as four pages past her major event. I would have preferred the entire book was written from the perspective of Aunt Lydia - for those were the POVs I was excited to turn over the next page and see and to keep reading. It took me a while to get through this book, and I only kept going in the hopes it would go somewhere meaningful. It doesn’t. It’s message extends so far as Gilead = bad in the girl’s POV. Again, this is where it should have been Lydia only.
A book that I feel was not required, added little, and capitalised on the success of the TV show (like baby Nichole?? I always considered Offred to have been killed after the events of the book).
marimbagirl22's review against another edition
3.0
I was hoping this book would include more depth into the world of Gilead or a greater understanding of how other countries interact with Gilead. In the end, it was nice to get a new perspective on Aunt Lydia and I feel that this writing does fit in well with the first book's portrayal of her.
bee_67's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25