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kacenka's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
channilovesreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
attar_2665's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The writing style was unique, and not my favorite, but it was still cool. A lot of elements rang true in comparison to societies around the world, and I think it does a good job at being a dystopian that’s society out for its shit. It was a little hard to get into at times because the character isn’t the most interesting, but once you got into it you were in it and enjoying it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, and Suicide
bethlevalley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
4.0
It's objectively a great book, well-written and meaningful. However, I had a hard time actually reading it due to the subject matter and therefore found myself avoiding picking it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
angelinediane05's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lalawoman416's review against another edition
5.0
So always wanted to read this book based on word of mouth. Dystopian novel. The United States government has collapsed following an undisclosed environmental disaster leaving a large portion of the population either barren or subject to non-viable births. In comes the religious zealots who take over the government and set up a society that oppresses women for "the good of society." Women are separated into classes - Wives/Daughters, Cooks/Maids, Handmaidens. Women who are no longer useful to society are sent to the "colonies" which are basically work camps. The Handmaidens - the class which this book is focused on - are women used for the sole purpose of breeding. Every rich family has a handmaiden for the sole purpose of procreating. The hopes of the family is on the Handmaiden. If she is successful, the Wife gets all the glory, the Maid gets to raise a child, and the Handmaiden avoids the work camps.
The Handmaiden has no name - instead her identity is subverted to her owner's identity. She takes the name of the man of the family. In this particular case, the Handmaiden's name is Offred - meaning she is belongs to a man named Fred. She is of the first generation in this new dystopian society. She has memories of her old life - her husband, her child, her mother. Peppered in her experience as a handmaiden are her memories of her old life - the beginning of the siege, her attempt at escape with her husband, and her time being trained as a Handmaiden.
To be honest, the story itself isn't anything amazing, but it really resonated with me thinking about the experience in Iraq and Syria right now where religious zealots are subverting the female will. It's just sad that 30 years after it was written, it still resonates and has the power to be so frightening.
The Handmaiden has no name - instead her identity is subverted to her owner's identity. She takes the name of the man of the family. In this particular case, the Handmaiden's name is Offred - meaning she is belongs to a man named Fred. She is of the first generation in this new dystopian society. She has memories of her old life - her husband, her child, her mother. Peppered in her experience as a handmaiden are her memories of her old life - the beginning of the siege, her attempt at escape with her husband, and her time being trained as a Handmaiden.
To be honest, the story itself isn't anything amazing, but it really resonated with me thinking about the experience in Iraq and Syria right now where religious zealots are subverting the female will. It's just sad that 30 years after it was written, it still resonates and has the power to be so frightening.
bella_lily02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kayciesmith14's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
iluvbooks18's review against another edition
Would finish if I had the actual book.