Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

45 reviews

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

definitely a slow burn but i liked the way it built tension somewhat exponentially with the narrator at the center of three mini rebellions—

seeing the Commander, defecting with Ofglen and Mayday, and conspiring with Serena Joy and Nick

—but in the end it didn't really amount to all that much. i love the inclusion of the "Historical Notes," they're terrible and perfect.
it's definitely white feminism, with racism in this religious-extremist totalitarian regime only mentioned once, in passing, at the very end. compared to another modern classic published just two years later, Beloved, it's kind of embarrassing.
cover design review: ★★★★☆. instant one-star deduction for having author's name larger than the title (sorry Margaret Atwood), and this is especially egregious; the title is relatively tiny. we all know minimalism has become excessive but i really like this one. the centering of the title is very satisfying, with approximately equal overhang of "HANDMAID'S" on either side of the dress. and the best part, get ready for your mind to be blown: see that dot in front of the Handmaid's head? it's the eye of a face in profile looking to the left hidden in the negative space. genius

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and War

mackwizowski's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy

rory_john14's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Lesbophobia and Alcohol

Minor: Child death, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, and War

graceanna's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body horror, Infertility, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

Minor: Miscarriage, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, and Alcohol

haseki_sultana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Introspective and totally character-driven, Atwood does a tremendous job of putting the reader into the thoughts and feelings of a woman who has become enslaved and is forced to carry her rapist's child. Most people refer to this novel as dystopic, and the undercurrent of it definitely is, but the main genre/focal point of this novel is speculative fiction. The focus is on the internal monologue, thoughts, emotions, experiences, and remembrances of the main character. As such, we never get any insight into the machinations of the dystopian government or society - we only see what Offred (the main character) sees, we only know what she knows.

This is why this novel is more speculative fiction than dystopian: it is an exercise of our imaginations to examine and possibly understand the human condition when it is undergoing a rather 'rare' (for western audiences) plight.

Whether or not you consider the situation presented in the novel plausible or realistic doesn't matter. What matters, and what Atwood asks you to look at, is the condition of an everywoman character who has gone and must continue to go through atrocities in life without any reprieve. It is a novel which holds a magnifying glass over sexual trauma, and the psyche of those who are unfortunate enough to endure it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Antisemitism

Content warning that is unavailable in the list: reproductive coercion.