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pokecol's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
It is hard to say much about this book as a story because I feel fundamentally there isn't one. A good deal of the design of the plot layout is to inform us and to educate us in this frame of reference so that we might interpret the smaller actions within the bounds of this set-up. This is very good at doing its intended job, making us uncomfortable, question and abhorred by such a possible interpretation of the future.
However, as a narrative, the amount of content could make perhaps 3 or 4 chapters maximum. All that is told occurs as: part of the collective, Moira vanishes, meet a man, eventually find a zone of comfort in the horror, find Moira again and "escape". But also not really, because some of the events aren't true at all, a lot of the story ends up having been a fantasy of the Main Character derived to display a measure of comfort compared to what she is known in the identity of telling the story herself.
I do think there is of course a lot of power in this whole way of telling The Handmaid's Tale, but it makes for an admittedly very dull experience besides the deeper reflective context of the book.
Fundamentally the divined idea of the society proposed is disgusting and the hyper subjugation tickles a sore-point for me in a way I do not enjoy. I feel there is required reading in the intent of the novel but it only explores so much through the idea of our Main Character and provides little in the expansive meaning or identity of these change beyond hierarchy. As a story the snippets we flashback to and compare the lives before and after, is excellent and made for compelling hope in drawing our Main Character out from this world eventually.
But the fact of the matter is we do not really have any progress to the story, at all, for the first entire two thirds of the book, and then the last third ends up not even necessarily being true. I do not fault the MC for her choices and attitude, considering the circumstances she is very much doing better than one might expect - yet as having just finished it, I do not at all recall her name.
The fact that some points of reference are used to describe the horrific nature of the set-up but we skip over the "really bad" parts near the end seems to be a really weird choice. I have no interest in abuse topics at the best of times but I have to say that it seems a backwards idea to avoid that harshest dichotomy to near the conclusion in the failure to escape - even if it is to help frame the whole scenario as a more positive outcome.
Unlike other deeply dystopian outlooks on modernity, I do not feel I got so much a good a grasp on things that allowed me to live the experiences, or understand character perspective. I feel a little trite in critiquing The Handmaid's Tale for solely it's story content, because there is more message to it than that, however, such a message can be conveyed by many means and Margaret Atwood chose for it to be a fiction novel - and in many respects the fiction novel part is where it fails the most in my reading experience.
I do think though, the world is revoltingly plausible, and in many ways these smaller accumulating elements are no stranger to a 21st century world already. In predictive, and cautionary, writings such as this I think The Handmaid's Tale does do its job providing the subject matter to a reader.
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Graphic: Misogyny and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Classism, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Lesbophobia, Trafficking, Body shaming, Infidelity, Violence, Suicide, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Rape, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Infertility, Drug use, Grief, Death, Confinement, Cursing, and Colonisation
kayleejanes's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Torture, Suicide, Classism, Emotional abuse, Deportation, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Suicidal thoughts
rushh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Infertility, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Sexual content, Violence, and War
Moderate: Suicide, Death, Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Murder, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Abortion, Blood, Drug use, Vomit, Cursing, and Alcohol
lakea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Toxic friendship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Deadnaming, Ableism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Abandonment, Self harm, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Medical content
Moderate: Classism, Infidelity, Confinement, Bullying, Kidnapping, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
carmentxx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death
sreenidhi_23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Classism, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Slavery, Colonisation, Sexual content, Sexism, and Rape
jennino's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Slavery, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Violence, and War
jhaneveauguste's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, War, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Violence, Misogyny, and Suicide
anotheranomaly_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Medical content, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Genocide, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Slavery, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, War, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Police brutality, Body shaming, Cursing, and Death
q17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Sexism, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Rape, Police brutality, and Infertility
Moderate: Hate crime, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Miscarriage
Minor: Child abuse, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, Classism, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Abortion, Acephobia/Arophobia, Ableism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Grief, War, Mental illness, Medical content, Racism, and Violence