Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

180 reviews

sparrolina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Torture, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Islamophobia, Trafficking, and Mass/school shootings

sarahgmo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Simply amazing! A modern classic dystopian novel with fun wordplay and imagery that just worked for my brain, and themes of gender, power, and autonomy. I loved it as much as I loved 1984, which is saying something! Unlike 1984, this book is from the perspective of someone who remembers the recent and dramatic shift of society, which I really enjoyed! Nothing is taken for granted as “simply the way things are” (from the narrator’s perspective). Instead, it is a very uncomfortable adjustment, which also makes the pious seem even more ridiculous in their devoutness. I should reread this in a few years to reflect on it again. Nothing I can say now would do it justice, but maybe in a few years, I’ll have the words to describe my love for every word in this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Abortion, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and War

scoops_stories's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The perfect book to pair with your depression.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Deportation

suicana's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The most unsettling part of this book is how it's clearly dystopian, and yet you look at what's going on in the US/the world and think you're not that far off at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, and Sexual content

ann_the_imp's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

troubleintandem's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-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? No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

linnylionheart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Self harm, Abortion, and Deportation

sarasreading's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

This book is a classic for a reason, and I was pretty blown away by it. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I have a harder time with physical books, but I kept saying, "one more chapter" with this for like 40% of the book, until it was after 2am and I absolutely had to put it down. 

It's disturbing and harrowing. You feel as helpless and trapped as the main character, and I found myself wondering what I would do in the same position often while reading. Part of me is more curious to watch the show now, but I also know the show goes even harder than the book and I may not be able to stomach it. Reading it right after the election was also an experience, as religious extremists gain a bigger and bigger foothold in our government. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility and Police brutality

elenaaurora's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder