Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

333 reviews

elg1105's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Miscarriage

pookiee's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I assumed it’d be very dark and make me feel sick to my core but it’s not like that, exactly. The writing is gentle and the story is disturbing and uncomfortable in a different way that is nonetheless indelible and depressing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Abortion

lmcrande's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

caroline_mclaughlin's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It’s so refreshing to read a dystopian novel that does not rely on a chosen one or the toppling of a long-lived political system. It feels like an anthropological study firsthand from someone who lived in a foreign, but not altogether impossible, reality. It feels grounded in realism, likely due to Atwood’s use of real historical events to develop her world. I appreciated getting to see this world not from a “radical” of her time speaking anachronistically, but instead from a victim of the system watching herself conform and make difficult or “stupid” decisions enforced by her situation.

I had avoided this book for so long, despite enjoying some of Atwood’s poetry. I thought the story would be too heavy and dark, and, although it was an older dystopian story, it may feel outdated and no longer truly relevant. However, I quickly found her prose to be engaging and beautiful, without being too flowery or grotesque. It was an easy read to start, and by the point it became more difficult and heavy, I was too engrossed to stop.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Religious bigotry

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

angemarval's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

attie_moon's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

sawyer75's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Fell in love with this book the moment I read it. Was especially prevalent given the upcoming presidential election in 2020. So weird to come back to it after the election of 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

ilumoonatic's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

brooke_w's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Abortion, Lesbophobia, and War

Minor: Racism