Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

68 reviews

nowakatie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

Everyone should read this book!!!!!!! There’s so much more internal dialogue to June that we see some of in the TV show but not all of. It’s also great to catch the Easter eggs they throw into the show for people who have read the book. The most thought provoking dystopia and a riveting read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

ramonajune27's review against another edition

dark sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and War

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

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

allycmerritt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Reeling a bit after having finally read this eerily relevant 80s dystopian novel... this should be required reading for any North American who has interest in how governments may try to control women and their bodies. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, and War

barbarianmissy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I didn’t necessarily enjoy this book because the world it’s set in and the things the characters go through are absolutely horrendous, but I found it to be an incredibly impactful cautionary tale of how the world could look if women’s and human rights continue to be taken away under an unjust government.

The complete disregard for personal freedom of any kind for both men and women on the account of highly censored media and manipulated religious demands (not beliefs) is scary foresight.

Hope the world today continues to fight for the rights for people to choose, love, and live however is right for them regardless of what the government sees fit. 

Margaret Atwood’s writing is so poetic and multiple times throughout the book, she had me thinking about certain aspects of our world today in a very different light. Many times I had to put the book down and absorb what I had just read or take a break because I felt quite emotional for the characters. 

Highly recommend reading this book at this point in our history. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chloe_bocci_07's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

cpardub's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Wow wow wow so good. I flew through this. The dystopia Atwood describes is visceral. I loved the narrator’s tone and flaws. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, and Pregnancy

bootsmom3's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion

peachybee53's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Handmaid's Tale is surprisingly witty and blunt for its complex subject matter. I didn't feel particularly attached to any character, though I found Offred and Moira to be relatable at times. 

Slow but intriguing, it carefully balances monotony with memory, manipulation and soft rebellion. It tackles difficult topics such as misogyny, fertility, tyranny and religion in a way that makes this kind of dystopia feel eerily possible from our current reality. I appreciated the dark humour, the way that society was manipulated into Gilead law so easily, and the way the writing comforted you into feeling certain practices were normal when they were, in reality, extremely troubling.

I grew more hooked the further into the novel I read and believe the epilogue tied it all together in an extremely clever way. I'm looking forward to reading The Testaments.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Body horror, Gore, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, and Suicide attempt