Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

142 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

---

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.

---

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

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.

---

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

---

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

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. 

---

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

---

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

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

---

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

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

---

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

hollylollypop31's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Everybody needs to read this book because I refuse to become a Handmaid 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Classism

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. 

---

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