Reviews tagging 'Deportation'

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

5 reviews

thedevilnextdoor13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Pregnancy, Self harm, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Sexism, and Confinement

Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Infidelity, Murder, and Self harm

margaret_s_library's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Slavery, Misogyny, Classism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Deportation, Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Suicide

Minor: Infertility, Homophobia, War, Xenophobia, Transphobia, and Physical abuse

emfass's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

I have no idea why the heck I felt inspired to re-read The Handmaid's Tale at a time with lots of other hard things going on in my life, but there you go. 

Loved Claire Danes' narration, as well as the expanded materials at the end that Atwood wrote. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Death, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Classism, Rape, Sexism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Violence, and Infertility

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Torture, Deportation, Police brutality, Trafficking, Body horror, Sexual content, and Homophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Vomit, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Medical content, and War

lauren_e_d's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Although I had to read this book for school, it was one that I was looking forward to reading. I had heard so much about it and it lived up to my expectations. I really enjoyed drawing the parallels between the novel, written back in the 1980s, and the modern day. It is  concerning, terrifying, and fascinating that this novel is still so powerful and poignant today.

Spoiler

I will admit, it took me until the very end of the book to realize that the structure of the novel is that the narrator is telling it like a story after the fact, so for almost of the book, the switches between past and current tense really confused me which made it slightly more difficult to understand. I did really enjoy the historical notes section though because I think it’s a great commentary on how we think of history and how it’s such a reality for so many people, but in the future, it is trivialized, made into jokes, and studied, but the reality and impact on real people is not always fully understood. The trauma is not understood. However, I really liked the ending and the ambiguity that it gives. It’s a fascinating way to have the reader hopefully for the entire novel just to be left guessing at the very end, something I think Atwood has a mastery of. Overall, AMAZING. I fully understand the hype now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Classism, Death, Gore, Infertility, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

karoliiine's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, Child abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Torture, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, Deportation, Mental illness, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: War, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Racism, and Antisemitism