Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

70 reviews

curlscout's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

It was a good listen. Very difficult subject matter. The story is also somewhat difficult to follow because the narrator skips around in the story. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Blood, and Pregnancy

katiey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Everyone should read this book. It is written in a vivid way that makes the strange world and characters jump out and feel so real. I love how the way it is written truly makes it feel like the main character telling her story to someone. In some ways a cautionary tale, as well as a reflection on patriarchy and control of women, it is an important story to be told and to be read. This book pulled raw emotion out of me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Alcohol

All of this content is important to the story told in this book, and helps it to feel real.

alyssapusateri's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Blood, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War

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.

---

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

sestout's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Gore, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and War

alixbx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

To be edited when I can compose my thoughts.

This main character is a piece of work (derogatory) but the story’s major elements are so relevant all these decades after it’s first publication. I don’t know yet how to reconcile that I hate the main character so much and yet feel that this should be required reading.

Full thoughts to come in an edit, though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

This book is explicit in every topic it addresses, and it is addressed through the mind of the main character who sexualizes everything, no matter how unnecessarily. It is often without warning, too, so you can’t even skip over it if you think it’s coming up. It’s also graphic in every other way, too.

chavonnwshen's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This is white feminism fodder - the cast is entirely white as literally all the people of color in the book have  been exiled. Despite the book's glaring flaws in the light of intersectional feminism, the prose really is beautiful. The plot is tightly woven and the characters are complex. I can definitely see why it's considered a classic. Not the best book I've ever read, but far from the worst. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Pregnancy, and War

readwithsophsx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Deportation

lexithelion's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.75

Margaret Atwood's writing skill is impeccable, there is absolutely no doubt about that. However, I can acknowledge when a book is simply not for me. Nothing much plot-wise happens in this book as it is more meant, I feel, to embody the bleakness of Offred's situation and the world she is living in. This book is dreary and bland, as the lives of the handmaids are, thus it is an incredible book in that it completes its purpose and makes you feel as though you are living in Gilead. This book is pretty boring, but that seems to be the point. It took me longer than usual to finish this book but if you enjoyed reading it, you would probably also enjoy the TV show.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Blood, Medical content, and War

rogier_vdw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Blood and Deportation

Minor: Child death, Abortion, and War