The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale #1

Margaret Atwood

320 pages first pub 1985 (editions)

fiction dystopian literary dark reflective tense medium-paced

Description

Before The Testaments, there was The Handmaid's Tale: an instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (New York Times). The Handmaid's Tale is a novel of such power that the reade...

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Community Reviews Summary of 114,868 reviews

Moods

dark 90%
tense 61%
reflective 52%
challenging 42%
emotional 42%
sad 40%
mysterious 23%
adventurous 6%
informative 5%
inspiring 4%
hopeful 3%
funny 1%

Pace

medium 57%
slow 33%
fast 9%

Plot- or character-driven?

A mix: 44% | Character: 39% | Plot: 14% | N/A: 1%

Strong character development?

Yes: 39% | It's complicated: 36% | No: 22% | N/A: 1%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 49% | No: 28% | Yes: 19% | N/A: 1%

Diverse cast of characters?

No: 61% | It's complicated: 16% | Yes: 16% | N/A: 5%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

No: 36% | Yes: 31% | It's complicated: 28% | N/A: 2%

Average rating

4.16

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Content Warnings

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