A review by raloveridge
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
5.0
Okay, so. The bloom has been off the rose for me re: Margaret Atwood for the last few years. She signed that ridiculous open letter against "cancel culture" or whatever and she defended that creep University of British Columbia professor. Just some real icky business that feels like a big name feminist pulling up the ladder behind her, you know?
Not only that, but the books: the recent books haven't been my favorite. I've tried to keep up with her publications since I took a whole seminar class on her in college; I have loved her work, so much, and it's hard to tell whether the books are worse these days or whether I'll just never really feel the same about literature as I did while sitting around a table of brilliant classmates, passing hours and hours talking about stories. Hag-seed was okay, but felt smug; I know I read Stone Mattress (I can see I did…in 2016, apparently!), but I can’t recall a single thing about it. Compare that to Cat’s Eye, which I haven’t read since 2006, but remember in great detail (particularly the scene in which the protagonist peels skin off of her feet, eek).
But this book. I loved this book. I put off reading it for a couple of years because I really, really didn’t want some kind of self-important, fan-servicey, TV-show tie-in sequel to a book that is so precious to me, so genuinely ground-breaking and good. And this felt like a really worthy sequel that deepened the universe. I may have some quibbles that are too spoilery to mention, but overall, I just adored this.
Not only that, but the books: the recent books haven't been my favorite. I've tried to keep up with her publications since I took a whole seminar class on her in college; I have loved her work, so much, and it's hard to tell whether the books are worse these days or whether I'll just never really feel the same about literature as I did while sitting around a table of brilliant classmates, passing hours and hours talking about stories. Hag-seed was okay, but felt smug; I know I read Stone Mattress (I can see I did…in 2016, apparently!), but I can’t recall a single thing about it. Compare that to Cat’s Eye, which I haven’t read since 2006, but remember in great detail (particularly the scene in which the protagonist peels skin off of her feet, eek).
But this book. I loved this book. I put off reading it for a couple of years because I really, really didn’t want some kind of self-important, fan-servicey, TV-show tie-in sequel to a book that is so precious to me, so genuinely ground-breaking and good. And this felt like a really worthy sequel that deepened the universe. I may have some quibbles that are too spoilery to mention, but overall, I just adored this.