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The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)

Margaret Atwood

Start date: January 1, 2017

Finish date: January 31, 2017

Discussion: Group Reads

Why we're reading this: Winner of the January 2017 Thug Notes Poll
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What Members Thought

May 05, 2017 Gaby rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, politics, dystopian, feminist-books, classics

The Handmaid's tale is the perfect definition of a dystopian reality that is scary enough to look like it could become true in the near future.
Clearly inspired by 1984 and with some parallelism that resembles Winston's journey, Margaret Atwood's portrayal of this narrative achieves to make us feel uncomfortable enough to question ourselves what would we do if we were to be in Offred's place?

Update:

Six months have passed since I read this book and I cannot stop thinking about this. My love for ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Mar 31, 2011 Jenbebookish rated it really liked it

Shelves: dystopian

Very depressing. And not very.... descript. In terms of the story. There was no beginning or end of the story, it just WAS what it was. It didn't go anywhere and you didn't even get any sort of climax, or ending. I was still interested, and Atwood is no doubt talented, but this was NOT my fav Atwood book. ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2012 Mmars rated it it was amazing

If a time capsule (not to be opened for 500 years) of books written in the latter-half of the 20th century were to be made, this would be my contribution. Then, I'd be a spirit who could observe the reactions and read the 2400 A.D. analysis of it - a female spirit with memory of the latter-1900s. Ooooh something to look forward to! ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 16, 2017 Nico marked it as dnf-and-never-will · review of another edition

Not really in the frame of mind right now to read about white-on-white slavery. The story is presented as speculative and dystopian, when it should really read as historical because this already happened to a large number of women during the good old slavery centuries.

A novel where slavery is white-washed, where this white lady wondered, "But wait, could they turn on US?!?!?!?!?? "

That kind of story really isn't powerful or engaging or even interesting if you're not part of the "us".

I'm re ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2010 GracieKat rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-book-dystopia

Even though most of us reading this would read it and say, "No, this couldn't happen. There's no way." What's scary about the book is that it's entirely plausible. Scarily so, in fact. With the way society is degrading and with about 90% of our country's funds being electronic it wouldn't be hard either.
As far as the novel itself goes it was an excellent book with a fascinating, uncomfortable story and the add-on at the end makes it seem all the more real. ...more

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Mar 14, 2015 AGB rated it really liked it

Started out slow. Really built momentum as it progressed. The writing was fantastic. Good for a book group. I am somewhat surprised that it is being read in high school due to the mature themes and sexual references.

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